European Union

The European Parliament's development committee says its overarching priority will be to deliver on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving that will require an action plan and targeted investments, says its chair Swedish centre-right MEP Tomas Tobé.

While planes, trains, and automobiles can expect particular attention under the EU’s upcoming Green Deal, the new Commission has already set its sights on cleaning up the transport industry - the only sector of the European economy where emissions are still growing. 

The EU's eastern neighbourhood is in flux. The collapse of the pro-reform government in Moldova and the stagnation of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine was recently followed yet by another political crisis in Georgia.

Moscow on Wednesday (4 December) said transit tariffs proposed by Ukraine to ship Russian gas through its territory next year were unacceptable and too high, claims swiftly dismissed by Kyiv.

Hungary has a deep controversy with Hungary over minority rights. In this context, a heated controversy has unfolded over reports that Budapest asked the Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, for joint efforts to uphold minority rights in Ukraine.

The self-confessed middleman in the murder of a journalist told a court on Wednesday (4 December) a wealthy Maltese businessman was the brains behind the killing but also implicated people tied to government in the growing scandal.

Do you go on-line to share your views, or to like your friends’ photos? Or do you use a digital assistant for directions? Of course – so do many of us! We all use digital technology in our daily lives. But in doing so, we leave traces, and the more we do it, the more traces we leave. These traces are data, and when it is all brought together it can be used to predict or even influence our behaviour.
So, how can we protect our personal data?

Listen to Shara Monteleone, an EPRS policy analyst, explaining the issues in 3 key questions on Data Protection.

 

Or read more in our publications:

• GDPR goes live: A modern data protection law
• Artificial intelligence, data protection and elections
• How the General Data Protection Regulation changes the rules for scientific research

Europe wants to use all the tools available to transit toward a 'green' economy. But ‘green’ lending should not be incentivised by easing capital requirements for banks, the European Banking Authority chief, Jose Manuel Campa, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Next week EU leaders have a chance to reach a deal on the 2050 climate neutrality target. If heads of state and government agree to this, it should begin to steer investments in the greening of the EU economy. This is particularly important for the EU’s biggest CO2 emitters, where much of the financing will be needed; our buildings.

The Eurogroup reconfirms Hans Vijlbrief as president of the EWG for another two years, as of 1 February 2020.

The Eurogroup discussed the implementation of the reform commitments by Greece and adopted a statement.

The Eurogroup adopted a statement on the Draft Budgetary Plans for 2020

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

EU ambassadors today approved the Council's position on a proposed framework for clearing houses to prepare for and deal with financial difficulties.

Written by Silvia Kotanidis,

© iQoncept / Shutterstock.com

After the many debates and declarations of principles on the future of Europe of recent years, the time for a more structured reflection on the future of Europe’s development has arrived. The new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to establish a Conference on the Future of Europe, in an effort to give new impulse to European construction and bring Europe closer to citizens. At this stage, details of this initiative are still up for discussion. For Dubravka Šuica, the Commissioner who will take charge of the process, the inclusion of all citizens’ voices will be an essential characteristic of the Conference. However, how to ensure that European citizens are properly represented remains to be clarified.

Preparation of the Conference, in von der Leyen’s approach, will follow three steps: first, the elaboration of the concept, structure, timing and scope with Parliament and Council; then, design of a means to ensure that citizens participate as much as possible, including by fostering online participation for younger people; and last, making sure that appropriate follow-up is provided to the actions agreed by the Conference.

The Parliament has created a working group to contribute to the design of the Conference, in particular in respect of its structure, with a view to a vote in plenary. Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) has also launched discussions, confirming the eagerness of Parliament and its political bodies to play an active part from the beginning of this process.

The Conference on the Future of Europe should be an excellent opportunity to engage in more structured debate, with the intention to find concrete proposals to improve the way in which the EU works not only in terms of institutional dynamics, but also of its policies. Some have however cautioned that the initiative needs to be carried out with the utmost care, in particular on the follow-up to be given to its outcomes, so that it can remain a meaningful endeavour.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Preparing the Conference on the Future of Europe‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

"I have not been a lobbyist" the Swedish woman who wants to oversee good conduct by EU institutions, Cecilia Wikström, has said.

Following recent developments in the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017, MEPs visited Malta between 3-4 December to take stock of the situation on the ground.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Following recent developments in the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017, MEPs visited Malta between 3-4 December to take stock of the situation on the ground.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Hungarian foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, pledged on Wednesday that his country would block Ukraine's membership in Nato unless Kiev restores the rights that about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians had before a language law from 2017 put a curb on minorities' access to education in their mother tongues, Reuters writes. "We ask for no extra rights to Hungarians in Transcarpathia [Ukraine], only those rights they had before," said Szijjártó.

The new EU Commission president will tell EU leaders next week that they need to put money behind their pledges for border protection, defence policy and fighting climate change.