Briefing – Newsletter 5-8 July 2021 – Strasbourg plenary session MEPs will assess the risk of discrimination faced by LGBTIQ persons in Hungary, and the rule of law and fundamental rights situation in both Poland and Hungary. On 15 June 2021, the Hungarian Parliament voted almost unanimously (157 votes to 1) in favour of rules […]
Read More“The Hungarian bill is a shame”, Von der Leyen
Statement by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, on the new Hungarian bill that discriminates against people based on their sexual orientation: This Hungarian bill is a shame. I have instructed the responsible commissioners to send a letter to express our legal concerns before the bill enters into force. This bill clearly discriminates against […]
Read MoreCJEU ruling against Spain for failing to comply with several of its obligations to protect Doñana
Spain should have taken into account illegal water abstractions and those destined for urban supply in the estimation of groundwater abstractions in the Doñana region The Doñana Natural Area in Andalusia includes, among others, the Doñana National Park and the Doñana Natural Park. In 2006, three outstanding conservation areas of European importance under the Habitats […]
Read MoreNew EU copyright rules
Monday 7 June marked the deadline for Member States to transpose the new EU copyright rules into national law. The new Copyright Directive protects creativity in the digital age, bringing concrete benefits to citizens, the creative sectors, the press, researchers, educators and cultural heritage institutions across the EU. At the same time, the new Directive […]
Read MoreRights of EU citizens living in the UK
What are the rights of EU citizens living in the UK? Do you have EU citizen family or friends living in the UK? Have they already applied for settled status? The deadline is 30 June. The application process is now available. Since the UK left the European Union, millions of EU citizens living in […]
Read MoreCJEU Judgment: Germany systematically and persistently exceeded limit values for nitrogen dioxide between 2010 and 2016
By this judgment, the Court of Justice held that Germany had infringed the Air Quality Directive by systematically and persistently exceeding, as from 1 January 2010 up to and including 2016, the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in 26 of the 89 zones and agglomerations assessed. The infringement concerns the agglomeration of Berlin, […]
Read MoreEurojust supports Spanish action against massive VAT fraud
Eurojust has supported an operation against large-scale VAT fraud, money laundering and forgery of documents, which have cost the Spanish tax authorities EUR 26 million in missed revenues In record time, the Agency coordinated the judicial cooperation with Slovakia, Belgium and the Netherlands to halt the fraud scheme. The scammers had set up a series […]
Read MoreCommission calls for limiting essential travel from India
The Commission calls on EU Member States to take coordinated action to further restrict travel from India on a temporary basis, with a view to limiting the spread of the B.1.617.2 variant first detected in India. This follows a proposal of the World Health Organisation on 10 May 2021 to change the classification of that […]
Read MoreNew rules on food transparency and sustainability
New rules on transparency and sustainability will transform the way the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carries out its role as a risk assessor in the EU food safety system. A new regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, which will apply from 27 March, will strengthen the Authority’s ability to […]
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