European Union

EU interior ministers meet today (5 June) to try to break a two-year deadlock over reforming asylum rules with a deadline looming and pressure from Italy’s new populist leaders. The ministers will hear Bulgaria’s new compromise proposals on how to...

The #MeToo movement saw the scale of sexual harassment and assault in Europe thrust into the spotlight. Last October, thousands of women spoke out about sexual harassment within the European Institutions, and a petition for change gathering over 120,000 signatures was delivered to European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on International Women’s Day of this year.

Written by Damiano Scordamaglia (1st edition),

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In 2007, the EU established a set of basic rights for rail passengers, which became applicable at the end of 2009. These rights provided for all passengers, including those with reduced mobility, a harmonised minimum level of protection, information and assistance. While the implementation of these rights has generally been smooth, recent reports have concluded that this is not done uniformly across the EU. Moreover, other shortcomings have prevented these rights from being used to their full potential.

On 27 September 2017, the European Commission presented a new proposal to address these shortcomings. In its work on this legislative proposal, the EU is seeking to strike a new balance between keeping rail operators competitive and providing adequate passenger protection.

Versions

• June 2018: ‘Rail passengers’ rights and obligations in the EU‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on rail passengers’ rights and obligations Committee responsible: Transport and Tourism (TRAN) COM(2017) 548
27.9.2017 Rapporteur: Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, Poland) 2017/0237(COD) Shadow rapporteurs:

  Renaud Muselier (EPP, France)
Tomasz Piotr Poręba (ECR, Poland)
Jens Rohde (ALDE, Denmark)
Tania González Peñas (GUE/NGL, Spain)
Michael Cramer (Greens/EFA, Germany) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Vote in TRAN committee on draft report

The European Development Days has established itself as a key fixture in the world's development calendar. The EU plans to revamp its development tools and financial investment instruments in the next seven-year budget, increasing the role of the private sector.

As far as global development goes, few events can match the reach of European Development Days, whose Brussels edition will gather 8,000 development policy professionals this week.

It was independent organisations that flagged up Volkswagen's emissions scandal in the US - yet a legal clause giving such 'third parties' a role in EU emissions testing has been removed from bill.

Just when we might have sighed with relief (or did we?) that Italy and Spain, the eurozone’s third and fourth biggest economies, have new governments, there is a new wrinkle on the horizon.

Chemotherapy may be avoided in about 70% of early-stage breast cancer patients, thus limiting chemotherapy to the 30% who can be predicted it will be beneficial for them, a study released on Sunday (3 June) shows.

The growing popularity of English as a medium of instruction at Dutch universities is ringing alarm bells among local lecturers and students, with some now even calling for government intervention.

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Montenegro officially applied to join the EU on 15 December 2008. On 19 December 2009, it achieved visa liberalisation with the EU and on 1 May 2010, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), entered into force. In November 2010, the Commission issued a favourable opinion on Montenegro's application and the Council granted it candidate status.The accession negotiations with Montenegro started on 29 June 2012.

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Written by James McEldowney,

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The Commission announced its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020 at the end of November 2017 in the form of a communication on the future of food and farming. They include proposals for: greater simplification to be achieved through increased subsidiarity involving a new delivery model, more effective targeting of direct payments, a shift towards a more results-based approach, and higher ambitions in respect of resource efficiency, environmental care and climate action. Other elements will involve addressing issues such as generational renewal, the investment gap in agriculture, the role of research, innovation and training, risk management and a new green architecture. Under the new delivery model, Member States will have responsibility for establishing a common agricultural policy (CAP) strategic plan; this would be subject to approval by the Commission and would continue to set the basic policy parameters for the CAP.

The proposals have generated a range of responses and have been the subject of discussion within the European Parliament’s Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development. The Council has discussed the content of the communications and they have also been the subject of discussion by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Looking to the future, some reflections on the Commission’s proposals are considered in light of the views expressed by a number of stakeholder groups. The Bulgarian Presidency has indicated that the future of the common agricultural policy will be discussed at the informal meeting of Ministers of Agriculture in Sofia in June 2018.

Read this briefing on ‘CAP reform post-2020 – Setting the scene‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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Angola's partnership with the EU is based on the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement which aims to reduce poverty by developing the Angolan economy and gradually integrating it into the global economy. The Joint Way Forward promotes more active political cooperation, especially Angola's active involvement in the different regional and multilateral fora, and prioritises key areas of common interest from the 2007 Joint Africa-EU Strategy (security, governance, human rights, economic growth, energy, transport, environment, science and technology, training and education).

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The European Union’s (EU’s) relations with Rwanda focus mainly on development cooperation in areas of rural development, energy and governance but also include an increasing emphasis on trade and investment as well as a regular political dialogue covering issues of home affairs, human rights and regional cooperation.

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The rising trend of imposing plain packaging on unhealthy products has raised eyebrows in the industry, which fears that its brands are under threat. The World Health Organisation, on the other hand, insists that the measure provides a long-term benefit for public health.

For the World Health Organisation, plain packaging is considered an effective way to reduce the attractiveness of tobacco products and increase the effectiveness of health warnings. But the industry disagrees and points to a fine line between over-regulation and the need to protect consumers.

The SDS party led by conservative opposition leader and ex-prime minister Janez Janša has won Slovenia's parliamentary elections with 25 percent of the vote. It wants to follow Hungary's example and not allow migrants into the country. Many commentators believe Janša won't be able to form a government and examine the alternatives.