EU NEWS YOU CAN USE

In a speech to the European Parliament this week, President von der Leyen addressed the issues of energy, defence and the relief and reconstruction of Ukraine. She said: "The Russian invasion of Ukraine reverberates around the world. This is not just about what its impact is on economics, geopolitics and security architecture. It is about the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. Millions of people who fear that they will not be able to afford to heat their homes and to feed their children tomorrow. The numbers are stark. This year alone, some 275 million people are likely to be at least at the risk of food insecurity across the world."

The European Commission proposed an annual EU budget of €185.6 billion for 2023, to be complemented by an estimated €113.9 billion in grants under NextGenerationEU. The EU budget will continue to mobilise significant investments to boost Europe's strategic autonomy, the ongoing economic recovery, safeguard sustainability and create jobs. The Commission will continue to prioritise green and digital investments while addressing pressing needs arising from recent and current crises.

The European Commission welcomed the political agreement reached this week between the European Parliament and EU Member States on the Directive on adequate minimum wages proposed by the Commission in October 2020. The Directive establishes a framework for the adequacy of statutory minimum wages, promoting collective bargaining on wage setting, and enhancing the effective access of workers to minimum wage protection in the EU. It does not require Member States to introduce statutory minimum wages, nor does it set a common minimum wage level across the EU.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament this week reached a political agreement on a European Commission proposal for a new EU law promoting a more balanced gender representation on the boards of listed companies. By 2026, listed companies should aim to have at least 40% of their non-executive director positions or 33% of their non-executive and executive director positions held by members of the under-represented sex.

The European Commission welcomed the swift provisional political agreement reached this week between the European Parliament and EU Member States on the Commission' proposal on a common charging solution. As of 2024, all new handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, handheld videogame consoles, headphones, headsets, portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, and earbuds will have to be equipped with a USB-C charging port. The deadline for laptops is 2026.

Four Irish medtech companies were among 74 innovative companies this week selected for European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator funding. They are Galway-based Venari Medical Limited and Loci Orthopaedics, Mayo-based Ovagen Ltd and Dublin-based Selio Medical Ltd. The EIC Accelerator offers start-ups and SMEs grants of up to €2.5 million combined with equity investments ranging from €0.5 to €15 million. In addition to financial support, all projects benefit from a range of Business Acceleration Services.

The European Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week signed an arrangement to strengthen cooperation on preparedness and response to public health threats. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said: "We share broad mutual interests in the control and prevention of infectious diseases globally. Today we put this cooperation on new footing, to jointly identify health threats, work together on procuring medical countermeasures and prepare for health threats together."

The results of European Anti-Fraud Office’s activities for 2021 were published this week. The report unveils emerging fraud trends on a wide range of issues and also investigations and operations with a special focus on fraud schemes damaging the environment – from an afforestation project that never happened to a collapsed pipeline for drinking water – as well as important frauds in the field of customs and waste smuggling.

As humanitarian needs continue to rise in Ukraine due to the illegal Russian invasion, the EU is providing direct operational support to aid organisations working inside the country. In this regard, the EU has set-up and fully funded two warehouses in Ukraine, respectively in Vinnytsia and Dnipro, as well as contracting trucking services to get humanitarian aid to those in need. The use of these EU funded humanitarian services is offered free of charge to aid organisations operating in Ukraine, as part of the new European Humanitarian Response Capacity system.

According to a new Eurofound survey, over 70% of people in the EU agree with the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia, with two-thirds feeling that more stringent sanctions should be imposed. Support for economic sanctions is particularly high in Scandinavian countries, the Baltic states, Romania, Poland and Ireland. The survey also revealed high or very high concerns about the war, with higher rates recorded in some of the countries sharing borders with Russia, as well as southern Mediterranean countries and Ireland.

The European Commission presented the Annual Management and Performance Report for the EU budget for the 2021 financial year, through which the Commission takes overall political responsibility for the management of the previous year's EU budget. In challenging times, the EU budget, supplemented by the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument, continued to deliver for EU citizens, in full respect of the highest standards of financial management.

According to the latest annual EU Bathing Water report, just under 78% of Irish beaches met the European Union's most stringent ‘excellent' water quality standards in 2021, below the EU average of 85%. In Austria, Malta, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark and Germany, 90% or more of bathing waters qualified as ‘excellent'. The report also shows that minimum water quality standards were met at 95% of sites in Europe in 2021 and 97% of sites in Ireland. Only 1.4% of sites in Ireland and 1.5% across the EU were classed as "poor".

Ahead of Bloomsday on the 100th anniversary of Ulysses, and of Irish independence, the IIEA is hosting a lunchtime event on 15 June exploring the European and international dimensions of James Joyces’ novel and the myriad visions of Ireland’s place in the world, which then as now occurred during great turbulence and uncertainty in the world.This anniversary also marks 100 years of Irish independence, as well as 50 years since Irish accession to the European Union. Speakers include Anne Fogarty, Full Professor and Director of the Centre for James Joyce Studies at UCD, and Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States.

The Rural Pact conference will bring together EU, national, and regional politicians along with local authorities, social and economic stakeholders in a participatory event that reflects the rural vision’s ambition and bottom-up character. The conference is organised by the European Commission in partnership with the European Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Parliament, the Presidency of the European Council and the European Rural Parliament. Live streaming will be available for the plenary sessions.

On Thursday morning 16 June, the European Committee of the Regions, in co-operation with European Movement Ireland and the Irish Regions European Office, are hosting an event focusing on the role of youth and democracy in Europe. The keynote address will be given by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for European Affairs. Other speakers include: Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions; Thomas Matthew, Board Member, European Youth Forum; and Diandra Ní Bhuachalla, United Nations Youth Delegate Ireland. The event will be moderated by Noelle O Connell, CEO of European Movement Ireland and will take place in person at the Council Chamber, Dublin City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2 from 11:00 – 12:30.

The Consumers and Environment Category of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is hosting a hybrid conference entitled "Health (One Health)" on 20 June from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The aim of the conference is to look at how the European Union can be more active in this area, especially through better cooperation among the key stakeholders. The conference will feature contributions by representatives of civil society organisations active in various Member States as well as a number of high-level speakers.

The European Parliament Liaison Offices in Ireland and the United Kingdom are hosting an in-person discussion to mark the award of the 2021 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Russian activist and political prisoner Alexei Navalny. The subject of the discussion will be: "Is it Possible to Lead an Honest Life Under a Dishonest Political System?". This event takes place from 3 to 4.30 pm on Friday 1 July at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. Speakers include: Barry Andrews MEP; Maria Logan, Open Russia Foundation, Trustee to the Future of Russia Foundation and the Khodorkovsky Foundation; Sinéad Gibney, Chief Commissioner, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; and Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, specialising in human rights and civil liberties. The event will be moderated by Pat Leahy, Political Editor, The Irish Times. To register, please email: events-epdublin@europarl.europa.eu.

As part of the European Year of Youth, Commissioner Mairead McGuinness is to hold a dialogue with young people from all over Europe about their vision for the future of finance. Young people aged between 18 and 25 who are interested in participating and in meeting the Commissioner are invited to take part in a video contest on the theme of “the future of finance” - full details at the link below. The 10 winning entrants will meet the Commissioner in Brussels on 25 October 2022. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the European Commission. The deadline to participate is 8 July 2022.

As part of the European Year of Youth, the European Commission has launched the “Name the New EU Space Constellation”, a student competition to award the name of the next satellite constellation. This is a call for creative ideas to give a name to a new EU space-based secure connectivity system. Alongside Copernicus and Galileo, this will be the third pillar of the EU Space programme; a state-of-the-art satellite constellation providing high-speed and secure communication services across Europe, Africa, and beyond.