European Union

Planta Tabak
Freedom of establishment
Advocate General Saugmandsgaard Øe proposes that the Court rule that the broad prohibition on the sale of tobacco products with characterising flavours complies with the principle of equal treatment

The Islamic State in 2014 tried to exterminate the Yazidi, an ethnic group in northern Iraq. But EU money aimed to help is not reaching the area, says an NGO.

Austria has said it will follow Germany in turning back asylum seekers, in widening ripples from Europe's political migration crisis.

Commission v Slovakia
Law governing the institutions
For having delayed in implementing EU law on the landfill of waste, Slovakia is fined a lump sum of €1 000 000 and a penalty payment of €5 000 per day of delay

Far more money was sent through Danske Bank's Estonian branch than previously known, according to a new bank data leak, revealed by Danish daily Berlingske Tidende. The total amount can now be calculated at €7bn, twice as much as previously estimated. The money-laundering case has become one of the biggest known in Europe. "We take the issue very seriously," Danske Bank's chairman, Ole Andersen, earlier commented.

German environment group Nabu filed on Tuesday a lawsuit with Germany's constitutional court in Karlsruhe to block construction of a 1,200km pipeline through the Baltic Sea to deliver Russian gas to Germany. The Gazprom-built pipeline would harm underwater sea life and is not needed to meet German natural gas demand, the group said. Denmark is still considering its approval of the project, greenlighted by other affected countries.

Google has spent over €31m on lobbying against article 13 of a new EU copyright law to be voted in the European parliament on Thursday. It also lobbied MEPs through membership of 24 other organisations, according UK Music, defending the collective interests of British music industry. "MEPs should ignore the big money lobbying from big tech and back fair rewards for creators," said UK Music head Michael Dugher.

Wikipedia will be 'dark' in Italy until Thursday, when the European parliament votes on a new EU online copyright law. Deputy prime minister and leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), Luigi Di Maio, supported the protest, while European Newspapers Publishers Association (ENPA), accused Wikipedia of tunnel vision. "A vote against intellectual property rights is a vote against press freedom," said ENPA president Carlo Perrone.

The UK will not meet its 2030 goals to boost energy efficiency in its housing stock until the end of the century, new research from think tank IPPR has concluded. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

Written by Monika Kiss (1st edition),

© macrovector / Fotolia

The rapid increase in the number of Europeans working in a Member State other than their own, the large number of daily cross-border commuters and the need for information on job opportunities and rights at home and abroad (ensured by good cooperation between national authorities) necessitates the establishment of a European-level coordinating body.

In response to the above circumstances, the European Commission has proposed to set up such a body – a European Labour Authority (ELA) – that would replace or reorganise, or cooperate with existing structures dealing with information for individuals and employers, mediate between national labour authorities and social security bodies, and gather viable data on posted workers and commuters.

Questions relating to the European Commission proposal concern the empowerment and role of the ELA, its internal structure and its relations to existing organisations in the domain.

Versions

• July 2018: ‘European Labour Authority‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a European Labour Authority Committee responsible: Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) COM(2018) 131 of 13.3.2018

2018/0064(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on an equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Rapporteur: Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, the Netherlands) Shadow rapporteurs:

  Georgi Pirinski (S&D, Bulgaria)
Ulrike Trebesius (ECR, Germany)
Rina Ronja Kari (GUE/NGL, Denmark)
Joelle Mélin (ENF, France) Next steps expected: Vote on report in committee

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum in the European Parliament lined up on Tuesday (July 3) to criticise the results of last week’s EU summit on migration.

Thousands of Poles took to the streets of Warsaw and other Polish cities on Tuesday (3 July) to protest against the government's makeover of the judiciary that takes effect at midnight despite strong objections by the European Union.

A migrant policy deal struck by Chancellor Angela Merkel to save the German government drew scepticism on Tuesday (3 July) from her Social Democrat coalition partners, who said more talks and work were needed to make the disputed proposal fly.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday said the EU stood firmly with Ireland in Brexit talks, just ahead of a crunch UK cabinet meeting which he said the bloc will follow closely.

A niche policy fight over the technical groundwork for internet-connected cars has pitted car companies against telecoms operators and also set off alarm bells in a handful of EU capitals.

In Strasbourg, President Donald Tusk addressed the plenary session of the European Parliament on the discussions held during the European Council meetings.

Ahead of the NATO July summit in Brussels next week, MEPs in Strasbourg on Tuesday (July 3) endorsed the creation of a €500 million program aimed at boosting innovation in the European defence industry.

Plenary session, Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

Written by Gisela Grieger (2nd edition),

© bluedesign / Fotolia

Trade defence instruments (TDIs) play a vital role in countering unfair trade practices from third countries and in levelling the playing field for EU companies, notably in times of mounting global overcapacity in a number of sectors. In April 2013, the Commission adopted a proposal to modernise the EU’s basic Anti‑dumping and Anti-subsidy (AD/AS) Regulations. The reform was intended to enhance the transparency and predictability of investigations and increase the effectiveness and enforcement of AD/AS measures. Parliament adopted its position on the proposal in 2014, but the procedure was deadlocked in the Council until November 2016. Following interinstitutional negotiations, a political agreement was achieved in December 2017. After the Council’s adoption of its first-reading position in April 2018, the text was formally adopted by Parliament in May 2018.

In 2016, the legislative procedure on the reform of the methodology for calculating AD duties was launched as a second pillar of the TDI reform. See also our ‘EU Legislation in progress’ briefing on that proposal: Protection from dumped and subsidised imports.

Versions

• July 2018: ‘Modernising trade defence instruments‘ (2nd edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) 1225/2009 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Community and Council Regulation No 597/2009 on protection against subsidised imports from countries not members of the European Community Committee responsible: International Trade (INTA) COM(2013) 192 of 10.4.2013

2013/0103(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Rapporteur: Christofer Fjellner (EPP, Sweden) Shadow rapporteurs:

 

  David Martin (S&D, UK)
Sander Loones (ECR, Belgium)
Marietje Schaake (ALDE, the Netherlands)
Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL, Germany)
Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA, France) Procedure completed. Regulation (EU) 2018/825
OJ L 143, 7.6.2018, pp. 1-18

 

Right-wing websites and radio stations pumping out stories about migrants and refugees have mushroomed in recent years in Slovakia - despite a fightback from the mainstream media.