European Union

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Length of video : 108'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

REPORT on the European Defence Union
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Urmas Paet

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

REPORT on EU strategic communication to counteract propaganda against it by third parties
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Anna Elżbieta Fotyga

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

REPORT on the implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (based on the Annual Report from the Council to the European Parliament on the Common Foreign and Security Policy)
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Ioan Mircea Paşcu

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Home Credit Slovakia
Approximation of laws
The failure by a lender granting consumer credit to include in the agreement certain essential information may be penalised by depriving the lender of entitlement to interest and charges

Length of video : 204'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada of the one part, and the European Union and its Member States, of the other part
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Charles Tannock

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

We extend our sincere  congratulations on your election as the 45th President of the United States of America.

The strategic partnership between the European Union and the United States is rooted in our shared values of freedom, human rights, democracy and a belief in the market economy. Over the years, the European Union and the United States have worked together to ensure peace and prosperity for our citizens and for people around the world.

Today, it is more important than ever  to strengthen transatlantic relations. Only by cooperating closely can the EU and the US continue to make a difference when dealing with unprecedented challenges such as Da'esh, the threats to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, climate change and migration.

Fortunately, the EU - US strategic partnership is broad and deep: from our joint efforts  to enhance energy security and address climate change, through EU - US collaboration on facing threats to security in Europe's Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods, and to the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - we should spare no effort to ensure that the ties that bind us remain strong and durable.

We should consolidate the bridges we have been building across the Atlantic. Europeans trust that America, whose democratic ideals have always been a beacon of hope around the globe, will continue to invest in its partnerships with friends and allies, to help make our citizens and the people of the world more secure and more prosperous.

We would take this opportunity to invite you to visit Europe for an EU - US Summit at your earliest convenience. This conversation would allow for us to chart the course of our relations for the next four years.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU structural funding for Spain and Portugal should not be suspended, as this would only undermine investment, harm their economies and alienate their citizens from the EU project, MEPs agreed with Spanish economy minister Luis de Guindos and Portuguese finance minister Mário Centeno at a joint meeting of the Regional Development and Economic Affairs committees on Tuesday.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU structural funding for Spain and Portugal should not be suspended, as this would only undermine investment, harm their economies and alienate their citizens from the EU project, MEPs agreed with Spanish economy minister Luis de Guindos and Portuguese finance minister Mário Centeno at a joint meeting of the Regional Development and Economic Affairs committees on Tuesday.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 8 November 2016, the Council and the European Parliament asked the Commission to draw up a compromise text to enable them to agree on the 2017 EU budget. At the first conciliation committee meeting on next year's EU budget the Council and the Parliament also got a better understanding of each other's position.

"It is now clear that there is a good chance of reaching a deal on the 2017 EU budget by the end of the conciliation period on 17 November - if the talks focus on what conciliation is about: agreeing a 2017 EU budget that addresses the migration crisis, reinforces security, boosts growth and creates jobs. Let's be pragmatic and use this window of opportunity", said Ivan Lesay, state secretary for finance of Slovakia and President of the Council.

Four major challenges

The presidency also used the conciliation committee meeting to recall the position of the Council in this year's budget talks. From the Council's perspective it is important that the 2017 EU budget

• leaves sufficient margins under the expenditure ceilings of the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020; this is to enable the EU to meet unforeseen needs
• is in line with actual payment needs; this is to ensure that member states don't have to provide unnecessary high contributions to the EU budget at a time when they have to consolidate their public finances
• respects the deal reached on the financing of the European fund for strategic investments; this is to leave sufficient leeway to allow the EU to meet unexpected needs for research and other future orientated expenditure
• reflects the EU's institutions commitment to reduce their staff by 5% by 2017; this is to underpin the EU's credibility by showing that it lives up to its promises

Background

In its draft budget for 2017 the Commission proposed setting the total level of commitments at €157.66 billion and of payments at €134.90 billion.

The Council's position, adopted on 12 September, amounts to €156.38 billion in commitments and €133.79 billion in payments.

The Parliament asks for total commitments to be increased to €162.42 billion and total payments to €138.03 billion. This is at least €3.26 billion in commitments above the MFF ceilings.

As regards staff numbers, according to the methodology applied equally by the Commission to all institutions, the Council and the Commission will have reduced their establishment plan posts by 5.0% between 2013 and 2017; by contrast, the Parliament with its position adopted on 26 October took itself further away from achieving the agreed target by limiting the reduction of its staff to 2.3%.

Next steps

The next meeting of the conciliation committee will take place on 16 November. An Ecofin/Budget Council will meet on the same day to provide the presidency guidance for the talks with the Parliament. If no deal is found by the end of the conciliation period on 17 November the Commission has to present a new draft budget for 2017. If no budget is adopted at the beginning of 2017 only one twelfth of the resources in the 2016 budget or of the amounts proposed by the Commission for 2017, whichever is smaller, can be spent each month.

The EU-Ukraine Summit will take place on 24 November 2016 in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels. 

Procedure

• If this is your first registration, please make sure you have a recent ID-size photograph in JPEG format (.jpg) and the number of your passport or identity card ready before starting the online process.
• You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt by email. Please read it carefully as it includes the list of original documents you will be asked to provide when collecting your badge. Depending on your profile, the requested document will include: Passport or ID card, press card and/or a letter from your editor-in chief as well as the signed original of your authorisation for security screening (only for media representatives of Belgian nationality or resident in Belgium). The press centre may contact you to request additional information if necessary. No accreditation badge will be issued if you cannot provide all required documents.
• Under certain conditions it is possible to organise a group registration/collection of badges for journalists working for the same media. Select group registration at the beginning of the accreditation process and follow the instructions.
• Trainees with media organisations who do not possess a press card are not entitled to request accreditation

Journalists holding a 6-month badge (30.06.2016 - 31.12.2016) do not need to register

6-month badges can be collected at the accreditation centre of the LEX building during summits. Please ensure that you have all the required documents when collecting your badge.

Collection of badges

Accreditation badges must be collected in person from the LEX building (145 rue de la Loi, Brussels)  

• Thursday 24 November from 08.00 to the end of the press conference

For more details on the European Council meeting, see the meeting page.

General : Life in a refugee camp can be hard, especially if you are a woman or a child. A delegation from the women's rights committee visited camps and centres for refugees around Athens on 3-4 November to assess their situation. Following the mission we spoke to the head of the delegation Constance Le Grip, a French member of the EPP group. She called on EU countries to live up to their commitment to take in more refugees, especially women and children.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Life in a refugee camp can be hard, especially if you are a woman or a child. A delegation from the women's rights committee visited camps and centres for refugees around Athens on 3-4 November to assess their situation. Following the mission we spoke to the head of the delegation Constance Le Grip, a French member of the EPP group. She called on EU countries to live up to their commitment to take in more refugees, especially women and children.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Length of video : 182'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The whole world has felt the shock of the UK’s cataclysmic decision to leave the European Union. In China, people are concerned most about how much the vote will affect the bilateral Sino-British relationship, which was declared as entering a golden era by leaders of the two countries only last year.

I don’t give much credence to the term “golden era”. Long before its announcement, China and Britain had built up cooperation in many areas. The two countries have been important trade and investment partners. Bilateral trade reached $80.9bn by the end of 2014; the UK’s direct investment in China amounted to $18.5bn by the end of 2013; since 2000, China has poured more direct investment into Britain than any other EU country. Former prime minister David Cameron began his second term last year with an expressed desire for a stronger partnership with China. Britain, at present, urgently needs to invigorate its economy after the grave international financial crisis. For one thing, the UK must attract more outside investment if it’s to improve and update its infrastructure. The City of London serves as one of the most important services centres in the world, contributing around 20% of Britain’s overall GDP and creating huge numbers of jobs. In the age of increasing global competition, Britain naturally wishes to play a leading role in financial and services cooperation with China, the second largest economy in the world.

After more than 30 years of rapid development, China faces vitally important reforms to create new patterns of growth by innovation. The country has had to transform its cooperation strategy from “inviting in” to “reaching out”. While China possesses the largest foreign reserves in the world, and Chinese enterprises are generally strong in production capacity and equipment manufacturing, the Chinese need more experience of international operating and have to explore wider business. As one of today’s great economic powers, China also feels it necessary to push for the internationalisation of its currency, the renminbi. All things considered, China finds that Britain, an old and experienced developed country, could be the right partner for this cooperation. Both powers, therefore, have come to recognise that strengthening their cooperation is in full accordance with their interests.

It’s no real surprise, then, that the leaders of the two countries reached agreement last October that China and the UK would build a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century and declared the opening of a golden era in the Sino-British relationship. We can clearly see the decision wasn’t taken on impulse, but out of a strong common desire and with common interests. Irrespective of Brexit, the fundamental elements and necessities for Britain to strengthen cooperation with China remain, with enduring and solid foundations.

“Irrespective of Brexit, the fundamental elements and necessities for Britain to strengthen cooperation with China remain”

But beyond any doubt, Brexit has caused uncertainties. First, we can’t be sure whether Britain can quickly resolve its internal divisions – mentally, socially and geographically – and realise some kind of basic national unity. The root cause of Brexit was a growing anti-globalisation populism in society, and if the British remain confused and divided on this issue for a long time, the negative influences of Brexit will be extended, affecting Britain’s ability to handle foreign relations coherently. Second, it’s also not certain the British economy can escape the dilemma into which it was thrown by Brexit and get back to a comparatively fair shape. If these difficulties endure or worsen, Britain will gradually lose its attractiveness to foreign business. But Britain is a mature country,
and quite experienced in dealing with a challenge.

People are generally still waiting to see what kind of result Britain’s exit negotiations with the EU will yield. A poor deal for the UK would mean yet more trouble, further weakening Britain’s position internationally. The negotiation will, of course, not be easy. Nevertheless, there is a mutual need for cooperation between Britain and the EU. There is reason for us to be hopeful of them reaching some kind of beneficial agreement in the end.

Some suggest that since Britain has placed itself in difficulty with the EU, the country will lean towards even closer cooperation with China out of economic necessity. But the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has never been directly involved in Britain’s relationship with China. Her attitude to China is almost totally unknown. Nobody can say whether she shares the view of her predecessor and his closest ally, the former chancellor George Osborne. And May’s cabinet has few members with direct experience of working with China. Her early decision to postpone and review Cameron’s project for the Hinkley Point nuclear plant project, to which China agreed to commit huge funds, offers some indication of her hesitant stance.

It’s understandable that the most urgent and pressing task for May is managing domestic issues and relations with the EU. She cannot give too much attention at this time to Britain’s relations with
China. But I believe it necessary for her to nuture the relationship – given its importance to both countries – and the sooner, the better.

IMAGE CREDIT: CC / FLICKR – Number 10

The post Is the UK-China “golden era” over already? appeared first on Europe’s World.

On 8 November 2016, the Council agreed on the criteria and the process for the establishment of an EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions in taxation matters.

It adopted conclusions on:

• criteria for the screening of third country jurisdictions;
• guidelines on the process for selecting and screening jurisdictions.

Screening is due to be completed by September 2017, so that the Council can endorse the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions by the end of 2017. Screening is intended to be a continuous and regular process.

The Council's code of conduct group for business taxation will conduct and oversee the screening process, supported by the Council's secretariat. The Commission's services will assist the group in carrying out the necessary preparatory work for the screening process.

Work is also continuing on potential defensive measures at EU level, with a view to their endorsement by the Council by the end of next year. These could be considered for implementation in the tax as well as non-tax field.

"Today's agreement between all member states is an essential part of our joint EU strategy to combat global challenges such as tax base erosion and profit shifting. It proves that we are delivering on our drive to be a frontrunner in this field", said Peter Kažimír, Slovak minister for finance and president of the Council.

"This a first crucial step in the process that will take place throughout 2017", he added. "A dialogue will start with those countries that fail to comply with the criteria we have established, and only those jurisdictions refusing to cooperate and fulfil the criteria in due time will be placed on the so-called blacklist. Our primary goal is to incentivise, not to punish."

Ministers originally expressed support for the establishment of an EU list at an April 2016 informal meeting in Amsterdam, and the Council adopted conclusions on 25 May 2016.

Dowling and Others
Freedom of establishment
EU law does not preclude an increase in the share capital of a bank without the agreement of the general meeting of the shareholders in a situation where there is a serious disturbance of the economy and the financial system of a Member State