It's been just over a year since the European Commission activated, for the first time, the Temporary Protection Directive. Since then, EU Member States have granted around 4 million people immediate protection. Temporary protection allows people fleeing the war to register in any country in the EU with the right to access housing, health services, education and work. The Commission has decided to roll over temporary protection until March 2024 and is ready to further extend it until March 2025.

Last weekend, global negotiations concluded on the landmark Treaty of the High Seas. The new treaty will enable the establishment of large-scale marine protected areas on the high seas, required under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Agreement to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said: "With the agreement on the UN High Seas Treaty, we take a crucial step forward to preserve the marine life and biodiversity that are essential for us and the generations to come."

The European Commission this week issued guidance to Member States on the conduct and coordination of fiscal policy for next year. Overall, fiscal policies in 2024 should ensure medium-term debt sustainability and promote sustainable and inclusive growth in all Member States. Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said: "We want Member States to set ambitious fiscal targets for 2024, outline credible paths for reducing debt and identify how they will use reforms and investments to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. We should start to phase out the sizeable support that people and businesses needed to cope with last year’s energy price surge, starting with the least targeted measures."

The European Commission has approved an €18 million Irish scheme to support road haulage operators in context of Russia's war against Ukraine. The scheme is a re-introduction of a measure that the Commission approved in April 2022 which expired on 31 December 2022. The measure aims at mitigating the risk of insolvency for road haulage operators while ensuring the uninterrupted movement of goods by road. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will be entitled to receive limited amounts of aid in the form of direct grants.

The European Commission has named three Irish universities out of a total of four winners of the newly established EU Award for Gender Equality Champions in recognition of noteworthy strides towards gender equality carried out by academic and research organisations. The Irish winners are: Trinity College Dublin, as a Sustainable Gender Equality Champion; Maynooth University, as a Newcomer Gender Equality Champion; and South East Technological University, as an Inclusive Gender Equality Champion. The fourth winner is the Karolinska Institutet, from Sweden. The winners will each receive a prize of €100,000.

Following a dialogue with EU consumer protection authorities, coordinated by the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Swedish Consumer Agency, and the European Commission, WhatsApp has committed to being more transparent on changes to its terms of service. Moreover, the company will make it easier for users to reject updates when they disagree with them, and will clearly explain when such rejection leads the user to no longer be able to use WhatsApp's services. WhatsApp also confirmed that users' personal data are not shared with third-parties or other Meta companies for advertising purposes.

The European Commission has welcomed the political agreement reached this week by the European Parliament and Member States on the European Year of Skills. During the Year, the Commission, the European Parliament, Member States, social partners, public and private employment services, chambers of commerce and industry, education and training providers, workers and businesses will work together to promote skills development, thereby improving professional and life opportunities for people. Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit said: "We need a complete shift in mindset when it comes to how we deal with training in Europe. During the European Year of Skills, our focus will be on making sure European businesses, from SMEs to large corporations, have the talent they need to thrive."

A new EU survey on entrepreneurship and youth showed that, for most young Irish people (aged 15 to 30), it is ‘very’ or ‘fairly important’ for a potential employer to offer a good salary and benefits (93%), to respect work-life balance (93%) and to involve employees in decision-making (84%). When asked if they could choose between different types of jobs, 43% of young Irish people surveyed said that they would prefer to be self-employed while 52% would choose to be an employee. Independence and freedom were seen as the main attractions for those preferring self-employment while a regular, steady income was the main motivation for those choosing to work as an employee.

The European Commission has adopted new rules to further reduce the exposure to arsenic, a carcinogenic contaminant, from our food chain. The new rules will lower the allowed concentration of inorganic arsenic in white rice, while also setting new limits for arsenic in many everyday rice-based food items, infant formula, baby foods, fruit juices and salt. The occurrence of arsenic in food products may cause skin cancer, bladder cancer and and lung cancer.

The Commission has announced new funding of €50 million in humanitarian aid for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. These funds will help combat food insecurity and malnutrition, improve access to basic services, enhance disaster preparedness and promote education in emergencies throughout the region. Of the €50 million, €13.3 million will go to Madagascar, €25 million to Mozambique, €7.4 million to Zimbabwe and €4.3 million to Lesotho, Malawi and regional projects.

The European Commission has revised the overall budget for the Erasmus+ Annual Work Programme for 2023 upwards to €4.43 billion, the highest ever. The increased budget will reinforce the Erasmus+ priorities on inclusion, active citizenship and democratic participation, and on the green and digital transformations in the EU and abroad. It also includes €100 million to support projects that promote educational activities and facilitate the integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine into their new learning environments, as well as activities supporting organisations, learners and staff in Ukraine.

Cancer was the leading cause of death in Ireland in 2020, accounting for 29% of deaths, followed by diseases of the respiratory system at 27%. Covid-19 meanwhile was responsible for 6% of deaths in Ireland in 2020, below the EU average of 8.5%. Bulgaria had the highest share of deaths from Covid-19 in 2020 at 18% followed by Spain at 15% while Finland and Estonia (both 1%) had the lowest. The Eurostat data further shows that Ireland had the second lowest death rate in the EU in 2020 with 892 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants compared to an EU average of 1,787.

New Eurostat figures show that the fertility rate in the EU rose slightly in 2021, from 1.50 live births per woman in 2020 to 1.53 in 2021. France had the highest total fertility in 2021 with 1.84 live births per woman followed by Czechia (1.83) and Romania (1.81). Ireland was in 4th place at 1.78, up from 1.63 in 2020 but down from 2.03 in 2011. The lowest rates in 2021 were recorded in Malta (1.13), Spain (1.19) and Italy (1.25). In total, 4.09 million babies were born in the EU in 2021, up from 4.07 in 2020.

To mark 50 years of EU membership, Photo Museum Ireland is exhibiting portraits of past female Irish MEPs. The portraits were taken by renowned Estonian photographer, Kaupo Kikkas. The portraits were commissioned by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland. The exhibition is open to the public between 1st and 11th March rom 11:00am to 5:00pm in Photo Museum Ireland, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

The European Commission Representation in Ireland is hosting a panel discussion on the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in TU Dublin (Tallaght) on Thursday evening, 9 March. Speakers include: Francis Noel Duffy TD, Green Party TD for Dublin South West; John Burgess, Associate Director at Arup, Energy Management, Building Engineering; and Dr. Ciara Ahern, Senior Lecturer Building Engineering TU Dublin and Irish Building Stock Observatory co-founder. This hybrid event will be moderated by Tim Hayes, Head of Communications at the Representation.

The newly agreed Windsor Framework has the potential to open a new chapter of UK/EU relations. In an address to an IIEA online event on Friday afternoon 10 March, Dr Andrew McCormick, former Director General of International Relations for the Northern Ireland Executive, will discuss the implications of the new agreement for Northern Ireland.

On Monday 27 February 2023, the UK Government and the European Commission announced the new Windsor Framework, which aims to facilitate trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain while maintaining the region’s access to the European single market. The Windsor Framework may also mark the beginning of a new phase in UK-EU relations, and, if accepted by all parties, could put an end to the current political impasse in Northern Ireland. In this keynote address to the IIEA, RTE's Europe Editor Tony Connelly will discuss what the Windsor Framework means for Northern Ireland and for future UK-EU relations.

The annual Model Council debate for secondary schools is a simulation of a meeting of the Council of the European Union and involves teams from secondary schools around Ireland, each of which represents an EU Member State. The event allows schools to learn about the EU's decision-making process. The 2023 Model Council takes place on Tuesday 21 March 2023. The topic for the debate will be "Energy".

European Movement Ireland and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung are hosting an online event, ‘The Good Friday Agreement and the EU after 25 years’ on Thursday afternoon, 23 March. This event will reflect on the past 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement and the key role the European Union played. The panel will speak to the challenges faced in reaching an agreement and Northern Ireland’s relationship with Ireland, the EU and EU member states throughout the last 25 years. The panel will also be given an opportunity to give their hopes and visions for the next 25 years with the Good Friday Agreement.

On Wednesday, 29 March, the European Commission will hold a public information event in Ireland to outline the main components of TRAD23 - the new call for tenders to provide translation services for the European Commission. This event will take place at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin, D02 W710. This event will take place in person, but it will also be possible to follow it virtually (Webex). For full details, click on the link below.

Applications are now open for EU Smedia Awards 2023, part of the National Student Media Awards. Entries must take the form of written articles covering at least one of the following topics: the EU and its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the EU’s response to the energy crisis; the EU’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic; A European Green Deal to protect the Environment and Climate; Protecting European Democracy (eg media freedom, external influence on elections); Europe and the Digital Age; Rural Development, Agriculture and the CAP; Europe’s Role in the World (eg trade, development aid, migration, diplomacy) and European Year of Skills 2023. Entries must be in English and must include both a scan of the publication and a word version of the article. The winning entry will receive a coveted Smedia award, a cash prize of €1,000 and publication of their piece in a regional or on-line newspaper.

The Lorenzo Natali Media Prize, the EU's flagship journalism award, has opened for applications. The Prize recognises and honours the work of journalists from around the world which shed a light on the most pressing global challenges. Journalists reporting on issues relating to inequality, poverty eradication, sustainable development, environment, biodiversity, climate action, digital, jobs and employment, education and skills development, migration, healthcare, peace, democracy and human rights are invited to submit eligible stories by 11pm on 28 April.