European Union

This decision is a response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine and Russia’s practice of issuing Russian international passports to residents of the occupied regions.

The Council today decided to prolong the restrictive measures against the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a further year, until 12 December 2023.

The Council today adopted an implementing decision increasing the visa fee applied to nationals of The Gambia to 120€, seeking to improve The Gambia’s cooperation on the return and readmission of its own nationals.

From 1 January 2023, checks on persons at internal land and sea borders between Croatia and the other countries in the Schengen area will be lifted. Checks at internal air borders will be lifted from 26 March 2023.

The Council adopted guidelines for the EU to negotiate a new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Tajikistan.

Member states settle their position on a proposal to lower asbestos exposure levels for workers.

The chief spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed on Thursday (8 December) that the Dutch plan for EU's farming subsidies will easily win the final seal of approval although the EU Agriculture Commissioner had cast some doubts about the "very high level of environmental risk factors" of Dutch farming.

Spokespersons for Parliament and for political groups will hold a briefing on the 12-15 December plenary session on Friday at 11.00, in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press room.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Spokespersons for Parliament and for political groups will hold a briefing on the 12-15 December plenary session on Friday at 11.00, in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press room.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Croatia will join the EU's passport-free Schengen area in January after EU home affairs ministers approved their application but again blocked applications by Bulgaria and Romania.

EU commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johnasson called the decision not to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join a "disappointment" — and said the executive will work to include the two countries by 2024.

The foiled attempt of a far-right group to overthrow the German government shows that secret societies such as those described by the master of esoteric conspiracies, Dan Brown, exist and can be dangerous.

Act fast. Face up to war in Ukraine. Prepare for 2040. Those were the messages from industry panelists and experts gathered on Thursday to discuss strategic autonomy and defence industrial gaps at the European Defence Agency (EDA) annual conference.

As years of underspending take their toll on Europe’s defence capacities, Member States face the challenge not only of building back their armed forces but ensuring a certain level of strategic autonomy - relying less on the United States. That burden also falls on the European defence industry that has long been geared to peacetime production, the panel heard.

“The war in Ukraine has highlighted our capability shortfalls,” said Jean-Pierre Maulny, Deputy Director, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS). “The United States has larger stocks of anti-tank missiles and air defence systems. Sometimes we in Europe don’t do more because we cannot do more,” he told the panel.

In the search for more self-reliance, Tuija Karanko, Secretary General, Association of Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries, reminded the 300 participants in Brussels and the 1,000 registered online viewers that: “all the military people in this room have known about their gaps for many years … We need more of that transparency.”

For industry, strategic autonomy needs to exist at different levels, but that is difficult because the EU cannot control everything at every level. “We are not fully autonomous because we have key companies depending on third parties,” said Pablo Gonzalez, Director NATO and EU Defence & Space, Indra. There is a need for younger, skilled engineers, the panel heard.

So what to do? More European collaboration will lower costs, as well as joint research and joint development. Joint procurement for strategic assets made in Europe could help. But having a “Buy European” law, as in the United States, brings risks of isolation for the European continent, Karanko said.

For Laurynas Šatas, Chief Executive at Aktyvus Photonics, Europe has the potential to improve, but there is a need for more emphasis on the defence sector. As a Lithuanian laser company, Aktyvus Photonics is an example of a small- and medium-sized company that would benefit from a better environment with less European bureaucracy to bridge ambition and reality as it seeks to pass innovation up to bigger companies. “We have the intellectual capacity. Tomorrow is in our hands,” he said.

Thousands of Europeans have lost their jobs as a result of the energy crisis, a new report shows, but overall industrial output has remained stable throughout the year.

More than 1,600 testimonies of alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants and refugees throughout the EU has been published, collated by the Border Violence Monitoring Network and the Left party — adding to the mounting evidence of abuse.

Ditching small vehicles is bad for consumers, the environment and, ultimately, western carmakers, argues Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles and e-mobility at the green NGO Transport & Environment.

Newsletter - 12-15 December 2022 - Strasbourg plenary session

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The donation of a generator, made by President Metsola on behalf of the European Parliament, as part of Generators of Hope campaign is to help Ukrainians get through the winter.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The donation of a generator, made by President Metsola on behalf of the European Parliament, as part of Generators of Hope campaign is to help Ukrainians get through the winter.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Dear readers, Welcome to EU Politics Decoded, where Benjamin Fox and Eleonora Vasques bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday. In this edition, we look at how focusing on border control rather than the root causes...