European Union

Stockholm's response to Covid-19 has been an unorthodox set of policies, which has received a faire share of analysis and criticism - but not praise.

It has been clear for many years now that the European Union's approach to migration and asylum is not fit for purpose.

The start of the new school year, the lifting of some indoor restrictions, returning holidaymakers plus cooler weather are raising concerns that a second wave of Covid-19 infections is on the way.

As the world took a huge leap forward in digital skills and trust in response to COVID-19, our next-generation broadband and mobile networks also stepped up to the plate to meet the challenge of unprecedentedly high demand.  The role of connectivity providers in underpinning the new frontier of healthcare is a significant one.

In these difficult times for liberal democracy, the EU has to ensure its credibility more decisively than ever, writes Darya Mustafayeva.

EU lawmakers from across the political spectrum stressed the need for transparency in the COVID-19 vaccine process in a hearing with pharmaceutical industry representatives, emphasising that this is necessary to combat a growing vaccine hesitancy in the EU.

The Conference of Presidents (EP President and leaders of political groups) on Tuesday adopted the calendar of hearings of Mairead McGuinness and Valdis Dombrovskis.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Conference of Presidents (EP President and leaders of political groups) on Tuesday adopted the calendar of hearings of Mairead McGuinness and Valdis Dombrovskis.
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

European Council President Charles Michel postponed a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday and Friday (24-25 October) until the start of October after going into coronavirus quarantine due to contact with an infected security guard, his spokesman said.

MEPs debated ways to secure a quick and safe supply of COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, with representatives of pharmaceutical companies, research , and civil society.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

MEPs debated ways to secure a quick and safe supply of COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, with representatives of pharmaceutical companies, research , and civil society.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

European Council president Charles Michel on Tuesday postponed this week's special EU summit focusing on foreign affairs for a week, after he learnt one of his security guards had tested positive for Covid-19. The personal meeting of EU leaders was planned for Thursday and Friday in Brussels. "The president is tested regularly and tested negative yesterday [Monday]," Michel's spokesperson tweeted. Michel, respecting Belgian coronavirus rules, went into quarantine on Tuesday.

With an increasingly long to-do list and decreasing amount of time to complete the energy transition and hit the EU's climate targets, communities will need help and involvement from Brussels to meet their benchmarks, experts say.

Deep divisions have long been threatening to turn the EU’s foreign policy into a toothless tiger. Nevertheless, abolishing the principle of unanimity is not necessarily the solution. With 27 players in one room, of course there are divisions, stemming from...

The European Commission will have the last say through legislative acts when it comes to the enforcement of the EU's new migration - the latest balancing act trying to reconcile Europe's southern and eastern members.

The extraordinary joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development, and the Subcommittee on Human Rights, will take place on Monday, 28 September, from 16.45-18.45. This meeting will present the Sakharov Prize 2020 candidates.


Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

"In the context of the exponential growth of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the President of the European Parliament has announced a number of measures to contain the spread of epidemic and to safeguard Parliament's core activities.

On 2 April, the Conference of Presidents updated the EP's calendar of activities to introduce an extraordinary plenary session on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 April in Brussels, and additional dates for remote meetings for EP governing bodies, committees and political groups.

The current precautionary measures adopted by the European Parliament to contain the spread of COVID-19 do not affect work on legislative priorities. Core activities are reduced, but maintained to ensure that the institution's legislative, budgetary, scrutiny functions are maintained.

The next ordinary AFET Committee meetings will take place on 1, 12, 26 October (via videoconference).

New Calendar 2020
Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Formula-E racing championship announced on Monday (21 September) that it has cut and offset enough greenhouse gas emissions to declare carbon-neutrality, becoming the first motorsport formula to achieve the feat.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is blackmailing the rest of the European Union, but MEPs and EU leaders must call his bluff to hold up the COVID-19 recovery fund if rule of law criteria are included. This may be the EU's last chance to crack down on his rogue regime. writes Csaba Molnár.

China accepts well-intended criticism coming from the EU, but it does not accept malicious attacks and will not allow anyone to meddle in its internal affairs, the country's ambassador to the EU, Zhang Ming, told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee (AFET).