European Union

The Council adds seven persons responsible for human rights violations against Rohingya population in Myanmar/Burma to sanctions list.

The Council adopted conclusions on security and defence in the context of the EU Global Strategy.

The Council adopted conclusions on delivering on the EU action plan for the circular economy.

Declaration by the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the EU on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June 2018

The Council adopted the EU priorities at the UN and the 73rd UN General Assembly.

The Council adopted conclusions on the Sahel/Mali.

The Council extends mandate for 6 EU Special Representatives.

On 25 June 2018, the Council agreed to implement high-performance computing infrastructure by establishing a new European joint undertaking.

The Council adopted new rules on monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions as well as fuel consumption of new heavy-duty vehicles.

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

The EU parliament's civil liberties committee in a draft report calls on member states to deal with Hungary's backsliding on EU rules. Lawmakers from the centre-right European People's Party were split over the critical report.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for people with substance abuse issues.

Drug use can lead to addiction, which has harmful consequences for health. In 2015, around 3.5 million European adults used cocaine, 1.8 million amphetamines and 1.3 million opioids. The number of Cannabis users reached 23.5 million. Misuse of prescription medicines, such as sedatives, pain relievers and stimulants, is also a growing concern.

© Andy Dean / Fotolia

If you have a substance abuse issue, you might be interested to know that the EU has a drugs strategy and action plan. The aim is to reduce the health and social risks and harm caused by drugs, and to ensure that treatment offered to drug users will help them recover and reintegrate into society. The EU has also established a European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) to provide information at European level, and has created a consultative body, the Civil Society Forum on Drugs (CSF). In 2017, the EU adopted legislation to include new psychoactive substances (‘designer drugs’) in the definition of ‘drug’, and to set up an information exchange and an early warning system on them. Drugs-related health damage is among the priorities of the current EU health programme.

Some of the numerous projects financed by the EU to help people with substance abuse issues include a web survey on drugs; a network to strengthen research into the problem of illicit drugs; a responsive website and app for mobile devices for young consumers of new psychoactive substances, with background information, a self-assessment test and an intervention programme; and an initiative to improve training in addiction medicine for primary care doctors.

Further information

• Council of the EU, European Union Drugs Strategy 2013-2020, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/publications/european-union-drugs-strategy-2013-2020/
• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction’s website, http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/about
• EPRS study on Technological innovation strategies in substance use disorders, 2017, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_STU(2017)581942

EU countries agreed on Monday to publish the mandates given to the European Commission to negotiate trade deals with Australia and with New Zealand. The EU Council said that motor equipment, machinery, chemicals, processed foods and services would be the sectors "likely to benefit the most" from deals, while the EU committed to "protect vulnerable sectors such as agriculture." Talks officialy started on 18 and 21 June.

Make no mistake – Rutte, sometimes considered as a potential candidate to succeed Donald Tusk, is one of the toughest of the EU's current heads of state.

The EU is seeking to reach agreements on separating asylum seekers from economic migrants - but questions remain on where and how. The UN refugee agency is eager to get involved.

The mini-summit of 16 held in Brussels on Sunday was like a workshop in which pupils were asked to find an easy solution to a difficult problem: in this case, how to respond to the refugee crisis.

The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) recommended on Monday (June 25) triggering an Article 7 procedure against Hungary for breaching the fundamental values of the Union under Viktor Orbán’s rule.

The recent EU mini-summit on migration held on 24 June has reaffirmed more openly than ever before, the fundamental dissensions and schism among member states, if not among EU institutions themselves, in the field of migration and asylum policy. A two-speed EU migration policy would be the best solution to keep EU unity, writes Solon Ardittis.

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) recently published a study on the app economy showcasing its success and the profound societal impact that it has had in terms of making people’s lives better.

Committee and political group meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP