European Union

The Austrian EU presidency says a plan to create an EU standing corps of 10,000 border guards by 2020 may not be "feasible", given concerns over national sovereignty issues. Austria's interior minister Herbert Kickl instead spoke of a gradual build-up during the next seven-year EU budget. "The Commission's target with these fixed figures [of 10,000] by 2020 actually goes beyond the scope of what is feasible," said Kickl.

Why all the fuss? You might not like their political views but let the Italian government implement some pro-growth reforms because austerity did not work in jumpstarting their economy.

Armenia on Sunday (9 December) holds early parliamentary polls triggered by reformist leader Nikol Pashinyan who seeks to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country.

European Union governments that refuse to host refugees could instead pay to be excused from the bloc's system of sharing out migrants, France and Germany proposed on Thursday (6 December) as they sought to end a long-running EU feud over migration.

Ministers sitting on the EU Home Affairs Council adopted their negotiating position on the European Commission's proposed regulation against the spread of online terrorist content on Thursday (6 December), as those in the industry reacted with frustration to the plans.

To avoid a major crisis in the coalition government, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel announced on Thursday (6 December) that he will go "in personal capacity" to the intergovernmental conference in Marrakesh, focused on the Global Compact on migration.

Theresa May rejected calls to delay a vote by MPs on her Brexit deal but left open the possibility to give lawmakers a vote on whether to enter into the Northern Ireland backstop on Thursday (6 December).

Over this special series on COP24, EURACTIV gives you a glimpse into the goings on of the UN climate conference in Katowice and what is driving the conversation there. In this edition: An update on the negotiations, climate denialism, South America, costs of global warming, and more.

MEPs backed rules to force online platforms to be more transparent and fair to business clients on Thursday (6 December), with some members voicing frustration at the fact that operating systems are to be included in the scope of the regulation.

Kornelia Ninova, the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), announced on Thursday (6 December) she would not attend the Party of European Socialists congress in Lisbon, citing her ideological differences with the PES president, compatriot Sergei Stanishev.

As the United Nations COP24 gets underway in Poland, leading oil and gas players – countries and companies – are confronted with the challenge of mapping out their share of the new energy economy, writes Robin Mills.

The global economy has to prepare for a profound transformation in the coming decades as the impact of climate change becomes more tangible, Zurich insurance experts told EURACTIV.com.

This week, Article 50 in ECJ, Selmayrgate just won’t go away, and Gilets Jaunes protests go seriously astray.

Stronger clean car standards and electric vehicle (EV) incentives will help Europe’s automakers remain competitive in the rapidly electrifying global market, writes Ashok Jhunjhunwala.

On December, 6 during Power Sector Day at the COP24, the Polish Electricity Association presented the results of the report on the contribution of the Polish energy sector to the implementation of the global climate policy.

The objective is to disrupt migrant smuggling networks both inside and outside the EU, taking into account their high level of adaptability and the increased interlinking of different criminal activities.

Written by Alex Benjamin Wilson,

© Leonid Ikan / Fotolia

Energy policy is a competence shared between the EU and its Member States. Whereas the EU has a responsibility under the Treaties to ensure security of supply, Member States are responsible for determining the structure of their energy supply and their choice of energy sources. EU legislation on security of supply focuses on natural gas and electricity markets, and is closely related to other EU objectives: consolidating a single energy market, improving energy efficiency, and promoting renewable energy sources to decarbonise the economy and meet the Paris Agreement goals.

The current legislature has seen several initiatives on security of supply. The EU institutions reached agreement on a revised regulation on security of gas supply, a revised decision on intergovernmental agreements in the energy field, and new targets for energy efficiency and renewables by 2030. Parliament has adopted several own-initiative resolutions in the energy field, including one on the new EU strategy on liquefied natural gas and gas storage, which is key to gas supply security. EU projects of common interest finance energy infrastructure that improves interconnection and supports security of supply. Negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission (trilogue) are ongoing on a proposal to revise the regulation on security of electricity supply, as part of the clean energy package.

There is growing expectation among EU citizens that the EU will intensify its involvement in energy supply and security. If this view was shared by just over half of Europeans in 2016 (52 %), it is now expressed by roughly two thirds of EU citizens (65 %).

The EU will retain a key role in monitoring security of supply throughout the energy transition from a historic system of centralised generation dominated by fossil fuels in national markets, towards a new system characterised by a high share of renewables, more localised production and cross-border markets. However, the EU would need to use a special legislative procedure to intervene directly in determining the energy supply of its Member States, requiring unanimity in Council.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Energy supply and security‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Click to view slideshow.

The head of the European Banking Authority, Andrea Enria, will become the Single Supervisory Mechanism chief in charge of overseeing Europe’s largest banks. The Council endorsed his nomination on Thursday (6 December), concluding the process after the European Parliament also gave its green light.

New rules to force MEPs chairing committees or drafting reports to publish meetings with registered lobbyists took a step closer to reality. The measure was narrowly backed 11 to 10 at the constitutional affairs committee but still needs plenary approval.

EUobserver has exposed Moroccan lobbying at the European Parliament, prompting a probe to be launched against several MEPs. The Greens have now decided to boycott next week's Morocco trade vote in protest, saying the lobbying investigation must be finished first.