European Union

Diplomatic sources deny Polish media reports quoting EU diplomats and experts as saying that Poland could possibly apply for a derogation to the EU relocation scheme Warsaw recently vetoed with Hungary. Warsaw will be able to apply to the EU...

More Icelanders are now in favour of joining the European Union, according to a new poll that marks a shift in thinking in the country at a time the government has signalled it may want better relations with the EU...

Neutral states in the EU, like Austria and Malta, need to be listened to on security matters, Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with her Maltese counterpart, Byron Camilleri, citing the now reduced number of conflict-neutral...

The European Commission's proposal for a regulation of ESG ratings providers is essential to introduce some transparency in the area of responsible investments, write Aurore Lalucq, Jonás Fernández and Paul Tang. 

EU environment ministers approved their position on a historic law to restore Europe's ecosystems on Tuesday (20 June), marking a turning point for the embattled proposal.

The European Commission proposed the introduction of a new source of income for the EU budget based on corporate profits as well as adjustments to previously proposed direct revenue streams, calling on member states to quickly adopt them.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday (20 June) it would create a new Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), formerly known as the EU Sovereignty Fund, but expectations are low as no new cash has been brought to the table.

Some pictures are hard to forget, such as that of a black street cleaner in Paris in a fluorescent vest, sweeping up rubbish left the night before by young, petit bourgeois protesters.

The European Commission circulated some initial pledges as part of its voluntary initiative to move the online advertising industry away from 'cookie fatigue'.

Member states need to agree on the proposed numbers among themselves and with the European Parliament by 4 December, so that next year's budget can be adopted accordingly.

EU environment ministers have agreed a joint position on a nature-restoration law, sending a message to divided MEPs to get their act together.

The Swedish presidency of the EU Council has circulated a final text on the European Media Freedom Act ahead of an ambassador meeting on Wednesday (21 June) that is set to adopt the legislative proposal. 

Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday (20 June) called on China to lobby Russia to withdraw troops and end its war in Ukraine.

EU institutions are due to reach a political agreement on the Data Act next week, with ongoing discussions on the issue of trade secrets, governance, territorial scope, product safety and time of application. The Data Act is a flagship legislative...

Members of the AFET Committee will meet on Monday 26 & Tuesday 27 June 2023 (Antall 2Q2).

Debates:

Monday 26 June: 2022 Commission Report on Montenegro from 18:30 to 19:00

Tuesday 27 June from 9:00 to 12:30

• Inter-parliamentary Committee Meeting: Moving the EU enlargement forward - 20 years since the Thessaloniki Declaration and
  
• Special address by H.E. Ms Aïssata Tall Sall, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal, followed by an EoV

Tuesday 27 June from 15:00 to 16:00

• In association with DROI and SEDE: Structured Dialogue on the Commission Work Programme: EoV with Josep Borrell Fontell
• Public hearing on the EU's preventive diplomacy - practise makes (not yet) perfect

Votes:

• Uzbekistan
• 2022 Commission Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Recommendation on Relations with the Palestinian Authority
• 2022 Commission Report on North Macedonia
• Information security in the institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the Union

The meeting will be webstreamed.

AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2023
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

In Germany, everything has become some sort of Wende, or turning point, these days. So much so that the concept risks getting lost in the modern buzzword jungle, but also alienating a huge number of Germans, bewildered at the sharp policy turns.

kIt is a mistake to frame the green transition through the lens of right vs. left, according to Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas, who stressed the need to engage farmers in the process in an interview ahead of Spain’s turn at the helm of the rotating EU Council Presidency. 

While the German economy is in recession despite low unemployment, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has identified the shortage of skilled workers as the key hurdle to regaining economic growth, which should be addressed by increasing immigration.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday (20 June) that Moscow had information that Ukraine was planning to strike Russian-controlled Crimea with longer-range US and British missiles and warned Russia would retaliate if that happened.