European Union

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and a German businessman, Matthias Warnig, who used to work in the Communist-era Stasi secret police, have quit their jobs in Russian oil firm Rosneft, amid a political outcry over Russia's war on Ukraine. They both still work for the Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 gas consortium. German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday rejected an EU parliament appeal to blacklist Schröder for his close Russian ties.

The Group of Seven leading industrial nations has agreed to provide €18bn in aid for Ukraine at a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Bonn, the Financial Times reported. According to estimates, Ukraine will need €4.7bn a month to pay wages and keep government services running. US treasury secretary Janet Yellen this week called on EU allies to increase financial aid to help Ukraine "get through" the Russian invasion.

Italian transport unions on Friday striked in protest against military aid for Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire. While most Italians blame Russia's president Vladimir Putin for the conflict, union leaders want the government to increase workers' wages instead, and some fear that sending weapons will prolong the conflict. Within Italy's coalition government, Giuseppe Conte's 5 Star movement and Matteo Salvini's League oppose Italy's supply of weapons to Ukraine.

On 23-25 May, six MEPs of the Civil Liberties Committee will assess progress in the investigations, trials, and reforms that followed the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

On 23-25 May, six MEPs of the Civil Liberties Committee will assess progress in the investigations, trials, and reforms that followed the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Written by Jaan Soone.

The European Commission’s ‘fit for 55’ package, adopted on 14 July 2021 under the European Green Deal, includes a proposal to revise the 2014 EU framework for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.

The proposal puts forward binding targets for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling points, electric charging for stationary aeroplanes at airports, and on-shore power supply for ships at ports. It also includes rules on refuelling points for liquefied natural gas for heavy-duty vehicles and in maritime ports.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) is responsible for the file, with the rapporteur Ismail Ertug (S&D, Germany). His draft report puts forward several amendments to strengthen the Commission proposal, including in terms of power output targets and implementation dates for electric charging infrastructure for cars and trucks, and targets for hydrogen refuelling stations and shore-side electricity supply in ports. The vote on the draft report in TRAN is tentatively scheduled for July 2022.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Alternative fuels in transport: Targets for deployment of recharging and refuelling infrastructure‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Electrically chargeable cars: Global leaders, EU and top five EU countries, 2020 Public electric recharging points: Global leaders, EU and top five EU countries, 2020

Eurozone finance ministers will discuss the economic worries with the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, agriculture ministers are set to talk food prices, and EU affairs ministers will put Hungary on the spot in the Article 7 procedure.

Russia state-owned gas giant Gazprom told Finalnd's gas operator that it will cut gas supplies to Finland on Saturday, Finland's Gasum said on Friday. "We have been carefully preparing for this situation," Gasum's CEO Mika Wiljanen said, with the company continuing to supply gas from different sources. Gazprom's move comes as Finalnd last week announced that it wants to join Nato in light of Rusia's invasion of Ukraine.

In the run-up to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly starting on Sunday (22 May), the European Commission aims to align member state positions and ensure the EU-wide agreements are translated into WHO policies.

Hunger levels around the world have reached a new high. The number of people facing severe food insecurity has risen from 135 to 276 million in just two years, according to the UN. The war in Ukraine has escalated the situation, in part because Russia is blocking grain exports. The Kremlin has a powerful weapon in its hands, Europe's press notes with dismay, and casts about for solutions.

The EU Commission on Wednesday presented its RepowerEU plan, which aims to reduce dependence on Russian energy and accelerate the green transition. The EU plans to invest up to 300 billion euros in the form of loans and grants in the initiative. Massive investments, energy savings and a joint procurement mechanism similar to that for vaccines are also in the pipeline. An inspired project for the future or too much too fast?

The Nato accession applications of Sweden and Finland have also reignited the debate about neutrality in non-aligned Switzerland and Austria. Seventy-five percent of Austrians still reject Nato membership, according to a survey put out by Austria's Institute for Public Opinion and Data Analysis. Commentators see the need for more debate.