The most effective response to the resurgence of COVID-19 is vaccination, say MEPs, addressing the main topic on the agenda of the European Council. In a debate with Commission President von der Leyen and the Slovenian Presidency, they insisted that vaccination remains the strongest and most promising weapon available against the pandemic. Additional efforts are…
A Presidency prepared in close collaboration with the French corporate sector which is setting a policy agenda that strongly reflects business demands.That is the verdict of Corporate Europe Observatory and Observatoire des multinationales in their new report, published on Monday in the run up to the start of the French Presidency on 1 January. The…
The Commission says it welcomes the agreement reached by EU finance ministers on Tuesday to update the current rules governing value-added tax (VAT) rates for goods and services. These new rules will provide governments with more flexibility in the rates they can apply and ensure equal treatment between EU Member States. At the same time,…
The European Commission’s reporting on how EU spending programmes perform shows mixed results in different funding areas, and the indicators which measure progress towards targets do not focus enough on results. These are some of the conclusions of the European Court of Auditors, which has published its 2020 report on the performance of a selection…
Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen have addressed the UN climate summit in Glasgow and called for ‘radical change’. Both the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, spoke on behalf of the European Union on the second day of the COP26 talks. Ursula von der Leyen said countries…
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on Thursday to make the European Medicines Agency more effective in tackling shortages of medicines and medical devices. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) capacity to manage the availability of medicinal products and medical devices will be strengthened with the creation of two “shortages steering groups”,…
EU council president Charles Michel has said the virus exposed “the gaps in our national preparedness.” In a speech at the world health summit, he said, “just last week we had our latest European Council meeting. I have now chaired over 16 meetings where the 27 EU Leaders have addressed COVID-19. And I can tell you…
On Saturday 23 October, the second Conference Plenary meeting took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to discuss citizens’ contributions. The 80 representatives of the European Citizens’ Panels have met to discuss the future of Europe. The Conference on the Future of Europe is said to be an unprecedented, open and inclusive democratic exercise,…
In a debate with Commissioner Gentiloni on the Hungarian and Polish recovery plans, MEPs called for more transparency to make sure funds are properly allocated. Economy Commissioner Gentiloni updated MEPs on Wednesday, saying that currently 22 of the 25 submit national recovery plans have been approved. The Bulgarian and Dutch plans have not yet been…
European Parliament president David Sassoli has written to Council President Charles Michel calling for “strong impetus” from the EU side just ahead of the EU – Western Balkans summit in Slovenia In a letter to Michel on the EU-Western Balkans summit that takes place in Slovenia on Wednesday, European Parliament President David Sassoli urges leaders…
