In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission pursues legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. The key decisions taken by the Commission are presented below and grouped by policy area. The Commission is also closing 133 cases in which the issues have been solved.
On February 29, France and 44 other Participating States belonging to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) invoked the Moscow Mechanism for the purpose of investigating allegations of serious human rights violations by OSCE Participating States. An independent mission of experts will be tasked with establishing the facts with regard to Russia’s arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians. The report’s conclusions will contribute to ongoing investigations, with the
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), which is responsible for sanctions, decided on 29 February to impose further sanctions against Russia. Switzerland is thus joining the 13th sanctions package of the European Union (EU), adopted in response to Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine over the past two years. The measures will enter into force at 6pm on 1 March.
Labour immigration is important for Sweden, but although the country primarily needs skilled and highly skilled workers, labour immigration to jobs requiring little education or experience and with low wages is extensive. In many cases, it should be possible for these jobs to be taken by people already living in Sweden. There are also widespread problems with abuse of the regulations, particularly in low-skilled professions.
The Government proposes to increase fines for violating industrial peace, limit disproportionate solidarity action and restrict the length of political strikes. The reform would not restrict industrial action aimed at improving working conditions in one’s own sector. The Government submitted its proposal on amendments to industrial peace legislation to Parliament on 29 February 2024. Improving industrial peace is the first labour market reform of the Government to proceed to Parliament.
The European Commission has approved a €350 million Portuguese scheme to support investments for the production of equipment necessary to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy, in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023, to support measures in sectors which are key
We note that the budget was passed into law on 21 December 2023, shortly after the submission of the updated DBP and ahead of the publication of the Commission Opinion. In this respect we recall that the Two Pack Code of Conduct requires Member States to submit their DBPs well in advance of the envisaged budget approval by the national Parliament, allowing the Commission to issue an opinion and the
The new rules will improve the handling of advance passenger information (API) data to perform checks on passengers prior to their arrival at the EU’s external borders but also for intra-EU flights in the fight against terrorism and serious crime. They will enhance the fight against serious crime and terrorism within the EU, supplementing the processing of passenger name record (PNR) data. Advance passenger information (API) contains identification details from
Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in an investigation that led to the arrest of 53 suspects in Madrid and Guadalajara, in Spain. The suspects acted as “betting mules” for a criminal organisation fixing sports events and defrauding betting houses. The operation took place from 29 January to 1 February and was also supported by Interpol and the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria).
EU member states will set up a single digital entry point to receive data from platforms about host activity on a monthly basis (e.g. number of nights the unit was rented out, number of guests, specific address, registration number, URL of the listing). Gathering this data will allow authorities to monitor compliance with host registration processes, and enable national authorities to implement suitable policies in the short-term accommodation rental sector.
The agreements lay down the framework for deeper and broader political and economic cooperation between the like-minded partners on global issues, such as foreign and security matters, sustainable development, environmental protection, climate change, sustainable energy, rule of law and human rights. For the first time in an EU deal, there is a dedicated trade and gender chapter, with both sides committing to eliminate discrimination against women. Under the trade pillar,
The seven national authorities participating in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine have agreed to prolong the JIT for two years. The Prosecutors General of the countries involved agreed to the extension in a coordination meeting that took place today in Kyiv, Ukraine. The meeting coincided with the United for Justice Conference, which also took place in Kyiv today.
The law, already informally agreed upon with Council, introduces new measures to better protect the EU’s wholesale energy market, better protecting the energy bills of European households and businesses from potential short-term market price fluctuations. The Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (REMIT) introduces a closer alignment to EU rules on the transparency of financial markets. It also covers new trading practices, such as algorithmic trading, and strengthens
The new digital identity framework will provide EU citizens with cross border digital access to key public services. According to the regulation adopted on Thursday, and already agreed upon with EU ministers, this new Digital Identity Wallet will allow citizens to identify and authenticate themselves online without having to resort to commercial providers – a practice that raises trust, security and privacy concerns.
Today, the European Commission has adopted two legal acts that will pave the way for Poland to access up to €137 billion in EU funding. These acts relate to the rule of law reforms that Poland has adopted and the more recent and immediate steps that it has taken to address the milestones to strengthen judicial independence.
Today, the Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Croatia’s fourth payment request for €162.5 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request submitted by Croatia on 21 December 2023, the Commission has preliminarily concluded that Croatia has satisfactorily completed the 9 milestones and 7 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the fourth instalment.
Today, the Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Denmark’s second payment request for €422 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request submitted on 21 December 2023, the Commission has preliminarily concluded that Denmark has satisfactorily completed the 6 milestones and 12 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the second instalment.
On 28 February, 14 individuals believed to have orchestrated a massive EUR 195 million VAT fraud, spanning across 17 countries, were arrested. The arrests are the result of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Munich and Cologne (Germany) with Europol’s support. Among the arrested are some of the most high-profile criminal actors, who have been on Europol’s radar in recent years, in the area of
The simplifications are expected to save investors around EUR 5 billion per year and, at the same time, provide tax authorities with more clarity to weed out fraudulent practices such as the cum-ex and cum-cum schemes which cost European taxpayers around EUR 141 billion over 20 years.
Dragoș Pîslaru (Renew, RO), Chair of the Social Affairs and Employment Committee, said: “Ensuring fair working conditions is a key component of the European Pillar of Social Rights and my duty as Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, together with my colleagues, is to ensure that the rights of European workers are respected and their voices heard.”
Between 19 and 26 February, 50 states and three international organizations made oral submissions to the ICJ on the legal consequences arising from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. The Court has been asked to consider several important questions of international law and its conclusions will form a key part of the basis for future peace negotiations between the parties. It was the UN General Assembly that in 2022 requested
We and use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website. We may store and/or access information on a device and process personal data, such as your IP address and browsing data, for personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development. Additionally, we may utilize precise geolocation data and identification through device scanning.
Please note that your consent will be valid across all our subdomains. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “Consent Preferences” button at the bottom of your screen. We respect your choices and are committed to providing you with a transparent and secure browsing experience.
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| __stripe_mid | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. | |
| __stripe_sid | This cookie is set by Stripe payment gateway. This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any patment information on a server. | |
| _abck | This cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions. | |
| _wpfuuid | This cookie is used by the WPForms WordPress plugin. The cookie is used to allows the paid version of the plugin to connect entries by the same user and is used for some additional features like the Form Abandonment addon. | |
| ASP.NET_SessionId | Issued by Microsoft's ASP.NET Application, this cookie stores session data during a user's website visit. | |
| AWSALBCORS | This cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing. | |
| bm_sz | This cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-functional | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". | |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-others | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. | |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". | |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". | |
| elementor | This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time. | |
| JSESSIONID | Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests. | |
| viewed_cookie_policy | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. | |
| _ga_4L7PKQPHHV | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. | |
| _ga_T50H0MNN9J | This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. | |
| _gat_gtag_UA_12289088_5 | Set by Google to distinguish users. | |
| _gcl_au | Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. | |
| _gid | Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| test_cookie | The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. |
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| _mcid | No description available. | |
| _swa_u | This cookie is set by the provider Sitewit.com. This cookie is used for statistical report and analysis. | |
| ak_bmsc | No description available. | |
| AWSALB | AWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB. | |
| ec_store_chameleon_font | No description available. | |
| FCCDCF | No description available. | |
| issuem_lp | No description available. | |
| lp_us_his | No description | |
| m | No description available. |