European Union

Written by Elena Lazarou,

© niyazz / Fotolia

Security and defence policy in the European Union is predominantly a competence of the Member States. At the same time, a common security and defence policy, which could progressively lead to a European defence union, is enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty. Since 2016, there has been significant progress in that direction, with several initiatives in the area of security and defence having been proposed and initiated under the current mandate of the Commission and the European Parliament.

The idea that the European Union should deliver in the area of security and defence has become more and more popular with EU citizens. The crises in the EU’s eastern and southern neighbourhoods, such as the occupation of Crimea and conflicts in the Middle East, have created an environment of insecurity in which the EU is called upon to do more. Following the Council decision of 2013 and particularly since the launch of the EU global strategy in 2016, the EU had been working to respond to these needs predominantly by implementing in full the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. In recent years, it has begun the implementation of ambitious initiatives in the area of security and defence, such as permanent structured cooperation (PESCO), the European defence action plan including a new defence fund to finance research and development of EU military capabilities, closer and more efficient cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a plan to facilitate military mobility within and across the EU, and a revision of the financing of its civilian and military missions and operations to make them more effective.

These new initiatives are illustrated in the relevant proposals in the new multiannual financial framework (2021-2027) and the accompanying off-budget instruments. Given EU leaders’ current support for further initiatives in EU security and defence policy, important debates are likely to take place in future on the possible progressive framing of a European defence union.

Read this complete briefing on ‘EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Security and defence‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

EU commissioners campaigning for a national post have to take a leave of absence - while those running for an EU job do not. This distinction undermines the effort to close the gap between EU and national politics.

Smer, Slovakia's ruling party, wants the country's media to give politicians a right-of-reply, or face stiff fines. Advocates of a free press are alarmed, and it poses a problem for the European Commission, whose vice-president is a Smer presidential candidate.

The Brexit cliff-edge is now in sight and fast approaching. Who, if anyone, is going to apply the brakes?

EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker explicitly stated there may have to be an emergency Brexit next week, as he arrived at Thursday's EU summit in Brussels. Commenting on the likelihood of British MPs voting down prime minister Theresa May's deal for a third time, ahead of the Brexit date of 29 March, Juncker said: "In the event of no-deal...we'll be back here next week".

French president Emmanuel Macron struck the strongest note yet of the consequences of British MPs not approving Theresa May's Brexit deal as he arrived at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Macron told reporters: "We can discuss and agree an extension - if it is a technical extension. In case of 'no' vote ... directly, it will guide everybody to a no-deal for sure. This is it".

German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the days after Thursday's EU summit could be vital to avoid a no-deal Brexit next week. Arriving in Brussels, she said the UK parliament may not approve British prime minister Theresa May's deal on a third vote. "In that situation we may also, day by day after the summit, decide what we can do". Merkel called the deal well-negotiated and warned options were limited.

Visions of trucks being stuck at the border in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit should also remind people of the delays faced by Romanian companies exporting into the Schengen area, writes Stefan Radu-Oprea.

Written by Matthew Parry,

© TK99 / Fotolia

The principle of subsidiarity means that the European Union (EU) should act where it can do so more effectively than its constituent Member States individually, and this also holds true in the area of public finance – the EU’s budget together with off-budget tools for financing EU policies. At €160.1 billion in 2018 – or approximately 1 % of Member States’ collective gross national income (GNI) – the EU budget is a great deal smaller in relative terms than EU national governments’ budgets. It serves mainly as a vehicle for investment, particularly in the areas of rural and regional development, industrial research and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and political and economic development in neighbouring countries. These policies are designed to yield European public goods, with benefits that go beyond the national borders of individual EU countries. The Commission calculates that they do so for less than the cost of one cup of coffee a day per citizen.

During the 2014-2019 parliamentary term, the EU has been buffeted by challenges to its capacity to act, including financially, by geopolitical instability in the wider region, the migration and refugee crisis, and unresolved questions about the future of the euro, linked to the legacy of the economic, financial and sovereign debt crises. However, the EU has also seen several notable achievements. These include the update to the financial rules governing the use of EU funds, simplifying the rules and strengthening the focus on performance and results; the creation of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office to help address the roughly 0.35 % of the EU budget at risk of fraud; a mid-term revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF), enhancing its flexibility to provide for a more responsive EU; the development of proposals for new sources of revenue in time for negotiations on the post-2020 MFF; and policy innovation in the field of financial engineering, helping EU finance go further by leveraging private investment.

The 2019 elections will mark a turning point in the future financing of EU policies, as negotiations on the next multiannual spending plan gather pace. The Commission has proposed a 2021-2027 MFF totalling 1.11 % of the post-Brexit EU-27’s GNI, and new sources of EU revenue to reduce the burden on national treasuries and forge a clearer link between revenue and policies. It also proposes to consolidate progress made in the current term with regard to budgetary flexibility, financial integrity and the rule of law, and in encouraging private investment in Europe.

Read this complete briefing on ‘EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Future financing of EU policies‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

EU budget and general government public spending (aggregate of EU Member States’) in the EU (2017, € billion)

Written by Joanna Apap and Anja Radjenovic,

© Alberto Masnovo / Fotolia

Refugee movements and migration are at the centre of global attention. In recent years, Europe has had to respond to the most severe migratory challenge since the end of the Second World War. The unprecedented arrival of refugees and irregular migrants in the EU, which peaked in 2015, exposed a series of deficiencies and gaps in EU policies on asylum, external borders and migration. In response to these challenges, the EU has embarked on a broader process of reform aimed at rebuilding its asylum and migration policies based on four pillars: reducing the incentives for irregular migration by addressing its root causes, improving returns and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks; saving lives and securing the external borders; establishing a strong EU asylum policy, and providing more legal pathways for asylum-seekers and more efficient legal channels for regular migrants.

The record migratory flows to the EU witnessed during 2015 and 2016 had subsided by the end of 2017 and 2018. However, in order to deliver what the Commission calls an effective, fair and robust future EU migration policy, the EU, based on the Treaties and other legal and financial instruments, has been implementing both immediate and longer-term measures. Europe, due to its geographic position and its reputation as an example of stability, generosity and openness against a background of growing international and internal conflicts, climate change and global poverty, is likely to continue to represent an ideal refuge for asylum-seekers and migrants. This is also reflected in the growing amounts, flexibility and diversity of EU funding for migration and asylum policies inside as well as outside the current and future EU budget.

See also the parallel Briefing on ‘EU support for democracy and peace in the world’.

Visit the European Parliament homepage on migration in Europe.

Read this complete briefing on ‘EU policies – Delivering for citizens: The migration issue‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

EDA today launched ‘IdentiFunding’, an online tool which allows defence-interested stakeholders (industry - including SMEs, Ministries of Defence, research and technology entities, universities, etc.) to quickly and easily identify existing EU funding schemes available for defence-related projects. 

The new application, which is accessible via EDA’s European Funding Gateway for Defence and the SME corner, performs an instant scan of all existing defence-related EU funding opportunities based on a project’s topic, scope, objectives as well as the participants involved.

The application will thus considerably facilitate the task of defence-related project organisers wondering if their project qualifies for potential EU support.
The tool will be constantly updated to include also new funding opportunities arising under the EU’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, such as the European Defence Fund and the InvestEU Programme, which will bring together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the EU.

The European People's Party has suspended the membership of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party. An expert commission must now decide whether the party is still fit to remain in the EPP. Orbán has accepted the suspension, but made a point of not ruling out the possibility of leaving the group at a later date. Commentators flesh out the motives behind the EPP's decision.

Just a few days before the official exit date British Prime Minister May has asked EU Council President Donald Tusk for a postponement until the end of June. The matter will be addressed at the EU summit due to start today in Brussels. Journalists discuss the tense situation and the options still open.