Written by Damiano Scordamaglia (1st edition),
© Monkey Business / Fotolia
In 2007, the EU established a set of basic rights for rail passengers, which became applicable at the end of 2009. These rights provided for all passengers, including those with reduced mobility, a harmonised minimum level of protection, information and assistance. While the implementation of these rights has generally been smooth, recent reports have concluded that this is not done uniformly across the EU. Moreover, other shortcomings have prevented these rights from being used to their full potential.
On 27 September 2017, the European Commission presented a new proposal to address these shortcomings. In its work on this legislative proposal, the EU is seeking to strike a new balance between keeping rail operators competitive and providing adequate passenger protection.
Versions
Renaud Muselier (EPP, France)
Tomasz Piotr Poręba (ECR, Poland)
Jens Rohde (ALDE, Denmark)
Tania González Peñas (GUE/NGL, Spain)
Michael Cramer (Greens/EFA, Germany)
Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’)
Next steps expected:
Vote in TRAN committee on draft report
Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008. On 19 December 2009, it achieved visa liberalisation with the EU and on 1 May 2010, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), entered into force. In November 2010, the Commission issued a favourable opinion on Montenegro's application and the Council granted it candidate status.The accession negotiations with Montenegro started on 29 June 2012.
Written by James McEldowney,
© Springfield Gallery / Fotolia
The Commission announced its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020 at the end of November 2017 in the form of a communication on the future of food and farming. They include proposals for: greater simplification to be achieved through increased subsidiarity involving a new delivery model, more effective targeting of direct payments, a shift towards a more results-based approach, and higher ambitions in respect of resource efficiency, environmental care and climate action. Other elements will involve addressing issues such as generational renewal, the investment gap in agriculture, the role of research, innovation and training, risk management and a new green architecture. Under the new delivery model, Member States will have responsibility for establishing a common agricultural policy (CAP) strategic plan; this would be subject to approval by the Commission and would continue to set the basic policy parameters for the CAP.
The proposals have generated a range of responses and have been the subject of discussion within the European Parliament’s Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development. The Council has discussed the content of the communications and they have also been the subject of discussion by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
Looking to the future, some reflections on the Commission’s proposals are considered in light of the views expressed by a number of stakeholder groups. The Bulgarian Presidency has indicated that the future of the common agricultural policy will be discussed at the informal meeting of Ministers of Agriculture in Sofia in June 2018.
Read this briefing on ‘CAP reform post-2020 – Setting the scene‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
Angola's partnership with the EU is based on the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement which aims to reduce poverty by developing the Angolan economy and gradually integrating it into the global economy. The Joint Way Forward promotes more active political cooperation, especially Angola's active involvement in the different regional and multilateral fora, and prioritises key areas of common interest from the 2007 Joint Africa-EU Strategy (security, governance, human rights, economic growth, energy, transport, environment, science and technology, training and education).
The European Union’s (EU’s) relations with Rwanda focus mainly on development cooperation in areas of rural development, energy and governance but also include an increasing emphasis on trade and investment as well as a regular political dialogue covering issues of home affairs, human rights and regional cooperation.