On 19th July the EU opened accession negotiations with Albania. This follows a decision by the Council on 25 March 2020 to open accession negotiations, which was endorsed by the members of the European Council on 26 March 2020, as well as the approval by the Council on 18 July 2022 of the Negotiating Framework […]
Read MoreEU-China: A stable global economy is a shared responsibility
Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-Premier Liu He chaired today the 9th EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED). Commissioner Mairead McGuinness also participated in the exchanges, in particular on financial services. The HED focused on global economic challenges, disruptions of supply chains caused by COVID-19 and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including on food, energy and […]
Read MoreForeign Affairs Council, 18 July 2022
Russian aggression against Ukraine The Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. At the beginning of the meeting the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, briefly addressed EU ministers via video conference, and briefed them about the latest developments on the ground and the dramatic effects of the Russian aggression on the civilian population in […]
Read MoreApplication of EU law: Upholding rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law
the European Commission adopted its Annual Report on Monitoring the Application of EU Law. The report outlines the enforcement actions that the Commission took in 2021 to guarantee the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens and businesses across the EU. The Commission also published its regular package of decisions on infringements. The infringement […]
Read MoreJuly infringements package: key decisions related to Spain and Environmental matters
In its regular package of infringement decisions, the European Commission pursues legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various sectors and EU policy areas, aim to ensure the proper application of EU law for the benefit of citizens and businesses. The key decisions taken […]
Read MoreCzech Presidency outlines priorities to EP committees
Ministers are outlining the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU to parliamentary committees, in a series of meetings. Czechia holds the Presidency of the Council until the end of 2022. A first series of hearings took place from 11 to 13 July. A second set of hearings will happen during […]
Read MoreHCCH CODIFI CONFERENCE: The 2015 principles on choice of law in international commercial contracts
This paper reports on the impact of the 2015 Principles on Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts 2015 and on the advocacy work undertaken by the Permanent Bureau (PB) over the past year. It presents the influence of the 2015 Principles on the reform of national laws in the area of choice of law, […]
Read MoreRule of Law Report 2022: Specific Recommendations for Spain
The Spanish justice system has continued undergoing important developments. The fact that the renewal of the Council for the Judiciary is pending since December 2018 remains a concern. In this context, there have been further calls to modify the Council’s appointment system in line with European standards so that no less than half of judges-members […]
Read MoreRule of Law Report 2022: Commission issues specific recommendations to Member States
The Commission has today published the third annual Rule of Law Report. The report comes in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which further showcased the importance of upholding democratic values, human rights and the rule of law. It includes an overview of the trends in the EU as a whole and 27 country […]
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