Ahead of its official launch, introductory talks on the African Union-European Union agri-food platform was held on 25 June 2020 during an online event organised by the European Commission, the African Union and European Business Ghana. The participants set the scene, assessed the platform’s aims and highlighted the role of farmers and rural youth in […]
Time to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, says European civil society
As Europe slowly emerges from the coronavirus crisis, the climate emergency is starting to regain the place it deserves, coming back to the top of the EU agenda. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which brings together civil society organisations from all Member States, developed this Opinion in response to a request by the […]
Quality of Europe’s bathing waters remains high, latest annual assessment finds
The quality of Europe’s bathing water remains high, according to this year’s European bathing water quality assessment published today. Just under 85 % of swimming sites across Europe monitored in 2019 met the European Union’s highest and most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards. The results published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European […]
Returning to free movement across borders is of utmost importance
A swift return to a fully functional Schengen area is needed to safeguard freedom of movement and ensure the EU’s economic recovery, says the Civil Liberties Committee. Civil Liberties Committee MEPs express their concern about the current situation of internal border controls in the Schengen area and their impact on people and businesses, in a resolution adopted on Thursday […]
Covid-19: EU recovery plan should prioritise climate investment
The proposed EU recovery package to tackle the profound economic recession caused by Covid-19 aims to create a sustainable future. The Covid-19 health crisis and its economic consequences are priorities for the EU and the recovery package proposed by the European Commission aims to relaunch economies, based on a greener, social and digital approach for […]
COVID-19: Now, we are either a Union or we are nothing
European Economicand Social Committee statement The COVID-19 outbreak has turned into a fast-moving emergency, figures and measures are constantly changing across Europe and the world, affecting all levels of society. Not since the end of the Second World War, has the global community faced such a dramatic crisis. No government in Europe or elsewhere can […]
Council sets its priorities for the 2021 EU budget
The Council adopted the following conclusions setting out its priorities for the 2021 EU budget: The Council underlines that the budgetary procedure for 2021 will be the first in the new programming period 2021-2027. In this regard, the budget will play an important role in the development and delivery of the Union’s objectives and priorities. […]
Birth rate of enterprises in the EU
In 2017, the number of new enterprise births in the European Union (EU) as a proportion of the total number of active EU enterprises stood at 9.3 %. This rate remained stable compared with 2016 (9.3%), but it was slightly higher than the rate recorded in 2012 (9.0%). The employment generated by these newly created […]
EU-Vietnam trade deal: interview with MEP Geert Bourgeois
Geert Bourgeois, the MEP in charge of steering the agreements through Parliament, explains the economic, social and environmental benefits. Overview of what changes the EU-Vietnam trade deal would bring about The aim is to eliminate 99% of tariffs within seven years. This should result in €15 billion a year in additional exports from Vietnam to […]