European Union

Prices of cereals, fertilisers, and oilseed have shot up drastically in several European markets due to Russia's war on Ukraine, prompting some member states to seek EU aid.

The war in Ukraine has brought the European Union’s energy dependency issue front and centre. Driven by a commitment to reduce imports from Russia, which currently makes up nearly 45% of the bloc’s total gas demand, the EU must look at alternative means for securing its energy supply.

European Union negotiators on Thursday (19 May) agreed on mandatory gas storage obligations for EU countries, aiming for the the bloc's storages to be at least 85% full by 1 November 2022.

The European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) does not support the Council’s position on network contribution because making big tech firms pay does not follow the principle of net neutrality. 

The European Parliament and member states agreed on minimum gas storage obligations on Thursday. The new rules were prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The bloc aims to get rid of Russian energy addiction while maintaining energy security. This year EU countries will need to reach a minimum 80 percent gas storage level by 1 November and from 2023 the target will be 90-percent full gas storage by November.

The European Parliament adopted an EU Commission proposal to reinforce the mandate of the EU agency for criminal justice cooperation, Eurojust, on war crimes evidence. It will now have to be agreed by EU governments, and expected to come into force in June. Eurojust will now be allowed to preserve, analyse and store evidence centrally, and exchange evidence with national authorities, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other countries.

Vladimir Putin's Ukraine war has threatened to be a public relations disaster for hard-right gatherings like the Conservative Political Action Conference — now meeting in Budapest and featuring Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who remains highly-cordial with the Kremlin.

Written by Micaela Del Monte and Maria Margarita Mentzelopoulou.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country and seek shelter, mostly in neighbouring EU countries, namely Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and Moldova. Children and women are bearing the most adverse consequences of the war. According to UNICEF, almost half of those fleeing are minors and in need of enhanced protection, as they run a bigger risk of falling victim to trafficking and exploitation. In response to the plight of Ukraine’s civilian population, which is being subjected to shelling and violence, the international humanitarian community has quickly mobilised efforts and resources to provide support. As the humanitarian situation deteriorates, children are particularly vulnerable.

Children are at high risk of falling through the cracks of the system, going missing or being subjected to violence. This includes children in institutions, unaccompanied minors, children nearing the age of transition to adulthood, children from Roma or other minority groups or who are asylum-seekers, refugees or migrants and were residing in Ukraine and were stateless before leaving their countries of origin.

In and outside of Ukraine, children are in urgent need of protection, including access to psychosocial and social support, health, nutrition, education and housing, protection against trafficking, sexual and labour exploitation and abuse. The European Parliament, as well as its Coordinator on Children’s Rights, have been active in defending the rights of the children fleeing the war in Ukraine since its beginning.

This briefing updates and expands on an ‘At a glance’ note written by Maria Margarita Mentzelopoulou and Micaela Del Monte in March 2022.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Russia’s war on Ukraine: The situation of children in and outside Ukraine‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The German government, rushing to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, is about to enact a law that will accelerate the construction of liquified natural gas infrastructure. Germany will then be able to import LNG from anywhere, causing concern among environmental NGOs about extending its dependence on fossil fuels even longer.

The Parliament urges the Council to open negotiations on EU membership with Albania and North Macedonia, especially in the geostrategic context of war in Ukraine.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The Parliament urges the Council to open negotiations on EU membership with Albania and North Macedonia, especially in the geostrategic context of war in Ukraine.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs call for funding to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, by confiscating Russian oligarchs’ assets, new EU own resources, and using the existing EU budget fully.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs call for funding to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, by confiscating Russian oligarchs’ assets, new EU own resources, and using the existing EU budget fully.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The special international tribunal should investigate Russian leaders and military commanders and their allies for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The special international tribunal should investigate Russian leaders and military commanders and their allies for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Last year, 139,000 non-EU citizens were refused entry into the bloc, with Ukrainians accounting for the largest number of refusals (50,200), the EU's statistical office, Eurostat, reported on Thursday. In 2021, Hungary, Poland, Croatia and Romania reported the largest number of refusals of entry. Meanwhile, 681,200 non-EU citizens in total were found to be illegally present across EU member states — which represents a 22-percent increase compared to 2020.

Parliament says Commission’s assessment of the rule of law in the EU is useful but has significant room for improvement.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Parliament says Commission’s assessment of the rule of law in the EU is useful but has significant room for improvement.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs strongly condemn the support that the Belarusian regime under dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka has provided to Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. 
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs strongly condemn the support that the Belarusian regime under dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka has provided to Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. 
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP