President von der Leyen addressed this week's plenary session of the European Parliament on the programme of activities of the Hungarian Presidency. The President's address focussed on three main issues - Ukraine, competitiveness and migration. On Ukraine, the President said: "There is only one path to achieve a just peace for Ukraine and for Europe. We must continue to empower Ukraine's resistance with political, financial and military support. Last month in Kyiv, I announced that we will provide up to EUR 35 billion in loans to Ukraine, as part of the USD 50 billion pledged by the G7. This loan will be repaid by the windfall profits of the immobilised Russian assets. And it will flow directly into Ukraine's national budget. We are making Russia pay for the damage it caused".

A new European Commission report shows that, although Ireland had the 7th lowest number of road deaths per million inhabitants in the EU in 2023, the figures are rising more sharply than anywhere else. In 2023, there were an average of 46 road deaths per million inhabitants in the EU, down from 51 in 2019. In Ireland, there were 35 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2023, up from 29 in 2019 when Ireland was the second best performing country in the EU. This translates to a rise in road deaths in Ireland of 31% in 2023 compared to 2019 whereas road deaths were down by an average of 11% across the EU over the same period with Poland recording the largest drop at 35%.

Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens are subject to systematic checks in person when crossing the EU’s external borders. To speed up border controls and ensure smoother and more secure travel, the European Commission this week proposed to digitalise passports and identity cards for anyone entering or leaving the Schengen area. Specifically, the Commission has put forward a common framework for the use of digital travel credentials and a new ‘EU Digital Travel' app, for travellers to create and store their digital travel credentials. It is now for the Council of the EU and the European Parliament to agree on the proposals.

EU agricultural markets are showing positive signs of stabilising, according to the autumn 2024 edition of the short-term outlook report for EU agricultural markets, published this week by the European Commission. According to the report, these positive trends are mainly due to input costs having steadily declined over the past months, as food inflation has returned to a moderate rate. The general macroeconomic and food price environment points to possible improvements in demand for agri-food products in most sectors. Nonetheless, the outlook remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty, linked to weather events, geopolitical conflicts and animal and plant diseases.

Ireland's Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme was one of the five winners of a Grand Prix award at this week's 2024 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards ceremony in Romania. The Scheme, which is run by the Heritage Council and the Department of Agriculture and part-funded by the EU, won the award in the Education, Training and Skills category. Its aim is to help farmers recognise the cultural value of traditional farm buildings and to support them in acquiring the skills needed to return these buildings to functional use. The 5 Grand Prix winners of Europe's highest heritage accolade were selected by the Board of Europa Nostra based on the recommendation of an independent jury of experts and will each receive a monetary award of €10,000.

The EU is mobilising all the emergency response tools at its disposal to support people affected by the ongoing crisis in Lebanon. Earlier this week, the EU launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of three flights from Dubai and Brindisi with the first one reaching Beirut on 11 October. The flights will transport EU-owned stocks including hygiene items, blankets and emergency shelter kits, among other items.

The European Commission this week adopted its third Annual Report on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, showing that implementation is speeding up, fostering reform and investment progress in Member States. The RRF, with €650 billion in grants and loans, is a critical driver of ambitious investments and reforms across Member States, in initiatives that advance the green and digital transition, and strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the EU. In Ireland, the Facility has already enabled 750 primary schools to be connected to high-speed broadband network through the installation of routers, thereby facilitating modern digital education. It has also provided funding for the deployment of an ePharmacy system across Irish hospitals.

The European Commission published a report this week following the first review of the adequacy decision for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF) for personal data transferred from the European Union to organisations in the US. Based on the information gathered during the review, the Commission concludes that the US authorities have put in place all the constitutive elements of the framework. This includes the implementation of safeguards to limit access to personal data by US intelligence authorities to what is necessary and proportionate to protect national security, and the establishment of an independent and impartial redress mechanism.

The European Commission this week adopted a Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova worth €1.8 billion and underpinned by a Reform and Growth Facility for the period 2025-2027. The Plan, which is the largest EU financial support package since Moldova's independence, will boost Moldova's economy, bring the country closer to EU membership by accelerating reforms, and provide significant financial assistance. President von der Leyen said: "Europe stands firmly by Moldova’s side – today and every step of the way on the path to our Union. We can start bringing the Moldovan economy closer to ours already now".

The number of EU Ecolabel-awarded products (goods and services) and licenses is continuing to grow according to European Commission statistics released this week for World Ecolabel Day. As of September 2024, nearly 3,000 licences have been awarded for 98,977 products on the EU market. All these products meet high environmental standards throughout their lifecycle, helping consumers, retailers and businesses make truly sustainable choices.

According to a new post-electoral Eurobarometer, 51% of Irish people turned out to vote in the recent European elections, on a par with the European average. Voter turnout was highest in Belgium at 89% in Belgium and lowest in Croatia at 21%. When asked what encouraged them to vote in the elections, European citizens were most likely to select: rising prices/cost of living (42%); the economic situation (41%); and the international situation (34%). Rising prices/cost of living (56%) was also the main topic selected by Irish people followed by housing (44%) and migration and asylum (39%). The survey also shows that 63% of Irish people have a positive view of the European Parliament, well above the EU average of 42%.

EU Code Week is a grass-roots movement that celebrates creativity, problem solving and collaboration through programming and other tech activities. The idea is to make programming more visible, to show young, adults and elderly how you bring ideas to life with code, to demystify these skills and bring motivated people together to learn. In this year's EU Code Week, taking place between 14 and 27 October 2024, thousands of coding events and activities will bring together teachers, students, parents, young and old, from around Europe and beyond. In Ireland, a total of 289 Code Week events are registered to take place this year.

In her presentation, Dr Anna Elomäki, Academy Research Fellow at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Tampere University, Finland, will discuss new research perspectives on the European Parliament (EP) and the dynamics within and between its political groups, focusing on the contested field of social policy. Dr Elomäki aims to open the Pandora’s box of EP decision-making, building on the findings of the European Research Council-funded EUGenDem research project (2018-2023) that studied the practices and policies of the EP political groups.

On Monday lunchtime, 21 October, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung UK and Ireland and European Movement Ireland are hosting an in-person event, ‘Policy Priorities for Ireland and Germany for the New EU Mandate’. This event will explore the challenges and opportunities for the new EU Mandate, and policy priorities for Ireland and Germany along with looking at the challenges of Security and Defence. It will open with a welcome address from Dr. Canan Atilgan, Director Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, UK & Ireland. This will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. The event takes place from 12.30 to 1.45 pm at the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, D02 HH58.

An bhfuil eolas uait faoi dheiseanna gairmiúla le Gaeilge in institiúidí an Aontais Eorpaigh? Ar mhaith leat freastal ar cheardlann le baill foirne ó institiúidí an Aontais Eorpaigh a bheidh dírithe ar an ngairm theanga is fearr leat? Beidh imeacht á reáchtáil ag an gCoimisiún Eorpach agus ag Rialtas na hÉireann. Dé Sathairn an 2 Samhain 2024 ar 10.15rn ag Oireachtas na Samhna sa Gleneagle Hotel/Ionad INEC, gCill Áirne.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has launched its 15th Civil Society Prize. The specific objective of this year's prize is to reward effective, innovative and creative non-for-profit initiatives/activities carried out in the EU that combat harmful polarisation of European society. A total of €50,000 will be awarded to a maximum of five winners. The deadline for entries is 9am (Irish time) on 7 November 2024. Applications are open to non-for-profit initiatives carried out by natural persons, civil society organisations and private companies officially registered within the European Union.