European Union

Newsletter - 17-20 May 2021 - plenary session

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The European Commission unveiled a plan to reduce pollution to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems by 2050 - including reducing the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution by 55 percent.

MEPs are set to approve the new Erasmus+ programme, funding for the transition to a green economy and support for the cultural sector during the 17-20 May plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

MEPs are set to approve the new Erasmus+ programme, funding for the transition to a green economy and support for the cultural sector during the 17-20 May plenary.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

French police have arrested a former Luxembourg spy chief, who was suing EUobserver for libel, in an unrelated US fraud case.

Economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni warned that despite the economic rebound, the risk of worsening poverty, social exclusion, and inequality "is very real".

Slovenia was supposed to nominate a delegated prosecutor for the new European Public Prosecutor Office, in charge of cracking down on corruption of EU funds. Ljubljana finalised procedures in December but has yet to send nominations, causing headaches.

Luxembourg v Commission
State aid
No selective advantage in favour of a Luxembourg subsidiary of the Amazon group: the General Court annuls the Commission’s decision declaring the aid incompatible with the internal market

Moerenhout and Others v Commission
Law governing the institutions
The General Court, finding an inadequate statement of reasons, annuls a Commission decision refusing to register a proposed citizens' initiative

Luxembourg v Commission
Tax rulings granted by Luxembourg to companies in the Engie group: the General Court finds the existence of a tax advantage

Bank Melli Iran
Free movement of capital
Advocate General Hogan: Iranian undertakings may invoke EU law blocking US secondary sanctions before the courts of the Member States

Commission v Greece
State aid
Greece has failed to fulfil its obligations by failing to recover unlawful aid paid to Greek farmers as compensation for adverse weather conditions

Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Notice rouge d’Interpol)
Principles of Community law
The principle prohibiting the duplication of proceedings can preclude the arrest, within the Schengen Area and the European Union, of a person who is the subject of an Interpol notice

UN workers in Gaza feel at risk from airstrikes, as violence continues to spread across Israel and occupied territories.

The German privacy regulator banned Facebook on Tuesday from gathering data on WhatsApp users, citing an update to its privacy policy that breaches EU data protection rules by allowing access to a lot more information on the chat app's users, AP reported. WhatsApp users were confronted "with non-transparent conditions for far-reaching data transfer," the regulator said. WhatsApp denied the update is connected with any expansion of data-sharing with Facebook.

Italy's prime minister rebutted media reports of proposed plans to secure an EU deal with Libya to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The Italian press claimed Mario Draghi wanted the EU to propose a deal with Libya similar to one it has with Turkey. "At the moment there is no initiative regarding creating a similar deal to what was done with Turkey," an official told Reuters.

MEPs in the women's rights and gender-equality committee passed on Tuesday a report calling on member states to protect and enhance women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. They also said that the violations of these rights are "a form of violence" that hinders progress towards gender equality. A Polish court ruled last year that all almost abortions, including those for severe and irreversible foetal abnormalities, were unconstitutional.

At least nine people, mostly children, were killed after a lone teenage gunman opened fire at a school in the Russian city of Kazan, regional officials said, according to The Moscow Times. President Vladimir Putin has ordered an "urgent" tightening of gun controls in the wake of the shooting, which took place on the first day back to school after a 10-day holiday.

Stefan Yanev will lead a caretaker government in Bulgaria until new elections in July in an effort to quell a political crisis after month-long anti-government protests and infighting in a divided parliament. He will be backed by an expert cabinet to deal with the pandemic and organise the election. Former PM center-right Boyko Borissov's GERB party scored best in the April election but failed to produce a viable coalition government.