European Union

AMENDMENTS 1 - 376 - Draft report on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Western Balkans, in the run-up to the 2020 summit
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Tonino Picula

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

More and more desperate people are fleeing from Idlib, Syria, and waiting at the Greek-Turkish border in the hope of getting into the EU. During the 2015 refugee crisis, it was possible to enter Germany - this time around, it's different. What has happened in the past five years?

The EU and the UK will have to overcome “very serious” differences to agree on a new relationship, chief Brussels negotiator Michel Barnier warned on Thursday (5 May) after concluding the first round of negotiations.

The Executive Director of  the United Nations Population Fund on advancing the UN-EU ‘Spotlight Initiative’ - a global, multi-year programme to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

France’s top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm’s business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits such as paid holidays.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Huawei's willingness to open a factory in France would not change "the government's position on 5G in any way". EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU in the global perspective from our foreign affairs news team: Georgi Gotev and Alexandra Brzozowski.

With tensions growing and accusations flying between Turkey and the EU over an escalating migrant crisis, the head of NATO has warned Europe it must find a way to work with "important ally" Ankara.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Belgium has increased by 27, to 50, with most patients having returned from holidays in Italy. All patients have been isolated. Belgium's leading virologist Marc Van Ranst said there is no need for excessive measures, but voiced concerns about shortage of mouth masks for doctors and nurses as well as testing materials. The government expects the number to grow.

In a recent opinion piece, a group of NGOs wrote that Sweden's forest policy is wreaking havoc. Herman Sundqvist argues that this is wrong on several counts and that the country is working to improve environmental measures in the forest.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.    “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.” – World Health Organisation     This week’s issue...

The Central European University (CEU) hailed on Thursday (5 March) an opinion from the advocate general of the EU’s top court, which said restrictions imposed by Hungary on foreign universities breach WTO and EU law but said that it will continue to transfer its operations to Vienna.

The European Climate Law falls short of providing meaningful financial compensation for Member States with different starting points like Poland. This is a very unfortunate development at time when more unity and more solidarity are needed in the EU.

While insect-based foods have so far been quite a niche product, they are viewed as a highly promising solution to the challenges facing the food industry. Although new EU regulations should pave the way for these products - European eating habits might have to change too. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Digitalisation has produced new challenges ranging from cybersecurity vulnerabilities and disinformation to gaming addiction and cyberbullying. Younger generations offer unique insights into these challenges but find themselves on the margins of EU policy debates, writes Laura Groenendaal.

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 18 March 2020 from 9:00 - 12:30 and from 14:30 - 18:30 and on Thursday 19 March 2020 from 9:00 - 12:30 in Brussels (room SPINELLI 1G3).

Please also consult the SEDE meetings' calendar 2020 below.

Recent press releases:

- MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
- Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
- Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
- Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
- AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
- Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
...

SEDE meetings' calendar 2020
Press release: MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
Press release: Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
Press release: Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
Press release: Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
Press release: AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
Press release: Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
Press release: MEPs call for sanctions against Turkey over military operation in Syria - 24 October 2019
Press release: NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London: “Unilateral military operation in north east Syria is a security risk to us all” - 15 October 2019
Press release: Russian actions prompt NATO and EU to improve military mobility in Europe - 8 October 2019
Press release: End of INF Treaty: Is arms control out of fashion? - 26 September 2019
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday (5 March) "there might be momentum” for improving the EU's relationship with the US, but it remained unclear when she will present a trade offer to US President Donald Trump to avoid further tariffs.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. The latest draft of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), obtained by...

The European Commission insisted on Wednesday (4 March) that in-depth climate number-crunching has to be finished before it can update an emissions-busting target for 2030. That impact assessment could make or break the EU’s green agenda.