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…
Commission
Focus on Apple’s Competition Policy Compliance
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…
Call for EU Labour Migration Policy
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…
Encouraging Ethical Conduct
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash The EU has moved a step closer creating an ethics body for all the EU institutions. This comes after the European Commission officially approved the agreement resulting from the negotiations among the EU institutions and bodies for the creation of the first ever interinstitutional ethics body. On Wednesday, it said this was an…
EU Aid for Sudan
Photo by Mohamed Tohami on Unsplash The EU has agreed to commit some 896m euro for humanitarian aid in Sudan. This comes one year since the outbreak of conflict in the country. The move was announced on Monday when the EU co-hosted today with France and Germany the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and neighbouring countries. The aim…
My Voice, My Choice
Photo by Letizia Bordoni on Unsplash The European commission has officially registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) titled “My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion.” This initiative, spearheaded by the “My Voice, My Choice” movement, is said to represent a significant step forward for reproductive rights in Europe. The ECI is proposed by the “My Voice,…
Energy Assistance for Ukraine
Photo by Andrey Zaychuk on Unsplash Ukraine’s power supply has suffered significant damage following a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure by Russia over the past weeks, Responding to this crisis, the EU has swiftly mobilised emergency energy assistance which is on its way to Ukraine. Austria, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands have…
Need to Step Up Wind Power Development
Photo by Mike Setchell on Unsplash Wind power is a key component of the green transition but there is an urgent need for expanded and modernised energy grids. So says the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). A strong wind industry could improve the EU’s environmental, economic and social well-being, is the main idea of the EESC opinion drafted…
New Firefighting Planes for EU
Photo by Kyle Cleveland on Unsplash The EU says it is financing the purchase of new firefighting planes to increase its aerial firefighting capabilities. Some €600 million in EU funds will be used to purchase 12 new planes, which will be hosted across 6 EU Member States: Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. The new planes will…
Morocco-EU Partnership “More Crucial Than Ever”
The partnership between Morocco and the European Union is “more crucial than ever in the current geopolitical context”, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. The strengthening of this strategic partnership was the focus of a meeting on Wednesday between Borrell and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan…