The Commission is adopting a proposal to update the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime which has evolved significantly over the past years. The threat of abuse is real and has increased throughout the EU. For example, paedophile manuals continue to appear online, showing […]
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European Parliament adoptes 3 resolutions on human rights issues in Belarus, Iran and Nigeria
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on human rights issues in Belarus, Iran and Nigeria. New wave of mass arrests in Belarus of opposition activists and their family members MEPs strongly condemn the recent wave of mass arrests in Belarus and urge the illegitimate Lukashenka regime to cease its repression, reminding the regime […]
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EU countries agree on migration and asylum pact
EU member states’ representatives (Coreper) approved the provisional deal that was reached between the Council presidency and the European Parliament on 20 December 2023, constituting a pact of five key laws which will reform the EU’s asylum and migration system. Pact on asylum and migration The five EU laws of the pact touch upon all […]
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Fight against child sexual abuse gets new impetus thanks to updated criminal law rules
The Commission is adopting a proposal to update the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime which has evolved significantly over the past years. These revised rules expand the definitions of offences and introduce higher penalties and more specific requirements for prevention and assistance to […]
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Council and Parliament strike provisional deal on the right to repair directive
The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal on the directive that promotes the repair of broken or defective goods, also known as the right-to-repair (or R2R) directive. The legislation agreed today will make it easier for consumers to seek repair instead of replacement by making the access to repair services easier, faster, […]
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European Commission proposes structured dialogue with Spain on the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary
In its 2022 and 2023 Rule of Law Report for Spain, the Commission had made the following recommendation: “Proceed with the renewal of the Council for the Judiciary as a matter of priority and initiate, immediately after the renewal, a process in view of adapting the appointment of its judges-members, taking into account European standards […]
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Fight against trafficking in human beings: Council and European Parliament reach agreement to strengthen rules
The Belgian presidency of the Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to add forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy as types of exploitation covered by the EU’s anti-trafficking law. The update of the directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings will also require EU countries to make sure […]
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Violence against women: the Court clarifies the conditions for qualifying for international protection
Women, as a whole, may be regarded as belonging to a social group, within the meaning of Directive 2011/95, and qualify for refugee status if the conditions laid down by that directive are satisfied. This will be the case where, in their country of origin, they are exposed, on account of their gender, to physical […]
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New rules to fight cross-border payment fraud in the EU enter into force
New transparency rules come into force this 1 January that will help EU Member States to crack down on Value-Added Tax (VAT) fraud. The new rules will provide tax administration of the EU Member States with payment information allowing them to detect VAT fraud more easily, with a particular focus on e-commerce which is particularly […]
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