European Union

EU countries have been encouraged to name and shame foreign states that sponsor cybersecurity attacks, in an unusually outspoken announcement from the European Commission.

The European Commission will set out its plans to dramatically increase spending on migration control on Thursday (14 June), as part of its overhaul of EU development spending between 2021 and 2027.

Written by Irina Popescu (1st edition),

© isaac74 / Fotolia

On 8 March 2018, the European Commission proposed a multiannual plan for the western Mediterranean fisheries exploiting several stocks of fish and crustaceans living close to the sea bottom (i.e. ‘demersal fisheries’). Most of these stocks have long been overfished and are now in an alarming state. The proposed plan aims to reverse this trend and ensure that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable and capable of securing economic and social benefits. The plan concerns fishing fleets from Italy, Spain and France, totalling almost 10 900 vessels.

The proposal would introduce a fishing-effort regime for all trawlers operating in the region, and reduce fishing activities in the first year of application, in line with the scientific advice. In addition, it would restrict trawlers from operating in waters shallower than 100 m for three months each year, to reserve the coastal zone for more selective fishing gear. The plan would also establish regional cooperation among the Member States concerned, with a view to developing provisions on the obligation to land all catches and on the conservation of resources through technical measures.

Versions

• June 2018: ‘Multiannual plan for demersal fisheries in the western Mediterranean‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a multi-annual plan for the fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea Committee responsible: Fisheries (PECH) COM(2018) 115
8.3.2018 Rapporteur: Clara Eugenia Aguilera García (S&D, Spain) 2018/0050(COD) Shadow rapporteurs:

 

  Carlos Iturgaiz (EPP, Spain)
Ruža Tomašić (ECR, Croatia)
Izaskun Bilbao Barandica (ALDE, Spain)
João Ferreira (GUE/NGL, Portugal)
Marco Affronte (Greens/EFA, Italy)
Rosa D’Amato (EFDD, Italy) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Publication of draft report

 

Landings of the main demersal species exploited in the western Mediterranean Sea in 2014 by value (million €)

Polish authorities need to address key concerns of the Commission over the independence of the country's judiciary by the end of the month, Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday (13 June).

Council confirms agreement with the EP on the audiovisual media services directive

Council confirms an agreement with the EP on veterinary medicinal products.

President Tusk received the letters of credentials from two new ambassadors to the European Union.

On the same day, 12 June 2018, anti-system politicians in two wildly different spots of the globe did their best to solve the world’s most complicated conundrums.

A broad majority of EU lawmakers backed the resolution on Wednesday (13 June), which sets the European Parliament’s approach to a European cyber defence policy, an area where EU institutions have been moving to step up their work.

The hardline interior ministers of Austria, Germany, and Italy formed an "axis of the willing" to combat illegal migration, Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Wednesday, after he met with German interior minister Horst Seehofer. Seehofer is at loggerheads with chancellor Angela Merkel over Germany's migration policy. Seehofer said he and his far-right Austrian and Italian counterparts formed their alliance this week, saying they would also deal with security and terrorism.

European expertise agencies, the kingpins of solidarity policy, want to work more together in order to establish themselves as true competitors in the face of United Nations agencies, especially in the field of security. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The refusal of Italy and Malta to take in the rescue ship Aquarius packed with migrants this week has shone a light on the flaws of European solidarity and underlined the urgent need to reform the Dublin asylum system. EURACTIV.fr reports.

It was Mark Rutte's Dutch premier's turn to share his vision on the future of Europe with MEPs. An emerging EU leader in the post-Brexit bloc called for a more united, but less centralised Europe.

Bulgaria will seek to join both the eurozone’s waiting room and the bloc’s banking union within a year, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said on Tuesday (12 June).

Some 35 Scottish Nationalist MPs stage a walkout in the House of Commons in front of prime minister Theresa May on Wednesday, in protest at what they saw as the UK government's lack of debate over powers for Scotland after Brexit. The group had demanded more time to debate the issue, which they say will see more powers returned from Brussels to London, than to the parliament in Edinburgh.

Polish president keen to ask big questions in November, but ruling party could turn the project into a damp squib.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday (June 13) to hike from €90 million to €13 billion the budgetary funds earmarked for strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy in collective security by boosting cross-border research and innovation in the field of defence.

On 13th of June, during the 10th EDA REACH Plenary Meeting, experts from Member States’ Ministries of Defence exchanged views with the European Commission (DG GROW) and representatives of the European defence industry on current developments concerning the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and its interaction with defence. 

The aim of the meeting was to jointly explore ways and means to meet REACH’s objectives and ensure a coherent application of the Regulation in the defence sector while, at the same time, minimise its possible impact on the operational capabilities of Member States’ Armed Forces and the EU defence industry’s competitiveness and innovation as an important stakeholder in support of European defence capabilities, including through the implementation of the EDA REACH Roadmap 2018-2020 activities.

The defence industry was represented by the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) / REACH Working Group, National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs) and individual EU defence industries. REACH experts from the European Space Agency also attended the meeting as observers. 
 

Background

EDA is addressing REACH and its defence implications since 2009, at the request of its participating Member States and in close coordination with the European Commission. 
The Agency’s current work in this field is guided by the EDA REACH Roadmap 2018-2020 adopted by Member States in October 2017. The roadmap encapsulates a wide spectrum of activities and tasks aiming to support in a structured approach the main purpose of REACH, which is to protect human health and the environment, while taking into account the defence specificities. 

EDA regularly invites the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency and the EU defence industry to EDA REACH meetings, in order to facilitate a closer and more transparent interaction on REACH issues affecting defence, which is considered an important success factor for EDA’s work in this field. 
 

More information:

• EDA REACH Activities 
• EDA REACH Roadmap 2018-2020 
• EDA REACH Portal 

 

Written by Magdalena Sapala and Nurseli Ulvieva,

Following the publication of the study on ‘Performance budgeting: A means to improve EU spending‘, an EPRS roundtable discussion was held in the European Parliament library on 5 June 2018. Speakers, including Martina DLABAJOVÁ (ALDE, Czech Republic, Vice-President of EP Committee on Budgetary Control), Maria Rosa ALDEA BUSQUETS (Deputy Director-General, DG Budget, European Commission), Joël COSTANTZER (Principal Auditor, Financing and Administering the Union, European Court of Auditors) and Magdalena SAPAŁA (Policy Analyst, Budgetary Policies Unit, EPRS), contributed to the lively discussion. EPRS Director Etienne BASSOT delivered a welcoming speech, while the event was moderated by Fabia JONES, acting head of the EPRS Budgetary Policies Unit.

Magdalena SAPAŁA – (Policy Analyst, Budgetary Policies Unit, EPRS)

The roundtable discussion was opened by Magdalena SAPAŁA, an author of the study on performance budgeting, who defined performance budgeting and the main challenges to its implementation. Performance budgeting is a way of allocating resources where the goals can be best achieved, as well as a way of managing public finances based on three main elements: budget, information on performance, and decisions on learning from results. However, highlighting that challenges might be attributed to all three elements of performance budgeting, SAPAŁA noted that a crucial point in performance budgeting is the link between information on performance and decision-making process. Moreover, effective and successful implementation of the method requires a change in thinking about public budgets, based on performance culture and performance ethos.

Martina DLABAJOVÁ (ALDE, Czech Republic)

The next panellist, Martina DLABAJOVÁ focused on her experience of dealing with the topic as a member of the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) of the European Parliament and the Rapporteur in the discharge procedure for the EU general budget 2014. DLABAJOVÁ pointed out the need to change thinking around budgetary control, from focusing on errors and mistakes to results, performance, and lessons learned. DLABAJOVÁ noted ‘the biggest failure is that we are very good in highlighting errors, mistakes and frauds that form less than 5 % of the EU budget, instead of focusing on promoting the successful stories that form 95 % of the Union’s tax payers contributions’. She continued by adding that performance and results make it easier for citizens and stakeholders to understand the objectives and impacts of the EU budget. Informing citizens of EU achievements is crucial, as the EU future and its budget are based solely on their trust.

Maria Rosa ALDEA BUSQUETS (Deputy Director-General, DG Budget, European Commission)

The floor was then taken by Maria Rosa ALDEA BUSQUETS, who presented the Budget Focused on Results Initiative and emphasised the European Commission’s commitment to implementing performance budgeting. Continuing with actions taken, ALDEA BUSQUETS pointed out the improved reporting with the Integrated Financial Reporting Package (including the Annual Management and Performance Report), simplification of the Commission’s financial rules, and the execution of a Spending Review. ALDEA BUSQUETS also emphasised that the proposal for the next MFF has an increased focus on EU added value and includes further measures to improve the performance framework such as: drastically reducing the number of ‘corporate’ indicators embedded in the spending programmes, decreasing the number of programmes, and creating more flexibility. However, she also noted that creating a full performance culture is a time-consuming process. Furthermore, she highlighted that many challenges remain in this process, specifically for the EU budget with regards to shared management with Member States, and called for the support of the Parliament, Council, Court of Auditors, as well as other stakeholders in the implementation of performance budgeting.

Joël COSTANTZER – (Principal Auditor, Financing and Administering the Union, European Court of Auditors)

The final speaker, Joël COSTANTZER presented the Court of Auditor’s view on the EU performance framework. He highlighted the Court’s overall support for all initiatives that make the EU more performance-oriented and gave examples of the Court’s special reports published recently and focused on the different aspects of performance and results. COSTANTZER described some limitations to implementation of the method to the EU budget, namely the MFF’s limited flexibility as compared to national budgets, the coexistence of different performance frameworks, the use of a large number of sometimes non-relevant objectives and indicators by the Commission. He added that, for the EU, the discussion on the new MFF is a major opportunity to improve implementation of performance budgeting. Therefore, although the negotiations on the 2021-2027 MFF are still in the initial phase, the Court has already noted the positive changes included in the Commission’s proposal, in particular the strong focus on the European added value and performance. In the future, the Court of Auditors will analyse the proposal in detail and the actual steps taken to improve performance orientation of the EU budget.

The roundtable discussion was followed by a lively Q&A session.

Click to view slideshow.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday (13 June) the EU should use the tools that are already available to support reforms and protect the euro, in his latest criticism of proposals to deepen the bloc's integration.