European Union

Romania’s Constitutional Court decided on Wednesday (30 May) that President Klaus Iohannis must dismiss the chief prosecutor of the Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), who has been praised by Brussels and Washington for tackling corruption.

The EU has an opportunity to take forward-looking action and shape exactly what kind of market we want when it comes to flexible electricity consumption offers, argues Angeliki Malizou.

The EU executive wants to support civil groups promoting European values and democracy in the next budget. However, critics say it does little to save NGOs from autocratic regimes.

By opening his "foul mouth" on the Italian political situation, the budget commissioner did not shy away from a necessary public debate.

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 non-smokers.

Do you suffer from having to breathe second-hand smoke from someone else’s cigarette? Even if protection for passive smokers has improved considerably in the EU, one in five citizens is still exposed to second-hand smoke.

Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in Europe, responsible for about 90 % of lung cancers, and causes other forms of cancer, including of the mouth and throat. It raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases and can lead to lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Inhaling second-hand smoke raises non-smokers’ risk of developing the same health issues as smokers. Babies and children are particularly vulnerable.

© vchalup / Fotolia

In the EU one in every four citizens aged 15 or over is a smoker. True to the saying ‘the best way to quit is never to start’, the EU aims to deter people, especially the young, from taking it up. Measures to protect Europeans against the harmful effects of smoking range from laws on packaging, labelling and the ingredients in tobacco products; restrictions on tobacco advertising; tax measures and combating illicit trade; to anti-tobacco campaigns (‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’ targeted EU smokers aged 25-34, with over 480 000 benefitting from the iCoach tool).

Laws on smoke-free environments, such as indoor workplaces, public transport, and restaurants and bars, are the responsibility of national governments; the EU’s simply coordinates. All EU countries have national rules in place, even though they vary in scope. Overall results show the positive, and immediate, health effects of indoor smoking bans.

Further information

• European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety website, https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/policy_en
• European Commission’s Eurostat website, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tobacco_consumption_statistics
• EPRS publication on ‘Technological innovation strategies in substance use disorders’, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_STU(2017)581942

European Parliament debates with EU leaders have become a repetitive series of monologues that forget to ask what citizens want from the EU.

Diplomats reached a compromise on new cybersecurity rules more quickly and with less controversy than many observers close to the file had expected.

Networks of European regions and cities remain puzzled by the "mixed messages" sent from the presentation of the legislative package for Cohesion on Tuesday (29 May), where they heard Commission proposals to focus more on southern Europe and to apply significant changes in the structure of Cohesion Policy Funds.

Prevention is far better than cure when it comes to animal diseases and creation of sustainable livestock. Vaccination may play a role in reducing the need for antibiotics, but it needs to be accompanied by other "tools", like education and training, farmer representatives and EU politicians have told EURACTIV.

EU budget boss Günther Oettinger was forced to apologise publicly yesterday after suggesting Italian voters would be punished by financial markets for allowing Eurosceptic “populists” through the doors of power.

How can naval capabilities mitigate hybrid threats against European harbours? What steps could and should be taken to improve resilience of European harbours and which kind of cooperation is best suited to achieve this? These and many other questions were discussed at a joint workshop on ‘Harbour protection under hybrid threat conditions’ organized by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid C0E) today at the EDA premises.

Picture: Bundeswehr

Presentations and discussions focused on the broad multifaceted nature of the harbour protection and the implications on capability development in support of force protection and mobility.  The workshop took place in the context of the implementation of the EU-NATO Joint Declaration, aiming to promote a coherence between the EU and NATO in bolstering resilience. The EDA and the Hybrid Centre of Excellence cooperate to promote the effective implementation of the Joint Declaration in areas of common interest and notably on bolstering hybrid resilience.

In his opening speech, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the economic and strategic importance of harbours in Europe, including in the military domain. “We cannot omit their huge role in providing mobility and sustainability of military forces. It’s not a surprise that civilian harbours play a significant role in the security system of individual Member States, but also in the European system. None of the CSDP missions or operations could be conducted without free and safe access to the seaports. Hybrid attacks on seaports can have serious consequences, leading to disruptions to travel and supply chains”, Mr Domecq stated.

He welcomed the timing of the workshop as the revision of the European Capability Development Plan (CDP), scheduled to be accomplished end of June, is now on the home straight. “The outcome of this workshop, which will be presented in the form of a report to the Capability Directors in June, will have a positive impact on maritime capability development in the nearest future”, he stressed.

In his speech, the Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, Matti Saarelainen, put a particular emphasis on the need for international cooperation in this crucial domain. "As international interdependency increases, it is necessary to assess and develop security more comprehensively than in the past. Hence, all stakeholders should be equally aware of the nature of the hybrid threats and share the level of awareness among them. What is essential is cooperation between and among individual countries, the EU and NATO, and sharing of experiences and best practices among them", he stated.

 

 

The European Peoples' Party (EPP) will set up a committee in November to do “everything” to address “unethical behaviour” but remained silent on whether it would send a warning to its Spanish member following a major sentence against Partido Popular (PP).

South Tyrol’s governor speaks of the biggest crisis in Italy, worries about his province’s role in the EU and warns of political experiments. EURACTIV Germany reports from Vienna.

Ahead of the European elections, the conservative group of the European Parliament is getting closer to French sovereignist parties such as Debout la France to fill the gap left by British MEPs. EURACTIV.fr reports.

Olivier De Schutter, a co-chair of the international expert panel IPES-Food, calls on the European Commission to lay the foundations for a Common Food Policy. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The amount of the minimum income protection in Austria is now to be made dependent among other things on the German language skills. EURACTIV Germany reports from Vienna.

The unclear political situation in Italy is making the stock markets nervous. Shares plummeted on Tuesday while the euro exchange rate dropped considerably. Speculation is rife among the financial market experts of Europe's media about whether Italy will trigger a new financial crisis and whether former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi can save the day.