European Union

Spokespersons for Parliament and for political groups will hold a briefing on the 13-16 September plenary session on Friday at 11.00, in Parliament’s Ana Politkovskaya press room.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

  This week our podcast focuses on the European Commission’s decision to step up its legal feud with Warsaw by asking the top EU court to impose a daily financial penalty on Poland for its’ non-compliance with temporary measures European...

European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to tout the success of the institution’s vaccine strategy and the Covid certificate in her State of the EU speech on 15 September, in which Europe’s global status and role will have increased prominence following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Written by Marie-Laure Augère-Granier and James McEldowney.

On 30 June 2021, the European Commission adopted a communication on its long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas. The communication identifies areas of action with a view to creating new momentum for the EU’s rural areas, while recognising their diversity. In recent decades, in many Member States rural areas have experienced depopulation. Such regions face a range of environmental and socio-economic challenges. These include, for example, lower income per capita, a higher percentage of the population at risk of poverty and social exclusion, a lack of access to basic infrastructure and services, and lower levels of access to fast broadband internet. The EU’s rural development policy has sought to help address these challenges.

Evaluation evidence is emerging on the impact of the common agricultural policy (CAP) on the territorial development of the EU’s rural areas. Measures relating to village renewal and LEADER (Liaison entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie rurale) measures are considered to be well-targeted and relevant to local needs, although they represent a small proportion of CAP financing. Administrative burdens have been raised as an issue that can impact on the developmental process. Recommendations from this evaluation evidence point to the need for better integration of funding streams, the need to maintain a dialogue across the European structural funds, and all the implications this may have for the new CAP strategic plans. The Commission’s recommendations to Member States on their CAP strategic plans highlight a number of recurring themes relating to the employment, education and training needs of rural areas, including the need to address rural depopulation, promote generational renewal, improve connectivity, and address the role played by action taken at local level. The Commission’s communication on a long-term vision for rural areas includes provision for a ‘rural pact’ to engage actors at EU, national, rural and local levels and an EU rural action plan, setting out a range of initiatives and actionable projects. The vision and its supporting analyses will provide a framework for addressing the future of the EU’s rural areas.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU rural development policy: Impact, challenges and outlook‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Listen to policy podcast ‘EU rural development policy: Impact, challenges and outlook’ on YouTube.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the EU's protected designation of origin (PDO) for foodstuff and drinks extends to services, allowing the French champagne lobby to carry off a tactical win in a legal battle against a small Spanish restaurant chain.

France will push for "an accelerated phase-out of pesticides" at the EU level when it takes on the rotating EU Council Presidency in January 2022, President Emmanuel Macron told the World Conservation Congress which opened in Marseille this week

Contrary to their promises, the Taliban have presented a transitional Afghan government consisting solely of people from their own ranks. Security-related portfolios went to jihad-oriented Taliban and the interior minister is a wanted terrorist. Today's commentaries reflect the world's concerns.

Nearly six years after the terrorist attacks of November 2015 in which more than 130 people were killed, the trial of the suspected attackers began in Paris on Wednesday. The hearings will be recorded on video and made public. Commentators praise the legal process yet are concerned that other things have been overlooked.

The Danish government presented a labour market reform on Monday. Among other things it includes measures aimed at encouraging more migrants to seek work: those who have been receiving unemployment benefits for a long time will in future be obliged to do up to 37 hours of community service a week. The country's press welcomes the initiative but suspects that it will be difficult to implement.