The Council presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a draft regulation amending the Europol regulation. The provisional agreement is subject to approval by the Council and the European Parliament before going through the formal adoption procedure. On the basis of a Commission proposal, the European Parliament and the Council agreed to […]
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Citizens’ initiative on football and European sport
The European Commission decided on 03 February to register a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) entitled “Win It On The Pitch” whose main objective is to protect a European model of sport based on values, solidarity, sustainability and open competition. The European sport model is based on popular principles such as sporting merit, promotion and relegation, […]
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New discoveries for the brewing industry
In the first six months of 2021, beer sales decreased by 2.7%, or 113.4 million litres, compared with the same period a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that the breweries and beer warehouses in Germany sold roughly 4.2 billion litres of beer in the 1st half of 2021. These figures do not include non-alcoholic beers, […]
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European Parliament to host “Afghan Women Days”
Parliament’s “Afghan Women Days” kicked off with a high-level conference this week. This event will gather MEPs, prominent Afghan women who were finalists for Parliament’s 2021 Sakharov Prize, Commission and United Nations representatives as well as representatives of other international organisations, to address and cast light on the extremely worrying situation for women in Afghanistan […]
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The fight against trafficking in cultural property under debate
Trafficking of cultural goods is the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property (items of importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science). This can take different forms: theft from cultural heritage institutions or private collections looting of archaeological sites displacement of artefacts due to war Illicit trafficking of cultural property has many […]
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Commission presents EUR 1.2 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine
The European Commission has tabled a proposal for a new emergency macro-financial assistance (MFA) programme for Ukraine of up to €1.2 billion. This proposal follows an earlier request from the Ukrainian authorities and direct discussions between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. MFA funds will be made available to Ukraine in the […]
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Pegasus and data protection under debate at the UN and European Parliament
Exchange of views on Pegasus spyware in the European Parliament The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs will continue its scrutiny and follow-up on the revelations of the existence and use of the spyware ‘Pegasus’ created by the cyber-surveillance company NSO Group, on 1 February. The Members will hear from victims of the […]
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Spain is in breach of EU law on asset declarations
The restrictions on the free movement of capital imposed by that legislation are disproportionate. On the 15 February 2017, the Commission issued a reasoned opinion in which it found that certain aspects of the requirement for Spanish tax residents to declare overseas assets or rights 1 by means of a form entitled ‘Form 720’ were […]
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What is the future of rural areas?
The European Commission’s long-term vision for the future of rural areas is a promising start but making it a reality will require political will from every level of government, stakeholders and citizens alike, the European Committee of the Regions warned on Wednesday. Rural areas account for almost 30% of the EU population and 80% […]
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