European Union

On 21 December 2015, the Council prolonged EU economic sanctions against Russia until 31 July 2016. 

The sanctions were initially introduced for one year on 31 July 2014, in response to Russia's actions in the east of Ukraine.

On 22 June 2015, the Council prolonged the duration of the measures by six months until 31 January 2016. This followed an agreement in the European Council in March 2015, when EU leaders linked the duration of the sanctions to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements, which was foreseen to take place by 31 December 2015. 

However, since the Minsk agreements will not be fully implemented by 31 December 2015, the duration of the sanctions has been prolonged whilst the Council continues its assessment of progress in implementation.

The measures originally imposed in July 2014 were reinforced  in September 2014. They target certain exchanges with Russia in the financial, energy and defence sectors and in the area of dual-use goods.

The 7th meeting of the accession conference with Montenegro at ministerial level was held on 21 December 2015. The conference opened negotiations on two chapters:

• Chapter 14, on transport policy;
• Chapter 15, on energy.

Accession negotiations with Montenegro started in June 2012. Twenty-two out of 35 chapters have now been opened, two of which have been provisionally closed.

The social, economic and legal aspects of transport networking companies like Uber were at the centre of a debate in the Transport and Tourism Committee on Monday. MEPs heard the views of Uber head of policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, representatives of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and International Road Union (IRU) and European Commission.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The social, economic and legal aspects of transport networking companies like Uber were at the centre of a debate in the Transport and Tourism Committee on Monday. MEPs heard the views of Uber head of policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, representatives of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and International Road Union (IRU) and European Commission.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_c96321.r21.cf3.rackcdn.com/15368_169_full_129_97shar_c1.jpg

Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008. On 19 December 2009, it achieved visa liberalisation with the EU and on 1 May 2010, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), entered into force.

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1. The Council was informed by the Commission of latest developments in the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference. It shared the Commission's assessment of the overall package and welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations on the revised Information Technology Agreement.
2. In the absence of final texts, the Council agreed that the EU's position joining the consensus in the Ministerial meeting would be presented to the WTO and reflected in the written conclusions of the Conference, on the understanding that the EU will follow up the results of the Ministerial Meeting in accordance with its internal procedures and without prejudice to the division of competencies between the EU and its Member States.
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Although they will have to live with the decision for longer than anyone else, young people will have the least say on whether Britain stays in the EU.

Ironically, what is arguably the world’s oldest unelected group of legislators – the House of Lords – voted recently to give 16-to-17-year-olds a vote in the EU referendum. But this month the elected House of Commons threw out the Lord’s proposal.

It means that over 1.5 million 16-and-17-year-olds in the UK will not have a say in Britain’s future in Europe – even though it’s their future, in the long term, that will be most affected.

For sure, their votes could have clinched the referendum result, because surveys show that most younger people want Britain to stay in the EU.

It’s sometimes said that you cannot miss what you never had. But that’s not the case for many of the 121,000 16-and-17-year-olds in Scotland. They were permitted to vote in last year’s referendum on Scottish independence and most of them did.

Commented the Electoral Commission, “This referendum showed that for young people, indeed for all voters, when they perceive an issue to be important and are inspired by it, they will both participate in the debate and show up on polling day.”

“Importantly,” the Commission added, “97% of those 16-17 year olds who reported having voted said that they would vote again in future elections and referendums.”

They would vote, and last year they could vote; but now they can’t. It must seem strange winning a right that’s then taken away.

In the UK 16-to-17-year-olds can work, pay tax, join the army and get married, but they can’t vote in the forthcoming EU referendum.

Too young? Well, that wasn’t the reason given by the House of Commons for denying access to democracy for younger people. The Commons rejected the enlightened wisdom of their elders in the House of Lords, “Because it would involve a charge on public funds.”

What price democracy, eh?

But whilst 16-and-17-year-olds would vote but can’t, those aged 18-to-24 can vote, but mostly don’t. In elections, this age group is almost half as likely to vote as those aged 65 and over.

Around 40% of the 18-24s vote, compared to almost 80% of those of pensionable age.

And yet, once again, surveys show that these young people are by a large majority in favour of Britain’s continued membership of the European Union.

A poll last month revealed that EU membership is supported by 70% of  the UK’s two-million University students, but less than half of them said they would definitely vote in the referendum.

Giving lip service to the EU isn’t enough. Without casting a vote, it doesn’t matter what these young adults think. No vote means no say.

In summary:

• Most over 60s want Britain to leave the EU; they outnumber 18-24 year-olds two-to-one, and they are most likely to vote.

• Most under 25s want Britain to remain in the EU, but there are just 7 million of them compared to around 14 million over 60s, and they are least likely to vote.

In other words, it seems that the oldies may have a bigger say in Britain’s future in Europe, simply because they can vote, and they will.

And even though most young people are pro EU, they will have less of a say in the referendum because they can’t vote, or they won’t.

In addition, two other groups of citizens who will be greatly affected by the EU referendum won’t vote because they can’t.

They include most of the citizens from the rest of the EU who have made Britain their home. And they include all of the British citizens who are living in other parts of the European Union for more than 15 years.

These two groups of citizens are living the EU dream by voting with their feet for free movement of people across our continent. But they will have no say on whether that dream continues. And if the referendum decision is ‘LEAVE’, their dream could turn into an involuntary nightmare of uncertain proportions.

Yet, despite the fact that many of the people who will be most affected by the EU referendum can’t or won’t vote, latest opinion polls show that voters who have made up their minds are split down the middle.

In online polls, those voters who want to ‘LEAVE’ the EU and those who want to ‘REMAIN’ are equal at about 40%, with (curiously) slightly more wanting Britain to ‘REMAIN’ when polls are conducted by phone.

Almost a fifth of voters, however, are still unsure how they will vote in the referendum.

These undecided voters may hold the key to the referendum result; together, of course, with those young voters who can vote – if only they can be persuaded to vote. 

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Related stories by Jon Danzig:

• Many citizens affected by the EU referendum will have no vote
• The EU referendum – who can and can’t vote?
• Isn’t it time politics grew up?

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On 18 December 2015, under the Luxembourg Presidency and subject to the European Parliament and Council formal adoption, the Coreper (Permanent Representatives Committee) approved a final compromise on the draft "Animal Breeding Regulation".  

The European Parliament and the Council representatives identified the compromise package during a trilogue meeting held on 16 December.  

Animal breeding and trade

The Animal Breeding Regulation will apply to the breeding, the trade in and the entry into the EU of purebred breedingcows, pigs, sheep, goats and horses, hybrid breeding pigs and their germinal products.

The new regulation constitutes a more comprehensive single legal framework taking into account the “state-of-the-art” in animal breeding while preserving valuable animal genetic resources. Breed societies and breeding operations which will have to meet specific criteria to obtain recognition and approval of their breeding programmes by national authorities form the backbone of this regulation. 

The new legislation aims at improving the functioning of the internal market and trade with third countries. It contains specific rules for promoting endangered breeds and provisions taking into account the specificities of the horse breeding sector. 

As animal breeding is not intended to fall within the scope of the official controls proposal currently discussed between the Council and the European Parliament, the new regulation will include provisions on the performance of official controls which are tailor-made for the animal breeding sector. 

The next steps 

The Chairman of the Coreper will send a letter to the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. This letter will indicate that, if the Parliament adopts at its plenary session the compromise text as approved by the Coreper today, the Council will then adopt in first reading that text without amending it.

This should enable the entry into force of the new legislation by mid 2016 and its application 28 months after the entry into force.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP