S&D members in the legal affairs committee in the European parliament voted in favour of legal action against the Commission for its failure to trigger the EU’s rule of law conditionality mechanism. In force since 1 January 2021, the mechanism makes access to EU funds conditional on respecting the rule of law and EU fundamental…
The EU needs rules against SLAPPs (vexatious legal actions) intended to silence critical voices, according to the Parliament’s Civil Liberties and Legal Affairs committees. In a draft report endorsed on Thursday with 63 votes for, 9 against, and 10 abstentions, MEPs propose measures to counteract the threat that Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) pose…
The European Commission has unveiled its “toolbox” for EU governments to tackle the current energy price hike. The proposed toolbox will be discussed by heads of state and governments at the European Council summit on 21-22 October. The toolbox mainly includes short-term measures for member states by setting out options to target vulnerable households. The Greens/EFA…
Manfred Weber MEP was re-elected on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority as Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. The German member presides the biggest group in Parliament since 2014 and was today re-elected for the 3rd time. After the announcement of the election result, Weber thanked his fellow MEPs for the trust…
Iratxe García Pérez, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, met with judges in Warsaw on Saturday who are fighting to save the rule of law in Poland, and with attorney Michal Wawrykiewicz, co-founder of the Free Courts Civic Initiative. After the meeting, García Pérez said,”What I heard today is extremely…
MEPs have expressed indignation at the Pandora Papers revelations and criticised governments’ woefully inadequate response for over a decade to investigative findings of tax evasion. Speaking during a debate in plenary with representatives of the Council and the Commission just days after the leaks were published, the latest in a long series of investigative works…
MEPs call for a comprehensive set of measures and a coherent IT policy, as well as improved military cyber defence coordination, to strengthen EU cyber resilience. A common cyber defence policy and substantial EU cooperation on cyber capabilities are among the key issues needed for the development of a deepened and enhanced European Defence Union,…
The S&D Group in the European Parliament is astonished by the latest declarations coming from the leading EP negotiator of the file on Digital Markets Act (DMA), Schwab (EPP Group). In an interview published today (6 October) Schwab is quoted saying he is ready to organise the EPP Group to vote against the Digital Services…
The European Parliament has outlined its priorities for reforming EU policy on harmful tax practices as well as a blueprint for a new system to assess national tax policies. With fierce tax competition between countries evolving relentlessly in novel ways, both within the EU and internationally, MEPs say that the EU needs to review and…
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…
