European Union

End of last week (20/21 September), a ‘clarification workshop’ at expert level was organized by the PESCO Secretariat at the EDA with the aim of facilitating an exchange of information between the PESCO participating Member States and to provide details on the 33 new project proposals put forward by them as part of the second project assessment and selection round currently underway. 

The workshop was chaired by the PESCO Secretariat made up by the European External Action Service (EEAS), including the EU Military Staff (EUMS), and the EDA. It had three main objectives: 

• to develop a common understanding on the second batch of PESCO project proposals at expert level;
• to serve as a ‘clearing house’ on potential synergies and similarities between project proposals and to identify and map expressions of interest by participating Member States for individual PESCO project proposals;
• to provide an overview on PESCO and the way ahead, including on a state of play of the first batch of 17 PESCO projects adopted by the EU Council of Ministers on 6 March 2018. 

In view of developing a second batch of PESCO projects, participating Member States were invited to submit their project proposals to the PESCO secretariat by end of last July.  The PESCO Secretariat has already conducted an assessment of the projects which was shared with the participating Member States before the clarification workshop. A final decision by PESCO participating Member States on which of these projects will be part of the second batch of PESCO projects will be taken later this year.
 

More information:

• EEAS factsheet on PESCO
• EDA info page on PESCO
• Council decision of 25 June 2018 establishing a common set of governance rules for PESCO projects
• Council decision of 6 March 2018 establishing the list of projects to be developed under PESCO

© oraziopuccio / Fotolia

Written by Magdalena Sapała,

If you are looking for a comprehensive source of information, analysis and infographics on the preparation of the EU’s post-2020 multiannual financial plan, you are in the right place. This blog post will lead you through a collection of publications, prepared by researchers at the European Parliamentary Research Service, covering the proposals on the EU multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027 and own resources as well as all proposed sector-specific acts for new and continued programmes and funds. 

The future multiannual financial framework (MFF) is high on the EU agenda once more. With the current MFF for 2014-2020 entering its final stretch, the EU has started preparing the post-2020 plan. The MFF sets the annual limits on EU commitments in different policy areas and on overall annual payments. It must cover at least five years. In practice, in most cases its duration has been set at seven years. This multiannual plan of spending is usually negotiated as a package, together with proposals for own resources and for new and continued programmes and funds. Formally, these elements are adopted in different legislative procedures, with different roles for the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. However, reaching an overall agreement on the MFF depends largely on the European Council and usually takes about two years. Negotiating the next MFF thus means debating the financial aspects as well as the vision for the EU’s action for the next decade.

MFF 2021-2027: Total

The preparation of the next MFF is taking place amid a broader debate on the future of Europe. The new political priorities, set out by the Member States in the Bratislava Declaration in September 2016 and the Rome Declaration in March 2017, must be translated into concrete measures, which require financial means. Therefore, one of the key questions of the debate is how to ensure the financing of the EU’s new priorities in the areas of security and defence, protection of external borders, asylum and migration policy, and climate policy. While new financial needs emerge, existing, long-standing budgetary priorities remain relevant, and some have even gained in importance. Increased resources are needed for instance for EU programmes for youth, and research and innovation. In addition, the future MFF will be the EU’s first ‘post-Brexit’ financial plan. With the United Kingdom’s withdrawal, the EU is losing a net contributor to the budget and negotiations on a future relationship between the UK and EU, which might lead to payments from the UK for participation in specific programmes, have yet to commence.

MFF: Next steps

Furthermore, the discussion on the next MFF is an opportunity to reform EU finances and re-emphasise some of the underpinning principles upon which they are built. The future EU budget, as often pointed out by the European Commission, must focus on the European added value to a greater extent, meaning that pooling resources at European level delivers results that spending at national level cannot. It has to be focused on delivering European public goods, designed and implemented with a view to enhanced performance, efficiency, agility and simplification. The other issues include extending existing links between the EU budget and the EU’s economic governance framework, as well as links between the disbursement of EU funds and respect for the rule of law.

Changes are also needed on the revenue side of the EU budget. There is broad consensus that the current own resources system needs to be reformed. It is seen as complex and opaque and encouraging Member States to focus on securing ‘fair return’, from the EU budget, rather than thinking strategically about how best to finance European public goods. However, while there is no shortage of ideas for alternative own resources that would radically simplify the system and endow the EU budget with greater financial autonomy, achieving significant reform has proven notoriously difficult.

Commission proposal for the 2021-2027 MFF, individual programmes as share of total (2018 prices)

On 2 May 2018, the Commission presented a package of legislative proposals on the 2021-2027 MFF, on own resources to finance the EU budget and on linking the EU budget with the rule of law. The proposals were followed by a series of further legislative proposals for new and continued spending programmes and funds under the next MFF. The European Parliament has presented its expectations on the post-2020 MFF and the reform of own resources and given its first reaction to the Commission’s proposals (declaration of 2 May and resolution of 30 May 2018).

Both Parliament and the Commission have signalled that they are ready to make an effort to reach agreement on the package before the May 2019 European elections. Meeting this deadline would help allow the new programmes to start on 1 January 2021, and avoid the delays that hindered the implementation of previous financial frameworks. However, recent European Council and Council meetings have not brought any clarity regarding the calendar. For now, the Parliament is sticking with its ambitious timeframe and plans to vote an interim report on the MFF package in November 2018.

Key EPRS publications Publications on the proposal for the 2021-2027 MFF and Own Resources

• M. Parry, M. Sapala, Post-2020 MFF and own resources: Ahead of the Commission’s proposal
• A. Dobreva, Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027: Commission’s proposal. Initial comparison with the current MFF
• M. Parry, M. Sapala, 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework and new own resources. Analysis of the Commission’s proposal

Publications on the sector-specific proposals (new and continued programmes and funds)

• A. Widuto, European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund 2021-2027
• V. Margaras, Common Provisions regulation. New rules for cohesion policy for 2021-2027
• A. Widuto, Reform Support Programme 2021-2027
• F. Scholaert, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2021-2027

Initial appraisals of European Commission impact assessments accompanying the MFF proposals

• E. Kramer, European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, a cross-border mechanism and Interreg. Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment

 

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With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for football fans.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Following your team for their away matches this season? EU law on free movement of people makes it easy for football fans to travel to watch their national or club team play live.

© Monkey Business / Fotolia

If you want to watch a match from your living room, European Commission decisions made the procedures for selling media rights more open, transparent and non-discriminatory. This made some national leagues commitments concerning the sale of media rights legally binding ─ a move that benefits football fans. The EU Court of Justice has also ruled that licences for the retransmission of football matches, granting broadcasters national exclusivity, that stop you watching the match with a decoder card in another EU country, are illegal. The Court also confirmed that EU countries can halt exclusive broadcasts of all World Cup and EURO football matches on pay TV, so that everyone gets a chance to watch.

The EU has also tackled other aspects of the beautiful game. A 1995 EU Court of Justice decision (known as the Bosman ruling) means players can leave a club on a free transfer as soon as their contract expires. The EU adopted a handbook with recommendations for international police cooperation to tackle hooliganism, and put measures in place to prevent and control violence connected to international football matches, as well as match-fixing. And for football fans who want to stay fit, the ‘Eurofit‘ project engages fans in health-promoting lifestyle changes.

Further information

• Eurofit,
  http://eurofitfp7.eu/
• EU Football handbook,
  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016G1129%2801%29
• EPRS publication on ‘Match-fixing: Issues and policy responses’, 2016,
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI%282016%29580891

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for football players.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Whether you’re a fan or a player, you will know that EU football clubs play under the supervision of the UEFA – the Union of European Football Associations. In 2014, UEFA estimated the total number of EU players to be close to 18 million, competing under the watchful eyes of more than a quarter of a million referees. Meanwhile, total European football market revenues keep growing, and reached almost €25 billion in 2015/2016.

© Bits and Splits / Fotolia

Much of what modern football looks like today is a result of the landmark 1995 Bosman case, in which the European Court of Justice (ECJ) upheld the principle of free movement of EU workers. The court allowed football players to move to another club once their contracts expired, without a transfer fee or the consent of the releasing club. This enabled players to demand sign-on fees and pay rises from their current club. Apart from making the transfer system more flexible, the ruling also ended any discrimination on grounds of nationality. Pre-Bosman the UEFA ‘3+2’ rule permitted a maximum of three foreign players and two ‘assimilated players’ to play in European competitions. The ECJ ended these quotas and any limit on the number of foreign players that can play for a team. Other cases extended these rules to players from non-EU countries who already play in a Member State.

To protect players from investors controlling their sporting career, the European Commission upheld FIFA’s ban on third party ownership. The Commission also supports making football governance more transparent and fights corruption and match fixing, hooliganism and doping.

Further information

• EPRS publication on EU sport policy,
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/565908/EPRS_IDA(2015)565908_EN.pdf
• EPRS publication on third party ownership of football players,
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2016/573940/EPRS_ATA%282016%29573940_EN.pdf
• EPRS publication on match fixing,
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/603971/EPRS_BRI(2017)603971_EN.pdf

Written by Magdalena Pasikowska-Schnass,

© wckiw / Fotolia

European Languages Day on 26 September is devoted to the variety of languages spoken by EU citizens. However, not all people can speak, or hear others speaking. Some use sign languages, which policy-makers consider in the context of the rights of people with disabilities, or as a linguistic minority right. The United Nations has launched International Day of Sign Languages, to be celebrated for the first time on 23 September 2018.

Sign languages and their users

Sign languages (SL) are not modelled on spoken languages, yet are languages in their own right, with equally complex rules, grammatical structures and vocabulary that evolve and vary by region, social and age groups; convey meanings and emotions; create social and family bonds; and meet artistic and identity needs.

Varieties

There is no universal SL, and the EU has a large variety of SLs, including a French SL in France, (a different) French and Flemish SLs in Belgium, as well as, for example, Catalan and Galician ones besides the Spanish SL in Spain. The United Kingdom, the United States and Ireland do not use the same SL; Ireland uses its indigenous SL, while the US SL, having been introduced by the French, has a lot in common with the French SL.

Nevertheless, there is an international system called the International Sign, a sort of lingua franca used at international conferences and meetings where participants do not share a common SL. It does not have a fixed grammar or vocabulary and relies heavily on gestures and context.

The users

One in a thousand persons in the EU (approximately half a million deaf or hard-of-hearing persons) communicates in one of 31 national or regional sign language as their first language. SLs have many more users, since people without hearing problems use them to communicate with deaf family members or friends.

Sign languages in the EU

Interpretation into and between SLs is necessary in communication between deaf and hard-of-hearing persons and other communities, or among themselves. Debates in the European Parliament are rendered in sign language for those Members who need it. Since the ratio of sign language users to interpreters varies among Member States, as does the quality of interpretation, in 2016 the EP adopted a resolution on professional SL interpreters, and backed the introduction of international sign language interpretation for all plenary debates.

The Erasmus+ programme has supported training sessions on SL interpreting and a course in quality in educational interpreting, co-organised by the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters. An Insign pilot project, ‘Real-Time Sign Language Application and Service’ (on communication between the deaf or hard-of-hearing and the EU institutions, funded by the Commission), and a research SignSpeak project have investigated the potential of ICT in providing real-time interpretation into sign languages.

A study for the Scientific Foresight Unit of EPRS – ‘Language equality in the digital era. Human Language Project’ – analysed language technologies applied to human languages and their contribution to language teaching, learning, translation and interpretation. It identified the lack of multilingual data on sign language as a significant barrier for researchers in sign language technologies and for progress in this area.

In September 2018, in a recital to an own initiative resolution, the EP recognised that sign languages, being an element of Europe’s linguistic diversity, need to be supported by language technology. ICT solutions could be helpful in providing sign language interpretation. ICT is also seen as a factor for accessibility to audiovisual media services, in a recital of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive due to be adopted in plenary in October.

Download this at a glance note on ‘Sign languages in the EU‘ in PDF.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for skiers.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Your ski holiday in Europe is becoming safer, more accessible, affordable, and environmentally friendly, thanks to the EU. The EU strategy for the Alpine region helps protect the fragile Alpine ecosystem, to help avoid natural risks like avalanches. It also makes access to ski resorts easier and safer by supporting local transport and mobility projects. Skiers can now easily identify the resorts best suited to their financial and family requirements, thanks to a 2011 EU survey comparing ski resorts. When you take the ski lift, it’s also reassuring to know that they have to meet with EU legislation on the safety of cableways carrying persons.

© blende64 / Fotolia

Ski resorts are improving their skiing infrastructure throughout the EU, from Slovenia and Slovakia to countries further south, such as Greece, thanks to EU structural funds. This means more EU citizens can ski safely and with modern infrastructure in their own countries, rather than having to travel abroad. New airports closer to the slopes (e.g. in the Scandinavian mountains) are also being constructed with EU funding.

Good snow conditions are a must for skiers. Research on snow production, such as a new snow-gun which uses 15 % less energy, produces 8 % more snow, and makes much less noise is being funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme. Encouraging artificial snow production in more areas is of great importance to winter destinations that have seen less snow in recent years. To predict snow quantity from one week to several months ahead, another EU project aims to build a meteorological prediction system for the ski industry.

Further information

• EU Strategy for the Alpine Region,https://www.alpine-region.eu/
• European Commission webpage on cableways, https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/mechanical-engineering/cableways_en

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for sportspeople.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

While responsibility for sports policy lies primarily with national governments and sports organisations, decisions taken by the EU institutions can have a major impact on your career as a professional sportsperson, helping to change rules that are detrimental to you. The best-known case is the European Court of Justice’s ‘Bosman ruling’, which eliminated transfer fees for footballers whose contracts had ended and banned restrictions on foreign EU players signed by European clubs. Another example is the decision by the European Commission against the severe penalties imposed by the International Skating Union on athletes participating in competitions not approved by the federation.

© full image / Fotolia

The EU, which has a dedicated budget line for sport under the Erasmus+ programme, also finances numerous projects that can support you and improve your training and working conditions. Examples include initiatives to enhance the well-being of young athletes; help sportspeople combine their sporting careers with work or education; promote quality coaching; raise youth awareness on the dangers of doping; or improve the governance of sports organisations.

Raising the number of sports enthusiasts is a priority for the EU, given the positive health effects of physical activity. The European Week of Sport, held every September across Europe, aims to engage more Europeans, from children to pensioners, in sports and physical exercise. Your own discipline might well be in the spotlight on that occasion, as part of the general bid to persuade more people to get involved.

Further information

• European Commission’s website on sport, https://ec.europa.eu/sport/
• EPRS publication on EU sport policy, 2015, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/565908/EPRS_IDA(2015)565908_EN.pdf
• European Week of Sport, https://ec.europa.eu/sport/week_en

Written by Ivana Katsarova,
Graphics: Samy Chahri, Nadejda Kresnichka-Nikolchova,

© yoshi5 / Fotolia

The low levels of physical activity among both children and adults in the European Union (EU) are alarming, and have become a matter of great concern to policy-makers. To raise awareness of the role and benefits of sport and physical activity, the European Commission launched the European Week of Sport back in 2015. The fourth annual round of the event will officially kick off in Vienna’s Prater Park on 22 September this year.

Physical inactivity and obesity: a global epidemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies physical inactivity as one of the leading factors for global mortality, provoking 6 % of cases of coronary heart disease, 7 % of type 2 diabetes, 10 % of breast cancer, and 10 % of colon cancer. If inactivity decreased by 10 % to 25 %, it would be possible to avoid between 533 000 and 1.3 million deaths every year. Similarly, research shows that the cost of obesity worldwide stands at €1.8 trillion – equivalent to the GDP of Italy or Russia – and has the same impact on the global economy as armed violence, war and terrorism.

Physical activity guidelines

There is a strong and growing body of evidence indicating that regular physical activity is one of the fundamentals of adult health. The WHO recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week for adults, and 60 minutes a day for children.

Physical (in)activity in the EU

Map of physical inactivity in the EU

Worryingly, the results of the 2018 Eurobarometer survey on sport and physical activity show that nearly half of respondents (46 %) never exercise or play sport – up 7 % from 2009 – (see Figure 1). Moreover, the WHO estimates that a quarter of European adults and four-fifths of European adolescents are insufficiently active. It also reveals that each year, physical inactivity claims over 500 000 lives across Europe and generates €80.4 billion in economic costs for the EU-28. This amount represents 6.2 % of all European health spending, €5 billion more than the annual global spend on cancer drugs, and half of Ireland or Portugal’s annual GDP. Conservative estimates put the annual cost of physical inactivity in 2030 at over €125 billion (in 2012 prices).

An early start is key

Introducing physical activity in the daily routine from an early age is essential for children, since it allows them to grow, learn and develop. More importantly, it helps them remain physically active as they get older, because physical activity will already be an important part of their life. Outside school, children have fewer opportunities to be active, due to the increasing popularity of the car as a mode of transport and the computer or the TV as a mode of recreation. Given that children spend extensive periods of time at school and that up to 80 % of them only practice sport there, schools become instrumental in promoting physical activity.

Being physically active at school

Recommended annual minimum number of hours of compulsory physical education in primary and secondary schools

Physical education is included in all school curricula in the EU, and is compulsory in primary and secondary (see Figure 2). However, on average, less than 70 hours a year are dedicated to this subject, which is roughly a third of the time dedicated to the language of instruction and around half of that for maths. While some believe more sport will leave children with less time to achieve better marks, this does not seem to be the case. A number of researchers have found a positive link between children’s physical activity and academic achievement. Indeed, various studies indicate that increased participation in physical activity leads to enhanced learning and better grades.

EU support and involvement The fourth round of the European Week of Sport kicks off in September

The idea for a European Week of Sport originated in a 2011 European Parliament resolution on the European dimension in sport, which recommended setting up an annual large-scale event to raise awareness of the role and benefits of sport and physical activity. The event is an EU‑wide initiative, led by the European Commission and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level, with the help of national coordinators and in partnership with sports organisations and stakeholders. The first edition of the European Week of Sport took place in 2015 and received a positive appraisal. Since then, nearly 15 million Europeans have taken part in over 37 000 events organised as part of the initiative in the 32 participating countries across Europe. On 29 September 2017, a spin-off of the sports event – the European School Sport Day® – engaged more than 2 million students from 26 countries in 7 000 events.

Erasmus+: creating opportunities for children and adults

In July 2017, the Council adopted a new three-year EU work plan for sport. Furthermore, financial support was for the first time allocated for sport in Erasmus+ – the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport for the 2014-2020 period. The allocation amounts to around €266 million over the entire period and serves to fund various projects (see Figures 3 and 4).

Read this ‘At a glance’ note on ‘Ready, steady, go: European Week of Sport 2018‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Click to view slideshow.

On 21 September 2018, President Donald Tusk issued a statement on Brexit negotiations.

Overview of the main subjects to be discussed at meetings of the Council of the EU over the next two weeks.