European Union

Weekly schedule of President Charles Michel, 2 - 8 September 2024

Court proceedings from the Irish Data Protection Commission against X are officially over as of Wednesday (4 September), after the company agreed to permanently stop processing some personal data collected in the EU to train artificial intelligence (AI).

On World Sexual Health Day, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) calls for urgent measures to stifle the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) amid rising diagnoses. 

Resistance to the Hungarian presidency's approach to the EU's draft law to combat online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was still palpable during a member states' meeting on Wednesday (4 September).

Poor soft wheat harvests in Europe and increased demand in third countries could intensify the ‘Russification of the market’ to the detriment of the EU, according to experts.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has a delicate political balance to strike in her picks for the most important jobs in the EU's executive, in addition to the one-on-one back-room talks with the national leaders who nominate commissioners, she also needs to consider the overall party-political makeup of both national governments and the European Parliament.

The leader of Forza Italia (EPP) in the European Parliament, Fulvio Martusciello, confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to grant Italy an executive vice presidency despite the ECR not being part of the pro-European majority in the Parliament. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to look at restructuring government responsibilities after requesting a slew of top ministers to resign as part of the biggest shake-up of the wartime government, expected for Thursday.

The conclusions of the roundtable on the future of EU agriculture call for a shift away from land-based subsidies towards more support for small farms and incentives for producers who go green while supporting demand for healthy and sustainable diets. 

A day after the EU’s top court issued a ruling seemingly limiting the Commission’s authority to halt ‘killer acquisitions,’ influential think tank Bruegel said that EU’s competition regulator should have a stronger regulatory strategy reviewing these.

Written by Colin Murphy.

Money laundering is how criminals convert the proceeds of crime into what appear to be legitimate earnings. Criminals are employing ever-more sophisticated methods, including digital and emerging crypto-currencies, to disguise the source of their money.

The impact on society of criminality is difficult to understate. It has a significantly negative effect across the socio economic spectrum. Likewise, money laundering – a vital cog in criminal enterprise – has the potential to impact on the stability of the financial infrastructure of states.

The EU and the wider international community recognises the importance of robust measures to tackle the issue of money laundering and have taken significant steps to address money laundering and also terrorist financing, which employs similar methods. The first EU anti-money laundering directive was adopted more than 30 years ago. Since then the EU has continued to develop its response to both anti-money laundering and terrorist financing threats. In addition to addressing inconsistencies in the application of rules across the EU, the level and nature of risks have changed with evolving technology and innovation.

The European Union has adopted an ambitious anti-money laundering package to protect EU citizens and to strengthen its financial system against organised crime and terrorists. This package will extensively harmonise procedures and close loopholes in anti-money laundering measures. The establishment of the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) in Frankfurt, centralising oversight, brings a new dimension to the fight against money laundering. It will tackle newly emerging threats, and reinforce cross border cooperation and a more harmonised approach.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Understanding the EU’s response to money laundering: New EU anti-money laundering package‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Despite the warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Russian President Vladimir Putin has travelled to Mongolia. Putin was received by President Uchnaagiin Chürelsüch and a guard of honour in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday. As a state that recognises the ICC's authority, the onus was on Mongolia to arrest the Russian autocrat. Europe's press evaluates the situation.

The AfD's strong performance in the Saxony and Thuringia state elections poses an enormous challenge for the other parties. In view of the disastrous results of Germany's ruling coalition government, European media turn their attention to the centre-right CDU, which must now decide how to position itself vis-à-vis the victorious far-right party.