European Union

General : "Germany won in 1980 and the coach was Jupp Dervall..." With the European Championship kicking off in France, we asked Parliament President Martin Schulz and other MEPs to share their best memories of the popular football tournament. They also reveal their plans for following the games, as well as their predictions for the winner.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs debated plans for investment in Africa to help migrants find work in their home country during June's plenary session in Strasbourg this week. They looked too at ways to integrate migrants into the EU's labour market without disadvantaging local workers. MEPs also approved the mandate for an inquiry committee into the Panama papers and reviewed the EU's €315 billion investment plan. In addition Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev pleaded for more EU integration in a speech to plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs debated plans for investment in Africa to help migrants find work in their home country during June's plenary session in Strasbourg this week. They looked too at ways to integrate migrants into the EU's labour market without disadvantaging local workers. MEPs also approved the mandate for an inquiry committee into the Panama papers and reviewed the EU's €315 billion investment plan. In addition Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev pleaded for more EU integration in a speech to plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 9 June, EU Justice ministers discussed further improvements to criminal justice in cyberspace. They adopted two sets of conclusions which set out practical measures to improve cooperation, as well as a timeline for further action. 

Minister van der Steur, from the Netherlands presidency, said : "Making progress in these areas will contribute to securing and obtaining e-evidence more effectively, which is of utmost importance to step up the fight against terrorism and other criminal activities in or through the use of cyberspace." 

Council conclusions on improving criminal justice in cyberspace

The conclusions on improving criminal justice in cyberspace set out concrete measures for future follow-up and action in three main areas of work: 

• streamlining mutual legal assistance (MLA) proceedings and, where applicable, mutual recognition related to cyberspace, through the use of standardised electronic forms and tools.

• improving cooperation with service providers, through the development of a common framework (e.g. use of aligned forms and tools) with them to request specific categories of data; and

• launching a reflection process on possible connecting factors for enforcement jurisdiction in cyberspace. 

While some of the measures identified in the conclusions could be implemented right away, others need further reflection and political guidance. For this reason, Ministers held a policy debate on two specific issues, namely: 

• the possible grounds for enforcement jurisdiction that could be applied in cyberspace, e.g. grounds on which the relevant authorities can undertake an investigative measure in cyberspace,  when existing frameworks are not enough, such as cases where relevant e-evidence is hidden or moves quickly between jurisdictions; and

• a differentiated treatment of specific categories of data in criminal proceedings - i.e. how a differentiated approach - between non-content (subscriber or traffic) and content data or between real time and stored data - would affect their national legal framework, what elements would be relevant for a common EU approach and what measures could be considered in this respect.

The Council requested the Commission to present deliverables on the three work streams by June 2017. 

Council conclusions on the European Judicial Cybercrime Network

The conclusions formalise and enhance the network of judicial authorities and experts in the field of cybercrime, supported by Eurojust. 

The objective of the network is to facilitate the exchange of expertise, best practices and other relevant knowledge and experience on the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime. 

 Background

Ministers expressed political support in December 2015, and at the informal meeting of the Ministers of 26 January 2016 in Amsterdam, to develop solutions enabling effective investigations in cyberspace. Following the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March 2016, the Ministers of Justice and Home affairs jointly emphasised the need to address these issues as a matter of priority.

Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : A surge in low-cost EU imports of rail supplies such as engines or signals from non-EU countries, including China, is skewing competitive conditions for EU suppliers, MEPs warned on Thursday, adding that much of this surge is due to strong political and financial support in exporters’ home countries. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to craft "a coherent EU trade strategy, which ensures compliance with the principle of reciprocity, particularly in relation to Japan, China and the USA."

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New EU rules to ease free movement for citizens by making it simpler to prove the authenticity of documents such as birth or marriage certificates in another EU member state were voted by Parliament on Thursday. To avoid any need for translation, new multilingual EU forms are to be attached to the documents. The vote endorsed an informal deal previously struck by Parliament and Council negotiators.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump: the final contenders for the US presidency have been chosen. The two most-hated candidates have beaten off their rivals, commentators observe, and predict that gender issues will play a key role in determining the winner.

The government in London has extended the deadline for registering for the EU referendum by two days due to a technical failure in the online registration platform. Two weeks before the vote on June 23, Brexit and Bremain are almost neck and neck. What are the main characteristics of the two campaigns?