European Union

The European Union on Thursday (1 August) demanded Hungary respond to fears that a decision by Budapest to relax visa rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals heightens the risk of spying in the bloc.

Russia freed US journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-US Marine Paul Whelan on Thursday (1 August) as part of the biggest prisoner exchange of its kind since the end of the Cold War.

Sweden favours creating a compulsory rule for companies to apply for medicines pricing and reimbursement in any member state requesting it. A minority of EU countries currently support this approach, but pharma package talks continue.

The European Parliament is close to finalising a split of its environment and health committee (ENVI) and upgrading the current subcommittee on public health (SANT) to a standing committee, parliamentary sources tell Euractiv.

The Lancet’s latest worldwide report on dementia prevention, intervention and care finds that around 45% of cases of dementia are potentially preventable through addressing 14 risk factors.

Noyb sued the Hamburg data protection authority on 1 August in a bid to overturn its recent decision that German newspaper Der Spiegel "pay or okay" model was lawful.

Industrial activity in the eurozone continued to contract in July, a closely-watched business survey confirmed on Thursday (1 August), as Europe’s economic woes showed little sign of abating despite growth data slightly above analysts' forecasts earlier this week.

Turkey will continue to block NATO-Israeli cooperation, insisting Israel is violating NATO's core principles, said Turkish President Erdogan.

Bulgaria's counter-intelligence service (SANS) and the Anti-Corruption Commission have launched an investigation into health rights activists advocating for the establishment of a state-run children's hospital. The move provoked an intense backlash.

The constitutive meetings of the European Parliament's standing committees and subcommittees took place in Brussels on 23 July 2024, following the appointments of their members in the plenary sitting of 16-19 July.

During the constitutive meetings, each committee and subcommittee elected its respective bureau, made up of a Chair and Vice-Chairs, for a two-and-a-half year mandate. The newly set up committees then started holding their regular meetings during the same week following their constitutive meeting.

The AFET constitutive meeting took place on Tuesday 23 July from 09.00 to 09.30 (Brussels).

The meeting was webstreamed.
AFET-SEDE-DROI calendar of meetings 2024
Meeting documents
Webstreaming
Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The European Commission has deemed sanctions imposed by Ukraine on Russian oil producer Lukoil to be of no risk to the oil supply for Hungary and Slovakia, as they do not affect the transit of oil via Ukraine to Hungary.

A second Trump presidency would likely force Europe to up its security spending, but the German government, which wants to take more responsibility in the EU amidst a looming global power vacuum, could be too paralysed to significantly increase its share.

The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran has provoked harsh reactions and concerns about escalation. Iran has vowed to take revenge on Israel, who it is blaming for the deadly airstrike. Russia, China and Turkey have also condemned the attack. Commentators analyse the events and potential consequences.