The second Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU elected Raphaël Glucksmann as its Chair at its constitutive session on Thursday. Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D, FR) said:“Our democracies are under continuous attack and we have to defend them against ever more forceful and sophisticated foreign interference. The mission of this special committee […]
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Child sexual abuse: Commission proposes new strategies for protecting and empowering children online
Today, the Commission has adopted a new European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids (BIK+), to improve age-appropriate digital services and to ensure that every child is protected, empowered and respected online. In the past ten years, digital technologies and the way children use them have changed dramatically. Most children use their smartphones daily and almost […]
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What role can Europe’s land and marine habitats play in carbon storage and sequestration?
What is the carbon storage and sequestration potential of Europe’s many land and marine habitats? A first scoping analysis, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA), found that forests and wetlands can play an important role in storing carbon but doing so should take account of potential impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In […]
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Member states agree on negotiating mandate for gas storage proposal
The Council reached a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on a proposal on gas storage. In order to improve EU security of supply in the current geopolitical context, the proposal aims to ensure that gas storage capacities in the EU are filled before the next winter season and can be shared between member […]
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Deeper cooperation between EU and Japan is a vital necessity
At the 28th EU-Japan summit in Tokyo, leaders discussed bilateral relations and how to coordinate their responses to Russia’s war against Ukraine and to important global and regional challenges. They also launched the digital partnership. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, representing […]
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Commission approves 125 million Spanish scheme to support gas-intensive sectors
The European Commission has approved a 125 million Spanish scheme to help gas-intensive sectors cope with the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The scheme has been approved under the Temporary Crisis Framework for State Aid, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022, on the basis of Article 107(3)(b) TFEU, which aims to […]
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Countries with legislated quotas could achieve gender balance in parliaments by 2026, those without may take close to 20 years
Over the last 20 years, gender balance (quota of at least 40 % of each gender) has improved in EU Member States’ parliaments. And the application of legislative quotas that aims to ensure a minimum proportion of each gender among candidates has played a key role. In fact, evidence suggests that the application of legislative […]
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More efficient strategies needed to safeguard and protect the landscape
More efficient state aid and agro-forestry strategies are essential to close the cohesion gap in rural areas. Sustainable and efficient management of agriculture and forestry is essential to safeguard and protect the landscape, keep rural economies alive, fight depopulation and, in this way, combat development disparities. Regional and local leaders call on the European Union […]
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Key energy saving actions
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission outlined on 21 April 2022 a range of simple steps that citizens can take to reduce their energy use and save money, and that would save enough oil to fill 120 super tankers and enough natural gas to heat almost 20 million homes if adopted by […]
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