European Union

The German government wants to convince a hesitant France that the merits of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement - currently being discussed at the EU-CELAC summit - are worthwhile, Franziska Brantner, the parliamentary state secretary in charge of trade at the Economy Ministry, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The European Union is pushing to revive its relationship with Latin American and Caribbean countries, particularly highlighting the importance of trade deals and investments in the region in the current geopolitical context.

A leaked EU draft report on the renewal of EU approval for the controversial herbicide glyphosate suggests it could be approved as early as September, a timeline lambasted by green campaign groups as 'undemocratic'.

The Meta-owned social media platforms will face a temporary three-month ban on behavioural advertising based on extensive user profiling in Norway starting on 4 August, following a ruling of the EU Court of Justice that found the practice lacked a legal basis.

A fine-tuned version of the Cyber Resilience Act, seen by EURACTIV, tweaked the parts on reporting obligations, highly critical products and product lifetime ahead of endorsement at the ambassador level.

The European Commission will provide €675 million to Tunisia this year as part of its new 'cash for migrant control' deal with the North African country, EURACTIV has learned from a senior Commission official.

The EU Commission report analysed a series of hypothetical reforms to the tax systems of Austria, Hungary, Italy, Belgium and Spain, and found targeted measures have a greater impact on labour supply than across-the-board cuts in personal income tax.

A UACES Microgrant Report

 

Europe has been facing a decade of crises. From the financial and refugee crises of the early and mid-2010s, to the Covid pandemic opening the new decade and the looming threat of climate change. These are some of the recurrent topics at the CES 29th International Conference of Europeanists, hosted by the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. The theme of the event, Europe’s Past, Present and Future: Utopias and Dystopias, invited multidisciplinary reflections about the successes and failures of European integration, as well as finding a way forward.

 

Hungary and Poland and their stance toward Russia

Arguably, Europe finds itself at a crossroads. Democracy has been in steady decline in multiple countries, nationalist and populist narratives have been dominating the political discourse and shifting priorities on pan-continental cooperation, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has once again brought war on European soil. My research focuses on the European Union, and in the paper I presented at the conference, I discussed the effect of democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland on the EU’s response to Russia’s war of aggression. Analysing the diverging responses of these two member states’ governments highlights the pitfalls and contradictions of their ideologies. Hungary, for example, has remained aligned with Russia, spreading Russian disinformation and validating narratives of a perceived Western responsibility in the conflict, despite itself being a NATO and EU member. Poland, on the contrary, has staunchly condemned Russia and provided an unmatched level of aid to Ukraine, urging its Western allies to up their efforts accordingly. Nevertheless, the leading PiS party and government continue to erode democracy at home and have instrumentalised the conflict to claim that EU institutions are weak and serving Russian interests in an attempt to justify their rejection of supranational oversight.

 

“In Europe, Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit”

These are only some of the paradoxes of nationalism as seen in Hungary, Poland, Russia, and on the rise in other European countries, which was itself a central theme of the CES conference. In the opening keynote speech, the President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson offered some enlightening remarks on the topic “In Europe, Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit. Presidents and Academics, Nationalism and Objectivity.” As an academic turned head of state, President Jóhannesson provided his personal account about the need to reconcile national interests, unity and pride, with the objectivity of academic rigour and both the freedom and duty to be critical of past mistakes.

 

UACES Microgrant

Thanks to the UACES microgrant, I was able to attend three days of panels and discussion which greatly nurtured my own research, as well as being able to present my paper and receive feedback from esteemed academics and fellow early-career researchers. With both, the invasion of Ukraine and the rule of law crisis being popular topics across multiple disciplines, this was an exceptional opportunity that would not have been possible without the support of UACES. I am confident that what I have learned and the connections I have made will enrich my research and will help inform my future teaching endeavours. For that I am very grateful.

 

 

The post CES 29th International Conference of Europeanists – Europe’s Past, Present and Future: Utopias and Dystopias appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Reacting to Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell said the decision is "completely unjustified" — and that Russia is yet again "weaponising the hunger of the people".

Activist Carola Rackete, who rose to prominence as captain of an NGO search and rescue boat, was nominated on Monday (17 July) as one of the two lead candidates for the German Left Party for next year's EU election.

I spent the best years of my life – the student years – in Romania. Unfortunately, it was the Romania of Nicolae Ceausescu and communism there was much tougher than in the other countries of the then-Warsaw Pact, including my native Bulgaria.

The European Commission has signed a non-binding agreement with Argentina to facilitate a stable supply of liquefied fossil gas (LNG) to Europe in exchange for cooperation on green energy and Buenos Aires reigning in gas leakage. Europe’s economic relations with...

Russia halted participation on 17 July in the UN-brokered deal which lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, just hours after a blast knocked out Russia's bridge to Crimea in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones.

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Environment committee MEPs will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to query the disclosures by pesticide firms of the results of toxicity studies.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

Environment committee MEPs will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to query the disclosures by pesticide firms of the results of toxicity studies.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The EU, Latin America and the Caribbean should revitalise rules-based multilateralism, in order to ensure peace, respect for human rights and international security.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

The EU, Latin America and the Caribbean should revitalise rules-based multilateralism, in order to ensure peace, respect for human rights and international security.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

An electricity price peak shaving product is a dangerous business as it risks reducing welfare and threatens to lower incentives to invest in electricity production, writes Lion Hirth.