European Union

The best gas package that the European Commission can come up with may not be a gas package at all, but rather an integrated system package that creates opportunities for competing energy sources to meet end-uses, write Megan Anderson and Jan Rosenow.

A group of MEPs and the US administration have accused Russia of market manipulation, the situation is however much more complex and nuanced than that, writes Danila Bochkarev.

`Issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing climate change are pushing immigration further down the political agenda. This shift is a chance for less contentious law-making on asylum and migration.

The EU has been accused of contributing to the development of ‘surveillance’ capacities in third countries without considering fundamental rights and data protection; according to a complaint filed with the European Ombudsman by a coalition of privacy NGOs. The dossier...

So often the source of rows between its members, the European Union starts reviewing its rules for national budgets to fit a post-pandemic reality of higher public debt and the huge costs of transitioning to a zero-emissions economy.

Latvia announced a COVID-19 lockdown from 21 October until 15 November to try to slow a spike in infections in one of the least vaccinated European Union countries.

Tuesday, 19 October

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Tuesday, 19 October

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Written by Sidonia Mazur.

The European Parliament is one of the two arms of the budgetary authority of the European Union, the Council being the other. The two institutions, assisted by the European Commission, decide on the budget in the annual EU budgetary procedure, within the limits of the long-term EU budget (the multiannual financial framework (MFF)). The annual EU budget funds EU policies and programmes following the Union’s political priorities and legal obligations. The financial year starts on 1 January and ends on 31 December. The European Parliament amends the Council position on the draft budget proposed by the European Commission through the work of its Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and the specialised parliamentary committees.

During the October II plenary session, the Parliament is due to vote on amendments to the Council’s position on the draft EU budget for 2022. The 2022 budget is the second under the 2021‑2027 MFF. It is also the second year of the EU Recovery Instrument – Next Generation EU (NGEU) – planned to run for the years 2021 to 2023. The BUDG committee report reverses all the reductions to the Commission’s budget that were proposed by the Council. Furthermore, it proposes a considerable increase in 2022 budget contributions to Parliament’s priorities, in particular the recovery from the Covid‑19 crisis. The BUDG report sets the 2022 EU budget at €171.8 billion in commitments. For payments, it proposes almost €172.47 billion.

The report confirms the Parliament’s priorities with the overarching objective being support to Covid-19 recovery. The top priorities are:  investment with a particular focus on SMEs, the green and digital transitions, giving fresh opportunities to young people and providing protection to children, and a strong European Health Union (including the COVAX programme). Finally yet importantly, the report underlines the priorities in the fields of security, migration, asylum and integration, fundamental rights and Union values. The committee restores appropriations to the level of the draft budget on all Commission lines subsequently cut by the Council.

The next step in the procedure will be the convening of the Conciliation Committee, bringing together Parliament and Council delegations. The 21‑day conciliation period will last until 15 November, with the first meeting scheduled for 28 October.

Further reading

• For more information on Parliament’s reading of the EU 2022 budget see our at a glance note.
• For more on Parliament’s role in the EU annual budgetary procedure see: Annual EU budgetary procedure: An introduction to the steps in the EP
• For more on the MFF see our up to date blogpost or our interactive infographic.
• For more on the recovery plan for Europe see our briefing.

As EU leaders meet this week to discuss rising energy prices, Warsaw has called for an in-depth review of EU climate policies, including the “revision or postponement” of the 'Fit for 55' legislation tabled in July.

The EU will not hold talks in Brussels on Thursday (21 October) with Iran on restarting negotiations over the country's nuclear deal, the bloc's foreign policy chief said, contradicting a declaration by Tehran.

Turkey is preparing for possible further military action against a US-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria if talks on the issue with the United States and Russia fail, two Turkish officials said.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Belarus recalling its Ambassador from France after it asked the French Ambassador to leave Minsk, Czech President Milos Zeman being unfit to fulfill his presidential duties, and so much more.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of 10 countries, including the United States, Germany and France, over a statement calling for the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala, state-owned Anadolu agency said on Tuesday (19 October).

Prime Minister Janez Janša dismissed the statement by opposition Social Democrat (SD) leader Tanja Fajon that Slovenia is being stripped of dossiers that are part of its current EU Council presidency as he attended questions' time with deputies in the National Assembly on Monday (18 October).

The editor-in-chief and two additional editors quit Pesti Hírlap daily paper after accusations of biased coverage of opposition primaries, Telex reported via 24.hu. A friend of Antal Rogán, Viktor Orbán’s cabinet chief frequently referred to as the “propaganda minister” by local media, recently acquired...

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday criticised Russia’s announcement to withdraw its mission to NATO. Russia said on Monday (18 October) it would halt the activities of its mission to NATO and that of NATO’s diplomatic mission in Moscow after...

Nicaragua is "one of the worst dictatorships in the world" with its President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo preparing "fake elections" to stay in power, the EU's foreign policy chief said Monday (18 October).

Russian firm Gazprom has booked just one third of offered additional gas-transit capacity via the Yamal-Europe pipeline via Poland for November and not booked any volumes via Ukraine, Reuters reports. The tightening of the supplies amid a crunch in world energy markets was "blackmailing Europe in order to obtain Nord-Stream 2 certification", Yuriy Vitrenko, the head of Ukraine gas firm Naftogaz said, referring to Russia's new pipeline to Germany.