On 17 October, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, the Middle East, ensuring a rules-based international order, competitiveness, migration, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, external relations and other items.
The new mechanism was created under the recently-adopted decarbonised gases and hydrogen package, and aims to accelerate investments by providing a clearer picture of the market situation of both off-takers and suppliers and facilitating contacts between them.
The task ahead is to put the climate action machinery to work fully, but also safely and fairly, so its benefits are equitably shared through a just transition. The role of civil society is essential – to ensure all voices have a chance to be heard, and to hold all of us to the promises that we make” – UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.
“We need to protect this election process and the European public debate from malign foreign actors, who want Europe to fail” – EU HR/VP Josep Borrell.
The Directive on the legal protection of computer programs does not allow the holder of that protection to prohibit the marketing by a third party of software which merely changes variables transferred temporarily to a game console’s RAM.
On Tuesday, MEPs adopted plans, already agreed upon with Council, to help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions from the buildings sector. The proposed revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive aims to progressively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the EU building sector, and make it climate neutral by 2050. It also aims to have more worst-performing buildings renovated and improve information-sharing on energy performance.
Parliament has adopted its position on establishing a verification and pre-approval system for environmental marketing claims to protect citizens from misleading ads. The green claims directive would oblige companies to submit evidence about their environmental marketing claims before advertising products as “biodegradable”, “less polluting”, “water saving” or having “bio based content”. EU countries would have to assign verifiers to pre-approve the use of such claims, to protect buyers from unfounded and ambiguous advertising.
Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office (collectively the “Offices”) published the results of their joint study on the intellectual property (IP) law and policy implications of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Today, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem and a part of the EU research and innovation programme Horizon Europe aiming at supporting competitiveness and growth through innovation, is launching the EIT Hub UK. Following the United Kingdom’s recent association to Horizon Europe, the EIT Hub UK serves as a testament to the partnership between the EU and the UK in driving innovation and addressing global challenges.
Equally important, the much-needed fiscal adjustment should not lead to investment cuts. This is a really difficult balance to find. We must not repeat the mistakes of a decade ago. In this context, it is key to note that financing from the RRF will continue to support investment and other growth-enhancing spending. Expenditure financed by RRF grants and other EU funds is set to provide fiscal support by around half a percentage point of GDP at the euro area level in 2024 and 2025. But this must complement and not substitute nationally financed investment.
Today, the Commission has endorsed a positive preliminary assessment of Estonia’s second payment request for €122.3 (net of pre-financing) million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request submitted by Estonia on 18 December 2023, the Commission has preliminarily concluded that Estonia has satisfactorily completed the 15 milestones and 3 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision for the third instalment.
Next year, Parliament is scheduled to hold 15 plenary sessions, of which 12 are four-day sessions in Strasbourg, two are two-day sessions in Brussels, and a single one-day session commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day in Brussels.
Europol has supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) in an operation targeting a criminal organisation trafficking human beings for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation in Spain. The investigation has resulted in 17 arrests and the safeguarding of 13 victims. Europol has supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) in an operation targeting a criminal organisation trafficking human beings for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation in Spain. The investigation has resulted in 17 arrests and the safeguarding of 13 victims.
After a strong post-pandemic rebound, the Swedish economy has slowed appreciably. GDP is estimated to have declined by 0.3 percent in 2023, driven by declining private consumption and residential investment, amid a significant tightening of financial conditions and eroding real incomes. Activity is expected to remain subdued during 2024 and pick up gradually thereafter.
“We, the EPP, believe in the rule of law and the respect of human rights. We believe that people should live in peace and freedom. We believe in the social market economy. We believe that access to health care and education is not a privilege for a few, it is a right for all. We believe that our children should be safe running free in fields and forests, on playgrounds and football pitches, as we did. They deserve that we care for a healthy future, with a healthy environment. Whether they grow up in the biggest city or the smallest village. And above all, we believe in the dignity of every human being. This is my belief as Christian Democrats” – Ursula von der Leyen.
Employment and social affairs ministers endorsed the agreement reached with the European Parliament on the platform work directive. This new law aims to improve working conditions for platform workers and regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms.
The Eurogroup adopted a statement on the fiscal policy orientation for 2025: “We agreed today that a slightly contractionary fiscal stance is appropriate at the current juncture. In view of the revised fiscal framework entering into force, we will continue to pursue ambitious structural reforms and preserve the level of investment, including in areas of common EU priorities.”
The Directive on the legal protection of computer programs does not allow the holder of that protection to prohibit the marketing by a third party of software which merely changes variables transferred temporarily to a game console’s RAM.
25 February 2022 Today, the European Commission has unveiled a substantial €3.2 billion investment package
ISSUE 1 / 2022 DIGITAL RIGHTS & PRINCIPLES EU Commission puts forward declaration on digital
25 February 2022, 16:40 New technologies in banking and payments are giving rise to new
Brussels, 24 February 2022 Today, the Commission is launching an online platform to gather feedback
Brussels, 23 February 2022 Today, the Commission proposes new rules on who can use and access
22 February 2022 On 22 February 2022, the French Presidency of the Council of the
Publication 22 February 2022 Today, the Commission opened the second set of calls for proposals
Brussels, 22 February 2022 The first Competitiveness Council meeting under the French presidency will take
Brussels, 18 February 2022 MEPs from the Committee on Foreign Interference start a three-day visit
Published on 18 February 2022 The Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (Paris, 22
On 17 October, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine, the Middle East, ensuring a rules-based international order, competitiveness, migration, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, external relations and other items.
I am fully aware – all of us are fully aware – of the trauma and rage that are again haunting the region. I could feel it everywhere during my recent visit: in Israel, in Palestine, in Jordan. Nothing can justify the indiscriminate brutality Hamas unleashed against civilians the 7th of October, but one horror cannot justify another horror.
The Commission will present new legislation on countering migrant smuggling. This covers a Directive laying down minimum rules on the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay in the EU, and a Regulation to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings.
From tomorrow to 1 December the Commission is hosting a high-level conference in Vilnius, Lithuania on the green recovery in Ukraine. Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius will represent the Commission and stress the commitment for a continued cooperation with and assistance to Ukraine in its sustainable reconstruction efforts.
Three children have been identified and safeguarded as a result of the 13th edition of Europol’s Victim Identification Taskforce (VIDTF). This international investigative effort also led to the arrest of two offenders. 33 specialists from 26 countries participated in the Europol initiative aimed at identifying victims and offenders depicted in child sexual abuse material.
The EU welcomes the fact that, finally, the truce agreed between Israel and Hamas has started today. It should be fully implemented as a first step towards ending the ongoing horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza, and extended for a longer period. The agreement foresees the release of a group of innocent women and children who had been abducted during Hamas’ horrific attack on 7 October. All hostages should be unconditionally freed. Nobody should bargain with civilian lives.
Today, the EU and Canada have established a Green Alliance at a bilateral Summit in St John’s, Newfoundland. The Alliance will strengthen political, technical, economic and scientific cooperation between these two like-minded partners. It covers climate action, environmental and ocean protection, the clean energy transition, green industrial transformation, research and innovation and climate and biodiversity finance.
As stated in the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, the European Commission is committed to preventing and combating gender-based violence. On 8 March 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence, which criminalises the most serious forms of violence against women across the EU and provides for comprehensive measures for victims’ protection, support and access to justice as well as the prevention of such violence. The proposal is currently being negotiated by the co-legislators.
The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched a consultation on new Guidelines on preventing the abuse of funds and certain crypto-assets transfers for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes. These “travel rule” Guidelines specify the steps that Payment Service Providers (PSPs), Intermediary PSPs (IPSPs), crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and Intermediary CASPs (ICASPs) should take to detect missing or incomplete information that accompanies a transfer of funds or crypto-assets. The consultation runs until 26 February 2024.
On 23 November, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Türkiye Ali Yerlikaya met in Brussels for the second Türkiye-EU High Level Dialogue on Migration and Security. Türkiye is an EU candidate country and an important EU partner for migration and security.
The European Union strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) launch of a military satellite using ballistic missile technology on 21 November. This represents a clear threat to international peace and security and constitutes a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit such launches. The DPRK must cease all illegal and dangerous actions that escalate military tensions in the region.
Europol supported an investigation involving Croatian, German, Spanish and Turkish law enforcement authorities into large-scale cocaine trafficking as part of the Operational Taskforce Balkan Cartel. The operational activities led to the arrest of a Croatian high-value target, who was intercepted last week in Istanbul (Türkiye).
“One of the issues we discussed had to do with ensuring common security. And I would like to briefly mention one of the aspects, especially because tomorrow in Minsk, I will meet with our colleagues from the CSTO (the Collective Security Treaty Organisation). So, one of the issues [we discussed] had to do with establishing a single joint air defence system of the CSTO countries.”
The European Energy Exchange (EEX) will add natural gas products for Baltic-Finnish markets to its platform, currently operated by GET Baltic within EEX Group. The product portfolio will comprise products for the gas spot (Within-Day, Day, Weekend) and derivatives (Month, Quarter, Season, Year) products for Lithuania, common market area of Latvia-Estonia and Finland.
LNG FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Temporary Pause on Pending Approvals of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports +++ GAS MARKETS: Global gas demand set for stronger growth in 2024 despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty +++ RENEWABLES: Stakeholders invited to submit feedback to a call for evidence on designating renewables acceleration areas +++ HEAT PUMPS Infographic: how Fit for 55 impacts heat pumps – European Heat Pump Association +++ CLEAN ENERGY: Boosting rapid transition to sustainable energy, top priority as UN marks first International Day of Clean Energy +++ IAEA Update 208 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine ++ IAEA Director General Talks to Media on Ukraine
The European Banking Authority (EBA) today launched an industry survey to receive input from credit institutions on their methodologies to classify exposures to environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks, as well as on the accessibility and availability of ESG data for this purpose.
You know that in order to defend these principles, the European Union has imposed substantial sanctions against Russia, which have significantly weakened its war machine. But still, they are there, and the war continues. And if I can say it, the intensity of the fighting increases and we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. And in order for these sanctions to be effective, we need full cooperation from our partners. We are following closely the trade between us, between Central Asia countries, with them and Russia. We try to analyse which are the mechanisms that make sanctions being circumvented.
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 crops are as safe as their conventional counterparts.
CBRN: EU funds rescEU detection and surveillance teams with €70 million to boost preparedness to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear emergencies +++ AIR POLLUTION: The costs to health and the environment from industrial air pollution in Europe – 2024 update +++ GREEN INDUSTRIES: Industrial strategies for Europe’s green transition – Bruegel +++ SUPPLY CHAINS: BDI-Umfrage zu Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz: Bürokratischer Aufwand bringt viele Betriebe an den Rand der Verzweiflung +++ PLANT PROTECTION: EU Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives +++ BIOPOLYMERS: European Bioplastics Calls for Action to Accelerate Biopolymers Industrial Growth – European Bioplastics +++ NOVEL PROTEINS: Production processes – take part in EFSA’s survey
CLIMATE FINANCE: Climate policies carry political costs, but those costs can be mitigated – Bruegel +++ EU ETS: EU Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives +++ CLIMATE RESEARCH: Climate change and the role of ocean based carbon dioxide removal – Florence School of Regulation +++ 2040 CLIMATE TARGETS: Coalition for Higher Ambition Rallies Broad Support for a Science-Based 2040 Climate Target +++ CLIMATE NEUTRALITY: EU policies for climate neutrality in the decisive decade – Agora +++ DECARBONISATION: PIK: Path to clean energy: EU City Calculator
REPOWER EU: La Commission verse des préfinancements REPowerEU à la Belgique, à la Croatie, à Chypre, à la Finlande, à la Grèce, à l’Italie, à la Lettonie, à la Roumanie et à l’Espagne au titre de la facilité pour la reprise et la résilience +++ ENERGY GRID: La Commission alloue près de 600 millions d’euros à des projets d’infrastructures énergétiques contribuant à la décarbonation et à la sécurité de l’approvisionnement +++ POWER SUMMIT: Eurelectric Power Summit 2024: Lights On +++ IAEA: International Day of Clean Energy: Why Nuclear Power? +++ IAEA Director General Statement to United Nations Security Council
The European Commission has published a report providing an overview of the enforcement of EU antitrust and merger rules by the Commission and the national competition authorities (‘NCAs’) in the pharmaceutical sector between 2018 and 2022. Today’s report shows that active enforcement of antitrust and merger rules continues to play an important role in delivering European patients’ access to a wider choice of affordable and innovative medicines. In particular, it helped to achieve this goal during the challenging period of the coronavirus pandemic.
Just a few years ago, the construction of a large hydrogen terminal would have seemed unlikely, if not impossible. And yet, building work has started here in the Port of Hamburg. Soon the plant will be transforming ammonia into renewable hydrogen, thus making an important contribution to decarbonising one of the largest contiguous industrial areas in Germany. Hamburg will be one of the first ports in the world to import hydrogen on a large scale. What is more, there are producers of steel, copper and aluminium in this area wanting to produce in an environmentally friendly way but requiring huge quantities of energy to do so. Clean energy. Their proximity to the new terminal will give them a decisive competitive advantage. It is worth looking back again to see why and how we have come so far in such a short time.
ECONOMIC SECURITY: EU Commission proposes new initiatives to strengthen economic security +++ EU Commission Memo on European Economic Security +++ Statement by Executive Vice President M. Vestager on the European Economic Security Package +++ Opening remarks of Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis on the European Economic Security package +++ Military mobility: The European Union supports strategic investments on dual-use transport infrastructure with EUR 807 million +++ Bundesminister Habeck begrüßt neues Paket der Europäischen Kommission zur Wirtschaftssicherheit +++ Businesseurope on Economic Security: Business welcomes clarity and further debate +++ Eurocommerce: Economic Security Package: EuroCommerce asks for cautious approach to guard the competitiveness of businesses in Europe
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