European Union

Germany and 10 other EU states are pushing for the EU to end funding for cross-border natural gas projects over climate change. "TEN-E must not facilitate investments in fossil fuel infrastructure nor blending of hydrogen with fossil fuels," the group, also including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Sweden, said in an informal paper seen by Reuters, referring to 'TEN-E' rules on cross-border funding.

Western allies reiterated plans to punish Belarus for a recent air hijack after Nato foreign ministers held video-talks on Tuesday

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved on Tuesday China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, Reuters reported. This is the second Chinese-developed shot to get its approval, after the endorsement of Sinopharm. The WHO's expert group previously said vaccine efficacy in the last phase of clinical trials in multiple countries ranged from 51 percent to 84 percent. Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey, among others, are using Sinovac in their vaccination campaigns.

Opposition mayors in Budapest have renamed streets after the Dalai Lama, "Free Hong Kong", "Uyghur Martyrs" and a Chinese bishop around a site where prime minister Viktor Orbán's government plans to build a campus for China's Fudan University, local media reported. The snub came as the controversial project - which is opposed by the mayors - has added to deepening concerns over Hungary's close ties to Beijing.

The Financial Times newspaper reports the European Commission on Wednesday is set to unveil a proposal for a 'digital wallet'. The aim is to allow EU citizens to access public and private services online with a single online ID. It will also store payment details and passwords, says the paper. The wallet should be ready in about a year.

Poland will start offering Covid-19 vaccines to children from next week, Reuters reported. "Due to the decisions of the European Medicines Agency and the recommendation of the [Polish] Medical Council, we have made a decision that from June 7, vaccinations of children aged 12 to 15 will begin. This is 2.5 million students," Michał Dworczyk, the minister responsible for the country's vaccination campaign, told a news conference on Tuesday.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has ranked Cyprus with the cleanest bathing water in the EU, receiving a perfect 100 percent score at over 100 swimming spots on the island. Austria, Greece and Malta followed close behind. "The quality of European bathing waters remains high after four decades of action," said the head of EEA, Hans Bruyninckx. An interactive map of EU state quality can be found here.

A new study suggests the EU could collect some €170bn in corporate taxes annually, pending such an international agreement. "We find that such a 25 percent minimum tax would increase corporate income tax revenues in the European Union by about €170bn in 2021," notes the report, published Tuesday (1 June) by the Brussels-based EU Tax Observatory. The tax rate is currently being discussed by the OECD.

With 22 participating EU countries, the EU chief prosecutor's office begins its operations by keeping a close eye on the €800bn recovery fund - considered to be a "high risk" in terms of corruption and fraud.

The European Investment Bank identified an annual investment shortfall of up to €10bn in artificial intelligence and blockchain in the EU - a gap that may hinder the bloc's attempts to catch China and the United States in these sectors.

We must recognise that subversive acts like the Ryanair hijack are acts of war, just like poisonings or the spread of fake news.

"Can you send a female moderator, because all our speakers are men?" As collective of conference moderators focussed on 'the Brussels bubble', we get this request a lot.

Legislators sealed a deal obliging multinationals to publically declare what taxes they pay in each EU country, overcoming five years of foot-dragging by some governments.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on Legal Affairs
Subcommittee on Tax Matters

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

AMENDMENTS 23 - 78 - Draft opinion Measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Markéta Gregorová

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The European Commission should amend its draft decision on UK data protection to ensure EU standards for citizens’ privacy are respected.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On 27 May, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence will hold an online hearing "Collective security in the GULF". The recent tensions in the Middle East, as well as frequent attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia or series of oil tankers detentions in the Strait of Hormuz, have contributed to a worsening of security situation in the region.
While de-escalation is key, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have significant influence on the stability of the region, where 20% of the global oil supply flows transit. The hearing will aim at evaluating the security situation in the Gulf region while analysing the possibilty of setting up a regional security mechanism.
Draft programme
biographies
     Dr Cinzia Bianco
     Cornelius Adebahr
     Dr Abdulaziz Sager
     Commander Friis
Presentations
     Gulf of difference - How Europe can get the Gulf monarchies to pursue peace with Iran
     Can Europe Choreograph a Saudi-Iranian Détente?
     Europe Needs a Regional Strategy on Iran
     The Pandemic Means the EU Must Regionalize Its Iran Policy
Poster
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On 10 May, the Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold an online hearing " EU long-term strategy towards Russia ". Amid the recent expulsions of diplomats and blacklisting of prominent EU officials as well as Russia's continued crackdown on the opposition, the Foreign Affairs Committee will take stock of the achievements and the shortcomings of the current EU strategy vis à vis Russia.
Members and experts will discuss how to rethink and update the EU's strategy towards Russia for the years to come. The elements put forward will feed into the forthcoming EP recommendations on Russia.
Draft Programme
Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Russia will defend Belarus and help it if the European Union imposes economic sanctions on Minsk over the grounding of a plane and arrest of a dissident blogger, the RIA news agency cited a Russian foreign ministry official as saying, Reuters reports. Many European nations have imposed flight bans on Belarusian aviation over the forced landing of a Ryanair flight on May 23. The EU is weighing further sanctions.