European Union

“Europe’s security, and that of Spain, depend on security in the Sahel," said the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, Ángel Losada. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports.

Europe’s energy companies have made real progress on cyber security in many ways. But actions speak louder than words, and cyber security needs to be a core component of any utility’s strategy, argues Michael John.

The Council agreed its position on the draft EU budget for 2019.

Written by Maria Margarita Mentzelopoulou and Costica Dumbrava,

© Uskarp / Shutterstock

Access to citizenship status is an important prerequisite for enjoying rights and privileges, such as migration and political rights, as well as for developing a sense of identity and belonging. Since the establishment of Union citizenship, all persons who are nationals or citizens of an EU Member State enjoy the status of EU citizenship, which confers on them a number of additional rights and privileges. However, Member States retain full control over who can be recognised as a citizen.

Although the legal rules on the acquisition and loss of citizenship in the EU Member States remain fairly divergent, one can identify a number of key trends and issues. The need to integrate long-term immigrants has pushed EU countries to amend their citizenship laws. This often resulted in making citizenship both more liberal (lowering residence requirements and tolerating dual citizenship) and more restrictive (introducing integration clauses and citizenship tests). The surge in terrorist activities in the EU, which involve citizens, prompted several Member States to revise or reactivate citizenship provisions allowing for citizenship to be revoked.

Concerns about immigrants’ integration, allegiance and belonging, as well as about the cultural and economic consequences of regional integration and globalisation are at the heart of recent debates about citizenship in Europe. As the Maltese case of investor citizenship shows, the issue of access to citizenship is no longer a matter that concerns Member States alone. The bundling of national and EU citizenship means that Member States have a certain responsibility towards each other when taking decisions over who to accept (or reject) as citizens.

Read this briefing on ‘Acquisition and loss of citizenship in EU Member States: Key trends and issues‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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US President Donald Trump has raised the stakes for his European allies’ defence spending from 2% to 4% of GDP, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told a small group of Bulgarian journalists at the NATO summit on Wednesday (11 July). 

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The EU seeks to develop a particularly close relationship to Egypt, its geographical neighbour, and to support its domestic and political reforms. The relationship emphasises close cooperation on democratic reform, economic modernization, social reform, and migration issues.

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The EU’s much vaunted private investment vehicle in Africa has moved a step closer to becoming reality after €800 million was unlocked to leverage multi-billion euro investments on the continent.

Twenty-three years ago to the day, modern Europe lived through one of its most shameful moments.

EU's anti-fraud office concluded its probe last month into Karel Pinxten, a former member of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Auditors.

The European Commission adopted a set of measures on Wednesday (11 July) to closely monitor Greece's fiscal policy after it concludes an eight-year-long bailout programme on 20 August, closing one of the darkest chapter's in the single currency's short history.

Russia and Greece were poised on Wednesday (11 July) to expel two of each other's diplomats in a rare dispute that Greek media said had been prompted by the issue of Macedonia, which expects this week to be formally invited to join the NATO alliance.

Written by Didier Bourguignon (1st edition),

© Arcansél / Fotolia

Most of the plastic in our oceans originates from land-based sources. On European beaches, plastics make up 80-85 % of marine litter, which is considered a major threat to marine and coastal biodiversity. Marine litter also costs the European Union economy an estimated €259 million to €695 million per year.

In May 2018, the European Commission put forward a legislative proposal seeking to address the issue of marine litter from plastics. The proposal would introduce a series of measures regarding the top 10 single-use plastics found on European beaches, as well as fishing gear, with a view to reducing their impact on the environment and ensuring a functional internal market.

In the European Parliament, the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) is considering the proposal. The Environment Council discussed the proposal on 25 June 2018.

Versions

• July 2018: ‘Single-use plastics and fishing gear: Reducing marine litter‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment Committee responsible: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) COM(2018) 340
12.3.2018

 

2018/0172(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Rapporteur: Frédérique Ries (ALDE, Belgium) Shadow rapporteurs:

 

 

  Karl-Heinz Florenz (EPP, Germany)
Massimo Paolucci (S&D, Italy)
Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, Belgium)
Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL, Ireland)
Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA, Denmark)
Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, Italy)
Sylvie Goddyn (ENF, France) Next steps expected: Publication of draft report.

Marine litter on EU beaches, by count (2016)

European Union negotiators will turn their attention to revamping the bloc's electricity market rules under the Austrian Presidency but the issue of so-called capacity mechanisms continues to define the debate.

Nordic countries are moving focus from saving energy to changing diets in order to achieve the UN's sustainable development goals.

US leader Donald Trump, backed by Poland, has begun the Nato summit with a tirade against Germany's plan to build a pipeline with Russia.

"Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they'll be getting from 60 to 70% of their energy from Russia, and a new pipeline, and you tell me if that's appropriate because I think it's not and I think it's a very bad thing for Nato," US leader Donald Trump said at a Nato summit in Brussels Wednesday, referring to Germany's plan to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia.

The European Commission said on Wednesday (11 July) that “all possible options” are on the table to respond to the confirmation of the US tariffs on Spanish ripe olives, seen by the Europeans as ‘not justified’.

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EU Finance Ministers of the eurozone meet on 12 July 2018 in Brussels.

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Shortly before the Nato summit in Brussels begins US President Donald Trump has once again demanded that the Europeans increase their military spending. Some commentators take the view that Trump's criticism is basically justified. Others call for a more modern definition of defence policy that goes beyond boosting defence budgets.