On the agenda: the future of agriculture in the EU and the state of play of sustainable fishing in the EU and the orientations for the exercise of setting fishing opportunities for 2025.
On the agenda: the regulatory incentives set out in the revision of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation; vaccine-preventable cancers; and, the future of the European Health Union.
The European Commission this week announced the results of the 2023 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND), part of the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe. The Commission is to provide €96.2 million to fund 27 COFUND projects. They include 12 doctoral training programmes and 15 post-doctoral fellowship programmes of outstanding quality. Three of the 27 projects are based in Ireland.
On the agenda: VAT in the digital age; the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); the state of play of the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; the 2024 European Semester Spring Package; tax issues; and, the state of play of legislative proposals in the field of financial services.
At an informal meeting this week, EU leaders started discussions on the next institutional cycle, including EU top jobs. The discussions will continue with a view to taking a decision at the formal European Council on 27-28 June. All nomination processes are laid out in the Treaty on European Union (TEU), one of the EU’s primary treaties. Any decision by the European Council needs to reflect the diversity of the EU in terms of geography, country size, gender and political affiliation.
The EU has launched a dispute settlement case against Algeria and requested consultations with Algerian authorities to address several restrictions imposed on EU exports and investments. The EU considers that, by imposing these trade restrictive measures since 2021, Algeria is not respecting its trade liberalisation commitments under the EU-Algeria Association Agreement. The EU's aim is to engage constructively with Algeria with a view to removing the restrictions on several market sectors, spanning from agricultural products to motor vehicles.
EU Environment Ministers this week formally adopted the – first of its kind – regulation on nature restoration. This law aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. It sets specific, legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration in terrestrial, marine, freshwater, forest, agricultural and urban ecosystems. Specific measures include protecting pollinators and grassland butterflies, protecting urban green spaces and planting at least three billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level.
In cooperation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Eurofound is organising its latest Dublin Briefing, on self-employment, on Tuesday morning 25 June at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. The in-person, off-the record briefing with Eurofound experts will examine self-employment and platform work and how to improve the situation of these workers. Drawing on the latest data from Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, the expert briefing will cover the working conditions of different groups of self-employed people. While most self-employed people enjoy good working conditions, autonomy and good earning potential, the policy debate at both EU and Member State level has increasingly focused on the most vulnerable, especially those finding themselves in false and bogus self-employment. If you are interested in attending this event, please register at the link below.
After a review of the Belgian Presidency by H.E. Mr Thomas Lambert, Ambassador of Belgium, the Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg is pleased to invite you to a presentation of the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU by H.E. Mr Tamás Kovács, Ambassador of Hungary, and to ask your questions.
While counting continues in the European Elections, good news has arrived from European Commission HQ in Brussels. South Korea, one of the biggest import markets for beef in the world, has officially opened its market for Irish and French beef, which is good news for Irish beef producers. Earlier this week, I was delighted to attend European Movement Ireland’s, European of the Year ceremony, in honour of Minister Paschal Donohue, President of the Eurogroup. You can see more in the links below.
New EU rules on making more public datasets available for reuse have started applying since 9 June. These so-called ‘high-value datasets' contain information on six thematic areas laid out in the Open Data Directive: geospatial, earth observation and environment, meteorological, statistics, companies and mobility.
The European Commission launched two consultations to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of past and current funding programmes for fisheries and maritime activities.
The Commission sent Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos requests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting the companies to provide more detailed information on the measures they have taken to diligently assess and mitigate risks related to the protection of minors online, as well as the to prevent the amplification of illegal content and gender-based violence. Among others the Commission is requiring details on age assurance mechanisms adopted by these pornographic platforms.
The first ever EU rules on combating violence against women and domestic violence enter into force on 13 June. Violence against women and domestic violence affect an estimated one in three of the 228 million women in the EU. By criminalising certain forms of violence against women across the EU, including online, and strengthening victims’ access to justice, protection and support, the Directive aims to ensure the fundamental rights of equal treatment and non-discrimination between women and men.
19.2% of the people in Ireland in 2023 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This means that they lived in households experiencing at least one of the three poverty and social exclusion risks: risk of poverty, severe material and social deprivation, and/or living in a household with very low work intensity. The figure for Ireland is slightly lower than the average for the EU of 21% of the population or 94.6 million people living at risk. The shares of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion varied across the EU in 2023. The highest values were reported in Romania (32%), Bulgaria (30%), Spain (27%) and Greece (26%). On the other hand, the lowest shares were recorded in Czechia (12%), Slovenia (14%), Finland and Poland (both 16%), according to the data published by Eurostat.
In a significant development for the European beef industry, the Republic of Korea has officially opened market access for beef from Ireland and France. This positive result follows consistent representations made by the Commission, including through direct outreach by Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis in Seoul last November, when he raised the removal of restrictions on imports of EU beef with ministers and parliamentarians. The Republic of Korea is one of the biggest import markets for beef in the world.
European Movement Ireland honoured President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe as European of the Year at a ceremony on Monday, 10 June. The award recognises individuals and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting and enhancing Ireland’s place within the EU.
South East Energy Agency invites you to attend the European Climate Pact National Conference on Wednesday, 19th June 2024, 09:00 to 15:00, at Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin. The Conference aims to improve networking, engagement, collaboration between Pact Community, European Commission Representative in Ireland, and Country Coordinator (SEEA), to deliver the Climate Pact in Ireland. The Head of Unit, Communication and Civil Society at DG CLIMA who is also in charge of the Climate Pact, the Head of Communications, European Commission’s Representation, Dublin, Climate Pact Ambassadors, members of the Pact Community, UCC, LAs, SEAI, and people passionate about the climate will also be attending this event.
Are you between 15-29 years old? Then, we are keen to hear your views on certain aspects of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027. The Strategy aims to encourage young people to participate in democratic life, support social and civic engagement, and ensure that all young people have the resources they need to play an active part in society. Your answers will be included in the next EU Youth Report on the progress of the Strategy during the years 2022-2024. They will complement results of other consultations to provide a better picture of young people’s views and how to give young people a stronger voice in EU policymaking. This survey is available until 30/06/2024.
Are you a Europe-by-Satellite user? We would like to get your feedback! Thank you for taking this short survey on Europe by Satellite (EbS) and its programming. Tell us what you appreciate, and what we could improve.
