European Union

Hungary's biggest opposition newspaper Népszabadság was closed in a surprise move on Saturday. The owner announced that the paper was losing too much money, but the employees claim the closure was a putsch. The liberal daily was unflagging in its critical reporting on the Orbán government. Should Hungary fear the loss of its press freedom?

Speaking at the Tory Party Conference last week Theresa May promised more social justice. Interior Minister Amber Rudd announced plans to limit the number of work migrants taking jobs in the country. The UK is losing its status as a model for multicultural living, some commentators lament. Others hope Brexit will trigger economic reorientation.

The Portuguese politician António Guterres is poised to become the new UN secretary-general. After the Security Council voted in favour of the former head of the UNHCR his confirmation by the General Assembly is seen as a mere formality. Some observers are delighted to see that he won out against the candidate backed by Berlin and Brussels.

An International Coalition including EU Member States is fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and has made considerable progress in the last months. However, the Islamic State is spreading its influence further in North Africa and is conducting terrorist attacks in the Muslim World and in Europe. The hearing aims to look at the situation in Iraq, Syria and North Africa, the progress of the military campaign as well as the perspectives for further engagement against the Islamic State.
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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 11 October 2016, the Council approved the conclusion of an agreement with Monaco that will improve tax compliance by private savers.

The agreement will require EU member states and Monaco to exchange information automatically as a means of helping to prevent tax evasion.

It will give their tax administrations improved cross-border access to information on the financial accounts of each other's residents.

The agreement upgrades a 2004 agreement that obliged Monaco to apply measures equivalent to those in an EU directive on the taxation of savings income.

The new agreement was signed on 12 July 2016. It was concluded (on 11 October) at a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, without discussion.

General : Parliamentary committees vote this week on proposals to keep the gas supply secure, counteract propaganda from countries the EU, curb the spread of plant pests and fight against wildlife trafficking. The budget committee is also due to vote on the EU's budget for next year, while Parliament will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Lux Film Prize. Finally the three finalists for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be revealed this week.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Parliamentary committees vote this week on proposals to keep the gas supply secure, counteract propaganda from countries the EU, curb the spread of plant pests and fight against wildlife trafficking. The budget committee is also due to vote on the EU's budget for next year, while Parliament will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Lux Film Prize. Finally the three finalists for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be revealed this week.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 12 October, the Subcommittee will discuss the implementation of the EU Global Strategy (EUGS) in the area of Security and Defence with representatives of the European Commission and the EEAS. The VP/HR presented the EUGS in June 2016 and the subsequent implementation plan for the EUGS is due by autumn 2016.
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Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The Lux Film Prize is the European Parliament's way to help promote European cinema and this year the award is already celebrating its 10th anniversary. To celebrate several activities have been planned including a public debate and a live interview on Facebook with renowned directors.This evening last year's winning film Mustang will be screened in 28 cinemas across Europe. Afterwards its director Deniz Gamze Erguven will answers questions from film fans during a Q&A session on Twitter.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : The Lux Film Prize is the European Parliament's way to help promote European cinema and this year the award is already celebrating its 10th anniversary. To celebrate several activities have been planned including a public debate and a live interview on Facebook with renowned directors.This evening last year's winning film Mustang will be screened in 28 cinemas across Europe. Afterwards its director Deniz Gamze Erguven will answers questions from film fans during a Q&A session on Twitter.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. The EU Member States will ratify the Paris Agreement individually, in accordance with their national parliamentary processes.

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EU Finance Ministers of the eurozone meet in Luxembourg on 10 October 2016 to the review the progress achieved by Greece in implementing the milestones agreed during the first review of Greece's economic adjustment programme. Thematic discussions on growth and jobs, health and long-term care systems, current fiscal issues and the outcome of the G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors are also on the agenda.

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EU Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries meet in Luxembourg on 10 September 2016 to discuss the 2017 fishing opportunities in the Baltic sea, the EU-Norway annual consultation, the ICCAT annual meeting and the Omnibus regulation.

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The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the EU, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland issued a joint Declaration on the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October 2016.

Today, on the European and World Day against the Death Penalty, the Council of Europe and the European Union reaffirm their strong and unequivocal opposition to capital punishment in all circumstances and for all cases. The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity. It is inhuman and degrading treatment, does not have any proven significant deterrent effect, and allows judicial errors to become irreversible and fatal.

Abolition of the death penalty is a distinctive achievement in Europe. It is a prerequisite for membership in the Council of Europe, and the absolute ban of the death penalty under all circumstances is inscribed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Council of Europe and the European Union urge all European States to ratify the protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights, which aim at the abolition of the death penalty.

The Council of Europe and the European Union strongly urge the political leadership of all European countries to ensure compliance with the legal and political obligations arising from the membership in the Council of Europe and the European Union.

The Council of Europe and the European Union deplore the continuing use of the death penalty in Belarus, the only country on the European continent that still applies the death penalty. They strongly urge the authorities of Belarus to commute the remaining death sentences and establish without delay a formal moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition of the death penalty. The introduction of the moratorium would be a decisive step in bringing Belarus closer to the pan-European legal standards.

The Council of Europe and the European Union welcome the global trend towards the abolition of capital punishment. Today more than two thirds of all countries have abolished the death penalty in either law or practice. However, the Council of Europe and the European Union regret that the number of executions have risen in some of those countries that retain the death penalty and that some countries which had a de facto moratorium carried out executions. Both Organisations are particularly alarmed when this involves the execution of minors, which is contrary to international law. Some countries continue to apply the death penalty for drug related offences, also in violation of international law.

In June of this year, the 6th World Congress on the Abolition of the Death Penalty took place in Oslo. All participating countries and organisations united behind the call for a global moratorium on the death penalty.

The Council of Europe and the European Union hope to see the momentum created by the World Congress reflected in an increased number of countries supporting the Resolution on a Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty which will be put to vote at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in December 2016.