European Union

The European Parliament is in recess over the summer holidays from 23 July 2018 to 26 August 2018

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The European Parliament is in recess over the summer holidays from 23 July 2018 to 26 August 2018

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The European Parliament is in recess over the summer holidays from 23 July 2018 to 26 August 2018

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The visit to Jerusalem this week by Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán symbolizes moral failure and is a real threat to the existence and wellbeing of Israel as we know it, and of world Jewry, writes Raanan Eliaz.

Supposedly illiberal Turkey has set a powerful and positive example for upholding one of the most central of humanitarian values: providing shelter, opportunity, and hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, writes Matthew Bryza.

https://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/ce552700-88c4-11e8-b6f4-bc764e092fac_5.86_thumb_169_1531727764_1531727764_129_97shar_c1.jpg

The Informal Meeting of the Ministers responsible for Competitiveness is held on 16 and 17 July 2018, in Vienna. The meeting focused on Internal Market and Industry takes place on 16 July. On 17 July, the meeting focuses on Research.

Download this video here.

After the turmoil of Trump in Brussels, EU leaders are in China and Japan today and tomorrow for two important summits, a sign that Europe is looking to Asia, writes Fraser Cameron.

The EU is a "foe", while the US must "engage" with Russia, the US has said, as Donald Trump prepares to meet Vladimir Putin.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that he sees "no perspective in the short term" for EU-China talks on a free trade agreement. At an EU-China summit in Beijing, he said that "if China wishes to open up it can do so." Juncker, with European Council president Donald Tusk, met Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang. They said they hope to conclude soon a bilateral investment agreement.

"There is a Chinese egoism that we cannot overlook," says Jo Leinen, the head of the European Parliament's China delegation, as EU and Chinese leaders meet in Beijing.

Italy on Sunday evening accepted the docking of a boat with some 450 migrants on board, after France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Malta pledged to take 50 people each. Czech PM Andrej Babis refused to do so, saying it would be a "road to hell". Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini, who had so far refused to open the country's ports to boats with migrants rescued by NGOs, claimed "political victory".

Theresa May faces further threats to her government's Brexit strategy and could have to stave of the prospect of a 'no confidence' challenge to her leadership this week, after revealing that Donald Trump's had advised her to "sue" the EU.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday (15 July) said five European countries had agreed to take in 250 of the 450 migrants aboard two EU border agency vessels.

EU leaders in Beijing today (16 July) sought to offer an alternative to the disruptive international policymaking of US President Donald Trump, who called both EU and China ‘foes’.

China is set to make further inroads into European infrastructure, as a state-owned company attempts to gain full control of Portugal’s power grid.

A bottle deposit hub on the outskirts of Oslo has had a stream of high-level international visitors. But can its success be replicated worldwide? EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian reports.

On the eve of his meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump rattled allies once more by labeling the European Union a "foe" with regard to trade.

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 people living in mountainous regions.

Mountains cover nearly 30 % of EU territory. Highly valued for their rich natural resources, their fresh, bracing air and their beautiful landscapes, mountain areas are attractive places to live. Mountain dwellers know first-hand, however, that their regions’ specific geographical features (remoteness, topography and climate) also pose concrete problems for day-to-day activities, the most obvious being difficult access to key infrastructure, facilities and services, be that transport, education, healthcare, broadband, or business support.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

Through its regional policy programmes, the EU supports a wide range of projects offering practical solutions to these problems, including cross-border initiatives. The construction of a French-Spanish hospital in Cerdanya in the Pyrenees is one prominent example. The EU has also set up a specific strategy for the Alps, within which 7 countries and 48 regions have joined forces to secure the sustainable development of their territory. The focus ranges from accessibility and mobility to employment and energy.

© Adisorn/ Fotolia

Altitude, climate and steep slopes sometimes prevent the use of conventional machinery, and mountain farmers work in a particularly challenging environment. The EU, through its common agricultural policy, supports farmers located in mountainous areas and facing ‘natural or other specific constraints‘, compensating them for their agricultural production under difficult conditions. It has also launched a ‘mountain product‘ quality label to help mountain farmers market and raise the profile of their produce.

Further information

• EPRS publication on ‘The EU Strategy for the Alpine Region’, 2016, europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2016/586640/EPRS_BRI(2016)586640_EN.pdf
• European Parliament Intergroup on Rural, Mountainous and Remote Areas, rumra-intergroup.eu
• European association of mountain areas, https://www.euromontana.org/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 people living in border regions.

If you are one of the 150 million people living near an internal EU border, you probably cross it regularly, whether for work, study, shopping or leisure. The EU makes such trips easier. As an EU citizen, you have the right to free movement when travelling within the EU. If, in addition, your country and its neighbour are in the Schengen area, there are no border checks.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

The EU has put various tools and mechanisms in place to facilitate cross-border work, including: the European network of employment services (EURES), which provides information and advice on all kinds of issues relating to cross-border commuting; the rules for the coordination of social security systems; the European Qualifications Framework, which makes qualifications more readable and understandable across borders; the Europass Framework, which enables users to present their skills, qualifications and experience by means of five standardised documents, including a CV; and the European Professional Card, an electronic procedure for the recognition of professional qualifications.

© tanjakolosjko / Fotolia

Since 1990, as part of its regional policy, the EU has been funding projects to support cross-border cooperation between European countries and regions, helping them to find joint solutions to common challenges and enhance their citizens’ quality of life. Examples of activities funded include measures to improve cross-border transport, increased cooperation between emergency and firefighting services, the development of cross-border healthcare services, and environmental protection, to name but a few.

Further information

• EPRS publication on European territorial cooperation, 2018, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2018/614773/EPRS_BRI(2018)614773_EN.pdf
• European Commission, ‘Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions’, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/communications/2017/boosting-growth-and-cohesion-in-eu-border-regions

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 women entrepreneurs.

If you are a self-employed woman seeking support to launch your own company, you may be interested to know that the EU is encouraging women to start up in business and lending a helping hand.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

As women represent only a third of Europe’s self-employed workforce, the EU has tried to identify the obstacles that can make starting and growing a business more difficult for them, including lack of access to information, training, funding, mentors and support networks – not to mention difficulties balancing work and family life.

The EU has created the ‘WEgate-platform’, an online gateway with practical advice on how to start up and grow a business and access funding, e-learning materials, networking opportunities and details of local support organisations across Europe. It also finances the European Community of Business Angels, which helps women entrepreneurs to find funding, and cooperates with the WES policy network, which promotes female entrepreneurship at national level.

© Alliance / Fotolia

Under EU legislation, all self-employed women are entitled to a maternity allowance and to leave of at least 14 weeks, if they choose to take it. Additional flexible working arrangements in the EU’s new proposal for a work-life balance directive will hopefully enable more women to take part in the labour market as well in business activities.

Lastly, if you have received EU research and innovation funding at some point in your career, and founded or co-founded a successful company based on your innovative ideas, you could receive one of the annual cash prizes awarded as part of the EU Prize for Women Innovators.

Further information

• European Commission, GROWTH, Promoting entrepreneurship, https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/promoting-entrepreneurship_en
• European Commission, GROWTH, The Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/promoting-entrepreneurship/action-plan_en
• European Commission, Research and Innovation, Funding, EU Prize for women innovators, http://ec.europa.eu/research/prizes/women-innovators/index.cfm