Facebook/Cambridge Analytica: MEPs pursue personal data breaches probe

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The impact of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal on personal data protection will be assessed by MEPs and experts on Monday 4 June. MEPs will discuss the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breaches with key people involved, to obtain a clear and complete picture of what happened. […]

Tougher defence tools against unfair imports to protect EU jobs and industry

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The EU could protect itself better against unfairly cheap imports and combat environmental or social dumping more effectively, under a law backed by MEPs on Wednesday. Higher tariffs can be imposed on dumped or subsidised imports to better protect EU jobs and businesses, under […]

EU budget: Reinforcing Europe’s cultural and creative sectors

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the European Commission is proposing to increase funding for Creative Europe, the programme supporting European cultural and creative sectors and audiovisual works, to €1.85 billion. Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: “The digital environment […]

Strengthening European unity is in all our interests, says Luxembourg PM Bettel

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel debated the future of Europe with MEPs and EU Commission President Juncker on Wednesday. “It is in the interest of European states to strengthen the community and speed up the process towards a European Union, exactly in those areas […]

Guinea President Alpha Condé: “We must tackle the root causes of migration”

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea, called for EU-Africa relations to be strengthened further, in a formal address on Tuesday noon. Welcoming the Guinean President, Parliament’s President Antonio Tajani stressed the EU’s support to the African Union and its member states. “In […]

EU budget: Regional Development and Cohesion Policy beyond 2020

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. For the next long-term EU budget 2021-2027, the Commission proposes to modernise Cohesion Policy, the EU’s main investment policy and one of its most concrete expressions of solidarity. The EU’s economy is bouncing back, but additional investment efforts are needed to tackle persistent gaps […]

Posting of workers: final vote on equal pay and working conditions

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Workers posted temporarily to another EU country must get equal pay for equal work in the same place, under revised rules voted by Parliament on Tuesday. The revised rules, approved by 456 votes to 147, with 49 abstentions, aim to ensure better protection for […]

North Sea fisheries: MEPs back EU plan to sustain stocks of demersal species

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. A new EU multiannual plan to prevent overfishing of demersal species and thus offer North Sea fishing communities more security was approved by MEPs on Tuesday. The second multiannual fisheries plan under the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) – approved by 520 votes to […]

Foreign investment to be screened to protect EU countries’ strategic interests

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. New tools to check that foreign investment in EU countries does not threaten their security or public order were approved by the Trade Committee on Monday. Trade MEPs backed plans to set up a mechanism to screen foreign direct investment (FDI) in a transparent, […]

Pharmaceuticals: Commission refines intellectual property rules

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission is proposing a targeted adjustment to intellectual property rules to help Europe’s pharmaceutical companies tap into fast-growing global markets and foster jobs, growth and investments in the EU. The EU has a strong intellectual property rights framework in place which protects Europe’s […]

Water reuse: Commission proposes measures to make it easier and safer for agricultural irrigation

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Yesterday, the Commission is proposing new rules to stimulate and facilitate water reuse in the EU for agricultural irrigation. The new rules will help farmers make the best use of non-potable wastewater, alleviating water scarcity whilst protecting the environment and consumers. Commissioner Vella, responsible […]

EU Justice Scoreboard 2018: justice systems’ key role in upholding the rule of law and EU values

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Yesterday, the European Commission publishes the 2018 EU Justice Scoreboard which gives a comparative overview of the independence, quality and efficiency of justice systems in the EU Member States. It aims to assist national authorities to improve the effectiveness of their justice systems. “The […]

Single-use plastics: New EU rules to reduce marine litter

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. With the amount of harmful plastic litter in oceans and seas growing ever greater, the European Commission is proposing new EU-wide rules to target the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on Europe’s beaches and seas, as well as lost and abandoned fishing […]

Alcoholic drinks: Commission tables update of rules governing alcohol excise duties

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Commission proposed  last Friday to reshape the rules governing excise duty on alcohol within the EU, paving the way for a better business environment and reduced costs for small alcohol-producing businesses and better protection for consumer health. Last Friday’s announcement means that small […]

Central banking in times of complexity

Panel remarks by Benoît Cœuré, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at a conference on the occasion of Sveriges Riksbank’s 350th anniversary, Stockholm, 25 May 2018. Brought to you by the European Sting from the European Central Bank site. It is fitting that we are discussing the future of central banking here in […]

Address by the President Antonio Tajani at the funeral of Nicole Fontaine

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Address by the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, at the funeral of Nicole Fontaine – Neuilly sur Seine, 24 May 2018 ‘In varietate concordia. United in diversity.’ This motto, our motto, which seems so self-evident, as if it had always been set in the […]

Discovering Europe: Free EU rail pass for 18 year olds

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. A pilot project enabling 15,000 young people to travel around Europe by train this summer is to be rolled out by the EU Commission, acting on Parliament’s proposals. On May 24, the EU Commission launched a website with details of the project, where young […]

Capital Markets Union: Making it easier for smaller businesses to get financing through capital markets

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission has today proposed new rules to give small and medium enterprises (SMEs) better access to financing through public markets. Part of the EU’s Capital Markets Union (CMU) agenda, today’s initiative should help EU companies to tap market-based funding more easily and cheaply […]

Antitrust: Commission imposes binding obligations on Gazprom to enable free flow of gas at competitive prices in Central and Eastern European gas markets

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has adopted a decision imposing on Gazprom a set of obligations that address the Commission’s competition concerns and enable the free flow of gas at competitive prices in Central and Eastern European gas markets, to the benefit of European consumers and […]

2019 EU Budget: Commission proposes a budget focused on continuity and delivery – for growth, solidarity, security

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission proposed yesterday the 2019 draft EU Budget of €166 billion in commitments, corresponding to a 3% increase over 2018, investing in a stronger and more resilient European economy and promoting solidarity and security on both sides of the EU’s borders. This budget […]

European Semester 2018 Spring Package: Commission issues recommendations for Member States to achieve sustainable, inclusive and long-term growth

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission presented yesterday the 2018 country-specific recommendations (CSRs), setting out its economic policy guidance for Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. Europe’s economy is growing at its fastest pace in a decade, with record employment, recovering investment and improved […]

Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) of 22/05/2018: EU relations with key trading partners

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Relations with key trading partners Today we reviewed the state of play of some key free trade negotiations. Our heavy agenda demonstrates how important global trade is for the EU. It is absolutely crucial to keep an open, constructive dialogue with our partners. Free […]

Road use charges: reforms aim to improve fairness and environmental protection

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. EU countries imposing time-based road use charges will need to switch to distance-based ones for trucks and buses from 2023 and cars from 2026, under draft rules adopted today. The Transport Committee amendments, voted on Thursday, aim to help meet EU emission reduction targets […]

Building a stronger Europe: new initiatives to further boost role of youth, education and culture policies

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The Commission is advancing work to build a European Education Area by 2025, reinforce the cultural dimension of the European Union and bolster youth participation, with a new set of measures, including a new Youth Strategy and a new Agenda for Culture. The new […]

Mark Zuckerberg will be at the European Parliament today to meet President Tajani and the political group chairpersons

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Today at 18:00, the founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, will arrive at the European Parliament for meetings with President Antonio Tajani and the political group chairpersons. He will attend the Conference of Presidents of the Political Groups of the European Parliament. The […]

How digital is your country? Europe needs Digital Single Market to boost its digital performance

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today the European Commission is publishing the results of the 2018 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) , a tool which monitors the performance of Member States in digital connectivity, digital skills online activity, the digitisation of businesses and digital public services. According to it, the […]

EU to increase spending and improve delivery of education in emergencies and protracted crises

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament Education in emergencies helps millions of children in need across the world. The Commission has adopted a new policy framework today that aims to increase humanitarian funding for education in emergencies and crises to 10% of its overall humanitarian aid budget as of 2019. […]

EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Main results The EU-Western Balkans summit took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 17 May. It brought together: heads of state or government from EU member states leaders from the 6 Western Balkans partners: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo* […]

Europe on the Move: Commission completes its agenda for safe, clean and connected mobility

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Juncker Commission is undertaking the third and final set of actions to modernise Europe’s transport system. In his State of the Union address of September 2017, President Juncker set out a goal for the EU and its industries to become a world leader in […]

Environment Committee MEPs vote to upgrade EU civil protection capacity

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament Upgrades to the EU civil defence mechanism, which was tested to its limits by deadly forest fires, storms and floods in 2017, were approved in committee on Thursday. The aim is to help member states to respond faster and more effectively to natural and […]

Air quality: Commission takes action to protect citizens from air pollution

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission is standing up for Europeans’ need to breathe clean air. The Commission is providing national, regional and local actors with practical help to improve air quality in Europe, and stepping up its enforcement against 7 Member States who have breached agreed EU rules […]

Budget MEPs approve €104.2 m in EU aid to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament 16-05-18 Budget MEPs approved on Wednesday EUSF aid worth €104.2 million to support reconstruction in Greece, Spain, France and Portugal, hit by natural disasters in 2017. The aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) includes €50.6 million for reconstruction in the Centro region in Portugal […]

Use “blockchain” model to cut small firms’ costs and empower citizens, urge MEPs

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament 16-05-2018 Applying the “blockchain” model to areas like energy use, supply chains and governance would cut costs for firms and empower citizens, said the Industry Committee. Blockchain transactions are recorded by multiple users, rather than by paid – and often costly – intermediaries. The […]