European Union

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the gates of Syria's prisons and torture chambers have been opened and mass graves all over Syria discovered. At Saydnaya Prison, where tens of thousands of people have disappeared or been tortured and killed, the vicious cruelty of the regime has been revealed. Commentators discuss the next steps after these discoveries.

Cyclone Chido has wreaked havoc in the French overseas department of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. The cyclone swept across the archipelago bringing gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour. A large proportion of the island's population live in huts with corrugated iron roofs, a factor which it is feared will push up the death toll. Things cannot go on like this, commentators agree.

Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the first round of the country's presidential election which the far-right candidate Călin Georgescu had won on the grounds that it was manipulated. The rerun will take place in the new year. Nicușor Dan, mayor of Bucharest, has announced his candidacy. The national press discusses Dan's chances as an independent and the way he is exploiting this status.

The French president confirmed that all emergency measures were being implemented, and announced a national mourning would be held.

The post Macron to head to cyclone-struck Mayotte, miss EU Council meeting appeared first on Euractiv.

On Wednesday morning, the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On Wednesday morning, the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Labour gaps are especially acute in STEM sectors as well as in construction, transport, healthcare, and education, the Commission said.

The post Europe faces worrying skills shortages, says EU Commission appeared first on Euractiv.

The non-ferrous metals industry is the backbone of Europe’s energy and digital transitions and the engine of Europe’s increased resilience. However, immediate actions and support are necessary to ensure it can thrive through soaring energy prices and fierce global competition.

The post Tackling Europe’s Industrial Competitiveness Challenge appeared first on Euractiv.

Mironovich Shor v Council
External relations
Destabilisation of Moldova: the General Court upholds the restrictive measures taken against Mr Shor and Ms Tauber in respect of their role in organising violent demonstrations

TP v Commission
Public procurement
In order to exclude a company from EU public procurement and grant award procedures, the authorising officer responsible must conduct a specific and individual assessment of the conduct of the operator concerned

Written by Anita Orav.

Drawing attention to migrants’ human rights and highlighting their contribution to society, International Migrants’ Day is observed every year on 18 December. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2000 in response to growing migration numbers around the world.

Context

Migration is and will continue to be part of the human experience, both globally and in the EU, as a natural response to adversity and violence of various kinds. On 1 January 2022, 27.3 million people (6.1 %) of the 448.8 million people living in the EU were non-EU citizens. Most migrants – approximately 2 to 3 million per year – arrive in the EU using legal channels. However, wars and upheaval in neighbouring countries are also triggering displacement of people and increased irregular arrivals of migrants.

Migration management in the EU

The EU and its Member States have shared competence in migration policy. In recent years, the priority accorded to migration has been reflected in the EU budget, with €22.7 billion allocated to migration and border policy from 2021 to 2027. Acknowledging that the EU needed to move away from ad hoc solutions and put in place a predictable and reliable migration management system, the European Commission put forward a new pact on migration and asylum in 2020. The pact combines key EU policies on migration, asylum and border management and was adopted in spring 2024. In addition, the Commission has initiated reforms to its legal migration policy by proposing a skills and talent package, intended to attract and retain highly skilled third-country nationals, and by creating the EU Talent Pool, which will match employers in the EU with jobseekers from non-EU countries. The objective is to help address critical labour shortages across Europe and to offer a response to the demographic situation in the EU of an ageing population. Research confirms that legal migration channels are a viable way to mitigate the problem of a declining EU workforce.

Honouring the contributions of migrants and respecting their rights

The theme for International Migrants’ Day in 2024 is ‘Honouring the contributions of migrants and respecting their rights’. It was chosen to raise awareness of the issue of exploitation and to highlight migrants’ positive contribution to society. The European Commission asserts that legal migration is an investment in the economy and society.

The EU action plan on integration and inclusion addresses perennial barriers to migrants’ education, labour market and housing. At the end of 2024, a mid-term review of progress made will be published, based on consultations with the Member States. Progress on practical action to support integration in areas such as health, housing and employment can already be visualised in the Commission’s progress tracker.

European Parliament position

The European Parliament has previously advocated a humane, solidarity-based and common approach to migration. In its resolution of 25 November 2021, taking into consideration that total labour supply in the euro area was projected to fall by 13 % (20 million people) between 2019 and 2070, Parliament encouraged the development of adequate legal economic migration channels.

Parliament’s adoption of the new pact on migration and asylum, to be applied from mid-2026, confirmed its willingness to take ‘an important step, to a common European asylum and migration policy that is well functioning and long-term’.

Read the complete ‘at a glance’ note on ‘International Migrants’ Day: 18 December 2024‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Wednesday, 18 December

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Wednesday, 18 December

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP