European Union

Leading politicians at home and abroad have lambasted Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. There are currently around 2,000 US soldiers stationed in the war-torn country. Although it now seems likely that the withdrawal will be postponed, commentators observe a strengthening of radical Islamist forces and expect another shift in the balance of power in Syria.

Following the 10 January publication of a EURACTIV article which quoted Manfred Weber as saying it was the Greek government's responsibility to secure parliamentary backing for the Greece-Macedonia deal, the EPP denied the veracity of the article, challenging what was said and whether it had even been said.

On 4 January, the German government quietly presented its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), thus meeting at the very last minute a European Commission requirement to member states to finalise the first draft by the end of 2018...

British Prime Minister Theresa May's political weakness was exposed by a series of defeats in parliament this week, prompting claims that rebel lawmakers can wrest control of the process to leave the European Union. But can lawmakers stop a no-deal Brexit?

This week, Brexit transport plans are totally cracked, migrants saved thanks to EU pact and Donald Trump displays his usual tact. This episode is supported by Medicines for Europe.

Plenary session, Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Written by Clare Ferguson,

January is traditionally the month to look forward and consider the issues to watch for the year ahead – and this is reflected in the plenary agenda. The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, will speak in the session on Wednesday morning, for the latest instalment in the series of debates on the Future of Europe. Members will also hear Council and Commission statements on Tuesday on the presentation of the programme of activities of the Romanian Presidency, which began this month. The Council and Commission will also make statements on Wednesday morning on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, and on Tuesday morning on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 13 and 14 December 2018, which set out the short-term EU agenda. This meeting agreed a schedule for negotiations on the multiannual financial framework negotiation, as well as a debate on the single market in early 2019, and assessed the EU approach to migration, among other issues. This latter topic will also be the subject of a Council and Commission statement on the reform of the EU asylum and migration policy in light of the continued humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean and Africa.

Following a topical debate on comprehensive European education, research and remembrance of the totalitarian past on Wednesday afternoon, Members’ attention will turn to the situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2017, and a report from the Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs committee. The report draws on the core EU values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights to underline areas where these came come under attack in 2017, including during the migration crisis. Despite the adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights, this was also the year that saw the first formal EU action following up on criticisms of the rule of law in EU Member States, including over moves to reduce women’s rights, curtail freedom of expression or judicial independence, and to discriminate against minorities. Freedom of religion and belief also feature on the agenda on Monday evening, when Members will discuss a report on the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. The European Union’s Article 17 Dialogue offers churches, religious, philosophical and non-confessional organisations an opportunity to make their voices heard at EU level. As is the tradition, debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law also feature on the agenda on Thursday morning, notably the situation in Togo, Azerbaijan and Sudan.

On Monday evening, Members will get a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of equality policy in their own institution, with a debate on a report from the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) on gender mainstreaming in the EU: State of play. While gender may not at first glance be a central consideration in policy on trade, or the environment, neglecting this aspect can perpetuate inequalities between women and men. For this reason, the EU has put in place a strategic engagement for gender equality for the 2016-2019 period. However, the FEMM committee report highlights that there is still some way to go to improve the current gender balance in Parliament itself, particularly in political and administrative posts.

Moving on to environmental issues, while the EU has some of the most stringent authorisation procedures for pesticides in the world, renewed approval of glyphosate in 2015 continues to cause controversy. The subject returns to the agenda on Monday evening, with Parliament due to consider recommendations from its special committee on pesticide authorisation. The committee recommends reinforcing the EU’s capacity for independent, objective and transparent assessment; fast-track approvals for biological pesticides; and greater monitoring of their impact on the environment.

Finally, the European Commission has proposed to update the 25-year-old rules on the use of vehicles hired without drivers, given the considerable changes in today’s market for road freight transport. Freight operators could reduce their environmental impact by hiring vehicles in other EU Member States instead of making longer journeys, and newer model rental vehicles could potentially be better for the environment. However, negotiations in Council are unlikely to proceed rapidly, as some EU Member States disagree with the proposals, fearing a loss of revenue from vehicle taxes and registration. Parliament will discuss a report from the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) at first reading on Monday evening.

European regulation of crypto currencies such as Bitcoin may be needed to protect consumers, prevent money laundering, terror financing and to stop diverging national regulations from creating unfair competition, the European Banking Authority has advised. In a new report the EU's banking watchdog said that the European Commission should carry out further analysis to determine the appropriate EU-level response.

EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager opened on Thursday an in-depth into the tax treatment of Nike in the Netherlands, saying the US-based company may have benefitted from an illegal advantage in relation to taxation of intellectual property rights. "Member States should not allow companies to set up complex structures that unduly reduce their taxable profits and give them an unfair advantage over competitors," she said.

The former leader of Germany's far-right AfD party in the eastern state Saxony-Anhalt, Andre Poggenburg, announced on Thursday that he will leave the party and form a new one for German patriots called "Aufbruch deutscher Patrioten – Mitteldeutschland", together with other disenchanted AfD members. Poggenburg resigned in March from his leadership role in Saxony-Anhalt after a series of controversies including describing people of Turkish origin in Germany as "camel drivers".

Romania's first-ever EU presidency saw Tusk issue warnings on rule of law, as Romanians complained about EU "misconceptions".

Over €6bn of EU taxpayers' money was stolen by criminals in recent years and over €130m is still being lost each year, EU auditors said.