European Union

Presidency reaches provisional political agreement with the European Parliament on the systematic inclusion of safeguard measures in bilateral trade agreements

The Council adopted its position on a recast regulation which bans the world's most harmful chemical substances.

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

The far-left GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament has joined the chorus of demands for an internal probe on MEPs involved in Morocco lobbying, following an investigation by EUobserver. This website exposed how Morocco lobbies parliament for its claim on the Western Sahara. The GUE/NGL are demanding the parliament's lead rapporteur on Morocco file, French liberal Patricia Lalonde, be replaced. Lalonde is on the board of a pro-Morocco foundation.

Germany has said France should give up its permanent seat and veto on the UN Security Council and turn it into an EU seat instead. "I realize this will take some convincing in Paris, but it would be a bold and smart goal," German finance minister Olaf Scholz said in Berlin Wednesday, AFP reports. The French UN ambassador, Gerard Araud, said it would be "legally impossible" under UN charter rules.

France and Germany are not interested in imposing extra sanctions on Russia for its recent attack on the Ukrainian navy, Kurt Volker, the US envoy to Ukraine, said in Berlin Wednesday. "We certainly encourage our European allies to look harder at what additional sanctions could be implemented," he said, adding: "That is not something Germany and France have said they're considering, but these things, I think, can develop over time".

The European Commission is not touching controversial issues like whether Europeans should eat less meat or fly less often.

France is the most heavily taxed EU state, with the French treasury taking back 48.4% of the GDP in one form of levy or another, according to a European Commission study. Belgium came second on 47.3% and Denmark third on 46.8%. The EU average was 40.2%, with taxes on the up across the board since 2010. Ireland had the lowest rating, on 23.5%, followed by Romania (25.8%) and Bulgaria (29.5%).

Commission HQ revealed today how the EU can stick to the Paris Agreement and curb global warming. But the Clean Planet for All plan omitted one important factor that should be crucial to reining in climate change: human behaviour.

A no-deal Brexit would slash 9.3% off the British economy over the next 15 years, while the current Brexit deal would cost 4.9% according to a UK government study published Wednesday. The House of Commons is set to vote on the Brexit deal on 11 December. An EU court jurist plans to give a non-binding opinion on 4 December if the UK could unilaterally revoke Brexit if it wanted to.

Klyuyev v Council
External relations
The application for interim measures of Mr Andriy Klyuyev, former Head of Administration of the President of Ukraine, to suspend the operation of restrictive measures, is dismissed

Committing to net zero emissions by 2050 is a unique opportunity for the EU to show its leadership in securing a sustainable future: a future that is good for the planet, people and business, writes Eliot Whittington.

No EU agency can replace the role of member states, said Czech MEP Jan Zahradil, putting a ‘Great Review’ of EU powers at the heart of the manifesto for his European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) party, launched on Wednesday (28 November)

Russia said on Wednesday (29 November) it planned to deploy more of its advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Crimea as tensions rose with Ukraine over Moscow's seizure of three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews.

On 27 November, the Council agreed on proposals setting out a harmonised EU framework for covered bonds.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker addressed a letter to the EU Heads of State or government on the EU priorities at the upcoming G20 summit in Buenos Aires

Plastic plays a significant role in food packaging as: it serves to meet product safety and quality requirements. However, some types of packaging remain difficult to recycle for a number of technological and practical reasons and are prone to littering.

The past decades have seen substantial improvements in the performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology. The satellite signals have been modernised, and by the end of 2018, multi-band GNSS will become affordable.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz on Wednesday (29 November) proposed that France give up its permanent seat on the UN Security Council and turn it into an EU seat to allow the bloc to speak with one voice on the global stage.

Continuous depopulation of the EU's rural regions and interregional disparities remain a serious threat for the economic and demographic base of the EU regions in the future, stakeholders highlighted during a conference on territorial divergencies in the EU held in Brussels on Tuesday (27 November).