Digital Europe Programme gets green light from Council. The EU’s new Digital Europe Programme will boost the digital transformation by providing funding for rolling out cutting-edge technology in crucial areas such as artificial intelligence, supercomputing and cybersecurity. With a sizeable budget of €7 588 million, the programme will run for the period 2021-2027, starting retroactively […]
Schaake: “Council must adopt more ambitious Telecoms plan”
Dutch Member of the European Parliament Marietje Schaake (D66/ALDE) foresees a big fight between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on the Telecoms Single Market. Today the Council announced that instead of abolishing roaming, it will be gradually capped. This measure will be effective in 2016 and only in 2018 they will be […]
Gardiazábal Rubial and Arthuis Slam Council Budget Draft
The Council’s version of the draft EU budget for 2015 disregards its own political pledge to spur economic growth and job creation, MEPs said after Council Presidency representative Enrico Zanetti presented it in plenary session on Tuesday. EU member states propose a budget of €145.077 billion in commitments and €139.966 billion in payments, i.e. cuts […]
Banking Union Steps Up To The Mark
In Brussels, the Council, represented by the Greek Presidency, has reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on the single resolution mechanism regulation. Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is chairing the intergovernmental conference on certain aspects of the single resolution fund, also participated in the negotiations. “On behalf of the Presidency, I should like to […]
Final Stage Of Banking Union At Risk Says Workmann-Kool
“The final dossier of the Banking Union might be at risk. We demand a more efficient procedure for failing banks”, stated Corien Wortmann-Kool, Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP Group and Shadow Rapporteur on the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) dossier. Wortmann-Kool expressed her disappointment on Thursday morning following the start of trilogue negotiations with the Council and […]
Groote’s New CO2 Emissions Targets Agreed
An informal agreement on new rules to achieve the 2020 CO2 emission target of 95g/km for new cars was reached by EP and member state negotiators on Tuesday afternoon. The file had to be reopened after EU ministers failed to endorse a previous informal deal on it with Parliament. During the negotiations, the European Parliament […]
A Greener And More Pleasant Land? New CAP Policy Trots To Market
A deal with the Council on five legislative acts reforming EU farm policy was endorsed by Parliament on Wednesday. The post-2013 Common agricultural policy (CAP) will put more emphasis on environmental protection, ensure fairer distribution of EU funds and help farmers to cope better with market challenges. “The first ever reform of the EU farm […]
“We Decide Where We Work” – Treaty Change Needed Say MEPs
The European Parliament should have the right to decide where and when it meets, says a resolution adopted on Wednesday. Parliament undertakes to initiate an EU treaty revision procedure to propose the changes needed to allow Parliament itself, rather than EU member states by a unanimous vote, to decide on the location of its seat […]
Europe’s Budget, All Wrapped Up. Now, Just The Card To Sign…
After months of complex negotiations, Parliament gave its blessing to the EU’s long-term budget for 2014-2020 on Tuesday. All the conditions set out in its July resolution – which followed a political agreement at the highest levels between Parliament, the Irish Presidency and the Commission were met. The overall budget for the next seven years […]
Jose Montesquieu Barroso Wants Business Friendly Public Sector – “Useless laws weaken the necessary ones”
Attending, what the Commission termed a ‘business-friendly’ conference on Public Administration, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “Given the size of the total [EU] procurement market… each 5% saved could return around €100 billion to the public purse.” Barroso added: “…just four days ago, the European Council highlighted once again the importance of the […]