European Union

China has complained the EU and US consulates in Hong Kong lit scores of candles in their windows this weekend to commemorate the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. "Any attempt to exploit Hong Kong to carry out infiltration or sabotage activities against the mainland crosses the red line ... is absolutely intolerable," a spokesperson for the Hong Kong office of China's foreign ministry said Saturday.

Ukraine has outraged Russia by unveiling a national football shirt for the Euro 2021 championship with a map showing Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, as part of Ukraine, and adding a slogan "Glory to Ukraine!", linked to its 2014 pro-Western revolution. One Russian MP, Dmitry Svishchev, called it a "political provocation", Reuters reported, while the Russian foreign ministry said the slogan resembled a Nazi Germany-type war cry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday (4 June) he hoped to improve deeply damaged relations with the United States when he holds his first summit with US counterpart Joe Biden later this month.

Recycling organisations have urged Brussels lawmakers to make the use of recycled plastic mandatory in new vehicles, a move they say will help to bring cars in line with circular use principles. But car manufacturers are hesitant to back the proposal.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives won a resounding victory in a state election in Eastern Germany on Sunday, in a boost to Armin Laschet, who hopes to succeed her in September's national election.

Russia has threatened to cut off Ukraine gas for political reasons, immediately after announcing the completion of a new pipeline to Germany.

In recent years, the EU has taken a “zero tolerance” approach to illegal fishing practices. Now its vision to stop such practices through increased transparency needs support, writes Pierre Karleskind.

Spain will allow travellers to enter the country as of Monday if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, present a negative PCR test or show that they have taken the much cheaper rapid antigen test. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. 

EU states have so far confirmed to relocate just 20 people out of the some 1,400 that arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in early May.

The Austrian report, finding the Paks site lies on a seismic fault line, adds to existing concerns over safety issues on the expansion of the nuclear plant - a project pushed by the government of prime minister Viktor Orbán.

There will be still a very limited number of people traveling to Strasbourg. Many think it is an early return: those travelling will have to respect the French curfew and will need to quarantine upon their return to Belgium.

As the crisis in Ceuta unfolded, Spain resolutely requested Brussels' support. And it got it.

Innogrid 10th edition – 11 June 2021 On 11 June, “Beyond sandboxes”, a selection of EU funded projects will showcase how they can accelerate the transition.

The German government is backing an extension of European Union carbon pricing and an end to free carbon permits for airlines as the bloc prepares new measures to help meet climate change targets, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Press briefing ahead of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will take place on 8 June 2021 at 10.00.

The Council introduced a ban on the overflight of EU airspace, and on access to EU airports by Belarusian carriers.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Suite à la visite à Bruxelles du président de la République tunisienne, Kaïs Saïed, les présidents Michel, von der Leyen et Sassoli ont publié un communiqué conjoint sur le partenariat entre l’Union européenne et la Tunisie.

The European Union has issued a statement reiterating its firm condemnation of the coup d’état in Mali which led to the forced resignation of President Bah N’Daw and his Prime Minister on 26 May.

Written by Carmen-Cristina Cîrlig (1st edition).

© Tobias Arhelger / Adobe Stock

On 9 December 2020, along with its counter-terrorism agenda, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation to reinforce the mandate of Europol, the EU law enforcement cooperation agency. The proposed regulation principally aims at rendering Europol’s cooperation with private parties more effective; at responding to the agency’s ‘big data challenge’, by providing a legal basis for processing large and complex datasets, including personal data of data subjects not related to a crime; and at providing a reinforced role for Europol in relation to research and innovation for law enforcement. The legislative proposal, which would amend the existing Europol Regulation (EU) 2016/794, is also linked to another legislative proposal to modify Regulation (EU) 2018/1862 on the Schengen Information System (SIS), to allow Europol to issue alerts in SIS under a new category.

Discussions in the Council started in January 2021. In the European Parliament, a draft report was discussed in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs at the end of May 2021.

Versions

• Strengthening Europol’s mandate (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/794, as regards Europol’s cooperation with private parties, the processing of personal data by Europol in support of criminal investigations, and Europol’s role on research and innovation Committee responsible: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) COM(2020) 796 9.12.2020 Rapporteur:

Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, Spain)

2020/0349(COD) Shadow rapporteurs: Franco Roberti (S&D, Italy), Dragoş Tudorache (Renew, Romania), Tom Vandendriessche (ID, Belgium), Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgium), Patryck Jaki (ECR, Poland), Clare Daly (The Left, Ireland) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Vote in committee on draft report