Photo by Yoal Desurmont on Unsplash A conference will be held this month in Brussels in recognition of the contribution made to society by the Roma community, including in the conflict in Ukraine. It comes also with the publication of a new report “Fighting for a Fairer Future” by the Roma Foundation for Europe which highlights the contribution made…
Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash All MEPs will in future have to follow mandatory training sessions within the first six months in office focusing on the prevention of conflict and harassment in the workplace. They will also be taught “effective office management.” Parliament’s new anti-harassment rule, which has just been agreed, will be among the final votes during…
Photo by Gabriel Côté on Unsplash A new draft law on energy consumption has fuelled anger among some MEPs New draft EU legislation has been branded “too burdensome” by some MEPs. Centre-right deputies have come out strongly against the new directive on the energy performance of buildings. Buildings account for 40% of the EU’s final energy consumption and 36% of its energy-related…
Photo by Ivan Nedelchev on Unsplash Bulgaria and Romania have become the latest Schengen members. The Schengen rules will apply in both Member States; the issue of Schengen visas and controls at the internal air and sea borders will be lifted. The European Commission said it “strongly welcomes this achievement”. The Schengen accession of the two will, it…
Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash The EU says it is “committed” to boosting cycling across Europe. It says it is taking “another important step” in reducing transport emissions by adopting European Declaration on Cycling. This was done in the margins of the Informal Transport European Council and the Connecting Europe Days. Speaking at the event, Adina Valean, the…
China will seek to “embrace the world in its opening-up process,” says the country’s ambassador to Belgium. Ambassador Cao Zhongming was speaking in Brussels at an event hosted by the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC). The outgoing diplomat said he “appreciates” the long-time optimism about China of the Belgian business community and the “great efforts”…
Photo by Headway on Unsplash The European Commission has opened non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) against several “Big Tech” companies. It will investigate Alphabet’s rules on steering in Google Play and self-preferencing on Google Search, Apple’s rules on steering in the App Store and the choice screen for Safari and Meta’s “pay or consent model”. The…
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash The EU and its member states have reached a deal which aims to strengthen EU member state cooperation in the cross-border investigation of traffic offences. To prevent reckless driving while abroad, the updated rules will expand the list of traffic offences committed by non-resident drivers that trigger cross-border assistance possibly resulting in…
Photo by Fas Khan on Unsplash There has been no improvement in the declining attractiveness of the EU as a business location, says a new report. It adds that the majority of business federations believe that the EU’s attractiveness as investment destination for global firms stagnated or declined over the past year. The EU is a less attractive investment location in…
Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash In a speech at an event entitled ‘The Future via Carpathia-Caucasian Road Corridor,’ held on March 19th in the European Parliament in Brussels, Ryszard Czarnecki, a Member of the European Parliament, emphasised the critical importance of prioritising trans-regional trade corridors for the economic development and security of the European Union (EU) and…
