European Union

The inaugural annual rule of law review highlighted shortcomings in member states - but will not lead to concrete action.

The Czech Republic's foreign affairs ministry filed a complaint to the European Commission against Poland on Wednesday to stop the re-licence of operations at the Turow lignite mine. Environmental groups welcomed the decision, urging the EU executive to act since the mine expansion violates four EU environmental directives. The commission has now three months to react to the complaint before the Czech government can take Poland to court in January.

The European Commission's first report on the rule of law has raised concerns over the lack of effective anti-corruption efforts in some members sates - while it considers Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands have good governance measures.

Portugal has sought to be a leader at the EU level with regard to refugees and migrants, advocating a liberal position. It has consistently shown a willingness to take in refugees.

The European Commission says the EU is not providing any financial aid to Caprera, the Italian warship caught smuggling cigarettes from Libya. A recent investigation by the New York Times said the Caprera had stopped some 7,000 migrants from reaching Europe and had also smuggled some 700,000 contraband cigarettes from Libya. The EU helps fund Italian projects to shore up the Libyan coast guard.

EU regulators should have new laws ready by end-of-year on data transfer by EU firms to the US, the EU's digital affairs commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in Brussels Wednesday. The revamp comes after an EU court overturned a previous EU data-privacy pact that governed the exchange. The new regime was "very ambitious and [we] hope that it can be in place before Christmas," Vestager said at a Politico congress.

The UK has offered to let EU fishing boats use its waters between 2021 and 2024 in a post-Brexit transition period that would see their allowable catch scaled down over time, British newspaper The Guardian reported Wednesday. "If the other problematic issues can be sorted, it doesn't look like fisheries will stand in the way of an agreement", a senior EU diplomat said. Other problems concern access to state aid.

Germany has welcomed China's recent pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2060, while regretting the US was not following suit. "Unlike other large emitters, it's encouraging that China stands by the Paris climate accord," Merkel told MPs on Wednesday, referring to the US decision to exit the so-called Paris climate accord. "This is a very ambitious [Chinese] goal that should spur us in Europe to really fulfil our targets," she added.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia are to call states of emergency of 30-45 days' length in response to the second wave of coronavirus infections. The Italian parliament also suspended all meetings after two out of its 319 deputes tested positive on Wednesday. Infection rates are currently the highest in Belgium, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK, as well as parts of central Europe, according to EU statistics.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech to MPs on Wednesday she looked forward to "soon" meeting Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and paid tribute to Belarusian women's stand against regime corruption in Minsk. "I admire it and find it really impressive," Merkel said. Tikhanovskaya is due in Berlin on 5 October. She also met French president Emmanuel Macron in Lithuania earlier this week.

Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven will not take part in the EU summit in Brussels starting on Thursday, and Finnish PM Sanna Marin will represent the Swedish government. Lofven is attending his mother's funeral. Lofven and Marin are both Social Democratic party leaders in their respective countries.

Months after Member States lifted their lockdowns, restaurants and bars are still struggling to attract customers. Today, spiritsEurope launches its five-point Fit For Recovery Plan to support the industry and millions of jobs in an effective way.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron called for a "complete" halt to fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and said they were ready to intensify diplomatic efforts to help solve the conflict.

Large cities offer millions of square meters of unused roof space. Why aren't they being converted to cultivate crops? The potential seems enormous, but "urban farming" is still in its infancy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

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