EU NEWS YOU CAN USE

In a statement following a phone call with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said: "It continues to be of serious concern that the UK government intends to embark on the path of unilateral action. This is despite a series of wide-ranging and impactful solutions proposed by the EU, based on our intensive engagement with all representatives in Northern Ireland. These proposals would substantially improve the way the Protocol is implemented."

The European Commission has proposed new EU rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online. The proposal sets obligations for companies to detect and report the abuse of children, with strong safeguards guaranteeing the privacy of all. A new independent EU Centre on Child Sexual Abuse will be set up to help EU countries, companies and local authorities establish robust prevention measures, ensure that offenders are brought to justice and support victims. Worldwide, around 85 million pictures and videos depicting child sexual abuse were reported in 2021 alone.

Addressing the closing event of the Conference on the Future of Europe on 9 May, President von der Leyen said: "You have proven that this form of democracy works. And I believe, we should give it more room, it should become part of the way we make policy. This is why I will propose that, in the future, we give Citizens' Panels the time and resources to make recommendations before we present key legislative proposals."

As part of the EU's solidarity response with Ukraine, the Commission this week presented a set of actions to help Ukraine export its agricultural produce. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian ports, Ukrainian grain and other agricultural goods can no longer reach their destinations. With today's Communication, the Commission sets out an action plan to establish ‘Solidarity Lanes' to ensure Ukraine can export grain, but also import the goods it needs, from humanitarian aid to animal feed and fertilisers.

The European Commission will phase out the State aid COVID Temporary Framework, adopted on 19 March 2020 and last amended on 18 November 2021, enabling Member States to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Executive President Margrethe Vestager said the Framework had "allowed Member States to act quickly and effectively to help companies hit by the crisis, while ensuring that support remained limited to those in actual need."

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €45 million Irish scheme to support the fish-processing sector affected by the effects of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The scheme will run until 31 December 2023. The beneficiaries are small and medium-sized enterprises active in the processing and preserving of fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

The European Commission has approved a €5 million Irish scheme to support Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) charity operators in Ireland affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants. The measure is aimed at mitigating the liquidity shortages that the beneficiaries are facing and at ensuring the operation of a vital emergency medical service.

The European Commission wants young Irish people to have a say on the future direction of the EU and is inviting them to upload voice recordings with their thoughts on a range of issues from the future of Europe to mental health, inclusion, and climate change on its new "Voice your Vision" platform. The platform was launched as part of the European Year of Youth 2022 with the objective of empowering young Irish people and young Europeans in general to voice their own vision of the future.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have issued an update to the health safety measures for air travel, paving the way for a relaxation of the need to wear medical masks on board a flight from 16 May, but noting that a face mask is still one of the best protections against the transmission of COVID-19. Vulnerable passengers will still be advised to wear a face mask as will people taking flights to or from a destination where mask-wearing is still required on public transport.

At their summit in Tokyo this week, EU and Japan leaders launched the EU-Japan Digital Partnership. The Partnership will help the EU and Japan achieve their shared goals in key areas such as: a secure 5G, "beyond 5G" and 6G technologies; safe and ethical artificial intelligence applications; the resilience of global supply chains in the semiconductor industry; green data infrastructures; and the development of digital skills for workers. President von der Leyen said: "It is the first partnership of this kind that we conclude with any partner."

The European Commission has proposed to reform the current EU rules on Distance Marketing of Consumer Financial Services, which govern financial services sold at a distance. The Commission wants to give stronger consumer protection to those concluding contracts (for mortgages, consumer credit, insurance etc.) over the internet. This includes clearer rules on what, how & when sellers must provide pre-contractual information as well as making it easier to cancel a contract online, thanks to a withdrawal button.

The European Commission has published a consolidated list of travel bans in its EU Sanctions Map tool. Member State authorities as well as EU citizens can use the tool to see who is subject to a travel ban under EU sanctions measures, and therefore are prevented from travelling to the EU. Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said: “It is important that there is full transparency on this issue and for our citizens to know which individuals are subject to travel bans. This includes those who are implicated, in one way or another, in Russia's unjustified aggression against the people of Ukraine."

Over 5.4 million people have arrived in the EU since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The vast majority of them are women and children - particularly vulnerable to trafficking in human beings. A new anti-trafficking plan, developed under the lead of the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, aims at raising awareness, reinforcing the prevention against trafficking in human beings, enhancing the law enforcement and judicial response, as well as improving identification and support to victims.

The European Commission has proposed a debt-equity bias reduction allowance, or DEBRA, to help businesses access the financing they need and to become more resilient. This measure will support businesses by introducing an allowance that will grant to equity the same tax treatment as debt. The proposal stipulates that increases in a taxpayer's equity from one tax year to the next will be deductible from its taxable base, similarly to what happens to debt.

A new Eurobarometer survey on SMEs and Cybercrime reveals that one in three (32%) Irish SMEs had experienced at least one type of cybercrime over the 12 months prior to the survey, a little above the EU average of 28%. The most common types of cyber crime experienced by them were phishing, account take over or impersonation attacks (11%) and viruses, spyware or malware (9%). The survey also shows that Irish SMEs (87%) were the most likely to report incidences of cybercrime with 38% reporting to the police and 34% to their internet service provider. On average, only 54% of EU SMEs reported such incidences.

This IIEA webinar will be addressed by Professor Debra Roberts is Co-Chair of Working Group II, which assessed the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, negative and positive consequences of climate change and options for adapting to it, and by Professor Jim Skea, CBE, is Co-Chair of Working Group III, which focused on climate change mitigation, assessing methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. In this panel discussion, the two Co-Chairs will present key conclusions from the Sixth Assessment Report and reflect on the broader implications of the IPCC’s findings during this decisive decade for climate action.

On Thursday lunchtime, 19 May, French political scientist Dr Anaïs Marin will address an IIEA webinar on "Belarus in the New European Disorder: Challenges for the EU". In her address, Dr Marin will contend that the war provides the EU with a rare opportunity to review its neighbourhood relationship with Belarus, and to design tailored policies aimed at better supporting the democratic forces and civil society of that country which could ultimately excise it from Russia’s influences.