The EU Council adopted today a new law on cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements with a view to ensuring that products, such as connected home cameras, fridges, TVs, and toys, are safe before they are placed on the market (cyber resilience act).
As governments worldwide look to transition away from fossil fuels and accelerate the deployment of clean energy, policy makers are dedicating more attention to securing supplies of critical minerals by concluding partnerships.
Ukraine is set to receive close to €4.2 billion in funds after the EU Council greenlighted the first regular payment of grants and loans under the EU’s Ukraine Facility, to support Ukraine’s macro-financial stability and the functioning of its public administration.
NATO has published a summary of the new NATO-Ukraine Innovation Cooperation Roadmap, previously endorsed by NATO and Ukrainian leaders at the Washington Summit.
The EU Council has adopted the two legislative acts under the design package: the revised directive on the legal protection of designs and the amended regulation on community designs. The texts adopted today update the current design legislation to improve the protection of industrial designs in the era of digital designs and 3D printing.
Following the pandemic, Russia’s gas shut-off, and fallout from the war in Ukraine, the euro area economy is gradually recovering, and inflation is declining towards target. Banks have proven resilient to the sharp rise in interest rates. Borrowing rates of sovereigns have remained moderate despite high public debt. Despite these reassuring signs, significant challenges remain.
“Preserving and sharpening Europe’s competitive edge in the face of such challenges requires not a reactive and piecemeal approach, but a well-thought out, multi-pronged strategy. Industrial policy may have a role to play as a small part of this strategy, but let me emphasize: in this case small—well-targeted and well-designed—is beautiful” – IMF Managing Director Georgieva.
Uncertainty around the outlook is high and downside risks outweigh, including an abrupt slowdown in Europe, increased commodity price volatility, and rising domestic political tensions. On the other hand, progress on the European Union accession path could provide a reform boost, with positive spillovers.
The European Commission has concluded that Germany’s special tax schemes for public casinos operators are not in line with EU State aid rules. Germany must now recover the incompatible State aid, including interests, and abolish the tax schemes for the future.
Posted Ukrainian workers: the Member State in which the works are carried out may impose an obligation to obtain a residence permit. But the amount of fees for such permits must approximately correspond to the administrative costs generated by the processing of an application for such a permit, which it is for the Netherlands court to determine.
Under the regulation, biocidal products may not be advertised in a manner in which the indications may mislead the user in respect of the risks from those products to health or the environment or in respect of their efficacy.
The Renew Europe Group has expanded today after confirmation that newly elected MEP Yvan Verougstraete, with the centrist, progressive force from Belgium, les Engagés, will join us, the most pro-European political family in this house.
“Putting our economic security strategy into practice, is a constant, careful balancing act. However tempting it may be, we will not make our economy safe by taking drastic, cut-and-dried measures. This is why our approach is one of de-risking through precise, proportionate measures” – EVP Vestager.
Denmark has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of the pandemic and energy crises. The IMF staff expects robust growth to continue in 2024, but there are considerable external risks, including from geopolitical tensions. The financial system remains sound, but systemic risks are elevated due to still-high interest rates and heightened vulnerabilities in commercial real estate (CRE) markets.
The EU Council reached an agreement on a proposal to simplify certain reporting requirements in the field of financial services and investment support. The proposal updates rules on data sharing between the European Supervisory authorities (ESAs) and other financial sector authorities with the aim to reduce their administrative burden.
The EU Commission is planning to gather input from financial services stakeholders to get an overview of how and for which purposes AI applications are used in the financial sector.
The EU Commission has appointed María Antonia Martinez Luengo as Director ‘Macro-economic statistics’ and Gabriele Semeraro as Director ‘Government Finance Statistics (GFS)’ at the Directorate-General for Statistics of the Commission (DG EUROSTAT).
The EU Council has adopted the two legislative acts under the design package: the revised directive on the legal protection of designs and the amended regulation on community designs. The texts adopted today update the current design legislation to improve the protection of industrial designs in the era of digital designs and 3D printing.
“In just under 300 days, Europeans will take to the polls in our unique and remarkable democracy. As with any election, it will be a time for people to reflect on the State of our Union and the work done by those that represent them. But it will also be a time to decide on what kind of future and what kind of Europe they want. Among them will be millions of first-time voters, the youngest of whom were born in 2008. As they stand in that polling booth, they will think about what matters to them. They will think about the war that rages at our borders. Or the impact of destructive climate change. About how artificial intelligence will influence their lives. Or of their chances of getting a house or a job in the years ahead” – EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
Since taking office, U.S. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the entire Biden-Harris Administration have acted decisively to manage the risks and harness the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI). As the Administration moves urgently on regulatory action, it is working with leading AI companies to take steps now to advance responsible AI. In July, the Biden-Harris Administration secured voluntary commitments from seven leading AI companies to help advance the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.
On Wednesday, Commission President von der Leyen will give her final State of the Union address in the European Parliament in Strasbourg ahead of the 2024 European elections.
The ECR Group argues that the starting point for any reflection must be the recognition that Europe and European values of freedom and national sovereignty are under military, political and economic attack.
This targeted consultation aims at gathering feedback from stakeholders and Member States on the application of the single equitable remuneration right under Article 8(2) of Directive 2006/115/EC on rental and lending rights in the different Member States.
“The EU and China are important trade and economic partners and we will continue ensuring that this relationship is balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial. EU will continue addressing critical vulnerabilities and diversifying where necessary and appropriate without undermining crucial economic interests.”
The transformation in skills and culture, encapsulated in the Secretary-General’s vision of a UN 2.0, is focused on fostering cutting-edge capabilities in data, digital, innovation, foresight and behavioural science – to deliver stronger results, better Member State support, and faster progress towards theSustainable Development Goals.
This first payment request relates to 36 milestones and five targets. These cover numerous investments, for instance in the area of jobs and skills through a work placement experience programme, a programme for green skills, and strengthening the capacity of Technological Universities. Investments also concern the digital transition, through the digitalisation of public administration and the connection of schools to the broadband network. In terms of the green transition, they cover the preparation and the start of work on the rehabilitation of peatlands, the electrification of public transport in Cork, investments in the energy-efficiency of public buildings, and the upgrade of wastewater treatment plants.
In their draft position on the European Media Freedom Act, adopted on Thursday by 24 votes in favour, 3 against and 4 abstentions, MEPs want to ensure that the new rules oblige member states to ensure plurality and protect media independence from governmental, political, economic or private interests.
The new world-class system will be used to advance research and development in domains such as energy efficient technologies, weather forecasts, and sea and oceanic research. It will also help develop industrial applications in drug discovery, new materials design, neuroscience, climate-friendly energy systems, and other areas.
eco: MOIN – Begleitprogramm zum ICANN78 +++ 2030 Digital Decade: EU Commission adopts indicators to monitor Europe’s digital transformation and issues guidance to Member States +++ Eurobarometer: Europeans believe digital technologies will be crucial in their daily lives +++ Digitalisation leaders and experts gathered for the Digital Assembly 2023 +++ Digital Assembly 2023 kicks off focusing on a digital, open and secure Europe +++ Data Act: EU Commission welcomes political agreement on rules for a fair and innovative data economy +++ Data Act – Questions and Answers +++ EU Council position on the Data Act: Council and Parliament strike a deal on fair access to and use of data.
EU Ministers of home affairs met in Luxembourg to discuss how to improve the EU’s return system. Also on the agenda was the entry/exit system and a draft law to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.
Quantum, often called quantum mechanics, deals with the granular and fuzzy nature of the universe and the physical behavior of its smallest particles.
The EU Council decided today to list three entities under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime in view of their responsibilities in the brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks that occurred across Israel on 7 October 2023.
NATO’s Secretary General praised Helsinki’s many contributions to NATO, saying Finland takes security and defence seriously: “You have long made defence spending a priority and we are grateful for the fact that when Finland joined NATO, yet another NATO Ally is spending more than 2% on defence”.
One year into the conflict, the EU recalls its strong appeal on the warring parties for an immediate and durable ceasefire, as well as for the establishment of monitoring mechanisms. The magnitude of the conflict shows that silencing the guns is vital to put a halt to the destruction inflicted on the Sudanese people and the country.
11 April 2024 IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi meets with Romanian Minister of Foreign
The EU Commission welcomes the result of today’s vote in the European Parliament, endorsing the political agreement on the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Other stakeholders criticize the agreement.
The United States and Iceland committed to continue building upon their existing strong economic ties, deep-rooted cultural and historic relationships, common values of democracy and human rights, and mutual bilateral cooperation.
The regulation on asylum and migration management, by rapporteur Tomas TOBÉ (SE, EPP), was backed by 322 votes in favour 266 against and 31 abstentions. Read more about it.
The meeting, brought together Ukraine, G7 countries as well as South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, as well as observers from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Belgium, Finland, and Switzerland.
In August 2023, the U.S. Treasury had declared a round of sanctions targeting prominent members of Russia’s financial elite, as well as a Russian business association. The four individuals targeted include Petr Olegovich Aven, Mikhail Maratovich Fridman, German Borisovich Khan, and Alexey Viktorovich Kuzmichev, all of whom have served on the supervisory board of the Alfa Group Consortium (“Alfa Group”), one of the largest financial and investment conglomerates in Russia.
Sanctions or restrictions are a key tool for the EU to intervene where necessary to prevent conflict or respond to current or emerging crises. Read more about these tools.
Five Bulgarian members of an organised crime group responsible for the largest-ever fraud against the United Kingdom benefit system pleaded guilty to fraud and money-laundering offences.
The EU’s product liability regime was established in 1985. Its purpose was to compensate injured persons for physical injury or damages of property that they have suffered due to a defective product, simply by proving that a product was defective and that the defect caused the injury or damage.
The methodology describes how scheduled exchanges between bidding zones, scheduling areas and Nominated Electricity Market Operators trading hubs are calculated in the single day-ahead market coupling. Scheduled exchanges are electricity transfers scheduled between geographic areas for each market time unit and for a given direction.
In North Macedonia, assisting households to make investments in green technologies not only supports climate action, but also helps them save on energy costs and improves living standards.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with senior Russian officials this week as part of the continuing efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help prevent a nuclear accident at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
The EU Council adopted a regulation to completely ban the use of dental amalgams and to prohibit manufacturing, import and export of other mercury-added products.
High policy credibility is crucial for carbon prices in the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) to be high enough to efficiently incentivise emission reductions in the long term, a new study finds.
Die Unterzeichnung der gemeinsamen Absichtserklärung (JDOI) soll die Schaffung eines Wasserstoff-Importkorridors zwischen den drei Ländern voranbringen.
Energy ministers approved conclusions on sustainable electricity grid infrastructure. Other issues on the agenda concerned REPowerEU, the withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty, and the EU Green Deal.
The EU Council today approved conclusions on the EU’s electricity grid infrastructure. The conclusions propose a series of measures for an interconnected and resilient electricity network in Europe, to ensure energy security and achieve decarbonisation in the EU.
The EU Council gives the final green light for the EU and Euratom to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty after the European Parliament approved it during its last plenary session in April 2024.
By clarifying the legal interpretation of this concept, the Commission aims to provide certainty for affected farmers regarding their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, while also ensuring a uniform application across the Union by national administrations.
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