European Union

AMENDMENTS 230 - 458 - Draft report Constitutional, legal and institutional implications of a common security and defence policy: possibilities offered by the Lisbon Treaty
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Written by Didier Bourguignon (6th edition)

© daizuoxin / Fotolia

Despite significant progress in recent decades, air pollution levels in the European Union still have adverse impacts on the environment and on health. The European Commission estimates that health-related costs of air pollution in the EU range from 390 to 940 billion euros per year.

The proposed directive, which would replace the current National Emission Ceilings Directive, sets binding national reduction objectives for six air pollutants (SO2, NOx, NMVOCs, NH3, PM2.5 and CH4) to be met by 2020 and 2030. It will also implement the Gothenburg Protocol as amended in 2012. The European Commission estimates that implementation costs would range from 2.2 to 3.3 billion euros per year.

After completion of the legislative procedure at first reading in the European Parliament and the Council, the presidents of the co-legislators signed the final act on 14 December 2016. Member States are required to transpose the new directive into national law by 1 July 2018.

Versions

• January 2017: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (6th edition)
• October 2016: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (5th edition)
• November 2015: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (4th edition)
• September 2015: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (3rd edition)
• May 2015: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (2nd edition)
• March 2015: Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants (1st edition)

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants and amending Directive 2003/35/EC

Committee responsible:

Rapporteur:

Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)

Julie Girling (ECR, UK)

COM(2013)920 of 18.12.2013

procedure ref.: 2013/0443(COD)

 

Ordinary legislative procedure

Procedure completed: Directive (EU) 2016/2284

OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1

 

Click to view slideshow.
Filed under: Economic and Social Policies, PUBLICATIONS Tagged: air quality, briefings, CO2 emissions, Didier Bourguignon, environment, EPRS briefings, EU Legislation in Progress, pollution

To receive the Brussels Briefing in your inbox every morning, register for a free FT account here and then sign up here.

Now he is the runner up in the first round of the Socialist Party’s primary contest, behind a man who once resigned in protest at his polices, and who has promised to repeal his government’s signature labour law.

Read more

The continuing security challenges in the Baltic sea region continue to constitute an issue of concern for the EU's security and defence policy. On 25 January, the SEDE committee will meet Lieutenant Colonel Jyri Raitasalo, Strategic Planning, Finnish Ministry of Defence and Commander Håkan Andersson, Military Advisor, Department for Security policy and International relations at the Swedish Ministry of Defence to discuss their national perspectives on the current situation in the Baltic sea.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Written by Angelos Delivorias (2nd edition),

© duncanandison / Fotolia

The European Venture Capital Funds (EuVECA) and European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (EuSEF) are collective investment schemes that have been harmonised at European Union (EU) level since 2011 by means of two Regulations: (EU) No 345/2013 (EuVECA) and (EU) No 346/2013 (EuSEF). In its 2016 review, the Commission noted that these funds remain small and concentrated in a few Member States and that, while the take-up of EuVECA could be considered successful, the EuSEF results have been disappointing. Three main obstacles to further growth have been identified: limitations imposed on managers; product rules; and the (varying) application of regulatory fees in Member States with regards to funds’ marketing and management. To overcome those obstacles, the Commission has identified some measures that − by removing limitations on larger managers managing EuVECA and EuSEF funds, decreasing costs for EuVECA and EuSEF funds, and broadening the range of eligible assets EuVECA funds may invest in − should increase investment into these funds.

Interactive PDF

• Reviving risk capital: The proposal to amend EuVECA and EuSEF

Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 345/2013 on European venture capital funds (EuVECA) and Regulation (EU) No 346/2013 on European social entrepreneurship funds (EuSEF) Committee responsible:

Rapporteur:

Shadow rapporteurs:

 

 

  Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)

Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland)

Andrea Cozzolino (S&D, Italy)

Syed Kamall (ECR, UK)

Cora Van Nieuwenhuizen (ALDE, the Netherlands)

Marco Zanni (EFDD, Italy)

COM(2016)0461 14.07.2016, 2016/0221(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’)

Next steps expected: Vote in Committee

 

 

Filed under: Economic and Social Policies, PUBLICATIONS Tagged: Angelos Delivorias, briefings, capital markets, EU Legislation in Progress, social venture capital

European Council meeting will take place on 9 and 10 March 2017 in the Europa building in Brussels. The press centre remains located in the Justus Lipsius building. 

 Application deadline: 16 February, 17.00
Procedure

• If this is your first registration, please make sure you have a recent ID-size photograph in JPEG format (.jpg) and the number of your passport or identity card ready before starting the online process.
• You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt by email. Please read it carefully as it includes the list of original documents you will be asked to provide when collecting your badge. Depending on your profile, the requested document will include: Passport or ID card, press card and/or a letter from your editor-in chief as well as the signed original of your authorisation for security screening (only for media representatives of Belgian nationality or resident in Belgium). The press centre may contact you to request additional information if necessary. No accreditation badge will be issued if you cannot provide all required documents.
• Under certain conditions it is possible to organise a group registration/collection of badges for journalists working for the same media. Select group registration at the beginning of the accreditation process and follow the instructions.
• Trainees with media organisations who do not possess a press card are not entitled to request accreditation

Journalists holding a 6-month badge (01.01.2017 - 30.06.2017) do not need to register

6-month badges can be collected at the accreditation centre of the LEX building during summits. Please ensure that you have all the required documents when collecting your badge.

Collection of badges

Accreditation badges must be collected in person from the LEX building (145 rue de la Loi, Brussels)  

• Wednesday 8 March - 9.30 - 13.00 and 14.00 - 18.00
• Thursday 9 March - 8.30 - 20.00 
• Friday 10 March - from 08.00 to the end of the final press conference (max. 22.00)
  
  

Practical information on the press centre and the media programme will follow.

For more details on the European Council meeting, see the meeting page.

The policymaking implications of the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution – the fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres – are hard to measure.

What steps must we take to enhance transatlantic cooperation? How should Europe’s digital skills, labour market and regulatory framework evolve? And what must we do to encourage this change?

The success of digital companies is based on how they use data to create and improve services. Their products are data engines or algorithms surrounded by a great customer experience. These algorithms are fuelled by data in an iterative process: the more customers they have, the better their algorithms get. This continuous learning circle makes the companies’ products better and better.

Amazon is a prime example of a digital success story. It may seem that their success is based on selling their own products, together with those of other retailers, in a logistically smart way. But it was the company’s algorithm, recommending what customers may be interested in buying next, that made sales grow. Amazon keeps evolving its algorithm and has started to offer loans to its retailers. A new business model is born, thanks to digitalisation.

“Digital means data-driven: not only for digital native companies, but for any company or sector that wants to survive”

Another example is Netflix. You might imagine you log on to see movies or series that you want to watch, but the truth is that 85% of the content people watch is based on the suggestions made by the company’s recommendation engine.

LinkedIn, with its ‘people you may know’ algorithm, has made its networks grow at a faster pace than ever before. Again, sets of algorithms are driving successful businesses.

So, from my point of view, digital means data-driven: not only for digital native companies, but for any company or sector that wants to survive into the near future. Data-driven, in a nutshell, means using data either to support decision-making or eliminate it through process automation. Every company should now consider how they use data engines in their products and processes. As your business becomes data-driven, transactions costs tend to zero and virtually anyone can play in your field.

But to allow the data-driven economy flourish in Europe, we need to deal with data innovation and data protection in a coordinated way, without giving up either of the two.

There are ten aspects that I think require particular focus:

1. Data literacy for citizens: today we have a situation where people give away their data without control but at the same time complain about data use that might be beneficial for the societies, like investigating health data.
2. Transparency: there is a need for more transparency from companies and governments in how they use data. This should be promoted and seen as a business advantage, and not just a subject for legal compliance.
3. Data security research coordination: we need global standards that guarantee protection against cybercrime, such as using blockchain technologies for distributed identity and data management.
4. Data flow and data storage: a good effort has been made with the European Union’s free data flow initiative, but still we experience many delays when using cloud storage and cloud tools.
5. Algorithm protection and interpretability: investments in algorithm development are high and the companies should be able to decide whether they want to protect them or open them up. Interpretability of algorithms is also mandatory in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but further discussions are needed so that the industries can work on explaining complex models that work better than the traditional ones.
6. The use of anonymised and aggregated data: there are many opportunities in the use of this kind of non-personal data, both for companies and for society as a whole. However, it is still unclear in which cases using this type of data is allowed.
7. Promoting open data policies: this is essential, and not only for the public sector. Today a company that opens its data faces many more risks than rewards. This is why only a few companies are actually doing this.
8. Data portability: the right to data portability in all sectors is a way to promote fair competition and innovation in data services. Data portability will be mandatory in 2018 for the financial sector according to the Directive on payment services, but not for other sectors, although the GDPR introduces it as an important aspect of data innovation.
9. Harmonisation of data laws: this should take place across the EU so that digital businesses can operate in all of them without frontiers.
10. Artificial intelligence: we need to examine the impact of AI on labour markets and what we can do to help them adapt as fast as possible.

This list is far from exhaustive, but it includes several regulatory, cultural and educational factors that, in my view, need to be considered by the EU, its member states and the companies if Europe is to make the most of the opportunities presented by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

IMAGE CREDIT: vectorfusionart/Bigstock.com

The post Europe needs a data-driven economy – ten ways to achieve it appeared first on Europe’s World.

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/monaco_flag_thumb_169_1468332416_1468332361_129_97shar_c1.jpg

Through its special relationship with France, Monaco is part of the EU customs territory and located within the external borders of the Schengen area.

Download this video here.

Tuesday 24 January 2017
Berlin
12.20 Speech at the State funeral in honour of former President Roman Herzog

Wednesday 25 January 2017
11.00 New Year's reception at the Royal Palace (Brussels)
14.00 Presentation of letters of credentials of ambassadors

Thursday 26 January 2017
15.00 Meeting with Prime Minister of Montenegro Duško Marković: press statements ±15.30 (Europa Building)

Friday 27 January 2017
13.00 Meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (Berlaymont)

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

This workshop will provide a brief overview of aspects related to civilian and military personnel serving in CSDP missions and operations, in terms of challenging issues related to force generation, in mission treatment, training, follow up to crimes and offences perpetrated during deployment. For instance, despite progress in force generation and preparation, procedures for personnel recruitment and deployment remain cumbersome and slow. Possible solutions will also be discussed by the experts.
Further information
Workshop programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

A new set of rules to increase the financial transparency of ports and create clear and fair conditions for access to the port services market throughout Europe was formally adopted by the Council on 23 January 2017. 

The regulation will make it easier for new providers of certain port services to enter the market. It will create a more level playing field and reduce legal uncertainties for ports, port service providers and investors. This should encourage investment in ports, improve the quality of services provided to port users, and even help reduce prices. 

The new rules will ensure transparency of port charges and public funding of ports. This will lead to better use of public funds and the effective and fair application of EU competition rules in ports. At the same time the new rules are designed to take into account the diversity of the sector across Europe. 

Hon. Joe Mizzi, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, said: "I welcome these reforms. The port sector is vital to the success of Europe's economy, and it stands to benefit from the increased transparency and clarity which these new rules bring." 

This final vote by the Council concludes the procedure at first reading. The European Parliament voted on 14 December 2016. The legal act will be signed by both institutions in mid-February and published in the EU Official Journal a few weeks later. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication. 

For more information, see our press release from 29 June 2016 (link below).

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© kemaltaner / Fotolia

A long-running discussion on reforming the European Union’s budget gained momentum when the High-Level Group on Own Resources, led by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, presented its report in January 2017. The report proposes simpler methods for funding the EU, to make it less reliant on direct contributions from Member States, and recommends that spending be focused on areas where the highest European added value can be achieved, now, for example migration and security emergencies.

The report, entitled ‘Future financing of the EU‘, lists and examines several options for new own resources, such as a reformed VAT-linked resource, an EU corporate tax, a financial transaction tax or taxes linked to efforts to fight climate change. It also proposes to explore other revenue sources stemming directly from the EU policies and programmes. The report will be taken into consideration by the European Commission and EU Member States when they work on the EU’s next long-term budget after 2020.

This note offers links to reports and commentaries from some major international think tanks and research institutes on the EU budget. Some papers also discuss whether the euro area should have its own, dedicated budget.

Brexit et budget de L’UE: Menace ou opportunité
Jacques Delors Institute, Bertelsmann Stiftung, January 2017

The future of the EU budget: Between dream and reality
Clingendael, December 2016

Reforming the EU’s Budget Revenue: The case for a visible VAT-based resource
Centre for European Policy Studies, November 2016

The multiannual financial framework post-2020: Balancing political ambition and realism
Centre for European Policy Studies, November 2016

The EU Budget’s mid-term review with its promising reform proposals the Commission lays the groundwork for the next, post-2020 budget
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, October 2016

A sustainable finance plan for the EU
E3G, October 2016

What are the prerequisites for a euro-area fiscal capacity?
Bruegel, September 2016

Can the EU spend more green? The CAP and the environment in future EU budgets
Policy Network, September 2016

The Impact of Brexit on the EU budget: A non-catastrophic event
Centre for European Policy Studies, September 2016

Is Horizon 2020 really more SME-friendly? A look at the figures
Centre for European Policy Studies, September 2016

Keeping Europeans together: Assessing the state of EU cohesion
European Council on Foreign Relations, September 2016

The potential and limitations of reforming the financing of the EU budget
Centre for European Policy Studies, CATT/UPPA, University of London July 2016

Brexiting yourself in the foot: Why Britain’s eurosceptic regions have most to lose from EU withdrawal
Centre for European Reform, June 2016

EU budgetary responses to the ‘Refugee Crisis’ reconfiguring the funding landscape
Centre for European Policy Studies, May 2016

The budget of the European Union: A guide
Institute for Fiscal Studies, April 2016

The economic strategy of stateless nations in the framework of the European cohesion
Centre Maurits Coppieters, March 2016

Which fiscal union for the euro area?
Bruegel, February 2016

Federalising the Eurozone: Towards a true European budget
Institute Affaire Insternazionali, December 2015

Flexibility in the EU Budget: Are there limits?
Clingendael, December 2015

The political economy of the 2014-2020 Common Agricultural Policy: An imperfect storm
Centre for European Policy Studies, August 2015

Reforming the financing of the European Union: A proposal
Centre for European Economic Research, May 2015

Filed under: EU Financing / Budgetary Affairs, PUBLICATIONS Tagged: At a glance, EU budget, financing, Marcin Grajewski, what think tanks are thinking

Written by Monika Kiss,

© kantver / Fotolia

Information and communications technologies (ICT) play an increasingly important role in our professional and private lives, and digital competence is of growing importance for every individual. In the future, nearly all jobs will require digital skills.

However, European Commission figures show that two fifths of the EU workforce have little or no digital skills. In addition, despite continued high levels of unemployment, there could be 756 000 unfilled jobs in the European ICT sector by 2020.

This situation is even more challenging in certain geographical areas (such as south-eastern Europe), among socially vulnerable groups (in particular, the unemployed and the disabled) and the elderly. Despite favourable developments in the digital literacy of citizens, the digital gap needs to be narrowed further.

Digitalisation has several impacts on the labour market. On the one hand, new business models, products and machines create new jobs, while on the other hand, automation contributes to the elimination of jobs or their relocation to countries with lower labour costs. To remedy this situation, developing the digital skills of the EU workforce is essential.

Reducing the mismatch between the skills available and those demanded for the digital transformation of the economy has been a key EU-level priority over the past decade. For instance, a 2008 communication entitled ‘New skills for new jobs’ emphasised the increasing need for digital skills in the shift to a low-carbon economy. Furthermore, the 2010 Digital Agenda recognised the need for indicators to measure the extent of digital competence in the EU. This was implemented through the development of the Digital Competence Framework (‘Dig Comp’), enabling citizens to evaluate their digital skills, and the Digital Economy and Society Index (‘DESI’), summarising relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracking the evolution of EU Member States in the area of digital competitiveness.

The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, a multi-stakeholder partnership created in 2013, aims to facilitate collaboration between business and education providers, and between public and private actors, and has already created 60 functional pledges in 13 countries.

The 2016 New Skills Agenda aims to improve the quality of skills training and to make the skills acquired more visible and comparable from one country to another. Data on ICT skills should also be improved in order to better anticipate developments and help people make better career choices. Skills acquired in non-formal ways should also be assessed and validated.

Possible solutions developed in the EU Member States include encouraging and enabling people to acquire the skills needed, enhancing the labour mobility of digitally skilled people and promoting cross-border skills policies. Improving skills supply can be done by encouraging people to offer their skills on the labour market and by retaining skilled people in the labour market. Putting skills to effective use by creating better matches between skills offered and demanded, and by increasing the demand for high-level skills can also contribute to improving the situation.

Read the complete in-depth analysis on ‘Digital skills in the EU labour market‘.

Filed under: Economic and Social Policies, PUBLICATIONS Tagged: digital skills, employment and work, In-depth analysis, Information Technology, labour market, Monika Kiss

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/consilium_16351_41719_30597_29.45_thumb_169_1481729122_1481729119_129_97shar_c1.jpg

EU Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries meet in Brussels on 23 January 2017 to discuss international trade Issues, in particular concerning the impact of concessions in free trade agreements on agricultural products. The Council is also holding an exchange of views on the milk package report presented by the Commission.

Download this video here.

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Donald Trump will be sworn in today as the 45th president of the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the ceremony at the Capitol. With dubious deals this businessman and inexperienced politician could destroy the existing world order, some commentators fear. Others warn against drawing hasty conclusions about his presidency.