European Union

The European Commission next week is set to publish a package of measures and recommendations for EU states to help stamp out election meddling. "We want free citizens to have free choice in the elections without being manipulated," Vera Jourova, EU justice commissioner, told reporters. She said people should know when they read or view political adverts. The package is, in part, a response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The European Commission is in the final stages of a proposal that will force IT companies like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to remove online terror propaganda content. Vera Jourova, EU justice commissioner, told reporters the proposal makes it mandatory for companies to delete the offending content. "We simply cannot rely any more on voluntary action of the IT providers," she said. The full proposal will be presented sometime this month.

The European Economic and Social Committee expressed strong disagreement with the Commission’s proposal to cut Cohesion policy funds by 10% in a recent opinion, saying the EU executive must show sensitivity for the current political environment rather than focus only...

A delegation from the SEDE Subcommittee of the European Parliament, led by Chair Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, visited the EDA today for an exchange of views on a wide variety of defence topics such as the recent EU defence initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF), the reviewed European capability development priorities, military mobility, defence research and EU-NATO relations. They were briefed by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, Deputy Chief Executive Olli Ruutu as well as the Director for Cooperation, Planning & Support (CPS), Roland Van Reybroeck.

Welcoming the MEPs to the Agency, Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the importance of the European Parliament in the implementation of the new EU defence initiatives set to bring defence cooperation to a new level. “The European Parliament will be a crucial actor in this process. The importance of your voice in calling and advocating for more defence cooperation, including with the support by for example the European Defence Fund is unquestioned. In the future, with the increased involvement of EU institutions, the Parliament will further be among the key players of European defence”, he stated.

The Chair of SEDE, Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, stated: "We appreciate the extremely interesting and informative briefings on the development of the EU's security and defence policy. The discussions today made clear the progress that is being made and the SEDE subcommittee will cooperate with the EDA on this topic. Our main concern over the next months will be the European Defence Fund, a primary component of this new architecture, and the discussions today will certainly inform the committee's work."

The session started with a strategic discussion on the wider cooperation framework for defence cooperation and the need to ensure coherence between the new initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF) in line with the capability development priorities agreed by Member States. “The overall objective of all of these initiatives must be to produce defence capabilities that are currently lacking and that we truly need, at a European level. Not capabilities needed by one or the other Member State, but capabilities that are needed by Europe as a whole to perform the taskings deriving from its Global Strategy”, Mr Domecq underlined.  

MEPs were also updated on the revised Capability Development Plan (CDP) and the 11 capability development priorities which were approved by Member States last June. The various presentations were followed by a lively and interesting exchange of views on a wide variety of topics, including EU-NATO cooperation. 

The SEDE delegation was composed by the following MEPs: Anna Elzbieta FOTYGA (ECR), Michael GAHLER (EPP), Clare MOODY (S&D), Brando BENIFEI (S&D), Geoffrey VAN ORDEN (ECR), Javier NART (ALDE), Jozo RADOS (ECR), Fabio Massimo CASTALDO (EFDD), Doru-Claudian FRUNZULICA (SD). 

   

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, announced on Wednesday (5 September) his candidature for the European Commission presidency on behalf of the centre-right party. But the kick-off event left reporters displeased, who were not allowed to ask questions in English.

In a public hearing at the European Parliament on Wednesday (5 September), two US attorneys said they were confident they would win further legal cases against Monsanto, following a landmark San Francisco trial in August that ordered the US company to pay plaintiff Dwayne Johnson $289 million in damages.

The European Parliament will vote next week on a proposal to trigger Article 7 against Hungary. Hungarian civil society leaders threw their weight behind the proposal on Wednesday (5 September), saying it was the last chance to defend democracy in Hungary.

European decision-makers and regulators are progressing towards an EU approach for dealing with cryptoassets, digital assets that use cryptography such as Bitcoin and represent a booming market still viewed with concern by financial supervisors.

The EU’s revision of the Drinking Water Directive is the perfect opportunity to ensure that we will all have healthy and affordable drinking water now and for future generations.

The Syrian regime and Moscow are apparently set to carry out an offensive against the last major rebel stronghold, Idlib. Damascus has gathered its troops and the Russian air force carried out preliminary strikes on Tuesday. The UN has warned that the operation could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in view of the roughly three million civilians living in the province. Commentators ask how such an outcome can be avoided.

In the run-up to the Swedish parliamentary elections on 9 September polls are pointing to a deadlock. Neither the left nor the conservative Alliance winning a majority because the Sweden Democrats look set to garner almost 20 percent of the vote. Journalists take stock of the right-wing populist party's growing popularity.

Rival militias have been engaged in heavy fighting around Tripoli for more than a week. The internationally recognised national unity government under Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has declared a state of emergency but has been unable to stop the hostilities. Commentators argue that France and Italy share some of the responsibility for the escalation.