European Union

The fund will be used to support seven countries on their path to EU membership in adopting reforms required to comply with EU rules and values.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The fund will be used to support seven countries on their path to EU membership in adopting reforms required to comply with EU rules and values.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs adopted the reform of the EU Blue Card to facilitate the employment of highly qualified non-EU nationals and help alleviate labour shortages in key sectors.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs adopted the reform of the EU Blue Card to facilitate the employment of highly qualified non-EU nationals and help alleviate labour shortages in key sectors.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

  This week our Beyond the Byline podcast is coming to you with a special episode focusing on the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union speech. The president addressed the key issues on the...

EP’s Culture and Education committee chairwoman on Wednesday “expressely welcomed” the proposal announced by Ursula von der Leyen during her 2021 State of the Union address in Parliament.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

EP’s Culture and Education committee chairwoman on Wednesday “expressely welcomed” the proposal announced by Ursula von der Leyen during her 2021 State of the Union address in Parliament.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

“Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise, tout va très bien, tout va très bien,” a popular French song goes. This has become a proverbial catchphrase to express an attitude of blindness in the face of a difficult situation –...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her annual state of the union address in the European Parliament on Wednesday, praising the EU’s efforts in dealing with the pandemic and economic recovery, but also calling for more efforts to achieve strategic autonomy, climate goals and a coherent European defence.

Looking for provocative opinions and dynamic new approaches to energy efficiency in Central and Eastern Europe? Searching for an interactive way to share innovative ideas that could inspire real future change in the region? Ondrej Sramek is the Corporate Affairs...

Russia's Energy Ministry is due to prepare a report in the coming days about the possibility of Rosneft exporting natural gas to Europe via the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Interfax cited Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak as saying on Wednesday (15 September)

Written by Beatrix Immenkamp.

The departure of United States (US) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops from Afghanistan marks the end of a 20-year military campaign that was launched in 2001 to eliminate the Taliban’s ability to provide sanctuary for international terrorists, especially al-Qaeda, and stabilise the country with the help of a democratically elected government. However, as the last US soldier boarded a US military aeroplane on 31 August 2021, terrorists were firing rockets at Kabul airport, members of the democratically elected government, including the president, had either fled abroad or were in hiding, and the Taliban had taken back control of most of Afghanistan. On 7 September 2021, the Taliban announced an all-male caretaker government drawn entirely from the Taliban movement, contrary to earlier promises that the new government would be ‘inclusive’. So far, no country has recognised the interim government. There have been reports of reprisals against security personnel, individuals with links to the previous administration and foreign forces, journalists and minorities, in particular. The rights to education and employment that women have enjoyed for the past 20 years are meanwhile being curtailed.

In the meantime, the humanitarian situation in the country is increasingly desperate. The country relies extensively on foreign aid, most of which is currently suspended, while foreign assets have been frozen. Many Afghans have fled to neighbouring countries, joining the estimated 3-4 million Afghan refugees already living there, mainly in Iran and Pakistan. The EU has expressed concerns over the composition of the interim government, noting that an inclusive and representative government – which the interim government is not – is an essential benchmark for EU engagement. The EU has made available large amounts of humanitarian and development aid and is hoping to establish a diplomatic presence on the ground in Kabul. The EU is also planning to set up a regional platform for cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbours on issues including population flows from Afghanistan, terrorism, organised crime and drugs.

This Briefing expands and updates an ‘At a glance’ note published on 2 September 2021.

Read the complete briefing on ‘The situation in Afghanistan: Essential benchmarks for EU engagement‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Further reading:

• Peace and Security, Animated infographic
• Afghanistan once more under Taliban rule, At a glance, 02 September 2021
• US and NATO leave Afghanistan: What next?, At a glance, 14 July 2021

As the German elections near, the EU is simultaneously gearing up for the fight over the revision of the dated Works Council Directive. Germany has always been a pioneer of worker’s co-determination, where will its next government stand?

Only Gambia is currently on course to deliver climate action that is in alignment with the 1.5°C pathway of the Paris Agreement, according to new research from Climate Action Tracker (CAT), which warns that momentum on updating climate targets has stalled. EURACTIV's media partner, edie.net, reports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a €50 billion investment to strengthen the European health union in her annual State of the Union speech in efforts to concrete the EU as a world leader on health.   

Written by Magdalena Sapała with Nina Thomassen.

Since the beginning of 2021, Member States and EU institutions have been preparing intensively to launch the recovery instrument, Next Generation EU (NGEU). In order to make this unique financial stimulus package fully operational, many conditions have needed to be met and preparatory steps completed.

First, preparations have been ongoing for the spending of the biggest part of NGEU (90 %) under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This process includes the drawing up of national recovery and resilience plans by the Member States, their evaluation by the European Commission, and approval by the Council of the EU. Up to 15 September 2021, most of the national plans submitted have been positively assessed by the Commission and approved by the Council (18). Based on this, the Commission concluded agreements with those Member States on a legal commitment authorising the financial contribution to be made, and the first transfers of EU aid (pre-financing) were made on 3 August. In the case of some countries, however, the assessment procedure has been delayed.   

In parallel, the system for financing NGEU had to be created almost from scratch. It is based on borrowing operations carried out by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. These operations could start only once all Member States had ratified the Own Resources Decision (ORD), which was done by the end of May 2021. In the meantime, the Commission was preparing for its role of borrower on an unprecedented scale. At the beginning of the summer, it started implementing its diversified funding strategy for the financing of NGEU. In three issuances successfully conducted so far, the Commission has raised €45 billion in total out of the €80 billion planned for 2021.

This is an update of a Briefing of 7 June 2021.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Recovery plan for Europe: State of play, September 2021‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

• Structure of the recovery and resilience facility (current prices)
• Timeline and main steps in the procedure
• NGEU resources pre-allocated to Member States (RRF, REACT-EU, JTF and rural development) by Member State and per capita (€, current prices)
• Overview of the recovery plan for Europe, € billion, current prices

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday (15 September) the intention to present a European Chips Act meant to boost Europe’s semiconductor capacity and reinforce its new drive for strategic autonomy.

In the annual State of the European Union debate, MEPs quizzed Commission President von der Leyen about the EU’s most immediate challenges.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

In the annual State of the European Union debate, MEPs quizzed Commission President von der Leyen about the EU’s most immediate challenges.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a pitch on Wednesday (15 September) for stronger European defence, saying the bloc needs to boost its own military capacity but fell short of setting out clear proposals, particularly on how this...