European Union

The parliamentary elections in Poland have given the PiS the majority it needs to govern the country alone, but it lost its majority in the upper house, the Senate. Now it has announced that it wants a recount of votes in six districts where it lost. Is Poland's ruling party attacking yet another pillar of democracy?

The right-wing populist Sweden Democrats have made strong gains. Current surveys put them almost neck and neck with Prime Minister Stefan Löfvan's Social Democrats, with both parties polling at around 25 percent. Swedish media feel they know what is behind this shift in electoral support.

This week (22/23 October), EDA hosted the third PESCO workshop related to the European Secure Software Defined Radio (ESSOR) project which aims to develop common technologies for European military radios. 

The adoption of these technologies as a standard will guarantee the interoperability of EU forces in the framework of joint operations, regardless which radio platforms are used. The ESSOR project will provide a secure military communications system, improving voice and data communication between Member States’ Armed Forces on a variety of platforms. In addition, it will deliver guidelines related to the validation and verification of waveform portability and platform re-configurability, setting up a common security basis to increase interoperability between the forces. By ensuring that military radios are fully accessible, shared and used by all Member States, the effectiveness of joint operations can be increased substantially. 

To that end, the Member States participating in the ESSOR project - Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal (with Estonia and Ireland as observers) - have moved forward to implement a common architecture analysis of software radios in Europe. 

The ESSOR project activities are currently performed by the consortium A4ESSOR through a contract managed by OCCAr.  A4ESSOR is a joint-venture of the following companies: Thales (FR), Leonardo (IT), Indra (SP), Radmor (PL), Bittium (FI) and soon Rohde & Schwarz (DE). 

The ESSOR PESCO project presents exceptional technological characteristics: it is based on the state-of-the-art technology in the radio field, and it aims at developing the most advanced concepts and solutions for communications applicable to several waveform layers. It builds a complete set of capabilities which will satisfy the most demanding, modern and future communication requirements. 
 

EDA supports development of ESSOR CONOPS 

Earlier this month (11 October), the 2nd ESSOR workshop on the development of a “concept of operations” (CONOPS) had already taken place at the Agency. It allowed the project Members States to gain insight into the process and methodology which are compliant with NATO Architecture Framework version 4. The CONOPS aims at describing the operational needs, visions and expectations of the operational users (from tactical level to component command) on the new waveforms to be developed in the context of the PESCO ESSOR project. It analyses operational scenarios using vignettes and identifies categories of architectural information which are further developed into operational requirements and technical requirements. A questionnaire is being distributed to operational staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force to gather inputs on the role of software defined radio to ensure interoperability among military communication and information systems in a future pervasive interconnected battlefield. 
 

Background

PESCO, the Permanent Structured Cooperation set up in December 2017, allows the 25 participating Member States to jointly plan, develop and invest in shared capability projects, and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces. The aim is to jointly develop a coherent full spectrum force package and make the capabilities available to Member States for national and multinational (EU CSDP, NATO, UN, etc.) missions and operations. 

For more information on PESCO visit the website https://pesco.europa.eu/. 

 

Britain will have to propose an EU commissioner if it still is a member of the EU after 31 October, European Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. The UK is likely to get an extension to the Brexit deadline, and under EU law, all member states have to propose a commissioner. The new commission will come into office with at least one month delay, on 1 December.

The EU's border agency Frontex, on Thursday, launched a recruitment campaign to set up its own standing corps of guards. Their aim is to have 10,000 under its watch, with an initial rollout at the start of the 2021. "For the first time, Frontex will have its owned uniformed service," said Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri. Critics say it helps create Fortress Europe in an effort to stem incoming migration.

Following a discussion in the Conference of Presidents on 24 October 2019, EP President Sassoli wrote to EUCO President Donald Tusk.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Following a discussion in the Conference of Presidents on 24 October 2019, EP President Sassoli wrote to EUCO President Donald Tusk.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Rubik's Brand v EUIPO - Simba Toys (Forme d’un cube avec des faces ayant une structure en grille)
Intellectual and industrial property
The General Court confirms the cancellation of the EU trade mark consisting of the shape of the ‘Rubik’s Cube’

Commission v France (Dépassement des valeurs limites pour le dioxyde d’azote)
Environment and consumers
France has systematically and persistently exceeded the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide since 1 January 2010

The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said the Balkan region needs to take care of itself after the EU blocked enlargement talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

Belgium's federal prosecutor, in charge of investigating cross-border crimes, has opened an enquiry into the deaths of 39 migrants found in a lorry in Northern Ireland. The move highlights the European dimension of the tragedy, after the truck, which was carrying Bulgarian nationals, entered the UK via the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before driving across England into Wales and crossing into Northern Ireland via the port of Hollyhead.

Four in five coal plants in the European Union are unprofitable and could face combined losses of €6.6bn this year, according to a study by the think tank the Carbon Tracker Initiative, Reuters writes. Coal is facing a decrease in competitiveness as renewable energy and natural gas is becoming cheaper. The coal industry also needs expensive investments to meet the EU's stricter air quality standards.

Initial movements on currency and UK securities markets have shown investors hedged hundreds of billions on the failure of Brexit talks, the Reuters news agency reports. The pound has started to rise in value after falling by 20 percent since the Brexit referendum in 2016, but sterling demand could spike by €350bn by the end of the year if a deal is done, US investment bank Morgan Stanley said.

Five candidates have secured enough backing from MEPs to enter the final furlong of a race to be the EU's ombudsman for the next five years. Irish former journalist Emilly O'Reilly, the incumbent, Italian local ombudsman Giuseppe Fortunato, Estonian judge Julia Laffranque, Latvian-American rights activist Nils Muižnieks, and Swedish former MEP Cecilia Wikström will face grilling by the European Parliament's petitions committee on 3 December, prior to a plenary decision.