European Union

France's minister for digital, Cédric O, said on Tuesday that more work was needed to convince French people to download the Covid-19 tracing app, The Guardian reported. Only three million people have downloaded the French app, called StopCovid, based on a central server. Meanwhile, the UK's app has had 12 million downloads and Germany's 18 million. Both these are based on a decentralised system.

The UK on Tuesday slapped sanctions on Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, his son and other senior government officials. The British government imposed the sanctions, along with Canada, which include a travel ban and asset freeze on eight individuals from the Belarusian regime. The EU is unable to reach similar sanctions against the regime given a Cypriot blockade over Turkey.

Poland's health minister Adam Niedzielski on Tuesday ruled out a nationwide lockdown, although he announced a curfew on bars and restaurants in the areas most-affected by the coronavirus, Reuters reported. There would also be a limited number of people who can attend leisure events, such as weddings, and the wearing of face masks will be obligatory outdoors in hard-hit regions. Poland is currently reporting about 1,300 daily cases.

Hungary has called for the resignaiton of the commission vice-president, in the latest bellicose political move from the Hungarian PM.

Armenia says Turkey shot down one of its fighter jets, in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Armenian defence ministry said the Armenian Sukhoi Su-25 was shot down by a Turkish F-16, a claim disputed by Turkey. "We are determined to resist with all our capacities and neutralise the intentions of this Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance", tweeted an Armenian official from the ministry of foreign affairs.

A report from the NGO Earthsight on Wednesday revealed that major European car manufacturers, including BMW and Jaguar Land Rover, are using leather linked to the destruction of a South American forest inhabited by one of the world's last uncontacted tribes. The 18-month investigation focused on the Paraguayan Gran Chaco forests. Earthsight estimated an area of one football pitch was cleared every two minutes in 2019.

Safeguarding Europe's position starts with recognising the unpleasant reality that Europe's power is waning. Behind the facade of European cooperation, national self-interest still predominates and that has never been any different.

The first ever report on the state of the rule of law in the EU due to be published this week by the European Commission marks a significant change in its mindset.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Hessischer Rundfunk
Economic policy
According to Advocate General Pitruzzella, EU law provides that creditors have an obligation in principle to accept cash in euros for the payment of monetary debts

Spain's Supreme Court has barred the regional president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, from holding office because he displayed separatist banners from a government building during Spain's general election last year. He "repeatedly and stubbornly disobeyed the orders of the Central Electoral Board to remove certain symbols," the court said. Torra said the ruling violated his "free speech". His predecessor in the post, Carles Puigdemont, lives in self-exile in Belgium.

Taiwan has thanked the EU for help in a sensitive name dispute with China, Reuters reports. The Brussels-based Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy had listed six Taiwanese cities as being in China, but Taiwanese complaints saw their location changed back to Taiwan. And the EU "helped us in this effort" Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu told his parliament Monday, risking China's diplomatic wrath.

Belarusian writer and opposition activist Svetlana Alexievich has left the country to seek medical treatment, but her trip was not linked to politics and she planned to return home, her aides said on Monday. EU diplomats in Minsk have been helping to shield her from harassment. French president Emmanuel Macron will also meet Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Lithuania on Tuesday, raising hopes of French help in the crisis.

Environment Committee MEPs quizzed Executive Vice-President Timmermans on the new 2030 Climate Target Plan, demanding early action to reach carbon neutrality.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Environment Committee MEPs quizzed Executive Vice-President Timmermans on the new 2030 Climate Target Plan, demanding early action to reach carbon neutrality.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 88'

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

MEPs’ demands on how digital services, including online platforms and marketplaces, should be regulated were set out in a vote in the Internal Market Committee on Monday.
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Mairead McGuinness and Valdis Dombrovskis appear before parliamentary committees on Friday, before a plenary vote on changes in the European Commission.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Length of video : 122'

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

Civil liberties committee members questioned how the new Asylum and Migration Pact proposed by the European Commission would function during a debate on 24 September.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP