The European Parliament has voted to set up an inquiry committee to investigate the use of surveillance spyware against citizens, activists and journalists. This follows revelations from a group of journalists that many governments, including from EU Member States, have been using the NSO group’s Pegasus spyware against citizens. The Greens/EFA Group strongly condemns the…
The Commission and the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) worked together to define a first set of measures to safeguard protection of intellectual property in Ukraine. In agreement with the Commission, the EUIPO has adopted the following measures: the EUIPO will safeguard Ukrainian intellectual property rights in the European Union by providing full support to…
The European Parliament has adopted a set of comprehensive and ambitious rules on sustainability, safety, labelling and information on batteries. The future of batteries in Europe must be socially and environmentally sustainable. Now the ball is in the Council’s court to match our ambition and finalise its position in order for the new Batteries Regulation…
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the respective human rights situations in Myanmar, Mexico and Nagorno-Karabakh. More than a year after the coup d’état in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, Parliament reiterates that it strongly condemns the military junta’s violent seizure of power and the ensuing heinous atrocities carried out against the…
This last February, Brussels Airport welcomed around 825,000 passengers, up by 400% compared to February 2021, but still down by 50% compared to the same period before the crisis (February 2019). A better month than January (-52%), despite being shorter by 3 days. In terms of freight, the volumes transported increased by 13% compared with February…
Russian propaganda has set a new agenda for its information attacks accusing Ukraine of running biological and bacteriological research under U.S. supervision. This narrative is actively circulating across Russian Telegram channels. In particular, the Readovka channel has spread allegations that a strain of bat coronavirus had been researched in such laboratories. Maps are being distributed…
A large majority of MEPs have voted to adopt the General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030 (8th EAP) in the European Parliament. The decade-long environment legislation sets out the EU’s main priorities, together with strong monitoring and governance provisions to ensure these priorities are achieved. Climate mitigation and adaptation, circular economy, biodiversity protection and…
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caught Europe unawares, without an understanding of the full implications of the war and its effect on members of NATO and the European Union. On Day 15 of this unprovoked war of aggression from Russia, the number of migrants fleeing the conflict is in the hundreds of thousands. Europe hasn’t seen…
The Socialists and Democrats in the European parliament have called for fundamentally reorienting the European Semester away from the austerity matrix to putting the wellbeing of people first. Driving the transformation towards sustainable development requires a new governance approach and new rules and instruments: a Sustainability Pact. Irene Tinagli, Chair of the economic and monetary affairs…
The Commission has approved 225 projects under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), to support Member States in preparing, designing and implementing reforms that will lead to modern and resilient public administrations, sustainable growth strategies and resilient economies while enhancing their capacity to react to current and future crises. Several reforms projects are also included in the…
