European Union

The pan-European broadcaster Euronews will be acquired by a Portuguese venture capital firm that has the ambition to make the news network a global actor, its management said.

Written by Beatrix Immenkamp.

Enormous natural gas resources have turned Qatar into one of the world’s richest countries. The 11 610 km2 nation currently has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world. The absolute monarchy’s estimated 340 000-350 000 citizens benefit from free education, free healthcare, virtually guaranteed – and well paid – employment, and pay almost no taxes. However, the great majority of the emirate’s nearly 3 million inhabitants live in very different conditions. Qatar has the highest ratio of migrants in the world: 85 % of its population are migrants and 94 % of its workforce comes from abroad, mostly from south Asia and Africa. In contrast to the small percentage of expatriates from the West and other Gulf States, Asian and African migrants live and work in harsh conditions. Around 1 million are employed in construction, and 100 000 are domestic workers.

In December 2010, FIFA, world football’s governing body, granted Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 21 November to 18 December. Expanding on an existing development programme enshrined in the Qatar National Vision 2030, the country embarked on an extensive building programme to prepare for the World Cup, involving an estimated 1 million migrant workers. However, these preparations placed the spotlight on Qatar’s poor treatment of migrant workers. In response to international pressure, Qatar has introduced important legal changes to improve the situation of these workers, which the EU has welcomed. However, according to human rights organisations, the country needs to take further steps to stop abuses. Of particular concern is the kafala sponsorship system, which is widely used throughout the six Gulf Cooperation Council States and gives disproportionate power to employers, leading to widespread abuse of migrant workers’ rights. Even though Qatar has started to dismantle the kafala system, important elements remain in place. Moreover, ensuring compliance with more favourable labour laws remains a challenge. Since 2008, the European Parliament has adopted four resolutions addressing the situation of migrant workers in Qatar; it has called on Qatar to end the ‘deplorable situation’ of migrant workers and prevent preparations for the 2022 World Cup from being ‘overshadowed by allegations of forced labour’.

Read the complete briefing on ‘The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Turning the spotlight on workers’ rights‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

In this third edition of the CAPitals, EURACTIV's network takes a look at the state of play of the implementation of the Unfair Trade Practices (UTP) directive across the bloc.

The European Union has moved to ensure that medicines will continue to be available in Northern Ireland at the same time as in the rest of the UK, under new proposals published on Friday (17 December).

Russia said it wanted a legally binding guarantee that the NATO military alliance would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of ambitious security guarantees it wants to negotiate with the West.

It is hard to remember a time in Europe’s recent past when conspiracy theories and disinformation were so popular and scapegoating of communities so prevalent. Aside from the health crisis, the COVID pandemic has brought with it distant echoes of the darker moments in Europe’s last century.

The coalition agreement of the new Dutch government under Prime Minister Mark Rutte foresees more spending on childcare, teacher salaries, and environmental issues, showing the increased influence of the centre-left, liberal party D66.

During his first agriculture and fisheries council, new German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir presented himself as an advocate of climate protection and animal welfare as the ministers discussed measures against deforestation.

As the EU increasingly turns its focus to media funding, ensuring that it aims for long-term sustainability rather than just short-term investment, will be key to ensuring success, those working in the sector have said. 

In a rare move, the Maltese government sent letters to Members of the European Parliament one week before a crucial EU negotiation in an attempt to persuade them to support a controversial gas pipeline connecting the Mediterranean island to Italy's gas network.

Access to data is increasingly recognized as an area of focus for competition policy in the digital space. As the DMA approached the finishing line, we were joined by Bojana Bellamy.

Bosnian homeowners look at their apartment block being renovated after weeks of hard work, and being able to find financing and community consensus around the renovation. Through projects like REELIH, all stakeholders are involved in the promotion, creation, financing and direct implementation of energy efficiency projects.

The European Union may take the trade row between China and Lithuania to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if it finds evidence that Beijing is violating international trade rules, the bloc's executive Commission said on Friday.

Written by Katarzyna Sochacka and Clare Ferguson.

Due to the deteriorating Covid‑19 situation, Members were again able to choose to vote remotely during the December plenary session in Strasbourg. Parliament nevertheless held a joint debate on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 16‑17 December 2021 and the EU’s response to the global resurgence of Covid‑19 and new emerging variants. Members debated statements by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell, on the situation in Nicaragua, at the Ukrainian border, and in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. Members also debated a number of Council and European Commission statements, including on: the proposed Council decision on provisional emergency measures on the external border with Belarus; the state of play of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, plans to further undermine fundamental rights in Poland; on the EU response to transport poverty; taking stock of the European Year of Rail; the outcome of the Global Summit on Nutrition for Growth and increased food insecurity in developing countries; and on an EU ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

In a formal sitting, Parliament heard an address by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana.

Sakharov Prize 2021

A key annual highlight in the European Parliament’s continual defence of human rights is the award of the Sakharov Prize in honour of the work of brave human rights defenders. This year, and following an attempt on his life, Parliament awarded the prize to imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Parliament has repeatedly expressed concern about Navalny’s situation, calling for his immediate release. With this award, Parliament emphasises its position on Russia’s systematic silencing of dissident voices, and its failure to uphold its international commitments to human rights. Daria Navalnaya, Navalny’s daughter, received the 2021 Sakharov Prize on behalf of her father in a ceremony during the plenary session.

Digital markets act

Parliament debated and adopted its position on an Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) report on the proposed digital markets act (DMA), which seeks to regulate big digital platforms in the EU. The committee’s report proposes to extend the scope of the DMA to include web browsers, virtual assistants and connected televisions, and to increase the threshold for a company to be considered a ‘gatekeeper’. It also seeks stronger obligations on companies that act as internet gatekeepers, to ensure messaging and social media is interoperable and to make it easier to unsubscribe, as well as strengthening the rules on advertising and fair access. The European Commission will enforce the terms of the DMA, with fines for non-compliance ranging from 4 to 20 % of a company’s total worldwide turnover. The text now constitutes Parliament’s position for the forthcoming negotiations with the Council.

European Year of Youth 2022

The coronavirus pandemic has had terrible consequences for young people, with their lives and education completely disrupted by successive lock-downs. The European Commission has therefore proposed to concentrate efforts to improve their situation, by making 2022 the European Year of Youth. Following calls from Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) for additional efforts to include disadvantaged young people, and its successful negotiation of an additional €8 million funding for the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes, Parliament adopted an agreement reached between the co-legislators, so that the arrangements can be put in place in time for 1 January 2022.

Health technology assessment

The successful roll-out of coronavirus vaccine programmes in Europe underlined the benefits of swifter assessment of innovative health solutions. While EU countries are responsible for their healthcare policies, introducing EU-wide cooperation on research to assess the value of new health technologies should help make it swifter and easier to introduce new medicines and medical devices. Parliament has insisted that there be full transparency in the way the proposed coordination groups would work, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest in their consultations with experts, patient representatives and industry stakeholders. Parliament debated and adopted at second reading a new regulation on stronger EU cooperation on health technology assessment, allowing for the final act to be signed on 15 December 2021 and to apply three years after it enters into force.

New orientations for the EU’s humanitarian action

Together, the EU and its Member States already contribute more than one third of global humanitarian assistance. Parliament has pushed for a follow up to the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, which sets out why, how and when the EU acts in response to humanitarian crises. Members therefore debated a Committee on Development (DEVE) own-initiative report on the Commission’s proposed new guidelines for EU humanitarian action, voting in favour of seeking swift action supported by more predictable and flexible funding, as well as sanctions for those who commit violations of international humanitarian law.

Cooperation on the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans

Criminal activities, such as human trafficking and migrant smuggling, carried out by transnational organised crime groups in the Western Balkans are detrimental to victims, citizens of the region and the EU alike. Although cooperation with the EU and its agencies is already under way, an own-initiative report by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs (AFET) Committee underlines that accelerating reforms in the fight against transnational organised crime in the region, in line with the demands of the EU integration process, would greatly improve the situation, as well as trust in democracy in the region. Parliament debated and adopted a resolution on cooperation in the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans.

Combating gender-based cyber-violence

The issue of cyber-violence has grown increasingly critical with the rise in the use of the internet and social media, exacerbated by the anonymity available to perpetrators. As no EU legislation currently specifically addresses gender-based violence, including cyber-violence, Parliament is keen to see these issues tackled in the European Commission’s expected proposal on combating online violence early in 2022. Members debated and adopted a legislative-initiative resolution tabled by Parliament’s Committees on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) and Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), on combating gender-based cyber-violence. The committees would like to see the new legislation include measures that set out a legal definition of gender-based cyber-violence, EU-wide sanctions and improved support for victims.

European framework for employees’ participation rights and the revision of the European Works Council Directive

Members debated and adopted an own-initiative report prepared by the Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Committee proposing to revise the framework of EU laws that supports EU countries’ efforts to promote democracy at work. While the current EU laws to promote employee participation and representation rights have proved somewhat contradictory, new social, economic and pandemic-related challenges for workers mean that it is more important than ever that employees themselves have a say in the changes to come. The EMPL committee report therefore underlines the need for a new EU framework on information, consultation and board-level employee representation, including revamped European works councils, to reinforce employees’ rights.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

Members confirmed, without a vote, two mandates for negotiations from the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) Committee on the proposal for an amending directive on digital operational resilience requirements and on the proposal for a directive on digital operational resilience for the financial sector. Members also confirmed a mandate from the Fisheries (PECH) Committee on the proposal for a regulation on management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Area of Competence.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Plenary round-up – December 2021‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The EU Commission on Friday unveiled a new proposal to ease medical flows from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, with conditions to ensure that UK-authorised medicines do not enter the EU market. Changing the rules on medicines and manufacturing authorisations highlights "the flexibility of the [Northern Ireland] protocol," said EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič. Meanwhile, Malta, Cyprus and Ireland will also benefit from certain legal exemptions for a three-year period.

The German conservative CDU party is set to replace former Chancellor Angela Merkel with her oldest "surviving" rival: the neo-liberal Friedrich Merz.

Adapted vaccines and increased unity of purpose amongst EU governments are needed to effectively tackle the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, according to the European Commission.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.    “The challenge is making our rules something that can be enforced seriously, and cannot be challenged in court all...

This week our Beyond the Byline podcast focuses on the imprisoning of the leader of opposition in Belarus, strongman’s Lukashenko’s practices against his political opponents and what is EU’s position.

Russia on Friday (17 December) published security proposals addressed to NATO and the United States and called for urgent talks with Washington as tensions between Moscow and Western capitals soar over the conflict in Ukraine. The far-reaching proposals, which Russia...