European Union

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Far-right lawmakers in the European Parliament urged the EU to focus on Ukrainian refugees instead of discussing discrimination against Romani people during a debate ahead of International Romani Day (8 April).

French right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse said on Friday (8 April) she will not tell voters who to pick in the second round of the presidential election should she fail to make it past the first one on Sunday (10 April) - a surprising move for a party that has always urged voters to block the far-right.

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Representatives of the largest agricultural organisations of the four Visegrad Group states and five other countries have jointly called for a temporary postponement of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, as well as of other environmental measures.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, more than 2,5 millions children have fled the war facing risk of illegal trafficking and abuse. MEPs adopted a resolution calling to protect children refugees on Thursday (7 April). 

The EU accused Russia of a deadly attack on a train station in eastern Ukraine on Friday (8 April)  as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen headed to Kyiv.

Written by Katarzyna Sochacka and Clare Ferguson.

The war in Ukraine led the agenda of the April 2022 plenary session in Strasbourg. Members held two important debates: on EU protection for children and young people fleeing the war, and on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24‑25 March 2022, which covered the latest developments and EU sanctions against Russia and their implementation. Parliament also debated a number of Council and Commission statements on: the outcome of the EU-China summit of 1 April 2022, the ongoing hearings under Article 7(1) TEU regarding respect for EU values in Poland and Hungary, violations of the right to seek asylum and non-refoulement in the EU Member States, the Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the urgent need to adopt the minimum tax directive, the situation of marginalised Roma communities in the EU, and mental health. In an adjustment to the structure of the plenary agenda, question time with the Commission has been reintroduced. Members questioned President Ursula von der Leyen on progress on the Commission’s political priorities over the past two years. Members then questioned Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission (HR/VP), on the EU’s security and Strategic Compass. Another debate with the HR/VP focused on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular the women’s rights situation. Several debates and votes on legislative files also took place, including on the Schengen evaluation mechanism.

Revision of the market stability reserve for the EU emissions trading system

In line with the EU’s climate ambitions, the European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ proposals seek to revise the entire EU 2030 climate and energy framework. Members debated the first legislative proposal from the package – a proposed revision of the market stability reserve for the EU emissions trading system (ETS). The world’s first and largest carbon market, the ETS aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capping the volume of emissions permitted and encouraging trading of unused allowances. However, a surplus of emissions allowances has built up due to recent economic crises. The proposed revision of the market stability reserve aims to correct this, by maintaining the already doubled intake rate (24 %) and minimum number of allowances placed in the reserve (200 million) to December 2030. Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) agreed with the proposal, stressing that it will avoid further increases in the surplus. Members adopted the committee’s report as Parliament’s first-reading position, allowing interinstitutional negotiations to begin.

Data governance act

Members debated and adopted a provisional agreement reached between Parliament and the Council on the first of the Commission’s proposals on an EU data strategy. The data governance act should set the rules for sharing or trading data for legitimate uses – such as medical research or combating climate change – whilst preserving data rights. The co-legislators reached a compromise on re-use of publicly held data, limiting public authorities’ ability to grant rights to data and ensuring they seek consent. Parliament also succeeded in tightening the rules for ‘data brokers’. Organisations wishing to share data for the common good will have to register as ‘altruism organisations’ and follow a Commission rulebook. Parliament also insisted on strengthening aspects of the composition and tasks of the proposed European data innovation board, which will enforce the act.

Trans-European energy infrastructure

Well before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) had insisted that the proposed revision of the rules on trans-European energy infrastructure projects should require energy projects to be more environmentally sustainable and exclude fossil fuel infrastructure. Major energy infrastructure projects benefit EU citizens by boosting the single market and securing EU supplies, and such projects of common interest are therefore sometimes eligible for EU funding. The committee argued for a wider role for the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), and for a new stakeholder committee to ensure projects can call on good expertise. The committee’s report also called for a transitional period to 2029, as well as for the regulation to cover CO2 storage, and for a derogation for already-included natural gas projects. Members debated and adopted the agreed text reached during interinstitutional negotiations on the rules governing funding of major energy projects.

Use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road

Parliament debated goods vehicle hire rules, in its second reading of a proposal to loosen restrictions on transport operators. The European Commission’s proposal to grant haulage companies the same right to hire vehicles without a driver in another Member State as in their own Member State originally aimed at harmonising the rules across the EU. However, Parliament and Council wished to preserve Member States’ ability to protect their national vehicle tax bases from market distortion. Members approved the proposed draft agreement reached by the Council and Parliament that allows countries to restrict their own haulage companies from hiring vehicles without drivers in other EU Member States, but prevents them from restricting goods vehicle hire outright, if all the rules are observed.

Amending budget 1/2022: Adjustment of the multiannual financial framework

Following delays in launching certain programmes, Parliament’s Committee on Budgets (BUDG) reiterated its concern regarding the effect of such payment delays on the Union’s recovery. To prevent payment crises, the committee called on the Commission to present any proposals for payment increases immediately in future. Members approved the Council position, thereby definitively adopting draft amending budget 1/2022 which seeks to strengthen the 2022 EU budget by transferring €12 billion in commitments from 2021. Further transfers will be made to the budgets of subsequent years of the 2021‑2027 multiannual financial framework.

Guidelines for the 2023 budget – Section III

Parliament’s guidelines for the 2023 EU budget (Section III – European Commission) launch the annual budgetary debate. Underlining the need for a just transition to a greener economy, Parliament’s Committee on Budgets (BUDG) highlighted the importance of economic, social and territorial cohesion. The BUDG committee’s report adopted by Parliament lists a number of budgetary priorities, including a stronger health union, the green and digital transitions, fundamental rights and the rule of law. The report also underlined the need to spread payments evenly throughout the period of the current multiannual financial framework. The guidelines provide the basis for Parliament’s trilogue negotiations on the 2023 budget, ahead of the European Commission’s proposed draft budget.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

Members confirmed, without a vote, a mandate for negotiation from the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committees on information accompanying transfers of funds and certain crypto-assets.

Members also approved, with votes, a mandate for negotiation from the Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee on the proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability reporting, and from the Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) Committees on the proposal for a directive to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Plenary round-up – April 2022‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Observers are increasingly concerned that the use of water as a weapon will escalate as the war continues, with devastating consequences.

Google's plans to include a "reject all" button on cookie banners after its existing policy violated EU law was welcomed by Hamburg's top data protection official, who presented his activity report on Thursday (7 April). EURACTIV Germany reports.

Nearly 70-percent of Europeans want to halt oil and gas imports from Russia to stop financing Moscow's war machine, a survey found on Friday. Support for a boycott of energy trade-flows was particularly strong in Poland, followed by Sweden. The EU adopted new sanctions on Friday, including a ban on the import of coal from Moscow. But oil and gas remain Russia's main sources of foreign income.

Written by Christiaan Van Lierop.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and caused devastation in the country. As millions flee the war-torn nation, Europe is currently witnessing its largest movement of refugees since World War II. With cohesion policy having proved effective in mobilising emergency support during the coronavirus crisis, the European Commission has put forward two proposals that seek to adapt cohesion policy rules to facilitate the rapid rollout of funding to help Member States host Ukrainian refugees.

Background

Within the cohesion policy framework, Member States can already draw on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) to help them fund measures to address the challenges of migration. These resources may be used to fund infrastructure, equipment, products and services in areas such as health, education, employment and social inclusion, and to support investment in reception centres. The Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) initiative under Next Generation EU also funds measures in these areas. In addition, food and basic material assistance may also be provided from the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The scale and urgency of the situation, however, arguably calls for the introduction of new measures that allow the swift delivery of funding to help people where it is needed most.

Against the background of the coronavirus crisis, the Parliament and Council adopted two regulations in 2020 to make spending under the ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund (CF) more flexible, not least by allowing Member States to apply a co-financing rate of 100 % for programmes supported by these three funds in the 2020‑2021 accounting year. The success of these two packages, the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative and Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus, highlighted the ease with which cohesion policy funds may be adapted to support emergency measures in EU countries. However, while Europe is still recovering from the impact of the Covid‑19 pandemic, many Member States now face an even more pressing emergency, as they welcome unprecedented numbers of people escaping Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Help for refugees in Europe (CARE)

Published on 8 March 2022, the Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) proposal aims at allowing Member States to provide emergency support for people who have fled Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, by increasing the flexibility of cohesion policy funding rules. Amending the Common Provisions Regulation governing the rules on the use of the 2014‑2020 European structural and investment funds and the Regulation on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, the CARE proposal puts forward four changes to cohesion policy rules to speed up and simplify the delivery of EU funding to help countries hosting Ukrainian refugees. Firstly, CARE extends the application of the 100 % co-financing rate for cohesion policy programmes to the 2021‑2022 accounting year, easing the burden for Member States. Secondly, it allows Member States and regions to transfer resources between programmes under the ESF and the ERDF to fund projects helping people fleeing Ukraine, which means that projects not usually eligible under a given fund can receive support. Thirdly, Member State expenditure on operations to support Ukrainian refugees will be eligible for EU support as of 24 February 2022, the date of Russia’s invasion. Lastly, the proposal simplifies reporting and makes it easier to modify programmes supported by the FEAD, removing the need for a Commission decision.

Following the Council’s 16 March 2022 decision to endorse the text without amendment, Parliament adopted the CARE proposal on 24 March 2022, under the urgent procedure and without amendment. Council adopted the legislative act unanimously on 31 March 2022. The final act was signed on 6 April 2022.

Types of emergency support
CARE can provide Member States with emergency funding to help them cater to refugees’ basic needs, such as ensuring access to temporary accommodation, food or medical care. It can strengthen Member States’ capacity to support refugees by funding infrastructure or staff working with refugees and support refugees’ long-term integration by financing housing, employment, social inclusion and education. CARE Plus, increased pre-financing from REACT-EU resources

With significant numbers of people continuing to flee Ukraine in the weeks following Russia’s invasion, the need to provide an increasing number of new arrivals with housing, material assistance and social services has placed an additional strain on the public finances of many Member States, particularly those that share a border with Ukraine. While the CARE proposal already provided Member States with easier access to funding to help support their efforts in this area, the EU recognised the need to relieve the pressure on national budgets by speeding up the rollout of funding. On 23 March 2022, the Commission published a proposal for a regulation, which sets out plans to provide additional pre-financing for 2014‑2020 programmes supported by cohesion policy funds and the FEAD, to be paid under REACT-EU. Specifically, the Commission proposes to increase pre-financing from 11 % to 15 % in all Member States. This percentage rises to 45 % for Member States where arrivals from Ukraine between 24 February 2022 and 23 March 2022 number over 1 % of their national population. Amending the Common Provisions Regulation and the FEAD Regulation, the proposal is expected to deliver total pre-financing of around €3.4 billion.

Following the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24‑25 March 2022, which called on the Commission to work on additional proposals to strengthen the rapid disbursement of EU funding for refugees and their hosts, the Commission modified its original proposal of 23 March 2022, publishing an amended proposal on 31 March 2022. Noting that one of the best methods of making EU funding available is to use simplified cost options – which allow easier and faster spending of cohesion policy funds and cut red tape – the proposal establishes a new unit cost, which Member States can use to facilitate financing of basic needs and support for refugees. Under the proposal, the unit cost will be €40 per person per week, to be paid for each full week or partial week that the person is in the Member State concerned, for a maximum of 13 weeks following the person’s arrival in the EU. Like the CARE proposal, Parliament adopted the CARE Plus proposal under the urgent procedure, without amendment, on 7 April 2022. In line with its note of 1 April 2022, Council is expected to adopt the Commission proposal rapidly, without amendment.

European Parliament’s position

During the plenary debate of 7 March 2022 on the implementation of 2021‑2027 cohesion policy, Members expressed their unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and its neighbours. Noting that Europe and its cohesion policy must respond and provide additional support, Members confirmed that the Parliament’s Regional Development (REGI) Committee stood ready to amend the cohesion regulations to facilitate and enable the provision of immediate support for cities and regions hosting Ukrainian refugees.

The CARE proposal was presented during the REGI committee meeting of 15 March 2022. Committee Members were unequivocal in their support for the Commission’s proposal, noting that, as the Covid‑19 pandemic had demonstrated, cohesion policy is the way in which the people of Europe express solidarity with one another. However, Members highlighted the need to consider the impact that these migratory flows were likely to have on cohesion policy in the future, noting that it would undoubtedly be necessary to provide additional funding for Member States and for the regions. In this context, Members emphasised that the emergency measures currently being taken and that would need to be introduced must not be seen as restricting the overall aims of cohesion policy in any way.

First reading without committee report (Rule 163): 2022/0075(COD); Committee responsible: REGI.
First reading without committee report (Rule 163): 2022/0096(COD); Committee responsible: REGI.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Russia’s war on Ukraine: EU cohesion policy support for refugees‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The Hungarian finance ministry sought to reassure investors on Friday (8 April) that the European Commission's move to launch a disciplinary procedure that could freeze funding for the country because of its perceived rule of law deficiencies would not result in Budapest losing out on EU money.

With European and Asian gas prices hitting historic highs, even expensive hydrogen begins to look more attractive, but production costs need to drop significantly and production must be scaled up if it is to become an alternative to fossil gas, writes Robin Mills.

The leaders of Spain and Morocco announced a new phase in bilateral relations at the conclusion of a meeting on Thursday (7 April) that marked the end of a nearly year-long diplomatic chill between the two nations.

China has sought to position itself as neutral in relation to the war in Ukraine but recent analysis by EUvsDisinfo notes substantial alignment with the Kremlin when it comes to the messaging being shared by the country’s state-backed media. This...