I am delighted to announce that the European Commission’s ‘In Perspective’ garden was awarded a gold medal at the Bord Bia Bloom Festival in Dublin’s Phoenix Park this morning. The garden also won best in category awards for ‘best concept garden’ and for ‘best planting’. If you're one of the 100,000 visitors to Bloom over the weekend, I would invite you to drop in and experience our rather unique garden which was inspired by the ideals of the European Green Deal. It is the first time that the European Commission has sponsored a garden at Bloom and we are delighted with the feedback it is receiving from visitors. In other good news this week, Irish projects have won Natura 2000 and European Heritage awards (more on all of these stories below).

The European Commission’s ‘In Perspective’ garden - a sculptural pavilion, over 10 metres high, created out of a simple and sustainable latticework structure - was awarded a gold medal at the Bord Bia Bloom Festival in Dublin’s Phoenix Park today (Thursday). The garden also won best in category awards for ‘best concept garden’ and for ‘best planting’. Designed for the European Commission by Oliver and Liat Schurmann, the garden articulates the values of the EU’s Green Deal, seeking to make Europe the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050.

The vast majority of bathing water sites in Europe met the European Union's most stringent ‘excellent' bathing quality standards in 2023, according to the latest annual Bathing Water report published this week. This represents 85.4% of the EU's popular bathing waters. For Ireland, 77% of the 148 bathing water sites monitored in 2023 were rated as “excellent”, remaining below the EU average of 85.4%, and down from 79.1% in 2022.

The first-ever EU rules to curb methane emissions from the energy sector in Europe and across the globe were adopted this week. The new regulation obliges the fossil gas, oil and coal industry in Europe to measure, monitor, report and verify their methane emissions according to the highest monitoring standards, and to take action to reduce them. It also requires EU gas, oil and coal operators to stop avoidable and routine flaring and to reduce flaring and venting to situations such as emergencies, technical malfunctions or when it is necessary for safety reasons. The new regulation is expected to enter into force in June.

The European Commission this week adopted a Communication clarifying the use of force majeure and exceptional circumstances for the EU agricultural sector in case of unforeseeable and extreme weather events. The concept of force majeure allows farmers who have been unable to fulfil all their CAP requirements due to exceptional and unforeseeable events outside their control (such as severe droughts or floods) not to lose CAP support.

A ground-breaking agri-environment payment scheme for farmers in Natura 2000 areas in Ireland has just won a Natura 2000 award 2024 in the category 'working together for nature'. The Wild Atlantic Nature project, funded by the EU LIFE programme, aims to develop capacity among farmers, farm advisors, policy-makers and scientists to deliver improved ecosystem services – including water quality, biodiversity and climate regulation – by directly linking farmers’ agri-environment payments to the ecological condition of their land.

An Irish project to restore traditional farm buildings was one of the winners of the 2024 European Heritage (Europa Nostra) awards in the category Education, Training and Skills. The Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme is co-funded by the Irish government and the European Union under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme. Its aim is to help farmers recognise the cultural value of traditional Irish farm buildings buildings and to ensure that they are conserved for agricultural use.

Twenty-six town centres are set to benefit from funding of up to €200K each under THRIVE, the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes. THRIVE aims to allow Local Authorities and citizens to reimagine and revitalise town centres though the renovation and reuse of publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings. It is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027.

The European Commission has welcomed the final adoption by the Council of the EU this week of the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). The Act aims to scale up the EU's manufacturing capacity of the technologies needed to achieve climate-neutrality such as solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, batteries, electrolysers and nuclear technologies, among others, including key components of such technologies, such as photovoltaic cells or the blades on wind turbines.

At the 8th edition of the Brussels Conference on 'Supporting the future of Syria and the region', the EU pledged €2.12 billion for 2024 and 2025. This assistance will support both Syrians inside Syria and those in neighbouring countries, as well as their host communities in Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: "Syrians continue to be heavily affected by ongoing hostilities, water and food shortages, protection issues, lack of access to basic services and violations of International Humanitarian Law. A staggering 16.7 million people in Syria – half of whom are women and children – still need life-saving support".

The European Commission this week unveiled its new AI Office, established within the Commission. The AI Office aims at enabling the future development, deployment and use of AI in a way that fosters societal and economic benefits and innovation, while mitigating risks. The Office will play a key role in the implementation of the AI Act, especially in relation to general-purpose AI models. It will also work to foster research and innovation in trustworthy AI and position the EU as a leader in international discussions.

New figures published this week by Eurostat show that 63% of Ireland's 25 to 34 year olds had a third level education in 2023, the highest share in the EU and up from 54% in 2016. The EU average for 2023 was 43%. Ireland was followed by Cyprus (62%) and Luxembourg (60%). At the bottom of the scale were Romania (23%) and Hungary (29%). Third level education comprises ISCED levels 5 to 8.

We are delighted to announce that, for the first time ever, the European Commission Representation in Ireland will be at the Bord Bia Bloom Festival in Dublin's Phoenix Park. We've teamed up with award-winning designers Liat and Oliver Schurmann to create a spectacular sustainable garden inspired by the European Green Deal. Click on the link below for a preview of the European Commission garden.

On Thursday evening 30 May, European Movement Ireland and the European Parliament Liaison Office are hosting an in-person event, ‘EU Election Town Hall – Ireland Dublin Constituency.’ Moderated by Journalist, Author and Broadcaster Flor MacCarthy, this event will see journalists and academics discuss topics such as the role of the European Elections, the impact of the European Parliament in our daily lives, and the role of voters in shaping our future. The format of the event will be a panel discussion followed by a Q and A session with audience members, including MEP candidates. Speakers will include: Prof Gavin Barrett, Professor in UCD Sutherland School of Law and Jean Monnet Professor of European Constitutional and Economic Law, UCD; John Lee, Execuitve Editor, Daily Mail Group Ireland; Prof Gary Murphy, School of Law and Government, DCU; and, Alison O’Connor, Columnist, Sunday Times. The event takes place from 7-8 pm at Odyssey Room, The Alex Hotel, 41-47 Fenian St, Dublin, D02 H678.

In his address to the IIEA, former President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, will discuss current global developments and how these relate to the European challenges of our time. In Mr Van Rompuy’s opinion, these challenges include democracy, leadership, strategic autonomy, deindustrialisation, immigration, and potential institutional changes. In his remarks, he will also discuss growing individualisation within the European Union and how this affects our societies and politics.

The European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland is hosting a one-hour webinar on EU basics from 12 noon to 1pm on Thursday 13 June. The webinar will offer an introduction into how the European Union works and what role it plays in our lives. Each webinar will start with a presentation followed by a Q&A for participants. There is no prior knowledge required. The topics covered range from the EU’s law making process, to areas where the EU makes rules and where it does not, to how half a century of EU membership have influenced Ireland. Anyone interested to participate can register via the links below.

The 2024 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks under Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation, opened for submissions this week with a deadline to apply of 27 November 2024. The call will dedicate €608.6 million to fund over 160 projects in all scientific fields and the training and skills development of 2,400 doctoral candidates.