European Union

OE (Résidence habituelle d’un époux - Critère de nationalité)
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
The period of residence required in order for the courts of a Member State to exercise their jurisdiction to hear and determine an application for divorce may legitimately vary according to the nationality of the applicant

HR Rail
SOPO
A worker with a disability, including a worker doing a traineeship as part of his or her recruitment, who is declared incapable of performing the essential duties of the post that he or she occupies, may benefit from reassignment to another post for which he or she is competent, capable and available

EUHealthGov started 2022 with its third quarterly seminar on 12th January – a roundtable on EU competition policy in healthcare which aimed to identify future directions in light of the 2020 CJEU Dôvera judgment regarding private and state health insurance in Slovakia, and the Casa Regina Apostolorum case (currently on appeal to the CJEU) concerning state subsidy of certain Italian hospitals. We were delighted to be joined by a range of experts from across Europe to consider how these challenges to the state aid rules may give the EU courts scope to clarify or reaffirm earlier approaches as private sector delivery of healthcare becomes more widespread in European healthcare systems.

Dr Mary Guy (Lancaster) introduced the discussions by setting out the approaches taken in previous cases and how the EU competition law framework in healthcare cases indicates a distinction between healthcare purchasing and providing activities. Conceptions of competition and solidarity have also characterised case law to date with distinctions which may prove less sustainable as more Member States experiment with expanding private sector delivery of healthcare. While responses to the Covid-19 pandemic have affected the application particularly of the state aid rules, the wider competition law framework in healthcare cases continues to develop along established lines.

Professor Johan van de Gronden (Radboud University Nijmegen) discussed the Commission and General Court’s findings in Casa Regina Apostolorum to outline distinctions between social insurance-based and taxation-funded healthcare systems. These seem to indicate that the latter has more room for manoeuvre under EU competition policy than the former, prompting the question of whether the trigger of an economic activity can be reconceptualised to be neutral to the design of Member State healthcare systems, or to refocus attention on the extent of public financing of healthcare.

Dr Bruno Nikolić (Ljubljana University) considered how Casa Regina Apostolorum fit with analyses in earlier case law, highlighting the inconsistency of referencing social health insurance cases when assessing the nature of health service providers under EU competition policy. This seems to prompt ongoing questions about the dividing line between economic and non-economic activities in health, and why we would (in general) exclude health services provided in public healthcare systems from EU competition policy.

Dr Marc Wiggers (Loyens Loeff Amsterdam) compared and contrasted approaches taken by the EU institutions Dôvera with the Dutch state aid case which accompanied the 2006 competition reforms in Dutch healthcare with the move from state sickness funds to private health insurance. By setting out an examination framework comprising social objectives, solidarity, the scope for profit-making and state supervision, it is possible to see how distinctions between profit and solidarity may emerge between the EU and national levels.

We look forward to developing this conversation in the future!

A recording of the event is available here.

The post EU Competition Policy and Healthcare: starter questions for future directions appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of the European Parliament has established a number of measures to contain the spread of the virus and to safeguard Parliament's core activities. The current precautionary measures do not affect work on legislative priorities.

Core activities are maintained to ensure the smooth running of the institution's legislative, budgetary, and scrutiny functions.

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) will take place on 3 March 2022.

The meeting agenda and documents will be published here.

SEDE meetings' calendar - first half of 2022
EP calendar 2022 revised
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Sped-Pro v Commission
Competition
The General Court annuls the decision of the Commission rejecting a complaint against PKP Cargo, a company controlled by the Polish State, concerning an alleged abuse of its dominant position on the market for rail freight transport services in Poland

DRAFT REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Albania
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Isabel Santos

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

DRAFT REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Turkey
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Nacho Sánchez Amor

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Length of video : 118'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Length of video : 111'

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold an exchange of views with Florence Parly, Minister of French Armed Forces, on 7 February. The debate will focus on six key areas: strategic compass; promotion of joint operations; new areas of conflict - high seas, cyberspace and outer space; development of capabilities, promotion of innovation, and the deepening of partnerships, including the transatlantic link.

Meeting agenda and documents
Live streaming
EU Fact Sheets: Security and defence
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President of the European Parliament has established a number of measures to contain the spread of the virus and to safeguard Parliament's core activities. The current precautionary measures do not affect work on legislative priorities.
Core activities are maintained to ensure the smooth running of the institution's legislative, budgetary, and scrutiny functions.

The next ordinary AFET Committee meeting will take place on 28 February 2022

AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2021
AFET-SEDE-DROI meetings 2022
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

On 10 February 2022, Members of the Committees on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Budgetary Control (CONT) will hear Juhan Parts, Member of the European Court of Auditors, on the findings of the Special Report on EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans in 2014-2020.
This audit report finds that the EU support lacks impact on justice and human rights and fails to effectively address major flaws related to the judicial independence, state capture and corruption. Members will discuss the findings of the report as well as the recommendations to the Commission and the EEAS on strengthening conditionality, monitoring and support to independent civil society and media in the region.
ECA Special Report: EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

ÖBB-Infrastruktur Aktiengesellschaft
Transport
Advocate General Ćapeta: the Court of Justice should find that it has jurisdiction to interpret the CUI Uniform Rules because the EU has exercised its shared competence by acceding to COTIF

A high-level delegation of the European Parliament, which travelled to Ukraine amid the current security crisis, concluded its visit on Tuesday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The two co-Chairs of the high-level European Parliament delegation to Ukraine will hold a press point in Kyiv on Tuesday at 15.10 CET (16.10 local time).
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence and the International Trade Committee will hold a joint hearing on "Assessing the risks and policy responses to foreign direct investment, including Chinese investments in the security and defence sectors" on 7 February 2022.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has come under increased scrutiny in the EU in recent years, including investments in strategic sectors such as the security and defence industry. In 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the Union, which became fully operational in October 2020.

The first panel of the hearing will assess the implementation of the FDI Screening Regulation with key stakeholders from a national screening authority and the business community.

The second panel will look specifically at Chinese investments in the EU security and defence sectors and analyse their potential impact on European security.

Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The Subcommittee on Security and Defence and the International Trade Committee will hold a joint hearing on "Assessing the risks and policy responses to foreign direct investment, including Chinese investments in the security and defence sectors" on 7 February 2022.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has come under increased scrutiny in the EU in recent years, including investments in strategic sectors such as the security and defence industry. In 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the Union, which became fully operational in October 2020.

The first panel of the hearing will assess the implementation of the FDI Screening Regulation with key stakeholders from a national screening authority and the business community.

The second panel will look specifically at Chinese investments in the EU security and defence sectors and analyse their potential impact on European security.

Draft programme
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The two co-Chairs of the high-level European Parliament delegation visiting Ukraine will hold a press point in Mariupol today at 13.00 CET (14.00 local time).
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

This in-depth analysis examines the nature and scope of enduring and emerging threats to the security of the EU and its Member States, and the challenges to its Eastern Partnership policy, from both the EaP’s protracted conflicts and instability in Belarus. It assesses the EU’s engagement with these conflicts and addresses the potential role of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), including (but not solely) missions and operations. Finally, it explores potential avenues for future co¬operation between the EU and its EaP partners on security and defence (including under the PESCO+, EPF, and EDF frameworks).
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP