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European Council
EU Heads of state and government met in Brussels on 15 December. The outcome of the European Council showed progress in the implementation of European responses to the challenges the EU is facing: migration, security, defence and economic and social development. The situations in Ukraine and Syria were also addressed. At a short informal meeting following the European Council, 27 EU leaders (all except the United Kingdom) met to discuss how the Brexit process will be handled once the United Kingdom has submitted the notification under Article 50.
Conclusions of the European Council
Statement after the informal meeting of the 27 heads of state or government on the United Kingdom
Commission's proposal to update EU rules on social security coordination
The European Commission presented a proposal to revise the EU legislation on social security coordination. If the Council and European Parliament agree, EU rules will be updated in the following four areas:
Unemployment benefits: jobseekers would be able to export their unemployment benefits for at least six months (currently three months);
Long term care benefits: clarification of what long-term care benefits are and where citizens residing in other member states than their own can claim them;
Access of economically inactive citizens to social benefits: the proposal clarifies that member states may decide not to grant social benefits to economically inactive citizens residing in other member states than their own;
Social security coordination for posted workers: the Commission proposes to strengthen the administrative rules on social security coordination for posted workers.
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Galileo
Europe's satellite navigation system Galileo started offering its initial services to public authorities, businesses and citizens. Galileo will start to deliver, in conjunction with GPS, the following services free of charge: support to emergency operations, more accurate navigation for citizens, better time synchronisation for critical infrastructures, secure services for public authorities.
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EU approves new rules for member states to drastically cut air pollution
The European Parliament and the Council signed into law the new National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive, based on a Commission proposal, that sets stricter limits on the five main pollutants (fine particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds and ammonia). It will enter into force on 31 December 2016. When fully implemented, the Directive will reduce by almost half the health damage from air pollution by 2030. The agreement of stricter limits in the NEC is an important achievement and will also have substantial benefits for the quality of fresh water, soil, and ecosystems and help address the impacts of harmful particles causing climate change like black carbon.
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All this week's key European Commission announcements can be found here
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