European Union

On Tuesday, the Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob addressed MEPs during the seventh “This is Europe” debate.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Banks will be exempt from the EU's recently-adopted due diligence rules. Unlike companies, they will not be affected by the import ban on deforestation-related products, despite reports pointing to them investing in companies allegedly contributing to the practice.

In an almost unanimous vote, EU lawmakers removed Eva Kaili as vice president of the European Parliament on Tuesday (13 December), following the so-called Qatargate, one of the biggest corruption scandals in the EU’s history.

The European Parliament has officially unseated Greek socialist Eva Kaili as vice-president of the European Parliament in a decision that secured 625 votes in favour, 1 against and 2 abstentions. The vote had followed a proposal by the conference of presidents, which is composed of political group leaders. "Everyone involved must be held accountable," they said, in a statement.

Written by Marin Mileusnic.

The Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument and its centrepiece, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), are the largest-ever EU financing tools, created to mitigate the socio-economic fall-out of the pandemic. The facility is organised around six pillars representing policy areas of EU relevance that require strengthening in order to make the EU economies and societies robust and futureproof. The pillars define investment priorities and the scope of financing under the RRF. This briefing focuses on the ‘Policies for next generation’ pillar and in particular on the policy measures in education, training and skills, early childhood education and care that the Member States have laid out in their individual National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs).

These NRRPs are required to list reforms and investments the Member States commit to making in order to meet the RRF objectives. To receive RRF grants and loans, the Member States should have successfully completed the relevant milestones and targets that accompany the planned measures. That is, the facility is a performance-based instrument, as specified in the RRF Regulation. Even though it only plays a supporting role in education policy, the EU has made RRF funding available for actions in this policy area to address the structural shortcomings in the education sector – likely worsened by the COVID-19 crisis – across all Member States. Tackling these shortcomings efficiently can guarantee recovery and resilience, maintain alignment with the job market and ultimately safeguard the integrity of the single market.

The RRF is defined as a one-off instrument that would be discontinued after 2026, following the implementation of all the measures included in the NRRPs. While the main EU initiatives for education policy are defined in the long term and thus extend beyond the planned lifetime of the RRF, the facility is nevertheless capable of supporting large-scale investment and reforms with a medium- to long-term impact. The European Parliament welcomes the measures in the areas of education and training built into the NRRPs, and encourages the development of a European dimension in the Member States’ education policies.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Education policy in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Common indicators for the ‘Policies for next generation’ pillar in 12 Member States NRRP components exclusively dedicated to education, skills and training (in million €, per EU country) Policies for next generation (expenditure as % of individual NRRP costs)

MEPs have put forward their suggestions to defend the rights of persons with disabilities and tackle discrimination.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs have put forward their suggestions to defend the rights of persons with disabilities and tackle discrimination.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

After 10 gruelling hours of overnight negotiations that lasted until five in the morning EU negotiators reached a deal on a border tariff for carbon-intensive goods, ending 20 years of discussions.

Modern dictators wear suits instead of uniforms. They hold referendums and opinion polls, and chat with citizens. This democratic façade allows them to mingle with the Davos crowd, keep foreign investors onboard, and, crucially, deliver economic growth for their citizens.

The European Parliament decided on Tuesday to terminate the term of office of Vice-President Eva Kaili.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The European Parliament decided on Tuesday to terminate the term of office of Vice-President Eva Kaili.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Following Eva Kaili's arrest, today the EU Parliament will discuss the removal from office of the currently suspended Vice President. Kaili is suspected of having accepted large sums of money from Qatar in exchange for influencing EU decisions. Belgian prosecutors have charged Kaili and several other suspects with corruption and forming a criminal organisation. Europe's press debates the consequences.

A second execution has been carried out in Iran in connection with the protests that started almost three months ago against the leadership of the Islamic Republic. Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was convicted of killing two security officers with a knife and publicly hanged on Monday, the country's judiciary reported. Several other protesters are on an execution list. What happens now?