European Union

The EU regrets that Djibouti and Uganda did not comply with their obligations under international law and as state parties to the International Criminal Court to surrender President Al-Bashir to the Court.

President Tusk received the letter of credentials from a new ambassador to the European Union.

During the press conference following the 20th EU-Ukraine summit held in Brussels, President Tusk presented the main topics the leaders discussed during their meeting.

At the 20th summit between the European Union and Ukraine, leaders discussed next steps in the implementation of the Association Agreement and the EU's support for Ukraine's ambitious reform agenda.

Information for the media about the joint declaration on EU-NATO cooperation on 10 July 2018

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A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government is held on 11 and 12 July 2018, in Brussels. Against the background of recent challenges in the transatlantic relationship, the EU seeks to continue the good collaboration on security and defence between the two organisations.

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European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged eurozone member states to complete the banking union with a European Deposit Insurance Scheme, noting the “substantial” reduction of risks in the banks’ balance sheets and the benefits of risk-sharing.

Written by Ralf Drachenberg,

current members of the European Council and the year that they joined the institution

The European Council is one of the most important European institutions and receives a lot of media attention when it meets. However, many aspects of this institution are less well known, and citizens may ask themselves who the Members of the European Council are, how long the European Council has existed, and how its role has developed over time. Our ‘European Council: facts and figures’ briefing tries to provide information that would be useful to know the next time the EU Heads of State or Government are in town.

The role of the European Council, as defined in Article 15(1) TEU, is to ‘provide the Union with the necessary impetus for its development’ and to define its ‘general political directions and priorities’. Although EU leaders have been meeting routinely in the European Council since 1975, that title did not appear in the Treaties until 1987. At that point, the European Commission President also officially became a member of the European Council. It was only with the adoption of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty that the European Council and its role were broadly defined for the first time.

The data regarding the frequency of European Council meetings, shows that in practice, EU Heads of State or Government meet a lot more often than the four annual meetings stipulated in the Lisbon Treaty. The types of meetings has also increased to include formal and informal meetings, as well as the recent EU27 format. The European Council deals with many topics, but not all with the same intensity. The main topics discussed by the European Council in their conclusions have often been macro-economics, business and finance, the single market, and foreign policy issues. More recently, attention has turned to migration, which has become the most prominent topic due to the unprecedented flows into the EU.

Historically, the European Council leaders only decided to meet regularly as the ‘European Council’ at the Paris Summit of December 1974. The European Council became an official EU institution only when established in the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, at the same time that the office of a full-time President was established. The role of the President of the European Council and his reporting responsibilities to the European Parliament has also evolved. While in the early years of the full-time President, a report was made to the Parliament after each formal and informal meeting, this has not always been the case since 2014. The Lisbon Treaty also ended the routine attendance of foreign affairs ministers, who up until then had been present to assist their Head of State or Government.

Today, the European Council membership is made up of the Heads of State or Government of the 28 EU Member States, as well as the Presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission. Although not a member of the European Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission also takes part in its meetings. The President of the European Parliament is ‘invited to be heard’ at European Council meetings. This has not always been the case, as the type of participants and organisation of the European Council have developed through successive Treaty changes, as well as expanding its role and areas of responsibility. The average length of European Council membership varies significantly between Member States. When considering the political composition of the European Council over time, it is clear that almost all Heads of State or Government belonged to the same three political groups until the early 2000s, whereas the diversity of political affiliation has broadened in recent years. Although female membership has increased in recent years, improving the gender balance, since its creation the European Council has remained a largely male-dominated forum. The average age of its members, being highest in 1992 at 59 years old, recently stabilised in the low 50s.

Read this briefing on ‘European Council: Facts and Figures‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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EU officials said Brexit negotiations will not be affected by the resignations of the foreign secretary and Brexit secretary. European Council president Tusk noted that "unfortunately the idea of Brexit hasn't left" with David Davis or Boris Johnson.

A terrible week ahead of us will keep Europeans on their toes.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson quit his post on Monday (9 July), following the earlier resignation of Brexit Secretary David Davis, putting the government in a tight spot with less than nine months left to complete the complex Brexit negotiations.

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson resigned on Monday (9 July), hours after the resignation of Brexit secretary David Davis, in a severe blow to prime minister Theresa May's fragile government. Johnson is the third minister to resign in 24 hours, as Davis's deputy also quit. Johnson's departure puts May's ability to continue into question - just three days after the cabinet agreed her Brexit plan last Friday.

Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis sacked chief anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi today (9 July) to honor a constitutional court ruling which Kövesi said may leave prosecutors exposed to political interference. Kovesi has led the DNA anti-corruption agency since 2013 and,...

Only eight EU member states have banned the solidarity offence from their national laws. This offence is often used to prosecute citizens and organisations assisting migrants. EURACTIV.fr reports.

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

Written by Eric Pichon,

© European Union, EPRS

L’accord de partenariat entre l’Union européenne et les pays d’Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique (ACP) expire en 2020. Le principal défi pour l’Union européenne est de maintenir ses relations dans la région, tout en restant fidèle aux valeurs promues dans les Traités européens. La renégociation de cet Accord de Cotonou offre l’opportunité de rationaliser les relations entre les pays ACP et l’Union, en tenant compte des objectifs de développement durable des Nations unies, des nouvelles stratégies européennes dans les régions concernées, des nouvelles ambitions des pays ACP et de l’évolution de l’équilibre des pouvoirs au niveau mondial. La question du financement est également sur la table.

Favoriser la prospérité, la stabilité et la démocratie chez les partenaires de l’UE permettrait, selon la Commission européenne et le Service européen pour l’action extérieure, de mieux faire face aux causes profondes de la migration irrégulière et des déplacements forcés.

La Commission européenne a présenté au Conseil son option privilégiée : un accord-cadre complété par des partenariats spécifiques avec les trois sous-régions. Le groupe ACP a adopté son mandat de négociation en mai 2018. Les négociations formelles devraient commencer à la fin de l’été 2018.

Négociations concernant un nouvel accord de partenariat UE-ACP Committee responsible: Développement (DEVE) 2018/2634 (RSP) Rapporteur: Linda McAvan (S&D)

Read the complete briefing on ‘Le futur partenariat de l’Union européenne avec les pays d’Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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As Sebastian Kurz's government takes over the helm of EU-policy making for the next six months, Austrian MEPs from opposing sides weigh in on the EU's youngest prime minister's possible influence on the continent's future.

As long as the principles of the OECD, the World Bank and the IMF on transparency, public procurement and sustainable development are observed, the European Union is not hostile to China's New Silk Road project, Fraser Cameron told EURACTIV.

The European Commission has "no specific comment" to make about the resignation of Brexit secretary David Davis. Its spokesman said the EU "will continue to negotiate 'bona fide' with prime minister Theresa May and the UK government." Ahead of the publication of a white paper on future relationships by the UK this week, the commission "welcomes the fact that the UK government is having an in-depth discussion on futures projects."

The increasing flow of genuine cigarettes from Algeria into Europe is giving politicians a fresh headache.