Today, the Council prolonged the economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until 31 July 2020. This decision follows an update by President Macron and Chancellor Merkel to the European Council on 12 December 2019 on the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements, to which the decision on maintaining sanctions is linked. Given that the…
Parliament’s negotiating team reached a deal with the Council on Wednesday on EU-wide rules to help crowdfunding services function smoothly and foster cross-border business funding. The uniform set of criteria will apply to all European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP) up to offers of EUR 5 000 000 (from EUR 1 000 000 proposed by the…
The European Parliament President David Sassoli says the next few years will be decisive for the EU. He was speaking in the wake of the December European Council meeting On the current state of Europe, he said, “Last May, European citizens sent a very clear message that they are willing and able to resist the sirens of populism…
PACE has said to Europe’s governments: ‘It is your duty not to let people drown in the Mediterranean’ While welcoming the commitment of NGOs to carrying out sea rescues, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has insisted that “it is the duty of States not to let people drown in the Mediterranean”. In…
The European Parliament and the Council have submitted their responses on the appeal of the legal action challenging the EU’s 2030 climate target. Despite the political momentum in the EU to increase the 2030 climate target, both institutions argue that the families and the Sami youth who are affected by the climate crisis shouldn’t be heard in…
By the end of the year, EU countries will have to submit their final National Energy and Climate Plans to present how they will contribute to the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. A new report released last week indicates how much progress has been made since the European Commission published its recommendations on each…
Charles Michel says the Lisbon Treaty is part of the “European DNA.” The former Belgian PM, now the EU’s new President of the Council, was speaking on Sunday at an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the landmark treaty. He said,”There is so much to discover in every corner of Europe. This diversity living…
The EU needs to “turn the promises of the past few months into results that improve people’s lives” That was the message on Sunday from parliament’s president David Sassoli who was speaking in Brussels. He joined the Presidents of the three EU institutions and the European Central Bank to mark the inauguration of the new Commission and…
The spotlight had already been on Romania’s prison conditions due to a report earlier this year by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), writes Dr Charles Tannock. There was further international scrutiny as commentators wondered how Liviu Dragnea, the leader of country’s Social…
Defence ministers have shared their expectations and views ahead of the presentation of the first full Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) Report which will be delivered to the Steering Board in November 2020. Ministers took the opportunity to highlight their expectations and share success factors they deem important ahead of delivery of the first full…
