European Union

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A film produced by the Council of the EU on the occasion of Europe Day, 9 May 2015. Featuring: • Maria Romana De Gasperi: daughter of Alcide De Gasperi, former Prime Minister of Italy • Antoinette Spaak: daughter of Paul-Henri Spaak, former Prime Minister of Belgium • Jean-Marie Pelt: former private secretary of Robert Schuman, France's foreign minister whose declaration on 9 May 1950 prompted the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) • Jacques-René Rabier: head of cabinet for Jean Monnet in France's modernisation plan and in the ECSC high authority Inspired from the book by Victoria Martín de la Torre: 'Europe, a leap into the unknown'

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EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs meet in Luxembourg on 21 April 2016 to discuss security and border issues. They are also to examine the latest developments concerning migration.

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On 22 April 2016 the EU and its 28 member states will sign the global Paris climate agreement in a high-level ceremony in New York (United States). The agreement was concluded at the UN climate change conference in December 2015, so called COP21, that took place in Paris. The document will be now open for signature for one year.

Dutch Minister for the Environment and President of the Council, Sharon Dijksma, said: "This is a historic day for global climate action. The Paris Agreement is a real turning point in limiting temperature rise and preventing risks posed by climate change. This signature sets out in black and white the EU's commitment to do its part and keep up the momentum from Paris. Continuous action is required."  

Minister Dijksma and Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič  will sign the agreement on behalf of the EU.  

Ratification and entry into force   

The Paris Agreement will enter into force after ratification from at least 55 countries accounting together for at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It will then become legally binding for the countries that have ratified it.  

In March 2016, the European Council underlined that the EU and its member states need to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and on time so as to be parties as from the date of entry into force.  

Main elements of the Paris Agreement 

The Paris Agreement aims at keeping global temperature rise well below 2°C and to make efforts to keep it to 1.5°C (compared to pre-industrial levels). To this end, countries have an obligation to take measures to reduce their emissions.   

There will be a review process every five years to take stock and increase ambition over time. The progress of countries in their commitments will be tracked to ensure transparency and accountability. The need for all countries to adapt to climate change by preparing and reinforcing their resilience is also acknowledged.  

In terms of solidarity, the EU and other developed countries commit to continue providing climate finance to developing countries. 

 

Length of video : 158'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Place:           European Convention Centre Luxembourg (ECCL)
Chair(s):      Ard van der Steur, Minister of Security and Justice
                      Klaas Dijkhoff, State Secretary of Security and Justice and Minister for Immigration

All times are approximate and subject to change

Home Affairs

+/- 08.30
Arrivals (live streaming)

+/- 08.45
Doorstep by Minister Dijkhoff

+/- 09.30
Doorstep by Minister Van der Steur

+/- 10.00
Beginning of Mixed Committee meeting (roundtable)
Adoption of the agenda

IT Systems for Security and Borders

+/- 11.40
Beginning of Home Affairs Council meeting
Adoption of the agenda
Adoption of non-legislative A Items

Databases

+/- 13.30
Adoption of legislative A Items (public session)

IT Systems for Security and Borders

+/- 13.45
Press conference security (live streaming)

+/- 14.00
Lunch

+/- 15.30
Continued Mixed Committee meeting

European Border and Coast Guard
Migration

+/- 17.00
Continued Home Affairs Council meeting

European Border and Coast Guard (public session)
Migration
Reform of the Common European Asylum System

+/- 17.30
Press conference migration (live streaming)

Length of video : 193'
You may manually download this video in WMV (2.1Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

This is Wednesday’s edition of our daily Brussels Briefing. To receive it every morning in your email in-box, sign up here.

Draghi, left, and Schäuble, bottom right, at the IMF spring meetings in Washington last week

The European Central Bank holds its monthly monetary policy meeting tomorrow amid one of the most overheated political environments for Mario Draghi and his fellow governors since the height of the eurozone crisis. And despite the German government’s long-stated insistence that central banks should jealously guard their independence and not be pressured by elected officials into making decisions that are politically expedient, the most pointed criticism is coming from Berlin.

The most surprising broadside came nearly two weeks ago from Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, who publicly claimed to have told Mr Draghi that his loose money policy was to blame for about 50 per cent of the votes received by the ascendant anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in last month’s regional elections. Mr Schäuble also called on the US, UK and the eurozone to band together in pressuring their central banks to “carefully but slowly exit” their economic stimulus policies. Hardly the model of respecting central bank independence.

Mr Schäuble’s remarks appear to have opened the floodgates. Hans-Peter Friedrich, a former interior minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and a member of the Bavarian sister party of her governing Christian Democrats, told the mass-market Bild tabloid at the weekend that Mr Draghi’s replacement “must be German” and respect the Bundesbank’s tradition of “monetary stability”. Axel Weber, the former Bundesbank chief who nearly beat Mr Draghi out for the top ECB job in 2011 before resigning, told the Wall Street Journal this week that more monetary easing would be counterproductive.

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EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence meet on 19 April 2016 to examine the EU's regional strategy against Daesh, in particular regarding Syria and Iraq. They are also to discuss how to counter hybrid threats in order to foster the EU and its partner countries resilience. The EU's capacity building in support of security and development is also to be discussed.

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Meeting room in the Dutch maritime museum where finance ministers will gather on Friday

Coming to terms with painful truths can take a long time, and the EU’s struggle to acknowledge an original sin built into its banking regulations is a case in point.

It’s a problem that dates back decades, and that finance ministers are going to tentatively grapple with at an informal meeting in Amsterdam this week. It centres on the regulatory treatment of sovereign debt, and we’ve got our hands on the options paper prepared for ministers by the Dutch presidency and posted it here.

While the subject may sound arcane, it’s extremely politically charged. The latest ructions over how to treat bank holdings in government debt are fanning the already hot flames of discord between Rome and Berlin, with Brussels as ever squeezed uncomfortably in the middle.

So what’s the problem? The EU has highly detailed legislation covering different aspects of banks’ activities, in order to ensure that institutions have enough financial reserves to cope with the risks that they are taking with their investments.

The rules cover everything from mortgage lending to complex trading in derivatives, but they have one glaring loophole, namely that many of the normal requirements, such as capital rules and exposure limits, don’t apply to banks’ purchases of European governments’ own debt.

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