Under new rules adopted by the European Parliament, as already agreed with the Council of Ministers, tyre labelling will have to inform consumers about the tyre’s fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise. The aim is to increase consumer awareness, improve safety and decrease noise pollution. In the future, information on mileage, abrasion, retreaded…
To prevent water shortages in the EU, the European Parliament has approved a Water Reuse Regulation. The new law defines minimum requirements at European level for the first time for reclaimed water (i.e. urban wastewater that has been treated in a reclamation plant) to be used for agricultural purposes in a safe way, protecting people…
Three independent British health and care charities have warned that it will take many more months before NHS and social care organisations are able to fully restart services following the Covid-19 outbreak. At a UK Parliament Health and Social Care Select Committee evidence session yesterday (14 May), the Health Foundation, The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust…
The European Commission has today approved a package on tourism and transport giving clarity on passenger rights whilst supporting both sectors to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Commenting on the package Transport and Tourism Committee Chair Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, FR) said, “The Commission’s package on tourism and transport is a great example of addressing together the current and upcoming challenges…
The EPP Group has criticised the Czech Republic for having no system in place to guarantee the avoidance of conflicts of interests in connection with EU funds and calls on Prime Minister Babiš to stay out of the negotiations on the long-term EU budget. A centralised overview of how EU money is spent is missing…
Parliament’s president David Sassoli has urged “bravery” on the EU recovery plan following meeting with the MFF contact group “Now is the time to be courageous and ambitious with the actions backed by the EU budget. Parliament must be a key player in this process together with other institutions, so it can contribute to making…
Today is the 70th Anniversary of the signing of the Schuman Declaration, which was originally presented by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950. The Declaration proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, to enable these countries to pool…
There has been a week of opposition protests in Belgrade as the political campaigns start to crank up in anticipation of rescheduled elections in Serbia on 21 June. These were due to be held in April, but have been delayed because of the crisis facing the country with the COVID-19 pandemic. Commenting on recent developments Tanja…
Rebuilding the hard-hit cultural and media sectors in post-COVID-19 Europe must be a major objective in the EU’s recovery plan, MEPs said in a debate on Monday. In their discussion with Commissioners Mariya Gabriel and Thierry Breton, Culture and Education Committee MEPs stressed that the damage to the cultural and creative sector – especially for…
In its ruling yesterday, the German Constitutional Court declared the ECB decisions on the bond purchase programme (PSPP) to be in breach of competences. The judges declared the previous positive preliminary decision of the European Court of Justice to be incomprehensible and thus arbitrary, because the Court had excluded the economic effects of the programme…
