European Union

Plenary sessions : The threats, violations and restrictions faced by journalists in Turkey will be debated with Commissioner Corina Creţu, representing EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, late on Wednesday afternoon. Since the 15 July failed coup d’état, which left 241 people dead and thousands injured, 90 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,500 have lost their jobs and arrest warrants have been issued against hundreds of media workers in the country.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New rules to curb the growing influx into the EU of plant pests, such as olive grove killer Xylella fastidiosa, and better equip member states to tackle their spread, were endorsed by the Parliament on Wednesday. The new regulation introduces preventive and rapid response mechanisms for suspect plant imports, steps up pest surveillance efforts in the EU and requires all member states to draw up outbreak contingency plans.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : New rules to curb the growing influx into the EU of plant pests, such as olive grove killer Xylella fastidiosa, and better equip member states to tackle their spread, were endorsed by the Parliament on Wednesday. The new regulation introduces preventive and rapid response mechanisms for suspect plant imports, steps up pest surveillance efforts in the EU and requires all member states to draw up outbreak contingency plans.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament backs the EU Commission case for investing in innovation, growth and job creation, pursuing socially-balanced structural reforms, and encouraging responsible public finances, in a resolution on EU economic priorities for 2017, voted on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Parliament backs the EU Commission case for investing in innovation, growth and job creation, pursuing socially-balanced structural reforms, and encouraging responsible public finances, in a resolution on EU economic priorities for 2017, voted on Wednesday.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs to update its long-term financial plan to cope with unforeseen crises said MEPs in their vote on its forthcoming review, on Wednesday. MEPs acknowledged that the Commission’s proposal to revise the multiannual financial framework (MFF) genuinely responds to requests in Parliament’s negotiating stance, adopted in July, for more flexibility and an EU crisis reserve. However, they were disappointed that resources remain unchanged.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs to update its long-term financial plan to cope with unforeseen crises said MEPs in their vote on its forthcoming review, on Wednesday. MEPs acknowledged that the Commission’s proposal to revise the multiannual financial framework (MFF) genuinely responds to requests in Parliament’s negotiating stance, adopted in July, for more flexibility and an EU crisis reserve. However, they were disappointed that resources remain unchanged.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The websites and apps of public administrations, hospitals, courts and other public sector bodies will have to be made accessible to everyone, under new EU-wide rules approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday. The web accessibility directive, already agreed by Parliament and Council, should make it easier for disabled and elderly people to access data and services on the internet, e.g. to file a tax declaration, apply for an allowance, pay fees or enrol at university.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The websites and apps of public administrations, hospitals, courts and other public sector bodies will have to be made accessible to everyone, under new EU-wide rules approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday. The web accessibility directive, already agreed by Parliament and Council, should make it easier for disabled and elderly people to access data and services on the internet, e.g. to file a tax declaration, apply for an allowance, pay fees or enrol at university.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker briefed MEPs on the political conclusions of the latest EU summit in Wednesday’s plenary debate. Political group leaders focused on the proposed EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) recently rejected by Wallonia’s parliament, EU-Russia relations, trade defence instruments and migration.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker briefed MEPs on the political conclusions of the latest EU summit in Wednesday’s plenary debate. Political group leaders focused on the proposed EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) recently rejected by Wallonia’s parliament, EU-Russia relations, trade defence instruments and migration.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Plenary sessions : Migrant children, and especially those travelling alone, are among the most vulnerable people on earth. MEPs will discuss how the EU can guarantee their rights and protection in a debate with Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Wednesday afternoon at around 16.00. The consequences of the dismantlement of the Calais “jungle”, where there were several unaccompanied asylum-seekers, are likely to be raised.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : Migrant children, and especially those travelling alone, are among the most vulnerable people on earth. MEPs will discuss how the EU can guarantee their rights and protection in a debate with Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos on Wednesday afternoon at around 16.00. The consequences of the dismantlement of the Calais “jungle”, where there were several unaccompanied asylum-seekers, are likely to be raised.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The UK's decision to leave the Union will already affect the EU's budget for next year. "There has already been an unforeseeable situation and now we have to deal with this problem," said Jens Geier, the MEP who will negotiate on behalf of the Parliament regarding the bulk of the EU's budget for 2017. MEPs will vote on Parliament's position in plenary on 26 October. We talked to the German S&D member about how Brexit is affecting the budget and the upcoming negotiations with the Council

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The UK's decision to leave the Union will already affect the EU's budget for next year. "There has already been an unforeseeable situation and now we have to deal with this problem," said Jens Geier, the MEP who will negotiate on behalf of the Parliament regarding the bulk of the EU's budget for 2017. MEPs will vote on Parliament's position in plenary on 26 October. We talked to the German S&D member about how Brexit is affecting the budget and the upcoming negotiations with the Council

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs welcomed the EU Commission proposal for a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) in a debate with Commissioner Pierre Moscovici on Tuesday evening.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : MEPs welcomed the EU Commission proposal for a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) in a debate with Commissioner Pierre Moscovici on Tuesday evening.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 26 October 2016, the Council informed the European Parliament that it cannot accept all its amendments for the 2017 EU budget, adopted the same day.

This triggers a three-week conciliation period starting on 28 October to allow the Council and the Parliament to bridge their differences by 17 November.

"I'm pleased to see that the Council and Parliament share the same objectives for the 2017 EU budget: to enable the EU to address the migration crisis, reinforce security, boost growth and create jobs. This makes me confident that we will be able to agree on the best possible EU budget - a budget that benefits EU taxpayers, European citizens and companies", said Ivan Lesay, state secretary for finance of Slovakia and President of the Council.

In the Council's view the main challenges in reaching a deal on the 2017 EU budget are related to the respect of:

• the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020; the Parliament wants the level of commitments to be way above the MFF expenditure ceilings; this would seriously hamper the EU's ability to react to unforeseen needs
• the estimates of payments needs for 2017; the Parliament wants the level of payments to be above the needs estimates; this would force member states to provide contributions to the EU budget over and above what is necessary at a time when they are struggling to consolidate their public finances
• the agreement reached with the Council in 2015 on financing the European fund for strategic investments; the Parliament asks that this agreement be reopened; this would reduce the EU's financial leeway for meeting unexpected needs for research and other future orientated expenditure
• the EU institutions' commitment to reduce their staff by 5% by 2017; the Parliament wants to limit the reduction of its staff to a level that falls well short of this target; this risks undermining the credibility of the Parliament and of the European Union, as a whole
• the scope of the conciliation talks; the Parliament wants to discuss the annual EU budget and the mid-term review of the MFF as a package; this would have the effect of merging two files that are subject to very different decision procedures, and should therefore be dealt with as two separate sets of negotiations

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 €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's staff reduction will amount to 1.8% during the same period. The three institutions undertook in December 2013 to decrease their staff numbers by 5% between 2013 and 2017.

Conciliation will also cover amending letter no 1 for 2017 which aims at increasing support to boost growth, create jobs and address the root causes of migration and at updating its draft budget to the most recent needs estimates for agriculture. Neither the Council nor the Parliament have yet taken a position on the amending letter.

Next steps

The conciliation committee will meet on 8 November and on 16 November. At the latter date an Ecofin/Budget Council will meet 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.

DEI v Alouminion tis Ellados and Commission
State aid
The extension of the period of validity of existing State aid must be regarded as the alteration of that aid and, therefore, as new aid