European Union

A sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across Europe and the fear over the still unknown Omicron variant has put the EU COVID certificate to the test, as a growing number of countries have imposed additional travel restrictions, which in practice...

Russia and China should stand firm in rejecting Western interference and defending each other's security interests, presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed in a video call on Wednesday (15 December).

US military commanders in the Pacific have built a software tool to predict how the Chinese government will react to US actions in the region like military sales, US-backed military activity and even congressional visits to hotspots like Taiwan.

A l'issue du sixième sommet du Partenariat oriental qui s’est tenu à Bruxelles, le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, a souligné le nouvel élan insufflé au partenariat par l’adoption d’une déclaration ambitieuse.

The heads of state or government of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the representatives of the European Union and the heads of state or government of its member states met in Brussels on 15 December 2021. During their meeting they agreed a joint declaration.

Press conference of the European Council meeting, 16 December 2021

Press conference of the Eastern Partnership summit, 15 December 2021

The Council and the European Parliament today reached a political provisional agreement on the revision of the trans-European energy network (TEN-E) Regulation. The objective is to modernise, decarbonise and interconnect the EU’s cross-border energy infrastructure in order to help the EU achieve its 2050 climate neutrality objectives.

On Wednesday, Parliament took stock of developments in Poland, with many speakers calling for action to halt the backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On Wednesday, Parliament took stock of developments in Poland, with many speakers calling for action to halt the backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

EU lawmakers adopted their version of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in a plenary vote on Wednesday (15 December), formalizing their mandate to enter interinstitutional negotiations on this key piece of digital legislation with the European Council and Commission.

Parliament gave its green light to begin negotiations with member states on rules setting out what big online platforms will be allowed to do and not do in the EU.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Parliament gave its green light to begin negotiations with member states on rules setting out what big online platforms will be allowed to do and not do in the EU.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs demand the EU and its member states propose concrete measures to uphold women’s rights and reduce gender inequalities in the EU.
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs demand the EU and its member states propose concrete measures to uphold women’s rights and reduce gender inequalities in the EU.
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Union’s largest ever package of economic support, must make the EU more resilient, more competitive, and more just.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Union’s largest ever package of economic support, must make the EU more resilient, more competitive, and more just.
Committee on Budgets
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Written by Magdalena Pasikowska-Schnass.

From his childhood in the Warsaw Ghetto to his tragic death in a road accident while working at the European Parliament in 2008, Bronisław Geremek faced many personal, professional and political challenges during a period of constant turbulence. A world-renowned historian, he was interested in the poor, the excluded and the marginalised during the Middle Ages, mainly working as a researcher at the Sorbonne and Warsaw University.

The Soviet army’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 marked the start of his political involvement with those opposing the communist regime. He secretly gave history lectures, spoke in defence of workers persecuted following the cost-of-living riots in 1976, and went to Gdańsk in August 1980 to support the strike led by Lech Wałęsa. Geremek subsequently became an adviser to the founder of the Solidarność trade union.

His involvement led to his imprisonment following the military coup in December 1981 and the loss of his position as a professor, but guaranteed his place in negotiations between the communist regime and the democratic opposition in 1989. As a member of the first semi-democratic parliament in the Soviet bloc, he subsequently became Foreign Minister and started the negotiations for Poland’s accession to the European Union. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2004.

His research as a historian focused on Europe as a civilisation, on questions of European identity and integration, and on civil society. Due to his historical research, he had a capacity for in-depth analysis that he used in his European political work and involvement. He concluded that a European public space was essential in order to encourage European civic engagement and awareness.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Bronisław Geremek: In search of a united Europe‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The new European Commission-powered Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud was officially launched on Tuesday (December 14). With 39 members, the initiative gathers some of Europe's top-notch tech companies to collaborate on next-generation computing technologies.

The European Commission has proposed the introduction of minimum energy performance standards for the 15% worst performing buildings in Europe, which would be rated “G” on the EU’s energy performance scale, whether they are residential or not.