European Union

Since he took office a year ago as the EU’s financial services commissioner, Jonathan Hill has become renowned for his low key, calm approach – except when it comes to how he feels about car hire companies.

The details remain sketchy, but the demons of some previous holiday trauma seem to haunt this otherwise affable politician. Last week, he used the medium of Twitter to call on people to “Let us know your worst holiday car hire experience.”

A hearing he held last year with a committee of the UK House of Lords (of which he is also a member) become dominated by the issue of insuring rented cars, as peers took turns to let off steam about their encounters with unscrupulous rust bucket purveyors.

What, you may ask, has this got to do with Hill’s remit as the grandly titled European commissioner for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union?

The answer is: quite a lot, and this became clearer when the Commission published a policy paper on tackling the day-to-day financial irritants that people encounter when crossing borders, be it a lack of transparency on the fees you are charged when you transfer money abroad, an inability to take your health insurance policy with you when you move to another country or, yes, frustrations with ludicrously high insurance premiums on hire cars.

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Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Fútbol Club Barcelona v OHIM (Représentation du contour d'un écusson)
Intellectual and industrial property
The General Court dismisses the action brought by FC Barcelona seeking registration of the outline of its crest as a Community trade mark

http://tvnewsroom.consilium.europa.eu/uploads/council-images/thumbs/uploads/council-images/remote/http_7e18a1c646f5450b9d6d-a75424f262e53e74f9539145894f4378.r8.cf3.rackcdn.com/d21d5ec2-9f13-11e5-8238-bc764e08d9b2_1.72_thumb_169_1449734734_1449734648_129_97shar_c1.jpg

The Informal meeting of Ministers for Development Cooperation takes place on 10 December 2015 in Luxembourg.

Download this video here.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Forty years of ACP-EU cooperation, migration, the post-election situation in Burundi, and COP21 were among the topics discussed by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly at its 30th session, which closed on Wednesday, in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Forty years of ACP-EU cooperation, migration, the post-election situation in Burundi, and COP21 were among the topics discussed by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly at its 30th session, which closed on Wednesday, in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : MEPs and parliamentarians from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries discussed migration, human rights and refugees during the 30th EU-ACP parliamentary assembly in Brussels on Tuesday 8 December. Most agreed that the roots of migration, such as poverty, war and a lack of human right,s need to be addressed while some also warned that we need to prepare for climate refugees.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : MEPs and parliamentarians from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries discussed migration, human rights and refugees during the 30th EU-ACP parliamentary assembly in Brussels on Tuesday 8 December. Most agreed that the roots of migration, such as poverty, war and a lack of human right,s need to be addressed while some also warned that we need to prepare for climate refugees.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Place:        Justus Lipsius building, Brussels
Chairs:      François Bausch, Luxembourg's Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure
                   Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Minister for Communications and the Media

All times are approximate and subject to change 

Thursday 10 December - Transport

 +/- 09.35
Doorstep by Minister Bausch

+/- 10.00
Beginning of Council meeting (Roundtable)
Adoption of the agenda
Adoption of legislative A items (public session)
Adoption of non-legislative legislative A items

Social aspects in road transport (poss. public session)

+/- 11.55
Any other business
a)     Presentation of the state of the Energy Union (poss. public session)
b)     An Aviation Strategy for Europe (poss. public session)
c)     Outcome of the investigation into the crash of flight MH17
d)     Election of the Council (2016-19) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
e)     State of ratification of the Luxembourg Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters specific to Railway Rolling Stock (poss. public session)
f)      Transport security (poss. public session)
g)     Work programme of the incoming presidency (poss. public session)

+/- 14.30
Press conference (live streaming)

Friday 11 December - Telecommunications

 +/- 08.55
Doorstep by Prime Minister Bettel

+/- 10.00
Beginning of Council meeting (Roundtable)

Accessibility of public sector bodies' websites (public session)

Measures to ensure a high common level of network and information security across the Union (public session)

EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (poss. public session)

Any other business
a)     Internet governance
b)     Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP):  negotiations on the information society and telecommunications component
c)     Work programme of the incoming presidency

+/- 13.00
Press conference (live streaming)