European Union

Commission v Belgium and Magnetrol International
State aid
Tax rulings: According to Advocate General Kokott, the Commission was right to consider that the Belgian practice of making downward adjustments to profits of undertakings forming part of multinational groups constituted an aid scheme

Commission v Spain (Détérioration de l’espace naturel de Doñana)

According to Advocate General Kokott, the excessive abstraction of groundwater in the Andalusian Doñana natural area infringes EU law

Hungary v Parliament
Law governing the institutions
According to Advocate General Bobek, the Court should dismiss Hungary’s action against the Parliament’s resolution on the triggering of a procedure for determining the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by this Member State of the EU’s fundamental values

Star Taxi App
Approximation of laws
A service that puts taxi passengers directly in touch with taxi drivers by means of an electronic application constitutes an information society service where it does not form an integral part of an overall service the principal component of which is the provision of transport

Région de Bruxelles-Capitale v Commission
Agriculture and fisheries
The Brussels Capital Region’s action for annulment of the Commission’s Implementing Regulation renewing the approval of the active substance ‘glyphosate’ is inadmissible

Disinformation is an endemic and ubiquitous part of politics throughout the Western Balkans, without exception. A mapping of the disinformation and counter-disinformation landscapes in the region in the period from 2018 through 2020 reveals three key disinformation challenges: external challenges to EU credibility; disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the impact of disinformation on elections and referenda. While foreign actors feature prominently – chiefly Russia, but also China, Turkey, and other countries in and near the region – the bulk of disinformation in the Western Balkans is produced and disseminated by domestic actors for domestic purposes. Further, disinformation (and information disorder more broadly) is a symptom of social and political disorder, rather than the cause. As a result, the European Union should focus on the role that it can play in bolstering the quality of democracy and governance in the Western Balkans, as the most powerful potential bulwark against disinformation.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 116'

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, 2020 - EP

On Wednesday, EU institutions reached a provisional agreement on European territorial cooperation and the financing of cross-border projects for 2021-2027.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

No EP consent to Post-Cotonou without parliamentary dimension.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 126'

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, 2020 - EP

REPORT on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Michael Gahler

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Outside working hours, workers must be allowed to switch off digital devices without facing consequences, the Employment Committee agreed.
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Just a quick note about József Szájer, the Hungarian MEP, who resigned over attending a party despite the strict lockdown rules in Belgium.

Breaking the lockdown rules is unacceptable, but attending an orgy party is a personal choice, and one should not be bashed for it.

There is one thing that has deeply touched me about Juózsef Szájer’s situation is that how much dishonest he has been to himself about his sexual orientation.

I cannot say for sure, but Szájer’s upbringing or the Hungarian Conservative social structures might have coerced him to disguise and disregard his true identity over the years.

Plus, the fact that Viktor Orban’s, the Hungarian Prime Minister, anti-LGBTQ policy choices and constitutional changes have also come from Szájer, it makes his state of being a bit more complicated and problematic.

I am curious to know if he came up with anti-LGBTQ policies to stay close to power and therefore, to Orban; while doing that he hated himself every day for what Fidesz was doing to the LGBTQ communities in Hungary.  Alternatively, was he okay with it because this is the socially given norm, which he had accepted all throughout life. Perhaps we should all take responsibility for such conundrum.

The post József Szájer’s conundrum appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

The EU is facing important challenges in the arms control and disarmament domain: firstly, the gradual abandonment of bilateral agreements between the US and Russia that protected European territory, and secondly, an increasing polarisation among the parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), evidenced by the controversy sparked by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Both developments combined weaken the arms control and disarmament regime, increasing the likelihood of a global nuclear arms race. While the EU has progressively enhanced its role in arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament, it is afflicted by the same cleavage over disarmament that characterises the NPT framework. Based on a review of the drivers of the current crisis and the options for addressing them, the present briefing illuminates the EU’s record, and identifies ways in which the European Parliament can support the nuclear arms control agenda despite its lack of formal competence in the field. These notably include developing a modus vivendi with the TPNW, and encouraging the Council to lay the groundwork for a multilateral arms control treaty system.
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

On Tuesday, EU legislators reached a provisional political agreement on how EU countries will be able to spend EU regional, cohesion and social funds for 2021-2027.
Committee on Regional Development

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Dublin Regulation does not share responsibility fairly among member states nor secure swift access to asylum procedures, say Civil Liberties Committee MEPs.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 73'

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, 2020 - EP

In September, the president of the European Commission gives the State of the EU address in the European Parliament.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

There are a number of ways to make your voice heard in the EU. Watch our video to find out how.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

How is the EU going to help Europe recover from the Covid-19 pandemic? Watch our video to find out.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP