European Union

Environmentalists denounce that the EU failed to comply with the legal obligation to end overfishing by 2020, putting at risk the sustainability of fish stocks by putting the interests of the fishing industry ahead of the health of its waters.

As president of one of the largest trade union confederations in the EU, I see the need for good working conditions and decent pay in all member states - but an EU-wide minimum wage could be used to lower wages.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Saturday (11 January) blamed sexism and "fake news" for her defeat in elections last week, as well as a rival who split the right-wing electorate she was counting on.

President Charles Michel met President Erdoğan of Turkey in Istanbul to discuss situation in the Middle East and Libya.

The EU issued a joint statement by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the High Representative on the passing of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman.

With the prospects of a potential US-Iran war fading, EU foreign minister during an emergency session on Friday (10 January), said they are willing to maintain the Iran nuclear deal as long as Tehran fulfils its commitments in order to achieve it.

The last monthly update on agri-food trade with data until October 2019 confirmed a favourable trend of EU food exports to the US ahead of punitive tariffs promised by the Trump administration.

The European Parliament declared Friday (10 January) that jailed Catalan separatist Oriol Junqueras is no longer an MEP, stripping him of the immunity his supporters hoped would see him freed.

Weekly schedule of President Charles Michel 11-19 January 2020

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

The European Union is envisaged as an area of growing stability, security and prosperity, with integration allowing it to boost citizens’ living standards and to enhance its influence globally. Generous cohesion and regional development funds are meant to limit wealth disparities among the various EU regions and countries. However, frequent difficulties in forging common foreign and economic policies, due to national differences, can diminish the EU’s domestic effectiveness and international leverage, while inequalities in income have been widening, especially in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008.

This note brings together commentaries, analyses and studies by international think tanks and research institutes from the last year on EU cohesiveness and cohesion.

A new look at net balances in the European Union’s next multiannual budget
Bruegel, December 2019

Europe’s coherence gap in external crisis and conflict management
Centre for European Policy Studies, December 2019

Don’t be afraid of political fragmentation
Chatham House, December 2019

EU circular economy and trade: Improving policy coherence for sustainable development
Institute for European Environmental Policy, November 2019

Europe’s coherence gap in external crisis and conflict management: The EU’s integrated approach between political rhetoric and institutional practice
Bertelsmann Stiftung, November 2019

Unequal Germany: Socioeconomic disparities report 2019
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, November 2019

States of change: Attitudes in Central and Eastern Europe 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Open Society Foundation, November 2019

The Balkan model and the balkanization of East Central Europe
Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Institute of World Economics, November 2019

The drafting of a European business code
Fondation Robert Schuman, November 2019

One trillion euros for Europe: How to finance a European silkroad with the help of a European silk road trust, backed by a European sovereign wealth fund and other financing instruments
Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, November 2019

Reducing health inequalities: The role of civil society
Fondation Européenne d’Etudes Progressistes, November 2019

Articulating the logic of nuclear-sharing
Institute for European Studies, October 2019F

A geographically fair EU industrial strategy
European Policy Centre, October 2019

With or without you: Are central European countries ready for the euro?
Bruegel, October 2019

Structural change, institutions and the dynamicsof labor productivity in Europe
German Marshall Fund, October 2019

A fresh look at the health-wealth correlation: A case study of European countries
Central European Union Institute, October 2019

All at sea: Europe’s crisis of solidarity on migration
European Council on Foreign Relations, October 2019

Holding together what belongs together: A strategy to counteract economic polarisation in Europe
Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, September 2019

Hidden treasures: Mapping Europe’s sources of competitive advantage in doing business
Centre for European Policy Studies, September 2019

Give the people what they want: Popular demand for a strong European foreign policy
European Council on Foreign Relations, September 2019

Wirtschaftliche Polarisierung in Europa: Ursachen und Handlungsoptionen
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, August 2019

EU cohesion policy: A suitable tool to foster regional innovation?
Bertelsmann Stiftung, August 2019

European cohesion: Progress at a snail’s pace
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, August 2019

Trying times: Rethinking social cohesion
Bertelsmann Stiftung, August 2019

Osteuropa trotzt dem globalen Gegenwindby
Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, July 2019

Fixing the European social malaise: Understanding and addressing the grievances of European workers
Instituto Affari Internazionali, German Marshall Fund, Mercator, July 2019

Cross border services in the internal market: An important contribution to economic and social cohesion
Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, June 2019

Effectiveness of cohesion policy: Learning from the project characteristics that produce the best results
Bruegel, June 2019

Ein neuer Haushalt für die EU: Die Verhandlungen über den mehrjährigen Finanzrahmen 2021–2027
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, June 2019

From enlargement to the unification of Europe
Open Society Foundations, June 2019

Convergence to fair wage growth? Evidence from European countries on the link between productivity and real compensation growth, 1970–2017
European Trade Union Institute, June 2019

The opportunities of the modernisation fund for the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe
Centre for European Policy Studies, June 2019

How to improve European Union cohesion policy for the next decade
Bruegel, May 2019

Migration et cohésion en Europe: Un défi, pas une contradiction
Institut français des relations internationales, May 2019

Promoting sustainable and inclusive growth and convergence in the European Union
Bruegel, April 2019

Posted workers regulations as a cohesion test in the enlarged EU
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, April 2019

Europe’s East-West divide: Myth or reality?
Carnegie Europe, April 2019

Heterogeneity within the euro area: New insights into an old story
Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales, March 2019

Revisiting the euro’s trade cost and welfare effects
Institut für Weltwirtschaft Kiel, March 2019

Gender equality in Europe: What progress in 2019?
Fondation Robert Schuman, March 2019

How are you doing, Europe? Mapping social imbalances in the EU
Jacques Delors Institute, Bertelsmann Stiftung, February 2019

Une assurance-chômage européenne : Ce qu’en pensent vraiment les citoyens
Notre Europe, February 2019

Finding a Visegrad added value in the new cohesion policy, 2021-2027
EUROPEUM, January 2019

Read this briefing on ‘EU cohesiveness and cohesion‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appointed former European Commission spokesperson Arancha González as his new foreign affairs minister, while Nadia Calviño, who used to be a director-general in the EU executive, will become vice-president for economy, and former EU official Luis Planas will stay on as agriculture minister.

Europe has always praised its soft power skills in doing international politics and criticised Washington’s harsh, interest-driven, 'cowboy' approach. But when a problem appears at home, Europeans invariably ask Americans to intervene.

The Swedish transport agency has imposed a temporary ban on Iran Air flights in and out of Sweden after the unexplained crash this week of a Ukrainian passenger jet as it left Tehran airport. Seven Swedish citizens died in the incident. "The reason is the uncertainty around the accident and the security of civil aviation," the agency said in a statement reported by Reuters.

Written by Pernilla Jourde,

© pixbul / Fotolia

Launched in January 2016, the European Union strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) is the fourth and most recent macro-regional strategy to be set up by the European Union. One of the biggest challenges facing the seven countries and 48 regions involved in the EUSALP is that of securing sustainable development in the macro-region, especially in its resource-rich, but highly vulnerable core mountain area. The Alps are home to a vast array of animal and plant species and constitute a major water reservoir for Europe. At the same time, they are one of Europe’s prime tourist destinations, and are crossed by busy European transport routes. Both tourism and transport play a key role in climate change, which is putting Alpine natural resources at risk.

The European Parliament considers that the experience of the EUSALP to date proves that the macro-regional concept can be successfully applied to more developed regions. The Alpine strategy provides a good example of a template strategy for territorial cohesion; as it simultaneously incorporates productive areas, mountainous and rural areas, and some of the most important and highly developed cities in the EU.

Although there is a marked gap between urban and rural mountainous areas, the macro-region shows a high level of socio-economic interdependence, confirmed by recent research. Disparities (in terms of funding and capacity) between participating countries, a feature that has caused challenges for other EU macro-regional strategies, are less of an issue in the Alpine region, but improvements are needed and efforts should be made in view of the new 2021-2027 programming period. Furthermore, the strong bottom-up approach behind the development of the EUSALP ensures local ownership of the strategy, a key element for success.

This is an update of a Briefing by Vivienne Halleux, from August 2016.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU strategy for the Alpine region‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Listen to policy podcast ‘Securing sustainable development in the Alpine Region‘ on YouTube.

Spain's Supreme Court on Friday officially requested the European Parliament suspend the parliamentary immunity of Catalan MEP separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin, after the European Court of Justice ruled in December that MEPs enjoy immunity from the moment they are elected. The Spanish court has also continued its European arrest warrant against both politicians, although previous attempts failed twice, in 2017 and 2018.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban announced on Friday that his country will provide free in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to couples at state-run clinics, the BBC reported. "If we want Hungarian children instead of immigrants, and if the Hungarian economy can generate the necessary funding, then the only solution is to spend as much of the funds as possible on supporting families and raising children," the prime minister said.

Plenary session, Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Written by Marcin Szczepański,

© Feodora / Shutterstock.com

The global debate on the extent to which current competition policy rules are sufficient to deal with the fast-moving digital economy has never been more pertinent. An important part of this debate concerns the market power of large high-tech companies that dominate many online markets. The main factors behind these developments are economies of scale and scope, network externalities, and the rising economic significance of data, which are a highly valuable commodity in an online economy. While being indispensable to the development of potential game changers – such as artificial intelligence – data are also a crucial input to many online services, production processes, and logistics – making it a critical element in the value chain of many different industries.

Data-dependent markets are also characterised by a high level of concentration and, according to many experts, high entry barriers relating to access to and ownership of data – which make it difficult to challenge the incumbent companies. On the other hand, the large players are generally considered to be very productive and innovative. Some studies, however, show that the diffusion of know-how and innovation between the market leaders and the rest of the economy may be affecting competiveness in general.

One possible way to correct these shortcomings is to regulate the sharing of data. While the risks of policy-making in this field are generally well-known and centre around the need to protect privacy – particularly where personal data are involved – and to prevent the collusive aspects of data sharing, there is currently no global model to follow. The European Union has taken multiple initiatives to unlock data markets through modern, user-centred laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the regulation on the reuse of public sector information. The global thinking seems to gradually favour more prudent oversight of the market, considering its economic heft.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Is data the new oil? Competition issues in the digital economy‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Listen to policy podcast ‘Is data the new oil? Competition issues in the digital economy’ on YouTube.

New European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was put on the spot during her visit to Zagreb on Friday (10 January). Asked how she would prove that her Commission is ‘geopolitical’, given the EU's weak response to growing challenges in the region, von der Leyen failed to provide convincing answers.

Shortly before Germany launches its "green week", Lower Saxony's conservative agriculture minister, Barbara Otte-Kinast (CDU), raised the issue of introducing a meat tax, again, which is something animal welfare activists have been demanding for years. EURACTIV Germany reports.