The European Commission decided yesterday to refer Czechia [INFR 2020/0510], Ireland [INFR 2020/0531], Romania [INFR 2020/0555], Slovakia [INFR 2020/0563] and Spain [INFR 2020/0521], to the Court of Justice of the European Union over the failure to transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (“AVMSD”, Directive (EU) 2018/1808), with a request to impose financial sanctions in accordance with Article 260(3) TFEU. The AVMSD governs EU-wide coordination of […]
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Partnerships for Regional Innovation: 63 regions, 7 cities and 4Member States
Yesterday, the Commission announced the 63 regions, seven cities and four Member States selected in the pilot project for Partnerships for Regional Innovation, an initiative developed together with the Committee of the Regions. Participants in the pilot action are open to share good practices and to co-develop and test tools to mobilise multiple sources of […]
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The Conference on the Future of Europe concludes its work
In a closing ceremony today in Strasbourg, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, on behalf of the Council Presidency, President Emmanuel Macron, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen received from the Co-Chairs of the Conference Executive Board the final report on the outcome of the Conference. This unprecedented, one-year journey of discussion, debate and […]
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Statement by President von der Leyen ahead of Europe Day
My fellow Europeans, today our continent encounters shadows of a past we thought we had long left behind. An atrocious war, senseless aggression and destroyed cities. Millions of innocents fleeing their homes. A people desperately struggling to determine its own future. Europe stands at the side of Ukraine. At the same time the Kremlin’s […]
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Future of Europe: conference and proposals
The plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which met for the last time on 29-30 April, reached agreements on a set of 49 detailed proposals covering a wide range of issues, from climate change to health, migration and the EU in the world. It has been the goal of an exceptional […]
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New electoral reform: MEPs push for common standards and transnational lists
The European Parliament will vote on a proposal to have more common rules for EU elections and the addition of an EU-wide constituency. The EU elections determine the representatives of Europeans at EU level, but how they are organised is largely decided at national level. This means that countries vote on different days, only national […]
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Communiqués from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office on Spain
According to its press release, the EPPO regrets the controversy that has arisen concerning the competence adjudication over a particular case in Spain. As a general rule, the EPPO does not comment on specific cases but considers that this particular one has broader implications. The point of any EPPO investigation is to establish the facts […]
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How Maastricht changed Europe
The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union, paved the way for the single currency: the euro and created EU citizenship. The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 and had a profound impact on the development of European integration. The EU, as we know it today, owes its name and its nature to a […]
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State aid: Commission to further facilitate implementation of aid measures promoting the green and digital transition
The European Commission is inviting Member States and all other interested parties to comment on certain proposed amendments to the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). The purpose of the proposed revision is to reflect the changes to various sets of State aid Guidelines, which are currently being reviewed and to further facilitate public support for the EU’s green and […]
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