Photo by Hans Martin on Unsplash The German city of Frankfurt has been chosen by Parliament and Council as the seat of AMLA, the EU’s new enforcer in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. MEPs and EU ambassadors chose Frankfurt to host the EU’s central enforcer in the fight against dirty money, the Authority for Anti-Money…
Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash A leading think tank has welcomed news that leaders of the EU-27 have agreed an extra 50 billion euros support package for Ukraine within the EU budget. The decision was made at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on 1 February. The move was greeted by Zsuzsanna Vegh, associate researcher at the…
Photo by FlyD on Unsplash EU member states have renewed for a further 6 months its restrictive measures against Russia “in view of the Russian Federation’s continuing actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine.” They will last until 31 July. The sanctions, first introduced in 2014 in response to Russia’s actions “destabilising” the situation in Ukraine, were significantly expanded…
Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash Competitiveness, SMEs and social inclusion are at the heart of the Belgian EU council presidency programme. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has subsequently made policy recommendations on the relationship between economic governance, long-term inclusive growth and sustainable security. In the first half of 2024, Belgium holds its thirteenth Presidency of…
Photo by Alexandre Bury on Unsplash The new Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU says it will work towards better protecting European citizens and strengthening cooperation. The presidency programme sets out the priorities and main directions of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. The Belgian term takes place from 1 January to 30 June…
Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash MEPs and national governments have reached a long-sought agreement to revamp the EU’s asylum and migration legislation. The EU Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on the final form of five separate EU regulations, establishing how to share the management of asylum and migration flows among member states and what to do in…
As part of the comprehensive twelfth package of sanctions adopted yesterday, the Council decided to impose restrictive measures on an additional 61 individuals and 86 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Today’s new listings target primarily the military and defence sectors. The Council is listing more than 40 companies taking part…
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash There are fears about the impact enlargement could have on the EU’s political power in the world, says a new survey. It says Poland and Denmark are the most optimistic on this question, with a plurality of 43% and 35% of citizens, respectively, believing Ukraine’s accession would have a positive…
Photo by Danielle Rice on Unsplash A former Europe Minister in the UK has cast doubt on the new European Political Community (EPC). Denis MacShane is a widely respected political observer and served under Tony Blair’s premiership. The Labour veteran politician is partly dismissive of the EPC, the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron. It is, says MacShane,“basically…
Photo by Jean Carlo Emer on Unsplash Charles Michel has admitted that the EU and US face “enormous” challenges. He was speaking on the eve of the upcoming EU- US summit in Washington. The former Belgian PM, now EU council president, said, “The EU and US share a special bond. We are more than close allies, we are…
