Photo by Antonio Janeski on Unsplash A leading think tank says the time has come to move from “divisive campaigns” to a coalition that “works for Europe.” The comments come in the wake of the shock EU elections which showed key gains for the centre-right and far right parties. Far from a major breakthrough, though, the Far Right,…
Photo by Farid Ershad on Unsplash The EU has agreed to pump in an extra €150 million in humanitarian aid for the crisis in Afghanistan./ It says the move is needed “in view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.” On Monday, the EU said it had activated its emergency aid reserve to avoid a risk of famine…
The Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) process has not fulfilled its promise of engaging the average voter. Still, it has helped ‘europeanise’ the European Parliament elections and is worth persisting with. Who should decide who becomes the President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive body? One option is the (democratically-elected) governments of the member-states. Another is the (democratically-elected) European…
Photo by Michel E on Unsplash The European Commission has given the green light to a second tranche of assistance of €25 million for the Palestinian Authority. It says this will contribute to the payment of salaries and pensions of Palestinian civil servants and disbursed €16 million for UNRWA to provide basic services such as health and education…
Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash Candidates competing for the EU commission presidency after the EU elections will go head to head in a live debate on Thursday. The Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency will take place on from 3pm in Parliament’s plenary chamber in Brussels The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is…
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash The European Parliament has approved the creation of a new EU body to help strengthen integrity, transparency, and accountability in European decision-making. The agreement was reached between Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the…
Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will open its doors to the public for its traditional Open Day on Saturday 4 May from 10am to 6pm. Informing and enthusing people about the EESC and the upcoming European elections, the Committee will organise a number of activities at its headquarters (the Jacques Delors building in Rue Belliard 99-101 1040…
Photo by Phill Brown on Unsplash European Council President Charles Michel’s Chief Diplomatic Adviser, Simon Mordue has been selected as Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS). He will take up his duties on 1 July. Prior to that he will complete a short term assignment on Ukraine for the Commission. Magdalena Grono, Senior Foreign…
Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash The European Commission has designated Apple with respect to iPadOS, its operating system for tablets, as a gatekeeper under the digital markets act (“DMA”). Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance of iPadOS with the DMA obligations. The case dates to 5 September 2023 when the Commission designated Apple as a…
Photo by Fons Heijnsbroek on Unsplash EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has called for an effective policy on labour migration. The official was speaking at the April plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in a discussion on the EU Talent Mobility Package. Johansson called for a ‘team Europe’ approach to labour migration with a broader European…
