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).
The 2024-2026 EDM report “Story on the Common European Media Data Space” delves into the media sector, focusing on implementing the European Media Data Space and its anticipated benefits and impacts.
The platform has made two commitments under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA): A commitment to withdraw the TikTok Lite Rewards programme from the EU, permanently, and a commitment not to launch any other programme which would circumvent the withdrawal.
As the world looks to alternatives to fossil fuels to combat climate change, several countries are developing nuclear power programmes to provide a sustainable source of low carbon energy. Countries operating nuclear reactors are responsible for providing geological disposal capacity for high-level radioactive waste.
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.
The High Representative will attend working sessions and discussions with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Western Balkans Foreign Ministers and representatives of think tanks and civil society organisations.
The Group of European Conservatives and Reformists in the European Parliament has grown to 83 members in a second round of accessions.
During his recent visit, which included meetings with the authorities as well as visiting the troubled eastern part of the country, EZ Commissioner Lenarčič announced the EU plans to provide close to €99 million in total in humanitarian assistance this year. This amount includes €35 million, subject to approval by the EU budgetary authorities.
The European Commission decided to register two European Citizens’ Initiatives, entitled ‘Air-Quotas’ and ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’. What do they want to achieve?
The EU Commission proposes an EU budget of €199.7 billion for 2025. The budget will be complemented by €72 billion of disbursements under NextGenerationEU. This substantial financial envelope will support the EU in meeting its political priorities while integrating the changes agreed in the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in February 2024.
The 2024 European Semester Spring Package provides guidance how to build a robust and future-proof economy that secures competitiveness, resilience and long-term prosperity for all, while maintaining sound public finances, in the face of a challenging geopolitical environment.
Today, the EPP Group took the formal decision to welcome 14 new Members of the European Parliament into its ranks. With these new members, the EPP Group consolidates its position as by far the strongest political Group in the European Parliament.
The EU Commission and Banco Português de Fomento (BPF) have signed today an InvestEU guarantee agreement worth up to €210 million. The agreement is expected to mobilise more than €3 billion in investments. With this agreement, BPF becomes the first Portuguese InvestEU implementing partner.
The EU Commission has launched a consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on its draft rules for land and multimodal transport replacing the Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings (‘Railway Guidelines’) as well as on its new Transport Block-Exemption Regulation (‘TBER’).
The European Commission is carrying out unannounced inspections at the premises of a consultancy firm in two Member States. The EU Commission has concerns that the company may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.
The EU Council agreed its negotiating position on a new regulation on the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), a revised directive on harmonised river information systems (RIS) on inland waterways and a new regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area.
The ESAs call for a coherent sustainable finance framework that caters for both the green transition and enhanced consumer protection, taking into account the lessons learned from the functioning of the SFDR.
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.
Today, the Commission has proposed concrete steps to further digitalise the coordination of social security systems in Europe, in a dedicated Communication. It lays out actions to make access to social security services quicker and simpler across borders by making full use of digital tools, reducing administrative burden for citizens and business.
Under the DMA, the European Commission can designate digital platforms as ‘gatekeepers’ if they provide an important gateway between businesses and consumers in relation to core platform services. Today’s designation decisions follow a 45-day review process conducted by the Commission after the notification by Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft and Samsung of their potential status as gatekeepers.
The Industry, Research and Energy, and Culture and Education committees questioned Iliana Ivanova, Bulgarian candidate for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. Ms Ivanova was nominated to replace Mariya Gabriel, who resigned on 15 May to become Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bulgaria.
The European Commission signed an association agreement for the Digital Europe Programme with Türkiye. Following the signatures, and upon the completion of the related ratification processes, the association agreement will enter into force. Businesses, public administrations and other eligible organisations in Türkiye will be able to access the calls of the Digital Europe Programme, a programme with an overall budget of €7.5 billion in the 2021-2027 period.
North Korea (DPRK) continues to use, steal, and launder virtual assets in order to fund its illicit weapons programs. The proliferation of cyber events and cyber-enabled crime instigated by the DPRK represents a significant threat to the U.S. financial system. The FinCEN Exchange session emphasized the threat posed by the DPRK’s abuse of the digital ecosystem and facilitated coordination where appropriate to counter DPRK-related illicit finance.
Under the DSA very large online platforms and search engines will be obliged to assess and mitigate systemic risks to civic discourse, such as foreign disinformation efforts, as of end August 2023 for the first batch of services designated by the European Commission. They will be obliged to make a public version of a report setting out the results of such risk assessment available to the public at the latest 15 months after the date of application of the DSA, but are encouraged to do so earlier.
European Rural Youth Summit +++ ITU Digital Transformation and Cities Digest +++ Seventh meeting of United for Smart Sustainable Cities +++ URBACT: Unlocking the potential of testing actions +++ Mit Datenkompetenz zur smarten Kommune – Fraunhofer IAO +++ Kommunen in die Cloud! – Fraunhofer IAO Veranstaltungen +++ Wärmenetze in ländlichen Regionen: Neue dena-Studie zeigt kleinen Kommunen Strategien und Anwendungsfälle bei der Wärmeplanung +++ Klimahausen – Nachhaltig gut leben: Lebenswerte Stadt im Klimawandel – Wuppertal Institut +++ Green Cities 2035: Kommunale Strategien gegen Flächenverbrauch – difu.
The Government submitted a Union communication to Parliament on the European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area. The Government supports the objectives of the Commission proposal. On 11 July 2023, the European Commission issued a proposal for a Greening Freight Transport Package. The Package includes measures to improve the efficiency and sustainability of transport.
During July, Cyprus Public Transport introduced its inaugural fleet of electric buses, integrating them into their existing vehicle line-up to initiate service on various routes. The primary objective of this initiative is to bolster the drive for environmentally sustainable and ecologically friendly public transportation options.
The energy transition is the starting point for a much broader transformation of our industrial base. Permitting systems have to be ready for this change. Politics is not business and should not be. But speed and agility have their own virtues. Just look at the mining industry. Sweden is home to some of the world’s largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are necessary for the green transition. Some of them were even discovered by Swedish scientists.
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.
The EU General Court annuls the inclusion of Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman on the lists of persons subject to restrictive measures between February 2022 and March 2023. Aven, of Russian and Latvian nationality, and Fridman, of Russian and Israeli nationality, are major shareholders of Alfa Group, a conglomerate including Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s major banks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed about a further drone attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) today, in the latest indication of a major worsening of the nuclear safety and security situation at the site.
Ten suspects were arrested in Serbia, Greece and Spain for the murders, which took place in 2020. Eurojust also supported and funded a joint investigation team (JIT) between Greece and Serbia to dismantle the organised crime group (OCG).
“Sanctions are only effective if they are carried out and enforced properly. And they could be working even more effectively. For a number of reasons, their short-term impact has been less pronounced than expected” – EVP Dombrovskis.
“When I started my mandate, I said that ‘the EU needs to learn to speak the language of power’. And some years later, when presenting the Strategic Compass, I said another sentence which will be part of my heritage: Europe is in danger – EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
The consultation follows the calls for evidence on civil explosives and pyrotechnics, published in May 2023. These calls sought to collect initial feedback on whether the Directives on explosives for civilian uses and on pyrotechnic articles were still fit for purpose.
Following a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure by Russia, Ukraine’s power supply has suffered significant damage. The EU has swiftly mobilised emergency energy assistance which is on its way to Ukraine.
New EU rules establishing common standards for transparency and targeting of political advertising come into effect today, allowing citizens to identify messages that seek to influence their opinions and political decisions.
A safeguard investigation seeks to determine whether increased imports of a product are causing, or is threatening to cause, serious injury to a domestic industry.
“This operation was a clear and fast response by the European Union to the deteriorating situation in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden that was having a negative impact on our commercial shipping and regional stability” – EU HR Borrell
During the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the United States worked closely with UN Member States to highlight and address pressing human rights concerns and to uphold the universal values, aspirations, and principles that have underpinned the UN system since its founding.
The European Union and the United States support a stable, peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous future for Armenia and the region. They envisage a stronger cooperation.
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 EU Council has adopted new rules updating the law on medical devices in order to help prevent shortages and ease the transition to greater transparency and access to information.
The regulation increases duties on cereals, oilseeds and derived products from Russia and Belarus to a point that will in practice halt imports of these products.
The directive will make it easier for consumers to seek repair instead of replacement and repair services will become more accessible, transparent and attractive.
Alongside renewable power sources like wind and solar, a new generation of nuclear reactors is now capturing the attention of a wide range of stakeholders for nuclear energy’s ability to produce clean, reliable energy and meet the needs of a fast-growing economy.
“Cities and regions can propel the green transition, and the EU is working hard to help them on this path. For example, our Net-Zero Industry Act will reduce administrative burden and simplify permitting for net zero technologies and projects, including for local administrations” – EVP Šefčovič.
“We need to lean on our well-established nuclear industry, build on this base, and speed things up to develop an entire supply chain for SMRs by 2030. And the work needs to start now because otherwise we’ll be behind in the international race” – EU Commissioner Simson.
Europeans continue to express high levels of concern about the environment, which they see as an issue affecting them personally, according to a new Eurobarometer survey on ‘Attitudes of Europeans towards the environment’.
“We have a regulation so that we can see what financial products are actually delivering in terms of sustainability. I see this, our sustainable finance framework, as an important jigsaw. Pieces that will work together” – EU Commissioner McGuinness.
In developing a draft network code, the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) is contributing to a more cost-efficient and clean energy transition by facilitating access to EU wholesale electricity markets for smaller actors, including consumers.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), this legislation is a cornerstone in enhancing the EU’s capabilities in sourcing, processing, and recycling critical raw materials (CRMs), which are crucial for the region’s climate objectives and sustainable development.
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