European Union

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism needs at least €1.4 billion in funding for 2021-2027 to ensure it is equipped to help with disaster relief, according to MEPs.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

EP President David Sassoli will hold a press conference today at 17:30 on the EU response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press conference room (SPAAK 0A50).

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

EP President David Sassoli will hold a press conference today at 17:30 on the EU response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press conference room (SPAAK 0A50).

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Written by Clare Ferguson,

© artjazz / Fotolia

In view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the European Parliament is implementing a range of precautionary measures. However, the Parliament has a duty to maintain its legislative work, and therefore the plenary session is still planned to take place (although the session will now be held in Brussels), with a number of pressing issues on the agenda. The Council and European Commission are expected to make statements on the novel coronavirus on Tuesday morning. Members are likely to support a coordinated European Union (EU) response to minimising the health and economic impact of the epidemic, with a vote on a motion for resolution scheduled for Thursday lunchtime.

International Women’s Day takes place on 8 March, and Members will hear statements from the Council and Commission on women as key agents for change on Tuesday morning. Indeed, young women (such as Greta Thunberg, who addressed Parliament’s Environment Committee on 4 March 2020), are increasingly making their mark on the world stage. However, gender inequalities persist despite the opportunities offered by the digital revolution, and Members will take stock of women’s rights in the digital age in a topical debate on Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday morning, Members will hear Council and Commission statements on the migration situation at the Greek-Turkish border and the EU response, where weaknesses in the Dublin system of international protection applications are likely once again to come to the fore. While proposals on EU budget financing for activities related to migration and border management are already on the table for the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF), these are yet to be agreed. In a joint debate on Wednesday morning, Members will also hear statements on the conclusions of the special European Council meeting on the next MFF, and on preparations for the European Council meeting scheduled for 26 and 27 March.

Members will hear a number of statements from the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on Tuesday afternoon. The first concerns a key EU strategic partner in the neighbourhood, Georgia, where elections are due in October 2020. The current government is under considerable criticism for its failure to progress on democratic reform. However, Parliament hopes its support of the country’s membership of the Eastern Partnership will encourage the government to implement the reforms called for under its Association Agreement with the EU. Members will vote on a motion for resolution on Thursday. The VP/HR will also make a statement marking five years of implementation of the Minsk agreements, which were intended to provide a roadmap to move from war to peace in Ukraine. Following Russian incursion, fighting in Ukraine led to EU sanctions on Russia in 2014. As the Minsk agreements have had limited success, fighting continues and the sanctions remain in place. Parliament has repeatedly underlined the Kremlin’s responsibility for the implementation of the Minsk accords. On Thursday, Members will vote on a motion for resolution on the five years of implementation.

Small businesses are the backbone of the EU economy, and a joint debate on Tuesday afternoon will focus on the EU strategies on small and medium-sized businesses and European industry, where Parliament has been keen to support Commission efforts to reduce red tape and administrative burden. Such businesses are also one focus of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) report on the employment aspects of the 2020 Annual Growth Survey, which Members will discuss on Wednesday afternoon. The report is a step in the European Semester process, which allows EU countries to coordinate on economic reform and budget plans. The committee welcomes the Commission’s focus on attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, and makes several proposals to boost measures to tackle poverty, gender equality and access to health, all aimed at ensuring a just transition in a fair society.

Parliament plays a vital role in scrutinising such EU policy. Parliament’s committees therefore review several major policy areas and prepare an annual report. On Monday evening, Members will consider two Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) reports, where the committee calls for greater Parliamentary involvement in the process. The first report, on the state of play on banking union in 2019, acknowledges the need for a solid banking union to underpin the economy and to encourage competitiveness and convergence. However, the committee calls for greater advances in risk sharing, particularly in face of the threats associated with climate change or digital weaknesses and more specifically, the challenge posed by the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. The second report deals with a review of EU competition policy in 2019. In view of the increased importance of global markets, the EU needs robust policy with international reach. The committee underlines the need, among other measures, to boost European market leaders and reinforce international standards, particularly in the digital field. While supporting the use of State aid for the European Green Deal, the committee also proposes introducing measures to fine countries that distort competition through State aid.

Finally, during voting on Wednesday, the Fisheries Committee recommends that Parliament consent to the conclusion of a new Protocol on the implementation of the EU–São Tomé and Príncipe fisheries agreement. Under the agreement, in exchange for €840 000 in EU assistance (more than half of which is earmarked to promote sustainable fisheries), São Tomé and Príncipe grants access for EU vessels to tuna stocks in the region.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out about the meeting in Zagreb between EU defence and foreign ministers to discuss cooperation and the crisis in Libya and Syria, the Bundestag debating right-wing terrorism, and so much more.

The European Commission will next week publish its EU-Africa ‘strategy’, which the bloc hopes will form the basis of a new ‘partnership’ with the African continent. EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell will launch the blueprint on Monday (9 March), kick-starting seven months of negotiation between ministers and leaders from the two continents. 

President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated on Thursday (5 March) that Serbia “is not going to become a parking lot for migrants”. “If necessary we are capable of closing the border. We do not, however, have any kind of problem yet. For...

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said Hungary wanted to participate in the LNG terminal project on the northern Adriatic island of Krk, expressing hope that Croatian Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Ćorić would soon convene a...

The Conservative party has a ‘systemic’ problem with Islamophobia, according to the Muslim Council of Britain, which has recommended that the governing party face an independent inquiry into its attitudes towards Muslims. While Boris Johnson’s party has been quick to...

Written by Tania Latici,

© Leoniek van der Vliet / Shutterstock

To ‘unite and strengthen Europe’ is one of the goals expressed by the newly elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Her predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, believed that only ‘a strong and united Europe can protect our citizens against threats internal and external.’ European infrastructure that enables connectivity and ensures a rapid response in case of a crisis is a prerequisite for these visions. Since 2017, awareness has been increasing about the obstacles preventing armed forces from moving effectively and swiftly across borders in crisis conditions. The measures taken to correct this strategic vulnerability are known under the term military mobility.

Existing regulatory, administrative, and infrastructure inconsistencies and impediments across the territory of the European Union (EU) significantly hamper military exercises and training. Military mobility aims to harmonise rules across EU Member States and to explore the potential of a civilian-military approach to infrastructure development. Through measures such as funding dual‑use transport infrastructure, and simplifying diplomatic clearances and customs rules, the European Commission aims to improve military mobility across as well as beyond the EU, in support of missions and operations under the Common Security and Defence Policy. The unique EU contribution is its ability to leverage existing policies in the civilian realm to create added value for the military.

This goal can be achieved only if a whole-of-government approach is applied, which in turn requires close collaboration between different bodies at the EU level, between them and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and between them and various actors at the Member State level. So far, military mobility has enjoyed a high degree of commitment from all stakeholders, which has in turn ensured swift policy implementation. It is becoming increasingly clear that military mobility is an essential piece in the EU’s ambition to become a stronger global actor.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Military mobility: Infrastructure for the defence of Europe‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Listen to policy podcast ‘Military mobility‘ on YouTube.

Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurahmanov, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been hiding in Sweden, escaped attempted murder last week after being the target of an attack, Swedish Radio reported on Wednesday....

Doel 1 and 2, close to the border with the Netherlands, must be shut down if there is no environmental impact report by the end of 2022, Belgium’s Constitutional Court ruled and annulled a law that made it possible to...

While Austria’s budget for 2020 will increase military spending by €123 million, the budget will be cut by €760,000 in 2021 and further until 2023, according to numbers obtained by the Austrian Press Agency. The reports triggered harsh criticism against...

Two weeks after a gunman killed nine people in two shisha bars in what has become the worst right-wing terrorist attack in post-reunification Germany, MPs debated right-wing extremism in the Bundestag. While most politicians united in the call for action...

After admitting that the coronavirus will strongly impact the country’s crucial tourism sector on Thursday (5 March), the Spanish government announced extra measures to mitigate the negative consequences of the virus outbreak, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. Spain’s Secretary of State...

Teen activist Greta Thunberg reminded EU ministers on Thursday (5 March) about the rapidly declining amount of carbon dioxide that world nations are still allowed to emit before the rise in global temperatures risks hitting dangerous levels.

The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday (5 March) dismissed Ruslan Riaboshapka as the country's prosecutor general, raising concerns from civil society groups as well as lawmakers in the European Parliament.

EU environment ministers suggested on Thursday (5 March) that airlines should no longer be issued free pollution permits by the bloc’s carbon market, as a review of the emissions trading system fast approaches.

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration – the 1995 UN agenda for women's empowerment. It articulated, for the first time, a comprehensive worldwide action plan to achieve gender equality, write four socialist politicians.

Next week's plenary session will be moved from Strasbourg to Brussels due to "significantly higher health risks", European Parliament president David Sassoli said on Thursday (5 March), after France reported more cases of the new coronavirus.