Confirmation hearings of potential EU commissioners are a key moment for the EU Parliament. They have changed a lot over the years and have had a big impact.
The European Commission has approved a €550 million Italian scheme to support investments for the use of hydrogen in industrial processes 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
The proposal adopted today delivers on this promise. It consists of a proposal to amend the section on ‘goods not at risk’ of the decision of the Joint Committee of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement laying down arrangements relating to the Windsor Framework. The aim is to ensure that Northern Ireland businesses are able to make use of UK TRQs for imports from third countries of several agri-food products, such as
Under the first €675 million scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants covering up to 60% of eligible investment costs for upgrading pig breeding sites to improve welfare standards. This includes improvements to the living conditions (such as access to outdoor climate or cooling possibilities), as well as limits to livestock density and CO2 emissions. This first scheme will run until the end of 2030. Under the
In December 2022, the General Court annulled the two 2020 Commission decisions on procedural grounds. The General Court concluded that the Commission should have opened a formal investigation procedure to assess whether the tax exemptions combined with support from other Member States, notably Denmark, led to the overcompensation of biogas producers. Following the General Court’s judgment, the Commission needs to open an in-depth investigation to re-examine the compatibility of the
Between January 2010 and April 2014, the employee of a company established in Poland operating a petrol station issued 1,679 invoices that did not reflect actual sales of goods, for a total amount (expressed in Polish zlotys) of approximately €320,000. To that end, she used the details of her employer, a taxable person for value added tax (VAT) purposes, without its knowledge or consent. The fake invoices were not recorded
Reti Televisive Italiane SpA (RTI) is an Italian company that provides audiovisual media services and is the owner of the television channels Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4. In 2017, the Italian Broadcasting Authority (AGCOM) imposed penalties on RTI for a breach of national legislation which sets the limits on hourly broadcasting time for television advertising. In order to calculate that broadcasting time, AGCOM took into account the promotional
The products concerned by the inspections are new replacement tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks and busses sold in the European Economic Area. The Commission is concerned that price coordination took place amongst the inspected companies, including via public communications.
In Bulgaria, an entry was made in the police records concerning a person in the course of a criminal investigation for failing to tell the truth as a witness. That person was ultimately found guilty of that offence and given a one year suspended sentence. After serving that sentence, that person was legally rehabilitated. He subsequently applied to be removed from the police records. Under Bulgarian law, the data relating
The Court of Justice clarifies that an unaccompanied minor refugee has the right to family reunification with his or her parents even if he or she reached the age of majority during the family reunification procedure. Family reunification must exceptionally extend to a major sister where she requires the permanent assistance of her parents on account of a serious illness. Otherwise, the refugee would, de facto, be deprived of his
The Council and Parliament extended the obligation to apply secondary treatment (i.e. the removal of biodegradable organic matter) to urban wastewater before it is discharged into the environment to all agglomerations of 1 000 p.e. or more by 2035. Derogations apply to smaller agglomerations and member states that have recently joined the EU and have therefore already had to make more recent significant investments to implement the current directive (i.e.
Rules on driving times, breaks and rest periods in road transport have been a topic of debate since 1969. Specific rules for passenger services were introduced by the Council in 1985, but were later abolished in 2006, and only partly re-introduced in 2009 (for international occasional passenger services). The scope of this proposal, submitted by the Commission on 24 May 2023, is limited to national and international occasional passenger services,
Officials and experts from the EU and India are meeting online on 29 and 30 January 2024 to discuss and exchange good practices in competition policy and enforcement.
The Commission takes note of Amazon’s and iRobot’s decision to terminate their agreement according to which Amazon intended to acquire sole control over iRobot. The abandonment follows the findings of the Commission’s in-depth investigation and the sending of a Statement of Objections on 27 November 2023.
The Council today renewed for a further 6 months its restrictive measures in view of the Russian Federation’s continuing actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, until 31 July 2024.
These sanctions, first introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, were significantly expanded since February 2022 in response to Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression against Ukraine.
Today, the European Commission authorised the use of a genetically modified maize, and renewed the authorisation of two genetically modified oilseed rapes, as food and animal feed. These authorisations follow the EU’s comprehensive and stringent food safety procedures, which ensure a high level of protection of human, animal and environmental health. They are based on a favourable scientific assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that these
The EU European Commission has issued practical guidance for Member States to assess whether or not public measures to facilitate certain companies’ access to finance, constitute State aid. Risk finance is important for the financing of the economy, in particular for start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) and middle-capitalisation firms (‘mid-caps’).
We take note of today’s order of the International Court of Justice on South Africa’s request for the indication of provisional measures.
The EU reaffirms its continuing support to the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
Orders of the International Court of Justice are binding on the Parties and they must comply with them. The EU expects their full, immediate and effective
On 10 October 2022, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) addressed a “wish-list” to the Commission, calling for harmonised procedural rules at EU level. In July 2023, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation complementing the GDPR and laying down additional procedural rules relating to its enforcement, to improve the cooperation of national data protection authorities in cross-border cases. The Commission is actively supporting the Council and the European
The last attempt to reach an agreement between the two main political parties failed in October 2022. There are now public declarations that the two main political parties are willing to engage again in negotiations and both would agree that the Commission supervises the process. Against this background, the Commission is ready to play its role to ensure compliance with EU law. Its work will be based on the recommendations
Nigerian criminal networks have long been renowned for trafficking in human beings and a variety of fraud, but in recent years they have also gained a strong foothold in drug trafficking across several EU markets. In this crime area, Nigerian drug traffickers are particularly active in transporting and distributing both cocaine and heroin. One of the most commonly observed modus operandi for transporting drugs in and out of the EU
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