European Union

Parliament calls on the EU to punish those involved in forcing a plane to land in Minsk on 23 May and in the detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

In Ireland, a storm is brewing over the need to give all farmers an equal slice of EU payments. While Irish farmers association argue that this risks more farms becoming unviable, proponents say it is needed even the playing field for small farms.

Over A Coffee with Alex Rogers, Executive Vice President of Qualcomm, and President of Qualcomm Technology Licensing A recent Accenture study on the impact of 5G in the European economy reports that 5G will drive up to €2.0 trillion in...

After more than a year blanketed by the pandemic—communities, economies, and health systems in the European Union and beyond continue to be devastated. It is all too clear that the world is in desperate need of an immediate and novel...

Authorities in the Portuguese capital admitted on Thursday (10 June) that they handed over the personal details of three organisers of an anti-Kremlin demonstration to the Russian embassy in Lisbon, a move that has prompted much eyebrow-raising in Brussels. In...

Written by Frederik Scholaert.

© shaunwilkinson / Adobe Stock

Marine resources are a vital and growing source of food for human consumption, while oceans also play an important role in climate regulation. Scientific evidence shows that the climate system has changed rapidly in recent decades, with the oceans greatly mitigating the effects of climate change by absorbing excess heat and human-made carbon emissions. The velocity of the effects of climate change leaves little room for adaptation, causing both declines in abundance and geographic shifts in fish populations. As a result, people who rely heavily on seafood and fisheries for their livelihoods run the risk of income loss and food insecurity.

The European Green Deal places climate action at the heart of a wide range of new legislative and non-legislative initiatives and includes ambitious goals such as achieving climate-neutrality by 2050 and preserving and protecting biodiversity. The new ‘farm to fork’ strategy addresses the challenges of sustainability in the food supply chain and, in the area of seafood, highlights the imminent update of the strategic guidelines on aquaculture, the goal to support the algae industry and the focus on climate change in the 2022 common fisheries policy review. In its biodiversity strategy, the Commission proposes a new binding target of 30 % marine protected areas in EU waters by 2030, a target supported by Parliament.

A reduction in fishing pressure could also offset the environmental impacts of climate change. The last reform of the common fisheries policy marked an important milestone by requiring fish stocks to be restored and maintained above levels capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield. An own-initiative report from Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries focuses specifically on the impact of rising seawater temperatures on fish stocks and fisheries. The oceans can be harnessed to help to close the emissions gap however, by unlocking their renewable offshore energy potential. In its offshore renewable energy strategy, the Commission aims to reach a deployment of 300 GW in offshore wind capacity by 2050, a 20-fold increase compared to today. Another own-initiative report from Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries looks into the impact on the fishing sector of offshore wind and other renewable energy systems.

Cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind energy worldwide

Cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind energy worldwide

Български – Español – Čeština – Dansk – Deutsch – Eesti keel – Ελληνικά – English – Français – Hrvatski – Italiano – Latviešu valoda – Lietuvių kalba – Magyar – Malti – Nederlands – Polski – Português – Română – Slovenčina – Slovenščina – Suomi – Svenska

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU climate action in ocean governance and fisheries policy‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Parliament insists that national recovery plans must fully meet the agreed requirements and targets for fair and green growth and digital transformation
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Parliament insists that national recovery plans must fully meet the agreed requirements and targets for fair and green growth and digital transformation
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs call for tighter EU cybersecurity standards for connected devices, apps and operating systems, amid recent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the EU.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs call for tighter EU cybersecurity standards for connected devices, apps and operating systems, amid recent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the EU.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The European football championship starts on Friday (11 June) and teams will face each other in 51 matches in 11 cities across the continent. Despite the travelling, UEFA has pledged that it will be “the most eco-friendly championship to date”. EURACTIV France reports.

MEPs instruct EP President Sassoli to call on the Commission, within two weeks at the latest, to “fulfil its obligations” under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Budgetary Control

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs instruct EP President Sassoli to call on the Commission, within two weeks at the latest, to “fulfil its obligations” under the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Budgetary Control

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

As the European Union adopts tougher climate goals for 2030, aiming for net-zero emissions by mid-century, the bloc's next-door neighbours in the Western Balkans are struggling to keep up and face growing difficulties in the transition to a green economy.

Disparities between the EU and Western Balkan countries on energy are only getting bigger, with many of them still addicted to highly-polluting coal power stations that provide cheap electricity as well as revenues to governments and the local population. “They’re milking them until the bitter end,” says Janez Kopac.

On Thursday, Parliament’s Conference of Presidents announced the names of the 108 MEPs that will take part in the plenary meetings of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Thursday, Parliament’s Conference of Presidents announced the names of the 108 MEPs that will take part in the plenary meetings of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The world needs to rethink intellectual property rights to get ready for the next pandemic and Europe has to do its part as a constructive partner at the negotiating table, Belgian socialist MEP Kathleen Van Brempt told EURACTIV in an interview.

Joe Biden arrived at the American airbase in Mildenhall, England, yesterday, the first stop on his week-long Europe tour. The G7 summit in Cornwall, the Nato summit on Monday, and meetings with Johnson, Erdoğan and Putin are other main events on the schedule. Europe's press takes a look at Biden's agenda for his first foreign trip as president.