European Union

Plenary sessions : President Schulz opened the session by recalling the victims and heroes of Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 30 years ago in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. The explosion and meltdown of reactor core 4 ejected a vast radioactive cloud that contaminated large parts of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and central Europe as far as the North Cape. This disaster reminds us of Europe’s duty to ensure that its nuclear reactors are safe, he said.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : President Schulz opened the session by recalling the victims and heroes of Chernobyl nuclear disaster, 30 years ago in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. The explosion and meltdown of reactor core 4 ejected a vast radioactive cloud that contaminated large parts of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and central Europe as far as the North Cape. This disaster reminds us of Europe’s duty to ensure that its nuclear reactors are safe, he said.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Good afternoon. I was pleased to welcome President Bujar Nishani in Brussels today.

The migration crisis has brought the Western Balkans region and the European Union even closer. The crisis has demonstrated, once again, that our destinies are truly linked. Today was a chance to reiterate the central role of the Balkan countries in the Union's strategy of how to respond the migratory flows. Getting back to Schengen and the closure of the Western Balkan route is one of three building blocks of the Union's comprehensive response to current migration crisis.

The European Union stands ready to support Albania should an alternative route develop. I was satisfied with your information that Albania is not an attractive route for irregular migrants We agreed to monitor the situation closely and I encouraged Albania to share with us its needs assessment.

Albania has made important progress in recent years toward achieving its European integration aims. With overwhelming public support to underlying reforms, I am confident that Albania can stay the course and adopt those agreed reforms that are still outstanding.

At this crucial moment, when Albania is undertaking an ambitious and comprehensive reform of its judiciary, I emphasized - as I did last November to Prime Minister Rama, that cross-party cooperation and dialogue are indispensable to advance in the country's European ambitions.

Establishing a track record of proactive investigations, prosecutions and convictions in the fight against organized crime and corruption is also an important challenge.

Finally, we discussed Albania's unequivocal commitment to regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations. The European Union appreciates your country's full support to common values on the international stage. This includes not least our joint response to Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. We also discussed the need to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation in light of current hybrid threats in Europe.

This is also a clear signal that Albania is a reliable partner for the European Union. I am personally convinced that there is no alternative to the European path for the region. And I am convinced that with enduring political will to reform and with strong public support, Albania will achieve it.

Let me make a final point on Greece and the ongoing review of the Greek adjustment programme. I consult closely with the Presidents of the Eurogroup and of the European Commission. And earlier today I talked to Prime Minister Tsipras. I am convinced that there is still more work to be done by the ministers of finance. We have to avoid a situation of renewed uncertainty for Greece. Therefore we need a specific date for the new Eurogroup meeting in the not distant future, and I am not talking about weeks but about days. Thank you. 

Plenary sessions : Women often face harassment online, ranging from insults to threats of rape or physical violence. Various measures to tackle this and to encourage more women to work in the ICT sector are set out in the report "Gender equality and empowering women in the digital age". MEPs debate it on Wednesday 27 April and vote on it the following day. We talked to report author Terry Reintke, a German member of the Greens/EFA group, about how to make internet and the ICT sector more hospitable to women.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Women often face harassment online, ranging from insults to threats of rape or physical violence. Various measures to tackle this and to encourage more women to work in the ICT sector are set out in the report "Gender equality and empowering women in the digital age". MEPs debate it on Wednesday 27 April and vote on it the following day. We talked to report author Terry Reintke, a German member of the Greens/EFA group, about how to make internet and the ICT sector more hospitable to women.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of our daily Brussels Briefing. To receive it every morning in your email in-box, sign up here.

Dijsselbloem, in orange tie, with his Finnish, Belgian and Spanish counterparts last week

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who chairs meetings of his 18 eurozone counterparts, had threatened to bring his eurogroup back to Brussels tomorrow for this year’s first unscheduled meeting on Greece – but only if bailout negotiators agreed on a new set of austerity measures with Athens beforehand. Last night, Mr Dijsselbloem announced that more time was needed to reach a deal, raising the risk that Greece’s bailout standoff could once again be headed for a period of bitter brinkmanship.

Many signs of a repeat of last year’s Grexit drama are present: irreconcilable differences between Athens and its bailout creditors; a looming July debt payment owed to the European Central Bank; angry denunciations by embattled Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras. The risk of a rerun was underlined by reports last night that Mr Tsipras was due to call Donald Tusk, the European Council president, this morning and demand a special summit of eurozone leaders to hash out a way forward.

It’s unlikely eurozone heads of government will want to take up the Greek crisis right now, with a drop-dead deadline still months away and the prospect of another eurogroup meeting looming as early as next week. But differences between the major players in the Greek drama remain deep, and a deal among mid-level negotiators remain stuck on two primary issues:

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General : How European Muslims deal with radicalisation and the role that women can play in countering it and promoting de-radicalisation were discussed in a conference held in the European Parliament on Tuesday. Projects on the ground and what to do to confront the phenomenon at national and EU levels were also debated with leading-edge experts.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : How European Muslims deal with radicalisation and the role that women can play in countering it and promoting de-radicalisation were discussed in a conference held in the European Parliament on Tuesday. Projects on the ground and what to do to confront the phenomenon at national and EU levels were also debated with leading-edge experts.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Pappalardo and Others v Commission
Fisheries policy
The General Court dismisses the action for damages brought by Italian fishermen following the Commission’s early ban on bluefin tuna fishing in 2008

Pappalardo and Others v Commission
Fisheries policy
The General Court dismisses the action for damages brought by Italian fishermen following the Commission’s early ban on bluefin tuna fishing in 2008

Pappalardo and Others v Commission
Fisheries policy
The General Court dismisses the action for damages brought by Italian fishermen following the Commission’s early ban on bluefin tuna fishing in 2008

Plans to update EU type approval rules and emission limits for internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), such as lawn mowers, bulldozers, diesel locomotives and inland waterway vessels, were backed by the Environment Committee on Wednesday. These plans had already been agreed with the Dutch Presidency of the Council. NRMM engines account for about 15% of all NOx and 5% of particulate emissions in the EU.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plans to update EU type approval rules and emission limits for internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM), such as lawn mowers, bulldozers, diesel locomotives and inland waterway vessels, were backed by the Environment Committee on Wednesday. These plans had already been agreed with the Dutch Presidency of the Council. NRMM engines account for about 15% of all NOx and 5% of particulate emissions in the EU.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 28 April 2016, the Council gave its green light for new rules that aim to improve domestic rail passenger services in the EU. It endorsed the deal concluded by the presidency with the European Parliament on 19 April.

"During the negotiations the interest of travellers always came first. Together we have been able to reach an ambitious agreement. The quality and efficiency of railway services will improve because of this package".

Sharon Dijksma, Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and the Environment

Opening national rail markets to competition

The revised rules - known as the 4th railway package market pillar - will open up domestic rail passenger markets in the member states. Railway companies will have non-discriminatory access to the network across the EU provided that public service contracts are not compromised. This means that it will be easier for new operators to enter the market and offer their services. For the award of public service contracts competitive bidding will become the rule, although exceptions to this rule are still possible.

Quality of service, for instance the punctuality and frequency of trains, will have more of an influence on the award of contracts to operators. For public service contracts - which currently account for over 90% of EU rail journeys - direct award will continue to be allowed provided it leads to better quality of service or cost-efficiency.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP