European Union

The first EU-wide climate law will be a "disciplining" exercise to implement the Green Deal - although the Polish climate minister Michal Kurtyka warned the EU Commission about the social cost of delivering the green transition.

Viktor Orban has seen to it that public authorities will not pay legal compensation owed to members of two particularly vulnerable groups: Roma victims of segregated education, and prisoners detained in conditions that violate their human dignity.

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the Greek government on Tuesday signed an agreement to better support the Hellenic asylum and reception authorities. EASO personnel will double from approximately 500 to over 1,000 in 2020: caseworkers will double on the islands and triple on the mainland. EASO's operations will require a financial commitment of at least €36m.

EU civil protection mechanisms were activated on Tuesday after a French request to support EU citizens in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak . The EU will co-finance the transport costs of the aircraft. A first plane will depart from France on Wednesday, while the second one will leave later in the week. EU citizens in the region can still request to be repatriated, no matter their nationality.

The Leftist group GUE/NGL accepted on Tuesday MEP Martin Buschmann's resignation from the group, after it was made public he had been member of the German far-right NPD party in the 1990s. "We are troubled by the fact that the group, his party, and the public are only now being informed about this, and disappointed in the breach of trust that has been committed," the group said in a statement.

The president of the European Parliament said on Tuesday that the next Zagreb summit should play a key role in discussing a "renewed approach" to the enlargement process to make it more democratic, transparent and closer to citizens. "We firmly believe that enlargement will benefit the people of the region and EU member states and that it can bring about much-needed reconciliation in the neighbourhood," Sassoli said in a statement.

The UK government approved a restricted role for Huawei in Britain's 5G network on Tuesday, the BBC writes. The Chinese firm will be only allowed to supply 35 percent of "non-core" equipment to the network. And it will be excluded from areas near military bases and nuclear sites. Huawei was recently banned from US 5G networks over perceived security risks, such as espionage and sabotage.

OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, Section X - European External Action Service
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Vangelis Meimarakis

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

OPINION on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, Section III - Commission and executive agencies
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Vangelis Meimarakis

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Presidents of the three main EU institutions will meet on Thursday in Bazoches to debate the future of the EU as well as current geopolitical challenges.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The Presidents of the three main EU institutions will meet on Thursday in Bazoches to debate the future of the EU as well as current geopolitical challenges.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is scheduled to take place on Monday 17 February 2020 from 15:00 - 18:30 and Tuesday 18 February 2020 from 9:00 - 12:30 from 14:30 - 18:30 in Brussels (room SPINELLI 1G3).

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Recent press releases:

- MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
- Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
- Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
- Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
- AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
- Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
...

Further information
EP Mulitmedia Centre
Press release: MEPs exchange views with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations - 21 November 2019
Press release: Subcommittee for Security and Defence visit to the European Defence Agency - 18 November 2019
Press release: Militarisation of space and race for resources: What can EU do about it? - 12 November 2019
Press release: Children of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: MEPs to assess the situation - 6 November 2019
Press release: AFET/DROI/SEDE meet with UN Secretary General in New York and hold consultations with the US Congress in Washington, DC - 1st November 2019
Press release: Parliament delegation to visit the United Nations General Assembly and US Congress - 25 October 2019
Press release: MEPs call for sanctions against Turkey over military operation in Syria - 24 October 2019
Press release: NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London: “Unilateral military operation in north east Syria is a security risk to us all” - 15 October 2019
Press release: Russian actions prompt NATO and EU to improve military mobility in Europe - 8 October 2019
Press release: End of INF Treaty: Is arms control out of fashion? - 26 September 2019
Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Commission v Italy
Approximation of laws
Italy should have ensured that its public authorities complied, in their commercial transactions with private undertakings, with periods for payment not exceeding 30 or 60 days

German health authorities confirmed a case of coronavirus in Bavaria, Deutsche Welle reports. Earlier, a case was found in France too. The new pneumonia-like disease originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has already killed 106 people and infected more than 4,500. The US and Canada warned their citizens against traveling to Wuhan province, while France, Morocco, and Japan are preparing to evacuate their nationals.

EU negotiators will ask Britain for the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to settle disputes arising from a post-Brexit agreement on trade, fisheries, and security, according to an internal EU document seen by British newspaper The Times. But Downing Street said it would not accept the idea, which is a red rag to Brexiteers, on grounds the EU tribunal was "by very definition not a neutral arbiter".

The EU's chief negotiator warned in Dublin that time is very short to agree on a future trade deal, and that a "cliff-edge" scenario at the of 2020 is still a clear risk.

Belgian intelligence services, responsible for protecting the EU and Nato, have launched a major clear-up amid fears of Russian and other infiltration.

British ministers are expected to allow Huawei limited access to the UK's 5G networks at the National Security Council on Tuesday, amid concerns over the firm's links to China's intelligence services.

Slovakia's far-right party is at a historic high, as the murder trial of a journalist and his partner reveals corruption at the highest state level and lead to general disillusionment among the voting public.

As someone who has been personally targeted by Benjamin Netanyahu's incitement against Arabs and Palestinians, Christians, Muslims and Druze, I still believe that peace is possible. But Donald Trump's 'plan' will be a gift to Netanyahu's campaign.