The Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional political agreement on a regulation on nature restoration. The proposal aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. It sets specific, legally binding targets […]
Read More
Commission sends requests for information to TikTok and YouTube under the Digital Services Act
Yesterday, the European Commission has formally sent TikTok and YouTube requests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting the companies to provide more information on the measures they have taken to comply with their obligations related to protection of minors under the DSA, including the obligations related to risk assessments […]
Read More
Commission adopts 2023 Enlargement package
The European Commission adopted the 2023 Enlargement Package, providing a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and for the first time also Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia on their respective paths towards accession to the European Union. […]
Read More
Recognition of parenthood in the EU: no discrimination against children’s rights
MEPs propose to limit the possibility for EU countries to refuse to recognise parenthood established in another member state based on public policy concerns. With 14 votes against 4 and no abstentions, the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) adopted its opinion on draft legislation facilitating the recognition of parenthood across the EU. Its aim is to […]
Read More
Eurostat: Plastic bag use continues to fall in the European Union
In 2021, each person living in the EU consumed on average 77 lightweight plastic carrier bags (LPCBs), which is 11 bags less per person, compared with 2020. Overall, 34.2 billion (bn) lightweight plastic carrier bags were consumed in the EU in 2021 (-4.8 bn bags compared with 2020). This information comes from data on lightweight plastic carrier bags published by Eurostat […]
Read More
Commission presents a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans including €6 billion in grants and loans to accelerate economic convergence with the EU
The European Commission has adopted a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, with the aim of bringing some of the benefits of membership to the region in advance of accession, boost economic growth and accelerate much needed socio-economic convergence. The objective should be to enable partners to step up reforms and investments to significantly […]
Read More
Instant payments: Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement
The Council and the European Parliament have reached a political agreement on the instant payments proposal, which will improve the availability of instant payment options in euro to consumers and businesses in the EU and in EEA countries. The new rules will improve the strategic autonomy of the European economic and financial sector as they will help reduce any excessive reliance […]
Read More
Trade in electric and hybrid cars continued to grow in 2022 in the EU
Between 2017 and 2022, the trade of electric and hybrid cars in the EU registered a staggering increase. In 2022, 42% of the total number of cars imported were electric or hybrid, indicating an increase of 35 percentage points (pp) compared with 2017. The change in exports was also clear with a 24 pp increase in 2022 (26% of the total number of […]
Read More
Commission decides to register four new European Citizens’ Initiatives
The European Commission decided to register four European Citizens’ Initiatives, entitled: ‘EU Live Bus Stop Info’, ‘Trust and Freedom’, ‘“I’m Going European”: An ECI to Connect your National and European Citizenship’ and ‘Creation of a European Environment Authority’. The organisers of the ‘EU Live Bus Stop Info’ initiative call for the integration of QR codes at bus […]
Read More