European Union

After the discussions on migration held today in the Council in the presence of Schengen associate countries, the Presidency, supported by a large majority of delegations, draws the following conclusions:

Bulgaria and Greece should get €16.3 million in EU aid to help repair damage done to public and private infrastructure by exceptionally severe weather conditions early in 2015, said the Budgets Committee on Monday. This European Solidarity Fund aid still needs to be approved by Parliament as a whole in October.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Bulgaria and Greece should get €16.3 million in EU aid to help repair damage done to public and private infrastructure by exceptionally severe weather conditions early in 2015, said the Budgets Committee on Monday. This European Solidarity Fund aid still needs to be approved by Parliament as a whole in October.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Hungary's interior minister, Sandor Pinter, arrives at the migration council Monday afternoon

The EU’s interior ministers started their highly-anticipated meeting to agree next steps in Europe’s burgeoning migrant crisis with a newly drafted communiqué, which Brussels Blog got its hands on and has posted here.

As expected, the new draft would have EU members agreeing to accept 120,000 more refugees and relocate them around the bloc so that none of the front-line countries are overburdened – but rejects the European Commission’s demand that such a relocation system be mandatory, with set quotas for each country.

But what wasn’t expected is a significant watering down of the language that commits ministers to implement that plan. Last night, a draft of the communiqué included this sentence on the need to quickly adopt the relocation scheme:

Work will be carried out as a matter of priority on the preparation of a formal decision to implement this commitment.

In the new draft, that sentence has a new clause that includes a whole lot of caveats:

Work will be carried out as a matter of priority on the preparation of a formal decision to implement this commitment, with due regard to the flexibility that could be needed by Member States in the implementation of the decision, in particular to accommodate unforeseen developments.

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Traditional products from Calais lace to Scottish tartans could soon enjoy extra protection in the form of geographical indications, reassuring consumers about their origin and quality. This already exists for food products, but on Tuesday the EP's legal affairs committee votes on a proposal to extend this to non-agricultural products as well. We spoke to French S&D member Virginie Rozière, who is in charge of steering the plans through Parliament, about why the new rules are needed.
Committee on Legal Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Traditional products from Calais lace to Scottish tartans could soon enjoy extra protection in the form of geographical indications, reassuring consumers about their origin and quality. This already exists for food products, but on Tuesday the EP's legal affairs committee votes on a proposal to extend this to non-agricultural products as well. We spoke to French S&D member Virginie Rozière, who is in charge of steering the plans through Parliament, about why the new rules are needed.
Committee on Legal Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

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EU Ministers of Foreign and European affairs are meeting in Brussels on 14 September 2015 to discuss the work programme of the Luxembourg presidency. The topic of migration is also on the table.

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"I am delighted that the Council has now been able to adopt this Decision. This is an important political message...".

Jean Asselborn, President of the Council 

The Council adopted a decision establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece.

This decision establishes a temporary and exceptional relocation mechanism over two years from the frontline member states Italy and Greece to other member states. It will apply to persons in clear need of international protection who have arrived or are arriving on the territory of those member states as from 15 August 2015 until 16 September 2017.

Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister for Immigration and Asylum and President of the Council said: "I am delighted that the Council has now been able to adopt this Decision. This is an important political message. Indeed, the first relocations of people in need of international protection can start quickly. At the same time, the "hotspots" in Italy and Greece now have the necessary legal basis to start working.  Now that the Council is discussing an additional emergency relocation proposal, it is very important to see that the first mechanism is set up and begins to produce its effects".

The representatives of the governments of the member states meeting within the Council agreed by consensus on 20 July on the distribution of 32 256 persons. They also agreed to update the figures by December 2015 with a view to reaching the overall number of 40 000 in accordance with the commitment taken at the European Council on 25-26 June 2015.  

The member states participating in the mechanism will receive a lump sum of 6 000 EUR for each relocated person. 

The special procedure for the adoption of the decision establishes that the Council will consult the European Parliament. On 9 September the European Parliament adopted its opinion.  

Denmark and the United Kingdom are not participating in this decision.

The Council adopted a positive assessment that the conditions to move to the first step of phase two on the high seas of EUNAVFOR MED have been met, the naval operation having fulfilled all military objectives related to phase 1 focusing upon the collection and analysis of information and intelligence.

This assessment is part of the formal steps required in the process of transitioning the operation to phase 2 on the high seas and will be followed soon by a force generation conference and approval of rules of engagement for phase 2 on the high seas. Once these rules are agreed and the Operation Commander indicates that he has the required assets, the EU Ambassadors within the Political and Security Committee will decide when to launch the first step of phase 2.

This important transition will enable the EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean to conduct boarding, search, seizure and diversion on the high seas of vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling or trafficking, within international law.

General : Migration, development and the crisis on the agricultural markets will be debated by MEPs during the plenary session on Wednesday. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, will discuss taxation regulations for multinational companies with the economic committee and the special committee on tax rulings on Thursday. He will be joined by commissioners Pierre Moscovici and Margrethe Vestager.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Migration, development and the crisis on the agricultural markets will be debated by MEPs during the plenary session on Wednesday. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, will discuss taxation regulations for multinational companies with the economic committee and the special committee on tax rulings on Thursday. He will be joined by commissioners Pierre Moscovici and Margrethe Vestager.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

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The eighth bilateral summit between the European Union and the Republic of Korea takes place on 15 September 2015 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The EU is represented by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council. Korea is represented by President Park Geun-Hye. The European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, representing the President of the European Commission, is also present.

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