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 […]
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HCCH 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, […]
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Rule 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 […]
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Rule 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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Council adopts additional €1 billion assistance to Ukraine
The Council today decided to provide € 1 billion of additional macro-financial assistance (MFA) to Ukraine, as a matter of urgency. Together with the emergency MFA of € 1.2 billion disbursed earlier this year, the total macro-financial support from the EU to Ukraine since the start of the war now reaches € 2.2 billion and it is […]
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The EU on the first anniversary of the 2021 demonstrations in Cuba
Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU One year has passed since thousands of Cuban citizens took to the streets across the island to express their legitimate grievances about deteriorating living conditions as well as their demands for human rights, in particular civil and political rights, and for democracy. These spontaneous protests […]
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Airlines refund over 500,000 vouchers for cancelled flights in COVID-19 pandemic
The Commission and national consumer authorities have just received the confirmation from 16 major European airlines, that they reimbursed over 500,000 flight vouchers that they had imposed on consumers for cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the result of the dialogue that the Commission and the Consumer Protection Network (CPC Network) conducted in 2021 […]
Read MoreCzech Presidency puts focus on regions and cities’ challenges and responses to crisis
One of the Czech Republic’s top priorities during its six months in the chair of the Council of the European Union will be to cope with the influx of displaced Ukrainians forced to flee because of Russia’s invasion, Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bartoš told the European Committee of the Regions on 30 June. He also pledged to […]
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Human rights breaches in Hong Kong, Brazil and Tajikistan
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the respect for human rights in Hong Kong, Brazil and Tajikistan. The arrest of Cardinal Zen and the trustees of the 612 relief fund in Hong Kong Parliament condemns the arrests of Cardinal Joseph Zen, one of the strongest advocates of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and […]
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