European Union

Italy reinstated border controls with Slovenia as part of its strategy to improve home security against threats of terrorist attacks in Europe, the government said on Wednesday (18 October).

The Slovenian parliament initiated a procedure to transfer judicial appointments from parliament to the president and a change in the composition of the Judicial Council, which vets the candidates, on Wednesday. Under the bill’s current version, which is yet to...

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, signed an agreement in Kyiv on Wednesday to ensure the secure transit of Ukrainian products and the development of border crossings between Ukraine and Romania. By the end of...

Hopes were high for the BarMar hydrogen pipeline project linking Spain and France when it was announced almost a year ago. But with no news since then, French experts say the project was in fact always a non-starter.

The Czech government has approved a draft revised National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which aims to phase out coal by 2033 and oil and gas by 2050.

As the French government pushed its 2024 budget bill through Parliament without a vote on Wednesday (18 October), and threats of an excessive deficit procedure (EDP) hover, France is once again under the microscope of credit rating agencies.

Despite government claims that plans for a gas pipeline between Malta and the rest of the EU are underway, an EU official said its inclusion on a list of possible projects to be funded was not yet certain, and even then, question marks over whether funding would be granted remain.

Qatar has agreed to supply Shell in the Netherlands with gas for 27 years, the second such deal with a European buyer in a week, as the Gulf state competes with the US to help Europe replace lost Russian supplies.

The Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D) of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the main opposition Partido Popular (PP/EPP) would be tied in the polls and have the same number of seats in parliament if elections were held today, according to data...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni adopted a ‘realistic’ €24 billion budget bill at a press conference on Tuesday, as bloc countries prepare for a world where EU deficit rules, put aside since the pandemic, will likely come back to haunt...

The Netherlands will take “extraordinary” measures to reduce stress on the national grid caused by electricity demand and supply reaching similar levels, such as proposing incentives for large companies to use less electricity at peak times, outgoing Dutch Energy Minister Rob Jetten (D66/Renew) announced on Wednesday.

The French government pushed the first chapter of its 2024 budget bill through parliament without a vote on Wednesday amid growing fears that the European Commission could slap France with an excessive deficit procedure in the spring. The annual Budget...

If Poland’s opposition parties unite to form the strongest coalition after their strong joint showing in the elections, they would be working towards reconciliation with the EU after Poland’s PiS triggered a long tug-of-war with the Commission. Unlike most EU...

Geothermal heat, especially when paired with district heating networks for broad local distribution, is an abundant resource just below our feet. Europe needs more of it to decarbonise the building sector and kick its fossil fuel habit, writes a cross-party group of five MEPs.

The Bulgarian government will soon hold talks with its European partners about imposing a new tax on Russian gas transiting its territory, it was announced on Wednesday, a move that predictably angered Serbia and Hungary.

Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, is considering removing the service formerly called Twitter from Europe in response to a new internet platform regulation in the region, news site Insider reported on Wednesday (18 October).

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lobbied Egypt and Jordan for support in evacuating civilians from the Gaza Strip and providing aid amid growing fears that the conflict between Hamas and Israel will continue to escalate. With many Palestinians trapped in Gaza...

On 26 October, a Hearing is organised on “Rising geopolitical tensions: the protection of subsea infrastructure, including communication cables and pipelines". As defence capabilities are connected digitally, undersea cables are vital for defence and security of EU Member States. The Hearing will therefore aim at assessing the current threat landscape and risks to subsea infrastructure, including different actors and their modus operandi to sabotage subsea infrastructure.
In the light of the recent reports of sabotage on the Finland/Estonia pipeline, the debate will also focus on possible ways to mitigate the risks, in particular via coordinated action with NATO to protect cross-border critical undersea infrastructure.
Location : SPINELLI 5E2
Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

On 26 October, SEDE will discuss with an expert the study on “Security implications of China-owned critical infrastructure in the European Union”. The study analyses Chinese companies’ access to EU critical infrastructure and exposes how entities linked to the Chinese party-state can gain access to and exert influence on assets that are vital to Europe’s security and defence, including transport infrastructure, critical resources, telecommunications networks, defence sector.
Members will have the opportunity to discuss on the major security risks of the EU's interdependence with China, which is particularly important given the structural geopolitical changes, especially the fallout of the war in Ukraine, climate change and the transformative technological revolution that is underway. In addition, Members will discuss amendments tabled to two SEDE Own Initiative Reports on the subject of "The security and defence implications of China's influence on critical infrastructure in the European Union" and the Subcommittee's flagship Annual Report on the Implementation of CSDP.
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP

On 26 October, a Hearing is organised on “Rising geopolitical tensions: the protection of subsea infrastructure, including communication cables and pipelines". As defence capabilities are connected digitally, undersea cables are vital for defence and security of EU Member States. The Hearing will therefore aim at assessing the current threat landscape and risks to subsea infrastructure, including different actors and their modus operandi to sabotage subsea infrastructure.
In the light of the recent reports of sabotage on the Finland/Estonia pipeline, the debate will also focus on possible ways to mitigate the risks, in particular via coordinated action with NATO to protect cross-border critical undersea infrastructure.
Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2023 - EP