European Union

A new analysis by Ernst & Young (EY) for the Czech Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry (AIFP) underscores the benefits of centre-based medical care in Czechia. However, rising costs are fast straining the business model.

On Tuesday 23 April, the plenary gave its final approval to extend the liberalisation of imports from Kyiv, including measures to protect EU agriculture and the pledge of the Commission to start talks soon with Kyiv for a permanent solution.

Bulgaria remains the only country in the EU where the death rate from oncological diseases continues to rise. Patients face financial and organisational difficulties in accessing treatment, even though public funding has more than doubled in the past five years.

The New European Bauhaus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s pet project, has failed spectacularly, and it is mostly her own fault.

The Belgian Presidency is gearing up to tackle the escalating issue of medicine shortages across Europe. Experts call for enhanced collaboration, solidarity, and transparency to combat this crisis effectively.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of the Right to Repair Directive on Tuesday (23 April), aimed at improving consumer access to repair services in order to reduce waste.

Press briefing ahead of the upcoming Agriculture and Fisheries Council will take place on 25 April 2024 at 14.00.

The Netherlands has been confronted with a new report showing inequalities in cancer screening between people with high and low incomes. Advocates are calling for public health to be embedded in all types of policies to reduce treatment disparities.

The European Parliament adopted the reform of the EU’s rules for national debt and deficits on Tuesday (23 April), despite fears from left-wing MEPs that it will lead to a new wave of austerity and prevent green investments.

Sports venues are notorious for their environmental impact. Issues with energy consumption, transport and waste management make these venues easy targets for individuals concerned about protecting the environment.

The criminalisation of forced marriage, illegal adoption, and exploitation of surrogacy have been added to the scope of a directive to prevent human trafficking and protect victims, as voted by the European Parliament on Tuesday (23 April).

A group of left-wing MEPs on Tuesday (23 April) failed to block the Commission’s proposal to relax farmers’ obligation to preserve grassland areas, which they claimed would pose environmental risks.

“We need to recall the distinction between a case or investigation and demonstrated irregularity, because [the] investigation might also conclude that there was no actual illegality,” Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told MEPs on Monday (22 April).

Despite the European Commission’s hopes to launch a brand new European defence industry programme (EDIP) by 2025, the first rounds of negotiations and exchanges have pushed the deadline by at least six months, people involved in the discussions told Euractiv.

The European Parliament regularly receives enquiries from citizens about how the EU institutions deal with lobbyists and interest representatives.

The Treaty on European Union establishes that European Union (EU) institutions must have an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society.

Transparency register

EU institutions interact with many people who represent specific interests, sometimes known as lobbyists. This is a legitimate and necessary part of the decision-making process, ensuring EU policies reflect society’s real needs. However, this process must be transparent. Transparency is one of the EU’skey principles and is important to maintain citizens’ trust.

Since 2021, the European Parliament, European Commission and Council share a common transparency register. This register lists ‘interest representatives’ (organisations, associations, groups and self-employed individuals) who try to influence the law-making and policy decisions of the EU institutions. It allows citizens to access information about lobbying activities in the institutions.

All interest representatives (lobbyists) are encouraged to register. However, registration is mandatory for certain activities, including access to the Parliament’s premises.

As of February 2024, close to 12 500 entities have been listed in the Transparency register. More than half are in-house lobbyists and trade associations and over a quarter are non-governmental organisations. For updated figures and more details, see the Transparency register statistics.

European Parliament calls for stricter rules to strengthen transparency

In the aftermath of ‘Qatargate’, the 2022 corruption scandal involving several Members of the European Parliament, Parliament adopted a resolution calling for stricter transparency rules. The text calls for the Transparency register to become fully mandatory and proposes setting up a special committee to identify any flaws in the European Parliament’s rules on transparency, integrity and corruption. Parliament has subsequently implemented a number of reforms to strengthen transparency.

Publication of meetings with lobby groups

• In the European Parliament, Members have to publish their scheduled meetings with lobby groups on the Parliament’s website.
• The European Commission’s high-level decision makers must publish lists of all meetings with lobby groups.

Further details on publications of meetings is available via the Transparency Register website.

Access to European Parliament premises

Organisations and individuals must be listed in the Transparency Register before requesting access (accreditation) to the European Parliament. However, registration in the Transparency Register does not mean that access is automatically granted. Further details on accreditation are available via the European Parliament website.

Further information

• Interinstitutional Agreement on a Transparency register, European Union, 2021
• EU Transparency Register, Briefing, European Parliamentary Research Service, 2023
• Article 7, Code of conduct for Members of the European Parliament regarding integrity and transparency, Rules of procedure of the European Parliament

Keep sending your questions to the Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (Ask EP)! We reply in the EU language that you use to write to us.

In October 2023, mobility company Bolt, headquartered in Estonia, offered to draft a letter on behalf of the Estonian government to push back against the platform work directive — liaising directly with a government official who is a former Bolt employee.

The European Union will support Lebanon, both financially and politically, until the end of 2027, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said amid calls from the Middle East country for help in returning migrants to their country of origin.

Despite the "historic crises" of the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU economy is “stronger than five years ago”, European Commission President von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on Tuesday (23 April), touting the successes of her team as she seeks another five-year mandate.

MEPs approved a revamp of EU fiscal rules making them clearer, more investment friendly, better tailored to each country’s situation, and more flexible.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

MEPs approved a revamp of EU fiscal rules making them clearer, more investment friendly, better tailored to each country’s situation, and more flexible.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP