European Union

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Friday (17 April) describing the recent Hungarian and Polish government actions during the coronavirus outbreak as "totally incompatible with European values."

In a call for unity, leaders around the world have said that the COVID-19 outbreak is hitting us all regardless of age, sex, race or social class. They are right. However, some groups are particularly vulnerable to this crisis and they should be protected accordingly.

The EU's digital chief Margrethe Vestager has sought to allay privacy fears over the use of certain mobile applications in the fight against the coronavirus, a day after the EU rolled out a series of recommendations for the use of such technologies.

More tests, help for doctors and nurses to care for the sick: Parliament approved €3.08 billion in EU aid on Friday.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

More tests, help for doctors and nurses to care for the sick: Parliament approved €3.08 billion in EU aid on Friday.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

To prevent shortages or delays in getting key medical devices on the market, Parliament decided to postpone the application of the Medical Devices Regulation.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

To prevent shortages or delays in getting key medical devices on the market, Parliament decided to postpone the application of the Medical Devices Regulation.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

MEPs adopted additional measures so that EU funding can be granted immediately and with exceptional flexibility to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

MEPs adopted additional measures so that EU funding can be granted immediately and with exceptional flexibility to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Mounting concerns for the health of workers in the agri-food sector have prompted stakeholders to call for stronger measures for their protection.

An average global temperature rise above 1.5 or 2°C creates risks society cannot handle. This dwarfs the fallout of Covid-19.

Some 65% of the students who are in Erasmus exchange programmes but subject to confinement measures do not yet know if they will keep or return the grant that was disbursed for their studies, while 7% said they will not get any, according to a report by the Erasmus Students Network (ESN).

Germany will over the weekend take in 50 minors seeking asylum from the overcrowded refugee camps on the Greek islands. Luxembourg earlier this week received 12. Their removals is part of a larger EU-led programme to relocate 1,600 unaccompanied minors from the Greek islands. Ten EU states, plus Switzerland, have pledged spaces for the minors.

Written by Rachele Rossi,

© F8 studio / Shutterstock

On 31 October 2019, the European Commission adopted a legislative package aimed at ensuring the continuation of the current common agricultural policy (CAP) until the legislation on the post‑2020 CAP is in force. The package includes a proposal for a CAP transitional regulation setting out a number of adjustments to current CAP regulations, concerning their applicability beyond 2020 with new financial allocations. This proposal introduces transitional provisions and amendments that are necessary to ensure the continuity of the CAP through a one‑year transitional period ending on 31 December 2021 and to smooth the passage to the new policy framework envisaged by the post‑2020 CAP proposals. It concerns all the basic acts which regulate how the CAP now works.

Versions

• April 2020:  ‘Transitional provisions for the CAP post 2020‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down certain transitional provisions for the support by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the year 2021 and amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 229/2013 and (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and their distribution in respect of the year 2021 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards their resources and application in the year 2021 Committee responsible: Agriculture and Rural Development COM(2019) 581
31.10.2019 Rapporteurs: Elsi Katainen (Renew Europe, Finland) 2019/0254(COD) Shadow rapporteurs: Álvaro Amaro (EPP, Portugal)
Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spain)
Bronis Ropė (Greens/EFA, Lithuania)
Ivan David (ID, Czechia)
Mazaly Aguilar (ECR, Spain)
Petros Kokkalis (GUE/NGL, Greece) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Vote in committee on draft report

For several decades now, and ever since the early 1980s, palm oil has been called out as a problem for a number of different reasons, write Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali and Dr Kalyana Sundram.

In many European countries, school pupils have been taught online at home for several weeks because schools were closed in the efforts to fight the pandemic. But not all children have a computer of their own, or even access to the Internet. European media stress that this has exacerbated social inequalities, but also urge caution in the process of reopening schools.