European Union

Migration is here to stay. Acknowledging voting rights and political participation of migrants are necessary aspects of a democratic society, writes Yves Leterme.  

The European Parliament and the Council will soon negotiate a revision of the Dublin regulation, concerning the EU's asylum system. This is an opportunity for the EU to develop a more humane system based on objective criteria, and for every member state to take its share of responsibility, writes Cornelia Ernst.

During their meeting in Brussels, President Tusk and Prime Minister Solberg discussed bilateral relations, co-operation in the field of security and defence, as well as further involvements in tackling environmental issues.

The EU's director-general for budget, Nadia Calviño, was picked on Tuesday (5 June) for the post of the economy minister by the new Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, signalling the Socialist government’s readiness to meet the EU’s fiscal commitments in times of market instability.

EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová stood by the EU's principles that freedom of speech was not absolute at a panel discussion held in Brussels, saying that attempts to regulate hate speech were justified but her comments prompted a fierce debate. 

On 4-5 June, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Cyprus for a two-days working visit. During the visit, Mr Domecq met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Savvas Angelides, for discussions on EU defence initiatives as well as Cyprus’ current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes. Minister Angelides announced during the visit that Cyprus would participate in the Agency’s Military Search Capability Building project in the domain of Countering-Improvised Explosive Devices. 

During the meeting with the Minister of Defence, discussions included the general state of play regarding the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence including the revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund, with focus of the discussions on EDA's role.

Minister Angelides and Chief Executive Domecq also exchanged views on EU-NATO cooperation as well as regional and broader priorities on security and defence. Chief Executive Domecq highlighted, “EDA supports all Member States, irrespective of their size, in order to develop the capabilities they need now and in the future. I very much welcome Cyprus’ active involvement in EDA projects; and I want to reiterate that EDA is there to support and to contribute to an enhanced security environment for Cypriot citizens.”

At a joint press point, Minister Angelides emphasised the close cooperation between Cyprus and EDA. He said, “We strongly believe that the European Defence Agency is a trusted European facilitator in the domain of the development of military capabilities and a powerful locus for cooperation between the Member States in this crucial sector. EDA has so far managed to illustrate its pivotal role in the European defence cooperation while its achievements constitute a solid proof of its outstanding efforts. Cyprus appreciates the role of the EDA and is actively engaged for supporting the Agency in accomplishing its mission.”

Chief Executive Domecq and Minister Angelides also discussed Cyprus’ involvement in ongoing EDA projects with focus on cyber defence, C-IEDs, energy and environment, protection of critical infrastructure and satellite communications as well as projects in the maritime domain where Cyrpus takes a proactive role.

During his visit, Mr Domecq also had the occasion to meet with other high-level officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence as well as representatives of Cypriot academia and research centers.

The leader of Italy's new populist government vowed on Tuesday (5 June) to redistribute migrants in the EU and review EU sanctions against Russia, in his first policy speech to lawmakers since being sworn in.

The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel always publishes on Mondays and it recently made headlines worldwide because of its series of covers ridiculing Donald Trump. This week, it made headlines again, but in a very controversial way.

The prospect of an EU consensus on asylum reform is dire, but even if leaders agree, their position will differ vastly from European Parliament demands.

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Norway is closely associated with the European Union through its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA).

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Nadia Calvino, the European Commission's director general for budget, was appointed Tuesday Spain's economy minister under the new social-democrat prime minister Pedro Sanchez. Calvino's appointment comes as Spain is set to become the last eurozone country under a procedure for excessive deficit given the procedure against France is to be closed in the coming weeks. Sanchez has already committed to follow the budget prepared by his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy.

The United States is pressing its European allies to get more NATO battalions, ships and planes ready for combat, officials say, in a fresh move to shore up NATO’s deterrence against any Russian attack.

A landmark report by UN environment experts on plastic pollution, published to coincide with World Environment Day (5 June), shows that governments across the world are starting to take action and that bans and levies are starting to take off.

Gay spouses have the right to live anywhere in the EU, its top court has said, in a challenge to illiberal leaders in central Europe.

Rejected asylum seekers could soon be sent to camps in an unattractive place in Europe, according to Danish prime minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen. Speaking in Aarhus on Denmark's constitutional day, 5 June, he said a new European asylum system would soon be up and running including common reception centers in Europe "in a country that is not on the list of favorite destinations of migrants or human beings," he said.

The EU commission is targeting balloons and balloon sticks in its new plastics law, but a lobby group for balloon makers has accused it of 'misleading claims'.

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Meetings of Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, with international organisations.

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Five million women and children die every year from entirely preventable causes. The Global Financing Facility (GFF) supports the 50 countries with the greatest needs by investing in their health systems but that is not enough, writes Mariam Claeson.

President Tusk and President Đukanović discussed domestic situation and the progress made in the accession talks with Montenegro.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, pubic sessions and press opportunities.