European Union

The British multinational security company G4S lost its contract with the European Parliament in 2011 in a backlash from MEPs over alleged abuses in Israel. Today, they guard the parliament's main entrance and have become the EU's top security provider.

International Women's Day falls on Sunday (8 March). Too few of Europe's 47 nations have a legal definition of rape based on lack of consent. It is time for that to change.

ExxonMobil lobbyists pushed the EU commission to weaken climate regulation for the transport sector with a two-pronged strategy: supporting the Paris Agreement, while dwelling on long-term technical solutions and promoting oil and gas usage in the green transition.

The role of the EU's top court, fisheries, the framework of the agreement, and level playing field are the key hurdles after the opening salvo of Brexit trade negotiations.

The EU exectuive plans binding measures on pay transparency, and also wants lagging countries to ratify the Istanbul convention preventing violence agaisnt women.

The European Commission is preparing a new post-2020 EU policy on Roma inclusion as part of "A Strong Social Europe for Transition". This new EU Roma inclusion policy is scheduled to take effect in the final quarter of 2020.

China, the world's biggest polluter, reduced its emissions by 25 percent since the coronavirus outbreak in January, according to an analysis of Lauri Myllyvirta at the University of Helsinki's centre for research on energy and clean air. "For something like this to happen virtually overnight is very much unprecedented," Myllyvirta told the DW on Thursday. So far, over 80,400 cases of coronavirus, and 3,013 deaths, were registered in China.

Following Iran and Italy's lead, Greece announced on Thursday a 48-hour shutdown of educational institutions, including "a suspension of all mass gatherings" at theatres, cinemas, museums, and sports events in three regions to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Guardian reported. The Peloponnese regions affected are Achaia and Elis and the island of Zakynthos. The country recorded 31 infections, but no fatalities.

The European Parliament's committee on environment and public health stressed on Thursday the need to fund the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (CPM) through the EU's next 2021-2027 long-term budget with at least €1.4bn - as initially proposed by the European Commission. CPM has supported member states when a natural disaster occurred - and also evacuated EU nationals from China during the coronavirus outbreak.

Julian King, the final UK European commissioner before Brexit, has joined Oxford University as a visiting fellow. King was responsible for security policy at the European Commission, focussing on counter-terrorism, cyber threats, political disinformation, and counter-radicalisation. He now joins the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the university. King said "I look forward to ... help deepen our collective understanding of EU and national internet security policy, and develop appropriate standards."

Scottish judges on Thursday halted the procedure to suspend the European arrest warrant issued against Catalan MEP Clara Ponsatí (who was residing in Scotland), until the European Parliament votes on the extent of her immunity as a member of the chamber, according to the daily Catalan News. Ponsatí's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said that this decision was "another victory against Spain's abuse of the rule of law".

Statement by European Parliament President David Sassoli

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Statement by European Parliament President David Sassoli

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The EDA Steering Board today appointed Jiří Šedivý, former Czech Defence Minister, as new EDA Chief Executive upon recommendation of the Head of the European Defence Agency Josep Borrell. He will take office in April 2020.

Jiří Šedivý has extensive experience in the defence domain, having served as Defence Minister of the Czech Republic (2006-2007), Deputy Defence Minister (2010-2012), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning (2007-2010) and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to NATO (2012-2019). He also was Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic (2007). On 1 September 2019 (and until today), Mr Šedivý was appointed by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs as special representative for resilience and new threats.

“Jiří Šedivý’s ministerial and diplomatic experience as well as his deep practical knowledge of the European and transatlantic security and defence realm make him the ideal candidate to lead the European Defence Agency in the coming years. We need a strong and supportive European Defence Agency to ensure coherence and focus on agreed joint priorities in the implementation of our defence initiatives. I am certain Jiří Šedivý will provide this leadership”, Josep Borrell said.

Mr Šedivý has a distinguished academic background. He is a graduate of Charles University, Prague, where he earned a PhD in Political Science, and of King’s College, London, where he earned an MA in War Studies. From 2004 to 2006 he was Professor of Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, lecturing on such topics as defence sector transformation, civil-military relations and national strategy making.

Between 1999 and 2004, he was Director of the Institute of International Relations in Prague, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Charles University, Prague, and Professor of European Security at New York University, Prague Centre. As an expert, he played an important role in the Czech Republic’s accession to NATO. It was during this period that he also served as external adviser to President Václav Havel.

More information

• CV Jiří Šedivý  

More and more desperate people are fleeing from Idlib, Syria, and waiting at the Greek-Turkish border in the hope of getting into the EU. During the 2015 refugee crisis, it was possible to enter Germany - this time around, it's different. What has happened in the past five years?

The EU and the UK will have to overcome “very serious” differences to agree on a new relationship, chief Brussels negotiator Michel Barnier warned on Thursday (5 May) after concluding the first round of negotiations.

The Executive Director of  the United Nations Population Fund on advancing the UN-EU ‘Spotlight Initiative’ - a global, multi-year programme to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

France’s top court has recognized the right of an Uber driver to be considered an employee, a ruling that could upend the U.S. firm’s business model and potentially require it to pay more taxes and benefits such as paid holidays.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Huawei's willingness to open a factory in France would not change "the government's position on 5G in any way". EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU in the global perspective from our foreign affairs news team: Georgi Gotev and Alexandra Brzozowski.