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12/09/2024

EU news you can use

Message from Barbara Nolan, Head of Representation (11/09/2024)

It's hard to believe that it's once again time for the National Ploughing Championships! The Representation is delighted to be going back again this year where we will showcase our new-look marquee packed with information and entertainment. Our stand has been rated 6th in the top ten stands by the Irish Farmers Journal. So if you are visiting the Ploughing, please drop in and visit Stand 222. We would also like to draw your attention to our Culture Night event next Friday where, along with Languages Connect, we are offering free "in person" taster classes in 10 different languages. For those unable to attend this event, a second online event with 11 different languages will take place on Thursday evening, 26 September. See below for more information on all of these events.

EU Court of Justice sets aside the judgment of the General Court concerning tax rulings issued by Ireland in favour of Apple (10/09/2024)

In a ruling issued on Tuesday of this week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) set aside the judgment of the General Court concerning tax rulings issued by Ireland in favour of Apple thereby vindicating the European Commission’s decision that the tech giant owed billions in unpaid taxes to the Irish state. Welcoming the ruling, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said: "... today the Court of Justice confirmed the Commission's approach that the intellectual property licences held by Apple's Irish subsidiaries and related profits should have been allocated to the Irish branches. And that Apple should have paid taxes worth 13 billion euros on all related profits in Ireland. This means that the recovered taxes, which have been in an escrow account for quite some years in Ireland during the ongoing court proceedings, now must be released to the Irish State".

Mario Draghi delivers his report on the future of European competitiveness (10/09/2024)

This week Mario Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank, delivered his report on the future of European Competitiveness to President von der Leyen. The findings of the report will contribute to the Commission’s work on a new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness and in particular, to the development of the new Clean Industrial Deal for competitive industries and quality jobs, which will be presented in the first 100 days of the new Commission mandate. Welcoming the report, President von der Leyen said: "First, the only way to ensure our long-term competitiveness is to shift away from fossil fuels and towards a clean, competitive, and circular economy. Second, our efforts on competitiveness must go hand in hand with increased prosperity for everyone in Europe".

State of the Energy Union Report 2024 shows EU progress to ensure secure, competitive and affordable energy for all (11/09/2024)

The EU has withstood critical risks to its security of energy supply, regained control over the energy market and prices, and accelerated the transition towards climate neutrality. These are the main findings of the State of the Energy Union 2024 report published this week by the European Commission. The report is accompanied by 27 country fact sheets. The Ireland fact sheet shows that the share of renewables used in our energy mix is one of the lowest in the EU at 13.6% (2022 figures). Ireland is, however, about average for the share of renewables in electricity (around 40% in 2022) with fossil fuels making up the balance.

European Investment Bank (EIB) to provide new support for investment in Irish ports (12/09/2024)

During a meeting in Dublin this week with Finance Minister Jack Chambers, the Vice President of the European Investment Bank Ioannis Tsakiris confirmed that the EIB Group would provide new support for investment in Irish ports, which will enable large-scale development of offshore wind projects in Irish waters. Vice President Tsakiris also confirmed additional backing for business innovation in Ireland that is supported by the European Investment Fund and SBCI, reflecting the EIB Groups ongoing commitment to unlock innovation investment by Irish business.

EU provides €40 million in humanitarian aid for winter preparedness in Ukraine (09/09/2024)

With relentless attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the European Commission is boosting its humanitarian funding to vulnerable Ukrainians with an additional €40 million ahead of the approaching winter. Out of this, €35 million is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine and €5 million for supporting Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in Moldova. The primary focus of this funding is to help prepare Ukraine for the freezing winter months.

Commission orders recovery of around €14 million in incompatible German State aid from Frankfurt-Hahn airport and Ryanair (10/09/2024)

The European Commission this week concluded that three German measures in favour of Ryanair and the Frankfurt-Hahn airport are incompatible with EU State aid rules. Germany must now recover the incompatible aid, including interest. Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said: "Our in-depth investigation has confirmed that several public funding measures for Frankfurt-Hahn airport and Ryanair are incompatible with EU State aid rules. They gave Ryanair an unfair and selective advantage over its competitors and caused harm to other regional airports".

Commission launches €2 million programme to address Long Covid (11/09/2024)

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides this week announced the launch of a €2 million project to address Long COVID focusing on 7 priority areas including: establishing a unified Long COVID case definition; launching a new training programme for healthcare professionals allowing them to better detect the disease; providing clinical guidelines and recommendations for monitoring, preventing and managing cases; and supporting patients and their carers. Commissioner Kyriakides said the Commission would "continue to support research into the causes, consequences and possible treatment of Long COVID, where we have already invested over 100 million euros under Horizon Europe".

EU boosts European AI developers with the AI Factories call for proposals (10/09/2024)

The European Commission this week launched a call for setting up AI Factories to boost European leadership in trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). AI Factories will be created around the EU's world-class network of European High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputers and will be available to a range of European users, such as startups, industry and researchers. The rolling call will be continuously open until 31 December 2025, with the first deadline on 4 November 2024 and subsequent cut-off dates every three months for as long as funds are available.

New European coordinators appointed to drive completion of Europe’s trans-European transport network (10/09/2024)

Nine European Coordinators were this week designated to help complete the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), a vast infrastructure network of railways, roads, and inland waterways connecting the European Union. They will collaborate with Member States, cities, regions, and infrastructure managers at local, regional, national, and European levels to facilitate work towards completing the TEN-T. Former European Parliament President Pat Cox has been designated as Scandinavian - Mediterranean coordinator, a crucial north-south axis for the European economy.

Commission decides to register two new European Citizens' Initiatives on water resilience and psychedelics assisted care (11/09/2024)

The European Commission this week registered two European Citizens' Initiatives, entitled ‘ECI for a Water-Smart and Resilient Europe' and ‘PsychedeliCare'. The organisers now have six months to open the signature collection. If an Initiative receives at least one million statements of support within one year with minimum numbers reached in at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to decide whether or not it will take action in response to the request, and will be required to explain its reasoning.

Commission publishes findings of evaluation of EU antitrust enforcement framework (09/09/2024)

The European Commission has published a Staff Working Document summarising the findings of the evaluation of the EU Regulations which lay out the procedures for the application of EU competition rules (Regulation 1/2003 and Regulation 773/2004). Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said that, although the existing EU antitrust enforcement framework had been a resounding success, "the evaluation identified areas for further reflection, to ensure that our enforcement tools keep up with the transformative changes of digitalisation and to ensure swift antitrust enforcement".

The EU and the EEA EFTA States have signed the agreement on the EEA Financial Mechanism 2021-2028 and market access protocols (12/09/2024)

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, signed a package of agreements and protocols this week on the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2021-2028 with the three EEA European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and two protocols for annual duty-free tariff quotas for some Icelandic and Norwegian fish and fisheries products entering the EU market. Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said: “This signature is another positive milestone, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the EEA Agreement this year. The EEA and Norwegian financial mechanisms reflect the benefits that the EEA EFTA States draw from their access to the EU single market".

World's warmest August completes hottest boreal summer on record: Copernicus (12/09/2024)

The summer of 2024 was the Earth's warmest on record according to the latest data from Copernicus, the Earth Observation component of the EU Space Programme. Average global air temperatures recorded last month were 0.71°C above the 1991-2020 average for August. For Europe, the average temperature for August 2024 was 1.57°C above the 1991-2020 average for August, making the month the second warmest August on record for Europe after August 2022, which was 1.73°C above average. Temperatures were most above average over southern and eastern Europe, but below average over north-western parts of Ireland and the United Kingdom, Iceland, the west coast of Portugal, and southern Norway.

Cork in 15th place on the European city air quality viewer (11/09/2024)

According to the European Environment Agency's newly up-dated city air quality viewer, Uppsala and Umeå (Sweden) and Faro (Portugal) enjoy the cleanest city air in Europe. The city air quality viewer ranks 375 cities from the cleanest to the most polluted based on average levels of fine particulate matter. Of the four Irish cities covered, Cork has the cleanest air and is in 15th place overall on the viewer. It is followed by Dublin in 39th place, Waterford in 119th place and Limerick in 150th place.

More than 3.7 million first residence permits issued in the EU in 2023: Eurostat (12/09/2024)

More than 3.7 million first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens in 2023, a 4.7% increase compared with 2022, and the highest number recorded to date. Employment remained the main reason for issuing residence permits in 2023, accounting for 33.8% (1.3 million) of all first residence permits issued. It was followed by family reasons (26.4%), international protection (25.6%) and education (14.3%). In Ireland, 88,595 first residence permits were issued in 2023 with the largest shares being for education (45%) and employment (27%).

Friday 13 September: Eurogroup meeting, Budapest (09/09/2024)

On the agenda: macroeconomic developments and an update on the G7.

Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September: European Parliament plenary session, Strasbourg (06/09/2024)

The next plenary session of the European Parliament takes place in Strasbourg from Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September. Daily agendas can be found at the link below.

Monday 16 to Sunday 22 September: European Mobility Week (06/09/2024)

European Mobility Week 2024 takes place from Monday 16 to Sunday 22 September under the theme: "Shared public space". European Mobility Week is the European Commission’s flagship awareness-raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility. It promotes behavioural change in favour of active mobility, public transport, and other clean, intelligent transport solutions. The main events take place from 16-22 September each year, culminating in the popular Car-Free Day. Five Irish towns have, to date, registered to participate: Cork, Dublin, Fingal, Limerick and Waterford.

Tuesday 17 September: EU Basics Webinar, Dublin (06/09/2024)

On Tuesday 17 September at 12 noon, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland is hosting a webinar on on how the EU works. The webinar will cover topics such as: Why the EU matters in your personal life; How the EU works and why voting matters; How have half a century of EU membership influenced Ireland; and - How can you get involved. Register at the link below.

Tuesday 17 September: What’s next? The Rise and Normalisation of the Far Right in the Netherlands (IIEA event) (06/09/2024)

Léonie de Jonge, Assistant Professor in European Politics and Society at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, will address an online IIEA event on the Rise and Normalisation of the Far Right in the Netherlands. In her address, Dr de Jonge will try to make sense of the meteoric rise of the far right in the Netherlands, and what this might mean for that country, the wider Benelux region, and for Europe.

Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September: Visit the European Union Stand at Ploughing 2024, Ratheniska, Co Laois (06/09/2024)

The EU is back at 'The Ploughing' with a new look tent, remote controlled tractors to race, an EU quality logo to support traditional Irish producers, a new wormery and more. The European Union comes to the National Ploughing Championships (‘The Ploughing’) this year with a tent packed with information and entertainment to promote EU opportunities. A central focus is on raising awareness about an EU quality mark that can benefit traditional, authentic Irish food and drink producers, as well as consumers. But the EU team will also have information on a wide range of EU topics - from funding opportunities, to studying, volunteering and working abroad, as well as EU science and innovation programmes that support sustainable farming and food.

Wednesday 18 September: A Conversation with Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (IIEA event) (06/09/2024)

On Wednesday lunchtime 18 September Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, will address an online IIEA event. Dr Šedivý is a former Defence Minister of the Czech Republic and former NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning.

Friday 20 September: ‘Try a new language’ during Culture Night, Europe House, Dublin 2 (06/09/2024)

As part of Culture Night on Friday, 20 September, the European Commission and Languages Connect will provide free 20-minute taster classes 'in person' in Chinese, Czech, German, Japanese, Korean, Maltese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, and Spanish. This event takes place at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. You are of course encouraged to try more than one language and refreshments will be provided on the night for anybody wanting to take a break between sessions.

Friday 20 September: the European Culture Trail, Dublin (06/09/2024)

Immerse yourself in the diversity of European languages and cultures on the European Culture Trail, where delights from different European countries await you. As part of Culture Night 2024, EUNIC Ireland (European Union National Institutes for Culture) and the European Commission Representation in Ireland, have come together to organise the European Culture Trail.

Saturday 21 September: The German-Irish Lawyers' and Business Association Conference 2024, Kilkenny (09/09/2024)

The European Parliament Liaison Office is partnering with German-Irish Lawyers’ and Business Association in hosting GILBA’s annual conference, taking place in Kilkenny on 21 September. The conference will deal with topics including climate, environment and law, gender equality and citizen participation. Speakers include Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP, the Hon. Mr. Justice Brian Murray of the Supreme Court, expert lawyers, academics, members of civil society and a representatives of the German Bundestag. Programme. Registrations are now open at the link below.

Monday 23 September: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (09/09/2024)

Agenda highlights: the agricultural markets situation, in particular following the invasion of Ukraine; the strategic plans of the common agricultural policy (CAP); the upcoming EU-UK annual consultations on fishing opportunities for 2025, as well as on the EU-Norway and coastal states annual consultations for the coming year.

Tuesday 24 September: The World in 2025: Elections and their Consequences - European Parliament Elections, Dublin (09/09/2024)

The Royal Irish Academy is hosting a lunchtime panel discussion on the European elections on Friday 24 September 2024 at 1pm in the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Speakers will include: Ben Tonra MRIA (UCD), Sarah Collins (Business Post); and Francis Jacobs (former head of European Parliament Office, Dublin). The event will be chaired by Iulia Siedschlag (Economic and Social Research Institute).

Tuesday 24 September: General Affairs Council, Brussels (09/09/2024)

Agenda highlights: the Hungarian presidency will present the priorities for its term of office; the rule of law situation in the EU member states; and, preparations for the European Council meeting on 17-18 October 2024.

Wednesday 25 September: Open-Source Intelligence and the War in Ukraine (IIEA event) (09/09/2024)

On Wednesday lunchtime George Barros, Russia Team & Geospatial Intelligence Team Lead on the Russia and Ukraine at the Institute for the Study of War, will address an online IIEA seminar on "Open-Source Intelligence and the War in Ukraine". In his address to the IIEA, George Barros will discuss the growing importance of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), how OSINT may change the future of intelligence gathering, and provide his assessment on the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Thursday 26 September: ‘Try a new language’ on the European Day of Languages (virtual event) (09/09/2024)

To coincide with the European Day of Languages on Tuesday, 26 September, the European Commission and Languages Connect are providing free virtual taster classes in eleven languages - Arabic, Estonian, French, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Ukrainian. Please book your session(s) early to avoid disappointment, as spaces are limited. The relevant zoom link will be sent to registered participants before lunchtime on the day of the event.

Thursday 26 September: Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), Brussels (09/09/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Friday 27 September: European Researchers' Night, Dublin (09/09/2024)

A number of talks, demonstrations, tours, activities and much more are taking place across Dublin for European Researchers' Night on Friday 27 September organised by START, the Irish branch of the European Researchers' Night. This includes a number of schools events.

Applications now open for traineeships at the European Council (12/09/2024)

Twice a year, the Council offers 5-month paid traineeships in Brussels. Applications are now open for the 5-month period starting on 16 February 2025. The deadline to apply is 2 October. The Council also offers paid traineeships for trainees with a recognised disability.

05/09/2024

EU news you can use

Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture delivers its final report to President von der Leyen (04/09/2024)

President von der Leyen this week welcomed the final report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, a new forum mandated to shape a shared vision for the future of the EU's farming and food system. The report presents a set of suggestions on: working together for a sustainable & competitive future; advancing towards sustainable food systems; promoting transformative resilience; building an attractive & diverse sector; and, better use of knowledge & innovation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the findings will help shape her “Vision for Agriculture and Food” which she has promised to deliver within the first 100 days of her new mandate.

Seven Irish scientists awarded European Research Council starting grants (05/09/2024)

Seven young Irish scientists were this week awarded European Research Council (ERC) starting grants. The grants, worth about €1.5 million each over a period of five years, aim to help researchers at the beginning of their careers to launch their own projects, form their teams and pursue their most promising ideas. They cover a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physics to social sciences and humanities. The seven Irish scientists are based in: Trinity College Dublin (2), University College Dublin (2), the Royal College of Surgeons (1), University College Cork (1) and University College Galway (1).

New Copernicus Satellite successfully placed in orbit (05/09/2024)

A brand-new Copernicus Sentinel satellite was successfully launched this Wednesday night from the European Spaceport in French Guiana, onboard a Vega rocket operated by Arianespace on September 5 at 03:50 am CET. The satellite sent its first signal down to Earth at 05:02 CET, indicating that it was successfully placed into orbit. To continue delivering cutting-edge Earth Observation data and services freely, to public and private users, the European Commission launched an additional Copernicus Sentinel satellite, called Sentinel-2C. The launch is a result of cooperation with trusted partners, the European Space Agency and Arianespace.

First delivery of mpox vaccine doses from the Commission arrive this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo (05/09/2024)

Close to 100,000 mpox vaccine doses will arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week followed by a further 100,000 in the coming days as part of the 215,000 MVA-BN® vaccine doses that the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) procured and pledged to share to affected countries in Africa as an immediate response to the mpox outbreak. This initiative is part of the EU Global Health Strategy, which is a key component of Global Gateway, to support partners in the rest of the world.

President von der Leyen delivers keynote speech at Bled Strategic Forum (04/09/2024)

This week, President von der Leyen delivered the keynote speech at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia. In her speech, she discussed the importance of a stronger Europe in an age of intensifying geostrategic rivalries as well as the expansion of the EU to the Western Balkans, and pledged her commitment to appointing a new Commissioner for Enlargement: "In the next Commission, enlargement must be a full-time job that allows undivided attention. This is why I will appoint a dedicated Commissioner for Enlargement".

Commission supports action across Europe to attract and retain nurses (02/09/2024)

The European Commission has signed a contribution agreement with the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe) to support Member States in retaining nurses in their health systems and making the profession more attractive to nurses. The agreement, funded with €1.3 million from the EU4Health programme, will involve activities across all EU Member States over a 36-month period. Particular focus will be given to those countries with significant shortages in healthcare workers, and specifically shortages in nurses.

Commission signs Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (05/09/2024)

The European Commission this week signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) on behalf of the EU. The Convention is the first legally binding international agreement on AI and it is fully in line with the EU AI Act, the first comprehensive AI regulation in the world. The Convention provides for a common approach to ensure that AI systems are compatible with human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while enabling innovation and trust.

EU's first Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement enters into force with Angola (02/09/2024)

The EU-Angola Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement (SIFA) entered into force this week. This is the first-ever EU agreement on investment facilitation. It focuses on improving the business environment through investment facilitation measures, such as increasing the transparency of investment regulations, promoting the use of e-government for authorisations, and enhancing stakeholder involvement. Investment facilitation benefits both foreign and local investors, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. The agreement also upholds environmental and climate commitments, as well as respect for labour rights.

Monday 16 to Sunday 22 September: European Mobility Week (30/08/2024)

Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September: European Parliament plenary session, Strasbourg (30/08/2024)

The next plenary session of the European Parliament takes place in Strasbourg from Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September. Daily agendas can be found at the link below.

Tuesday 17 September: What’s next? The Rise and Normalisation of the Far Right in the Netherlands (IIEA event) (30/08/2024)

Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September: Visit the European Union Stand at Ploughing 2024, Ratheniska, Co Laois (30/08/2024)

The European Union will be back at the Ploughing this year with a revamped tent (Block 2 Row 13 Stand 222) packed with information and entertainment to promote EU opportunities. The big focus this year is on raising awareness about an EU quality mark that can benefit traditional, authentic quality Irish food and drink producers. The EU tent team will also have information on a wide range of EU topics- from CAP funding opportunities, to studying, volunteering and working abroad, as well as EU science and innovation programmes that support sustainable farming and food.

Tuesday 17 September: EU Basics Webinar, Dublin (04/09/2024)

Wednesday 18 September: A Conversation with Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (IIEA event) (30/08/2024)

Friday 20 September: ‘Try a new language’ during Culture Night, Europe House, Dublin 2 (30/08/2024)

Friday 20 September: the European Culture Trail, Dublin (30/08/2024)

Saturday 21 September: The German-Irish Lawyers' and Business Association Conference 2024, Kilkenny (30/08/2024)

Monday 23 September: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (30/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 24 September: The World in 2025: Elections and their Consequences - European Parliament Elections, Dublin (02/09/2024)

Tuesday 24 September: General Affairs Council, Brussels (30/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Wednesday 25 September: Open-Source Intelligence and the War in Ukraine (IIEA event) (30/08/2024)

Thursday 26 September: Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), Brussels (30/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Friday 27 September: European Researchers' Night, Dublin (30/08/2024)

Euroscola competition for secondary school students launched (04/09/2024)

The European Parliament this week launched its new Euroscola video competition. Students are invited to create and submit a 1-minute video in English or Irish with their ideas about what the EU can do to tackle digital addiction and their school could be in with a chance to win a subsidised trip for up to 24 students and 2 teachers to Euroscola in Strasbourg, a one-day youth parliament for secondary school students in the first half of 2025. The deadline for entries is 18 October 2024

EU Award for Gender Equality Champions: call for applications launched (04/09/2024)

The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions rewards outstanding achievements reached through the implementation of Gender Equality Plans (GEP) put in place by universities, higher education institutions, and other research performing organisations (public or private). There are 3 prize categories: Sustainable Gender Equality Champions; Newcomer Gender Equality Champions; and Inclusive Gender Equality Champions. Applicants can only apply to one of these three categories and winners from past editions cannot re-apply to another category. Each winner will receive a trophy and a €100,000 prize. The deadline to apply is 16 October 2024.

Public consultation on the EU's energy security architecture (04/09/2024)

The European Commission has just opened a call for evidence and a public consultation inviting input into current EU regulations related to the security of energy supply and broader energy security issues. Aimed at a wide range of stakeholders including scientific researchers, academics, think tanks and other experts, but also NGOs, interest groups and EU citizens, the consultation will be open until 26 November. The objective of this “fitness check” is to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value of the existing rules on the security, resilience and autonomy of the EU’s energy system.

29/08/2024

EU news you can use

Temperature-related mortality burden to worsen in Europe (22/08/2024)

A new study from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, published earlier this month, investigates present and projected future excess mortality caused by temperature change in the EU27, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. According to the study, some 363,500 people currently die every year in Europe from cold while 43,700 die from excessive heat. In a 3°C warming scenario, projections show there could be a threefold increase in heat-related mortality with southern European regions most affected. In northern Europe, summers are expected to become warmer, but not lethal. However, these regions will be more vulnerable to extreme heat due to an ageing population.

European Commission confirms Ireland's participation in the Pact on Migration and Asylum (31/07/2024)

The European Commission has welcomed Ireland's decision to opt-in to seven legal acts under the Pact on Migration and Asylum. They are: the Reception Conditions Directive; the Qualification Regulation; the Asylum Procedure Regulation; the Union Resettlement Framework Regulation; the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation; the Eurodac Regulation; and the Crisis and Force Majeure Regulation. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said: "By opting into the Pact, Ireland is joining forces to better manage migration in Europe. To better protect our borders and protect vulnerable people, to return those who don’t have the right to stay. By opting in, Ireland shows solidarity with Member States under pressure – and can count on EU support in time of need".

Ireland to receive technical support for the preparation of its national implementation plan for the Pact on Migration and Asylum (01/08/2024)

Following the entry into force of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the adoption of the Common Implementation Plan (CIP) on 12 June 2024, the Commission is providing tailored support and expert advice to nine Member States, including Ireland, through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI). This support will help these Member States to prepare their National Implementation Plans (NIPs), which are due by early December 2024.

Almost 7 in 10 Irish people optimistic about the future of the EU: Eurobarometer (26/07/2024)

A new Eurobarometer survey (published end July) reveals that 68% of Irish people are optimistic about the future of the EU, 7th highest in the EU and well above the EU average of 58%. Respondents in Lithuania (74%) were most likely to be optimistic while those in France (41%) were the least. When asked what they considered to be the main strengths of the EU, Irish people were most likely to select the economic, industrial, and trading power of the EU (39%), the EU's respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law (37%) and the good relationships and solidarity between the EU's Member States (36%). When asked what they considered to be the top 3 challenges currently facing the EU, Irish people were most likely to select: the war in Ukraine (52%); the cost of living (51%); and irregular migration (45%). The fieldwork for the survey, in which 1,005 Irish people were interviewed, was carried out between 25 June and 1 July 2024.

Local community groups and SMEs in the Midlands to receive grant funding of nearly €3.8 million under the EU Just Transition Fund programme (31/07/2024)

Fifteen sustainability-focused projects in the Midlands are to receive grants under the EU Just Transition Fund (EU JTF) programme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. The projects, put forward by voluntary and not-for-profit organisations, as well as micro and small to medium sized enterprises, have been awarded grant funding of between €50,000 and €300,000 to invest in ideas from the community that create employment and diversify the local economy of the Midlands region. Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Barbara Nolan, said: "Local projects are key to ensuring that the EU Green Deal has a real impact on the ground. The Just Transition Fund will support Ireland’s Midlands to progress towards a more sustainable economy with local communities in the driving seat."

New EU rules on the repair of goods enter into force (30/07/2024)

The Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods entered into force on 30 July 2024. EU Member States have to transpose it into national rules and apply it from 31 July 2026. The Directive aims at encouraging consumers to use their goods for longer. It also establishes a number of measures to promote repair including an obligation on manufacturers of products such as fridges or smartphones, that are subject to reparability requirements in EU law, to repair those products within a reasonable time and for a reasonable price.

European Artificial Intelligence Act comes into force (01/08/2024)

The European Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), the world's first comprehensive regulation on artificial intelligence, entered into on 1 August. The AI Act is designed to ensure that AI developed and used in the EU is trustworthy, with safeguards to protect people's fundamental rights. The regulation aims to establish a harmonised internal market for AI in the EU, encouraging the uptake of this technology and creating a supportive environment for innovation and investment.

TikTok commits to permanently withdraw TikTok Lite Rewards programme from the EU to comply with the Digital Services Act (29/08/2024)

The European Commission has made TikTok's commitments to permanently withdraw TikTok Lite Rewards programme from the EU binding. These commitments have been submitted by TikTok to address the concerns raised by the Commission in the formal proceedings opened against TikTok on 22 April and ensure compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said: "The safety and well-being of social media users need to be a number one priority. Design features on platforms with addictive effects put the well-being of their users at risk. That’s why we have made TikTok’s commitments under the DSA legally binding. We will carefully monitor TikTok’s compliance".

Revised Mercury Regulation enters into force (30/07/2024)

The revised Mercury Regulation entered into force at the end of July. The new rules prohibit the use and export of dental amalgam by 1 January 2025. Member States requiring more time to adapt their national healthcare systems get a limited and temporary derogation for the use, manufacture, and import of dental amalgam (until 30 June 2026). Member States will also have to stop manufacturing, importing and exporting certain categories of mercury-containing lamps (as of 31 December 2025 or 31 December 2026, depending on the lamp category).

European Commission coordinates procurement and donation of 215,000 vaccine doses to support Africa in addressing the Mpox outbreak in affected countries (20/08/2024)

The European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, HERA, is to procure and donate 175,420 doses of the MVA-BN® vaccine, the only FDA and EMA-approved mpox vaccine, as an immediate response to the mpox outbreak in Africa. In addition, the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic will donate 40,000 doses to HERA. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will distribute the vaccines according to regional needs.

EU allocates €122 million for humanitarian aid in the Greater Horn of Africa (27/08/2024)

The EU recently released an additional €122 million for humanitarian assistance in the Greater Horn of Africa, as the region continues to face the impact of conflicts and climate-related disasters such as drought and floods. In particular, the funding will be dedicated to partners working in Ethiopia (€42 million), Somalia (€40 million) and South Sudan (€40 million). This additional funding brings the total EU aid to the Greater Horn of Africa to more than €421 million so far this year.

Per capita R&D spending in Ireland well below the EU average: Eurostat (07/08/2024)

According to recent Eurostat figures, government budget allocations for R&D (research and development) in Ireland stood at €203.8 per person in 2023, up from €190.50 in 2022 but well below the EU average of €275.6. Luxembourg (€646.6 per person) had the highest per capita R&D allocation followed by Denmark (€552.4 per person) while Romania had the lowest (€21.2 per person). On average across the EU, the biggest share of government budget allocations for R&D, namely 35.5%, went to public higher education institutions.

Ireland among the lowest producers of potatoes in the EU: Eurostat (28/08/2024)

Recent data from Eurostat show that only 0.7% of the EU's potato crop was grown in Ireland in 2023. The main producers of potatoes were: Germany (24% of the EU total), followed by France (17.9%) and the Netherlands (13.4%). Together, these 3 EU countries accounted for 55.4% of the harvested production of potatoes in the EU in 2023. In total, 48.3 million tonnes of potatoes (including 336,000 from Ireland) were harvested in the EU in 2023, down from 53 million in 2020.

Monday 16 to Sunday 22 September: European Mobility Week (07/08/2024)

Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September: European Parliament plenary session, Strasbourg (29/08/2024)

The next plenary session of the European Parliament takes place in Strasbourg from Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September. Daily agendas can be found at the link below.

Tuesday 17 September: What’s next? The Rise and Normalisation of the Far Right in the Netherlands (IIEA event) (30/07/2024)

Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 September: Visit the European Union Stand at Ploughing 2024, Ratheniska, Co Laois (27/08/2024)

Wednesday 18 September: A Conversation with Jiří Šedivý, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (IIEA event) (07/08/2024)

Friday 20 September: ‘Try a new language’ during Culture Night, Europe House, Dublin 2 (27/08/2024)

Saturday 21 September: The German-Irish Lawyers' and Business Association Conference 2024, Kilkenny (27/08/2024)

Monday 23 September: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (28/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 24 September: General Affairs Council, Brussels (28/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Wednesday 25 September: Open-Source Intelligence and the War in Ukraine (IIEA event) (29/08/2024)

Thursday 26 September: Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), Brussels (28/08/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Friday 27 September: European Researchers' Night, Dublin (29/08/2024)

2025 European prize for women innovators open for applications (22/08/2024)

The European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) have launched a new call for applications for the 2025 European prize for women innovators. The prize celebrates the outstanding achievements of women entrepreneurs across the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe driving positive change for people and the planet through their innovative ventures. Applications will close on 25 September 2024, at 4pm Irish time.

Assistants in the field of finance - deadline to apply approaching! (28/08/2024)

The EU is seeking professionals in the fields of financial management, accounting and treasury and public procurement. Successful candidates will be recruited at the assistant grade AST 3. Applicants must be EU nationals and have a thorough knowledge of one official EU language and a satisfactory knowledge of a different official EU language. They must also fulfil certain educational and experience criteria. The deadline to apply is 11 am (Irish time) on 3 September 2024.

25/07/2024

EU news you can use

Message from Barbara Nolan, Head of Representation (25/07/2024)

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very pleasant and relaxing summer holiday. Please note that our newsletter service will be taking a short break for the holiday period. The next edition will arrive in your inboxes on Thursday 29 August. Thank you for your ongoing interest in our news and activities.

European Commission publishes 5th Rule of Law report (24/07/2024)

The European Commission this week published its fifth annual Rule of Law Report which covers developments in four key areas: justice systems, the anti-corruption framework, media freedom and pluralism, and other institutional issues linked to checks and balances. The report includes an overview of the situation in the EU as a whole as well as 27 country chapters looking at positive developments and challenges in each EU country and recommendations to each EU country. The specific recommendations for Ireland include: taking forward the necessary legislative work to reduce litigation costs; completing the reform of the Defamation act to improve the professional environment for journalists; and ensuring that rules or mechanisms are in place to provide funding for public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit while guaranteeing its independence.

European Commission opens 5 infringement procedures against Ireland (25/07/2024)

The European Commission has decided to open an infringement procedure against Ireland for not carrying out market surveillance as required by the Construction Products Regulation. The Commission is also starting infringement procedures against Ireland for failure to comply fully with the requirements of: the EU Data Governance Act; the Single European Sky Regulations; the Waste Framework Directive; and the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant and the surrender procedures between Member States. Ireland now has two months to reply to the letters of formal notice. In the absence of satisfactory responses, the Commission may decide to issue reasoned opinions.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine: Council renews economic sanctions for a further 6 months (23/07/2024)

The Council of the EU this week renewed the EU restrictive measures in view of the Russian Federation's continuing actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine for a further 6 months, until 31 January 2025. These sanctions, first introduced in 2014, were significantly expanded since February 2022 in response to Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression against Ukraine. They currently consist of a broad spectrum of sectoral measures, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods.

Commission coordinates action by national consumer protection authorities against Meta on ‘pay or consent' model (23/07/2024)

The Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network this week sent a letter following concerns that Meta's ‘pay or consent' model might breach EU consumer law. The Commission coordinated this action which is led by the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention. The action started in 2023, immediately after Meta had requested consumers overnight to either subscribe to use Facebook and Instagram against a fee or to consent to Meta's use of their personal data to be shown personalised ads, allowing Meta to make revenue out of it (‘pay or consent').

Irish retailer shortlisted for EU Organic Award (23/07/2024)

Coolanowle Organic Meats from County Laois is one of three projects shortlisted for an EU Organic Award in the category "best organic food retailer". In total, 24 projects from 11 EU countries have been shortlisted for this year's awards over 8 different categories. The 8 winners will be unveiled on 23 September. The Awards, which are jointly organised by the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe, aim to honour projects that are outstanding, innovative, sustainable, and inspiring, adding real value to organic production and consumption.

EU and Singapore conclude negotiations for landmark Digital Trade Agreement (25/07/2024)

The EU and Singapore have concluded negotiations for a Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). The DTA will complement the 2019 EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, connecting both economies further and benefiting businesses and consumers that want to engage in digital trade. It will also provide binding rules that build consumer trust, ensure predictability and legal certainty for businesses, as well as removing and preventing the emergence of unjustified barriers to digital trade.

Council adopts updated fisheries measures in the North-East Atlantic (23/07/2024)

The Council of the EU this week formally adopted a set of updated fisheries measures in the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) area. This regulation implements into EU law new rules on management, conservation and control for the NEAFC area, as well as control measures for certain pelagic species in the North-East Atlantic which were agreed during coastal states consultations. The text also brings together in one single regulation all NEAFC measures previously covered by different regulations.

European Commission and Palestinian Authority agree on emergency financial support and the principles for a recovery and resilience programme (23/07/2024)

The European Commission and the Palestinian Authority have signed a Letter of Intent which sets out a strategy for addressing the critical budgetary and fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy, whose structural vulnerabilities have been exacerbated by the consequences of the war in Gaza and much-needed pending developments and reforms. The strategy aims at stabilising the Palestinian Authority and the economy in the West Bank. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Together, we are laying the groundwork for economic and political stability in the West Bank. And we are setting the foundations for the reconstruction of Gaza. We need an immediate and enduring ceasefire. And we must prepare for the day after.”

Commission decides to register two new European Citizens' Initiatives on closing animal farms and labelling of food (24/07/2024)

Two new European Citizens' Initiatives, entitled ‘Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter' and ‘Stop Fake Food: Origin on Label' were this week registered by the European Commission. The organisers now have six months to open the signature collection. If a European Citizens' Initiative receives at least one million statements of support within one year with minimum numbers reached in at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to react. The Commission will have to decide whether or not it will take action in response to the request, and will be required to explain its reasoning.

Commission publishes Member States' recommendations for mitigating cybersecurity risks in telecommunications and electricity sectors (24/07/2024)

EU Member States, with the support of the Commission and of the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), have just published a report on the cybersecurity of the telecommunications and electricity sectors in the EU, as well as recommendations to bolster their resilience. The report points to concerns about a number of risks, including risks to supply chain security, the lack of cyber professionals and the risks posed by malicious activities from cyber criminals and state-sponsored threat actors.

Average expected duration of working life in Ireland 5th highest in the EU: Eurostat (25/07/2024)

According to Eurostat, the expected average duration of working life for 15-year-olds in Ireland was 40 years in 2023, 5th highest in the EU after Netherlands (43.7 years), Sweden (43.1 years) Denmark (41.3 years) and Estonia (40.8). The EU average was 36.9 years dropping to 32.2 years in Romania. Young Irish men had an average expected duration of working life of 42.8 years in 2023 while for young Irish women it was 37.1 years. Overall, the average expected duration of working life for young Irish people in 2023 was up by 4 years from 2015 when it was 36 years.

Irish businesses less likely to rate corruption as a problem: Eurobarometer (24/07/2024)

A new Eurobarometer survey on businesses' attitudes towards corruption shows that 33% of Irish companies surveyed think the problem of corruption is widespread in their country, with only 7% considering it very widespread, joint 3rd lowest in the EU. The EU average was 64% rising to 97% in Greece. Irish companies (9%) were also the second least likely after Denmark (6%) to rate corruption as a problem for their company when doing business in Ireland. The EU average was 37%. And only 6% of Irish companies surveyed rate patronage and nepotism as a serious problem, the lowest share in the EU where the average was 38%.

Three in 4 Irish people think corruption is unacceptable: Eurobarometer (24/07/2024)

A new Eurobarometer on citizens' attitudes towards corruption reveals that 74% of Irish people think corruption is unacceptable, 3rd highest in the EU after Spain (80%) and Malta (77%). When asked about their own experience of corruption, 57% of Irish people think corruption is widespread in their country, below the EU average of 68%, while 18% of Irish people agree that they are personally affected by corruption in their daily lives, again below the EU average of 27%. When asked about their attitudes to corruption, 21% of Irish people, 4th lowest in the EU, think it is always or sometimes acceptable to do a favour if they wanted to get something from the public administration or a public service, below the EU average of 33%. And 12% of Irish people think it is always or sometimes acceptable to give money to get something from the public administration or a public service, third lowest in the EU where the average was 21%.

Irish people most likely to think the EU plays a key role in upholding the Rule of Law in their country: Eurobarometer (24/07/2024)

84% of Irish people, joint highest in the EU with Luxembourg, consider that the EU plays an important role in helping to uphold the rule of law in their country according to a new Eurobarometer survey. The EU average is 72%. The survey also shows that 91% of Irish and 89% of European respondents consider it essential or important that all EU Member States respect the core values of the EU, including fundamental rights, the rule of law and democracy. When asked about justice in their country, 60% of Irish and 53% of EU respondents agree that judges are independent and not under the influence of political or economic interests.

Friday 26 July: A Moldovan Perspective on EU Accession and Integration (IIEA event) (23/07/2024)

In this address to the IIEA, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popșoi, will discuss the membership aspirations of Moldova and ongoing negotiations with the European Union, particularly about the necessary structural reforms underway within the country, and the feasibility of the 2030 target date for EU Accession. Another theme of his address will cover Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing “grey zone” assaults on Moldova. This hybrid event takes place at 10 am on Friday 26 July.

Tuesday 30 July: Former Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council, Dr Alexander Vindman, to address the IIEA on Russia-Ukraine War (23/07/2024)

On Tuesday lunchtime 30 July Dr Alexander Vindman, former director for European Affairs on the White House’s National Security Council, will address a hybrid IIEA event on "The Russia-Ukraine War: Its Causes, Conduct, and Geopolitical Context". In his address to the IIEA, Dr Vindman will examine the Russia-Ukraine War: Past, Present, and Future. He will discuss the roots of the war and its conduct to date, highlighting the conflict’s effects on European security, the trans-Atlantic alliance, and broader geopolitics. Dr Vindman will also provide analysis on how the war is likely to unfold and conclude.

Wednesday 31 July: EU Basics Webinar (23/07/2024)

On Wednesday lunchtime 31 July, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland will hold their next EU Basics Webinar. This one-hour webinar will cover the following: why the EU matters in your personal life; how the EU works and why voting matters; how have half a century of EU membership influenced Ireland; and how can you get involved. Register at the link below.

European Commission Representation in Ireland publishes call for tender for organisation of events (23/07/2024)

The European Commission Representation in Dublin has published a call for tender for a Framework Contract for the provision of Event Organisation and Related Services. Entities wishing to take part in the proceedings are invited to submit a tender by 23/08/2024 at 1pm via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (see link below). The proceedings will be conducted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

2024 Sport Supports call for pilot projects now published (24/07/2024)

The 2024 call for pilot projects is now launched and is open to sports organisations active at local level. This pilot project aims to encourage community integration of children and youth affected by humanitarian crisis and mass migration processes due to war. Sport activities, with their power of bringing people together, will help interaction with the host community, facilitate integration into the education system and the labour market. Applications are open until 17 October 2024.

Assistants in the field of finance (25/07/2024)

Applications for Blue Book traineeships now open (23/07/2024)

Applications for the next round of traineeships at the European Commission, the Blue Book Traineeship scheme, are now open. These paid traineeships are open to university graduates with a good knowledge of at least two EU languages. The traineeships will last for 5 months, starting at the beginning of March 2025. Trainees will receive a living allowance of about €1,376 per month. Most of the traineeships will be based in Brussels. However, a small number will be available in other European capitals. Applications close at 9am on 30 August 2024 (it is advised to apply well before the deadline).

18/07/2024

EU news you can use

Ireland to receive €157.5m in EU grants for sustainable, safe and smart transport infrastructure (17/07/2024)

The European Commission announced this week that it has selected 134 transport projects to receive over €7 billion in EU grants and this represents the largest call under the current CEF Transport programme. Ireland is to receive €157.5 million in funding for 5 projects, 2 of them at the Cork and Dublin ports are national, the other 3 are multi-country EU projects with participation of an Irish national entity. Dublin Port will receive €73.8 million for the construction of basic port infrastructure to address the expected growth in Ro-Ro freight traffic while Cork Port will receive €38.4 million for phase 2 of the Ringaskiddy Port Redevelopment.

Ursula von der Leyen re-elected as Commission President (18/07/2024)

Today, the European Parliament re-elected Ursula von der Leyen for a second 5-year term as European Commission president (2024-2029). Of the 719 MEPs, 401 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against, and 22 cast blank or invalid votes. In a statement following the vote, President von der Leyen said: "I will now focus on building my team of Commissioners for the next five years. In the coming weeks, I will ask Leaders to put forward their candidates. I will – as I did last time – write a letter and ask for the proposal of a man and a woman as candidate. The only exception is, like last time, when there is an incumbent Commissioner who stays. And then, I will interview the candidates as of mid-August, and I want to pick the best-prepared candidates who share the European commitment. Once again, I will aim for an equal share of men and women at the College table".

Commission sends preliminary findings to X for breach of the Digital Services Act (12/07/2024)

The European Commission has informed X of its preliminary view that it is in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers. Commissioner Thierry Breton said: "Back in the day, BlueChecks used to mean trustworthy sources of information. Now with X, our preliminary view is that they deceive users and infringe the DSA. We also consider that X’s ads repository and conditions for data access by researchers are not in line with the DSA transparency requirements. X has now the right of defence — but if our view is confirmed we will impose fines and require significant changes".

Commission invests €126.9 million into 26 new projects to protect and restore health of our ocean and water by 2030 (12/07/2024)

The European Commission last week announced a €126.9 million investment in 26 new projects contributing to the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters'. The projects involve 346 beneficiaries from 35 countries (26 Member States and 9 associated countries), including SMEs, research institutions, local authorities, higher or secondary education establishments. Trinity College Dublin will lead one of the projects - the Ecotwin project (Integration of socio-ecological models in the Digital Twin Ocean) which is receiving €3.3 million in EU funding. Ireland is also participating in a further 6 projects: Sundanse; iNNO SED; BioProtect; Pharos; Surimi; and Tidal ArtS.

Roberta Metsola re-elected as President of the European Parliament (16/07/2024)

MEPs taking part in the first session of the new European Parliament this week re-elected Roberta Metsola as President. She won the election in the first round of voting, where she received an absolute majority of 562 votes cast out of 699 by secret paper ballot. Ms Metsola will continue to lead Parliament for the first two and a half years of its 10th legislative term.

Court of Justice rules that Commission did not give the public sufficiently wide access to the purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines (17/07/2024)

In a judgment issued this week, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the European Commission did not give the public sufficiently wide access to the purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines. In 2020 and 2021, purchase agreements for Covid-19 vaccines were concluded between the Commission and some pharmaceutical undertakings. In 2021, some Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and private individuals requested access to those agreements and to certain related documents. As the Commission granted only partial access to those documents, the MEPs concerned and private individuals brought actions for annulment before the General Court of the European Union.

Statement by the Commission on the General Court's judgments on the access to documents cases concerning the purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines (17/07/2024)

The Commission takes note of the judgments of the General Court in the two cases concerning access to the COVID-19 vaccine contracts and related information. The Commission will carefully study the Court's judgments and their implications. In its judgments, the General Court follows the Commission on most claims. In particular, it recognises that the protection of commercial interest covers the clauses of the contracts concerning: the location of the production sites; the provisions on intellectual property rights; the provisions on down payments or advanced payments; and, access to delivery schedules.

Cork medtech company awarded European Innovation Council (EIC) funding (16/07/2024)

Cork medtech company Altratech Ltd is one of 68 start-ups that were this week selected for European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator funding. The Cork company will receive what's known as "blended finance", a combination of grants and equity investments for its UbiHealth project to transform molecular diagnostics through nano technology. The EIC Accelerator offers start-ups and SMEs grants of up to €2.5 million combined with equity investments through the EIC Fund ranging from €0.5 to €15 million or more. In addition to financial support, all projects benefit from a wide range of Business Acceleration Services.

Commission paves the way for the release of close to €4.2 billion to Ukraine as first regular payment under the Ukraine Facility (17/07/2024)

The European Commission has given a positive assessment for the first regular payment of close to €4.2 billion under the EU's Ukraine Facility, to support Ukraine's macro-financial stability and the functioning of its public administration. Once adopted by the Council of the EU, this decision will bring to €12 billion the total EU funding disbursed to Ukraine since the Facility became operational in March this year. Regular quarterly payments under the Ukraine Facility are conditional on Ukraine meeting pre-agreed requirements.

New Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation enters into force (18/07/2024)

The new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force today, 18 July 2024. The Regulation will ensure that products on the EU market are more energy-efficient, durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable as well as increasingly made of recycled materials. It also contains novel measures to end the wasteful and environmentally harmful practice of destroying unsold consumer products.

New Electricity Market Design reform enters into force (17/07/2024)

New EU rules on Electricity Market Design entered into force this week. The revised rules aim to make the EU energy market more resilient and the energy bills of European consumers and companies more independent from the short-term market price of electricity. This can be achieved by using long-term contracts, such as power purchase agreements and structuring investment support with 2-way contracts for difference. The reform will also help accelerate the deployment and integration of more renewable energy sources in the energy system, and enhance protection against market manipulation

Ireland has the lowest share of people at risk of poverty unable to afford a proper meal: Eurostat (12/07/2024)

According to Eurostat, 9.5% of the EU population were unable to afford a proper meal every second day in 2023 with this figure rising to 23% in Romania. Ireland had the second lowest share at 1.6% just above Cyprus in bottom place at 1.3%. However, when it comes to people at risk of poverty, the figures were much higher with an average of 22.3% people across the EU being unable to afford a proper meal every second day in 2023. This figure was highest in Slovakia at 45.7% and lowest in Ireland at 4.2%. A proper meal is defined as one containing meat, fish or a vegetarian equivalent.

Ireland sees highest share of value added from exports to non-EU countries: Eurostat (16/07/2024)

Ireland (51.6%) was the EU country with the highest share of valued added generated from exports to non EU countries in 2022, according to Eurostat. It was followed in second place by Luxembourg (30.2%). The EU average was 17.7%. Ireland was also the EU country with the highest share of employment supported by exports to non-EU countries in 2022 at 29.5%, almost double the EU average of 14.5%.

Annual inflation down to 1.5% in Ireland in June: Eurostat (18/07/2024)

According to Eurostat, Ireland's annual inflation rate was down to 1.5% in June 2024, fifth lowest in the EU and down from 4.8% in June 2023. The EU average was 2.6% in June 2024, down from 6.4% in June 2023. Inflation was highest in Belgium (5.4%) and Romania (5.3%) and lowest in Finland (0.5%).

Thursday 18 July: Meeting of the European Political Community, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (17/07/2024)

The fourth meeting of the European Political Community brings together leaders from across the continent in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, for discussions on continued support to Ukraine as well as shared challenges such as energy and connectivity, security and democracy, and migration. The EU is represented by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

Monday 22 July: Post-Legislative Elections in France: What Happened and What’s Next? (online IIEA event) (17/07/2024)

In this panel, Dr Elodie Fabre, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, and Mathieu Gallard, Research Director at Ipsos France, will dissect the recent French legislative elections. These two experts will discuss voting trends, electoral issues, the results and possible new government, and what that may mean for France’s domestic and international policy. This event takes place online at 1pm on Monday 22 July.

Monday 22 July: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels (12/07/2024)

EU Foreign Affairs Ministers will discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine, after an informal exchange of views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, via videoconference. They will also discuss the situation in the Middle East.

Tuesday 30 July: Former Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council, Dr Alexander Vindman, to address the IIEA on Russia-Ukraine War (12/07/2024)

Wednesday 31 July: EU Basics Webinar (12/07/2024)

European Commission Representation in Ireland publishes call for tender for organisation of events (18/07/2024)

Applications for Blue Book traineeships now open (16/07/2024)

Applications for the next round of traineeships at the European Commission, the Blue Book Traineeship scheme, opened this week. These paid traineeships are open to university graduates with a good knowledge of at least two EU languages. The traineeships will last for 5 months, starting at the beginning of March 2025. Trainees will receive a living allowance of about €1,376 per month. Most of the traineeships will be based in Brussels. However, a small number will be available in other European capitals. Applications close at 9am on 30 August 2024 (it is advised to apply well before the deadline).

11/07/2024

EU news you can use

Commission disburses the first payment of €324 million to Ireland under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (11/07/2024)

The European Commission this week disbursed to Ireland the first payment for €324 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). In a statement, President von der Leyen said: "Today Ireland is receiving its first payment under Europe's Recovery Plan, Next Generation EU. €324 million in European investment for railways, clean tech and digitising schools. This is happening because of Ireland's impressive progress on its reform agenda. Even in a very difficult international environment, Ireland has overcome immense challenges and now your economy is again on the rise".

Ireland in 7th place on the 2024 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) (10/07/2024)

Ireland is classed as a "strong innovator" with a performance at 113.2% of the EU average in 2024 putting it in 7th place on this year's European Innovation Scoreboard. Denmark took the top spot with a score of 135.7% of the EU average and is one of four countries classed as "innovation leaders" (along with Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands). Ireland's highest scores were in the areas of human resources where it came in overall first place for the share of population with a tertiary qualification. It was below the EU average however for the share of population engaged in lifelong learning. Ireland also scored very highly for attractive research systems, linkages and employment impacts but came in second lowest for R&D expenditure in the public sector.

Commission accepts commitments by Apple opening access to 'tap and go' technology on iPhones (11/07/2024)

The European Commission this week made commitments offered by Apple legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The commitments address the Commission's competition concerns relating to Apple's refusal to grant rivals access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with iPhones in stores (‘Near-Field-Communication (NFC)' or ‘tap and go'). Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said: "It is safe and convenient to pay with your phone. Apple has committed to allow rivals to access the 'tap and go’ technology of iPhones. Today’s decision makes Apple’ commitments binding. It opens up competition in this crucial sector".

Two Irish researchers awarded European Research Council (ERC) proof of concept grants (11/07/2024)

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 100 new Proof of Concept Grants, in the first round of the 2024 competition. Two Irish researchers are among the 100 - Padraig Cantillon-Murphy from UCC and Eoin Casey from UCD. Proof of concept grants – each worth €150,000 – aim to help researchers bridge the gap between the discoveries stemming from their frontier research and the practical application of the findings, including early phases of their commercialisation. They are open only to researchers who currently hold, or have previously been awarded, ERC frontier research grants.

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket powers into space (10/07/2024)

Europe's new heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, made its inaugural flight from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on Tuesday of this week. Ariane 6 is the latest in Europe's Ariane rocket series, taking over from Ariane 5, and featuring a modular and versatile design that can launch missions from low-Earth orbit and farther out into deep space. Commissioner Thierry Breton said the launch was "a crucial step to ensure Europe’s autonomous access to space".

Commission requests information to Amazon under the Digital Services Act (05/07/2024)

The European Commission this week sent Amazon a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting Amazon to provide more information on the measures the platform has taken to comply with the DSA obligations related to the transparency of recommender systems and their parameters, as well as to the provisions on maintaining an ad repository and its risk assessment report. Amazon must provide the requested information by 26 July 2024.

Commission designates adult content platform XNXX as Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act (10/07/2024)

The European Commission has formally designated XNXX as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). XNXX is an adult content platform with an average of more than 45 million monthly users in the European Union putting it above the DSA threshold for designation as a VLOP. XNXX will now have to comply with the most stringent rules under the DSA within four months of its notification (i.e. by mid-November 2024). This includes taking specific measures to empower and protect users online and to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content online, including with age-verification tools.

Commission welcomes a twelve-month roaming extension for affordable calls to and from Ukraine (10/07/2024)

The European Commission has welcomed the fifth prolongation for another twelve months of the voluntary agreement between 22 European and seven Ukrainian telecommunications operators to ensure that refugees from Ukraine can stay connected across borders. The Commission, together with the NCEC, the Ukrainian national regulatory authority, facilitated the agreement. Affordable calls allow those seeking shelter in Europe to reach family and friends in Ukraine, and vice versa.

New EU rules on vehicle safety and automated mobility enter into force (05/07/2024)

From 7 July, new rules on vehicle safety apply to all new vehicles sold in the EU. Thanks to the EU General Safety Regulation, vehicles now sold in the EU have to be equipped with a series of new safety features to assist the driver and help better protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists across the EU.

Commission calls for applications for the newly established Technology Council for Advanced Materials (05/07/2024)

The European Commission has launched a call for applications for members of the new Technology Council for Advanced Materials. This high-level group will coordinate efforts to meet future needs for advanced materials in Europe and is key to building a single advanced materials ecosystem. The Technology Council will comprise representatives from Ministries of research and industry of Member States, high level representatives from the academic world, research and technology organisations, as well as industry and the Commission. The deadline for applications to be submitted is 9 September 2024 at the latest.

Vacancies at the Irish Centre for European Law (10/07/2024)

The Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL) is inviting applications for the following positions: Company Secretary; Board Members/Charity Trustees; Chairperson & Members of the Audit & Governance Committee; and Chairperson of the Members' Committee. Full information, including job descriptions and application details, is available at the link below. The closing date to apply is Friday, 16 August 2024. The Irish Centre for European Law is a Centre of the School of Law of Trinity College Dublin, constituted as a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity, with an independent Board. The Board chairperson is the Centre’s President, Advocate General Anthony M Collins.

EU population increases again in 2024: Eurostat (11/07/2024)

New Eurostat figures show that the EU's population reached 449.2 million people on 1 January 2024, up from 447.6 million on 1 January 2023. The increase can be largely attributed to the increased migratory movements post-COVID-19 and to the influx of displaced persons from Ukraine who received temporary protection status in EU countries. In terms of size, Germany at 83.4 million had the largest population while Malta at 0.6 million had the lowest. Ireland had the 9th lowest population in the EU at 5.34 million.

Ireland 5th lowest for number of hospital beds relative to population: Eurostat (11/07/2024)

New figures from Eurostat show that there were, on average, 516 hospital beds per 100,000 people in the EU in 2022, down from 563 in 2012. This decrease is in part due to scientific and technological developments which have reduced the average length of stay for in-patient procedures or replaced those procedures with ones provided by day care or out-patient care. Bulgaria had the highest ratio of hospital beds relative to its population size at 823 per 100,000 people followed by Germany at 766. The lowest ratios were recorded in Sweden (190), the Netherlands (245) and Denmark (248). Ireland had the 5th lowest share at 291.

Friday 12 July: Changing the Narrative on Migration (IIEA online event) (05/07/2024)

At a time when migration is one of the most pressing issues on the international agenda – and one of the most polarising – Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will reflect on why it is important to change the global narrative – from one that is highly politicised to one that captures the potential and rich benefits of this global phenomenon. This IIEA online event takes place at 12 noon on Friday 12 July.

Monday 15 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (05/07/2024)

On the agenda: the work programme of the Hungarian presidency; trade-related agricultural issues; and ways to improve the long-term viability of rural areas.

Monday 15 July: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels (05/07/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 16 July: Post-European Parliament Elections: What’s Next? (IIEA event) (05/07/2024)

This panel discussion will look at what the next steps might be for the EU following the European Parliament elections, which took place in June. The panellists will look at where we are in the various post-election processes, as regards to appointments to the top EU jobs, the formation of the parliamentary groups, and the formation of the new Commission. Speakers include: Professor John O’ Brennan from Maynooth University and Director of the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian studies; Frances Fitzgerald, former government minister and MEP; and Marian Harkin TD and former MEP. This hybrid event will take place at 1pm.

Tuesday 16 July: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Social, Employment), Brussels (05/07/2024)

On the agenda: the European Semester; labour and skills shortages; and the employment of persons with disabilities.

Tuesday 16 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (05/07/2024)

On the agenda: the Work Programme of the Hungarian Presidency; the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); the state of play of the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; the Stability and Growth Pact; convergence reports; the G20; and financial services.

Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 July: First sitting of the new European Parliament, Strasbourg (10/07/2024)

Political groups will prepare for the constitutive session of Parliament’s tenth legislative term, which will take place on 16-19 July in Strasbourg. The session will start with the election of the President of the Parliament. MEPs will then elect their Bureau (14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors) and decide on the number of MEPs and composition of each parliamentary committee and delegation. On Thursday morning, they are expected to hold a debate with Ursula von der Leyen, the candidate for the Commission Presidency, followed by a vote on her election. On Wednesday morning, Parliament is set to assess the outcome of the 27 June EU summit in a debate with European Council President Charles Michel.

Wednesday 17 July: The Place of France and the EU in the Face of Global Upheavals (IIEA event) (10/07/2024)

In his remarks to the IIEA Édouard Philippe, former Prime Minister of France, will analyse the role of France and the EU in adapting to global upheavals. In his address, he will underscore France's pivotal role in Europe, especially in promoting peace and economic cooperation, while addressing current challenges such as shifting global power dynamics, waning multilateralism, and defense policy alignment. He will also highlight the necessity of a united Europe to effectively respond to these issues. This hybrid event takes place at 1.15 pm on Wednesday 17 July.

Thursday 18 July: Meeting of the European Political Community, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (05/07/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Monday 22 July: Foreign Affairs Council, Brussels (10/07/2024)

Tuesday 30 July: Former Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council, Dr Alexander Vindman, to address the IIEA on Russia-Ukraine War (10/07/2024)

Wednesday 31 July: EU Basics Webinar (05/07/2024)

Traineeships at the European Court of Justice (04/07/2024)

Applications for paid graduate traineeships in the European Court of Justice for the five-month period starting on 1 March 2025 are currently open. To be eligible, applicants much be nationals of a Member State of the European Union, subject to duly justified exceptions; have completed a university course in law, political science or economics or in a related field, attested by a diploma (or, exceptionally, an equivalent course of study); have a thorough knowledge of an official language of the European Union and a good knowledge of another official language of the European Union; and have not already undertaken a traineeship (whether paid or unpaid) in an institution or body of the European Union.

Administrators in the field of statistics (10/07/2024)

The EU is seeking highly qualified professionals in the field of data and statistics, as well as macroeconomic statistics. Applicants must be EU nationals and have a thorough knowledge of one official EU language and a satisfactory knowledge of a different official EU language. They must also have a university degree and a number of years of professional experience.

04/07/2024

EU news you can use

EU leaders agree on top jobs for next institutional cycle (28/06/2024)

At last Friday's European Council, EU leaders elected António Costa as President of the European Council, proposed Ursula von der Leyen as candidate for President of the European Commission and chose Kaja Kallas as candidate for High Representative. The proposed candidate for President of the Commission will now need to be elected by the European Parliament by a majority of its members. The formal appointment of the High Representative requires the agreement of the president-elect of the European Commission. The Commission president, the High Representative and the other Commissioners will, as a body, be subject to a vote of consent by the European Parliament before their formal appointment by the European Council.

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships visits Ireland (02/07/2024)

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen visited Ireland earlier this week when she met with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Micheál Martin, and Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Seán Fleming. The Commissioner also met with representatives of Irish business as well as civil society organisations involved in development issues. She closed her visit with an address to the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) on the Global Gateway investment strategy: "More than halfway to 2030, the world is on track to deliver a meagre 15% of the sustainable development goals. We need to adopt a new approach. This is the idea behind Global Gateway. Ireland is already partnering with the EU on 26 Team Europe initiatives. Together, we're having an impact in countries across the globe. I look forward to deepening our partnership with Ireland when it takes up the Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026".

Commission imposes provisional countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles from China while discussions with China continue (04/07/2024)

Nine months after the initiation of an ex officio anti-subsidy investigation, the European Commission today (Thursday) imposed provisional countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from China. Based on the investigation, the Commission has concluded that the BEV value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers. The individual duties applying to the three sampled Chinese producers are: BYD: 17.4%; Geely: 19.9%; and SAIC: 37.6%. Other BEV producers in China, which cooperated in the investigation but were not sampled, are subject to the 20.8% weighted average duty. The duty for other non-cooperating companies is 37.6%.

Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union (03/07/2024)

On 1 July Hungary took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union which it will hold until 31 December 2024 when Poland will take over. The Presidency's programme is structured around seven priorities: acceptance of a New European Competitiveness Deal; the reinforcement of the European defence policy; a consistent and merit-based enlargement policy; stemming illegal migration; shaping the future of the cohesion policy; a farmer-oriented EU agricultural policy; and addressing demographic challenges.

Canada joins Horizon Europe programme (03/07/2024)

Canada has joined the growing group of non-EU countries who have associated to the EU's research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe, and will work jointly on large-scale projects tackling our biggest challenges. Canada associates to the Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which funds collaborative research projects across a wide range of domains. Canadian entities can now join and lead research consortia with some of the world's best research organisations to tackle global challenges together. They will get the opportunity to be funded directly from the programme, while Canada will contribute to its budget.

Representation hosts event on the EU Migration Pact (02/07/2024)

The Representation hosted a stakeholder event this week on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. Opening the event, Head of Representation Barbara Nolan said: "Migration is a global reality. Asylum seekers should be treated uniformly across Europe, and the EU is working towards this". The event was also addressed by Michael Shotter, Director at the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs, and by Andrew Munro, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Justice, who outlined Ireland’s ambitious programme to implement the Pact by June 2026. Click on the link below for more on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Digital Decade 2024 report calls for strengthened collective action (03/07/2024)

To ensure the EU stays on track to meet its digital transformation ambitions, EU countries need additional investments in digital skills, high-quality connectivity, and uptake of Artificial Intelligence. These are the main conclusions of the second report on the State of the Digital Decade published by the European Commission this week. In its country report for Ireland, the Commission recommends that more be done to increase the number of ICT specialists and to achieve the EU target on e-Health by developing digital solutions such as patient apps and shared care records.

14 new European Universities alliances selected under the 2024 Erasmus+ European Universities call (28/06/2024)

The European Commission has selected 14 new European Universities alliances under the 2024 Erasmus+ European Universities call. This brings the total to 64, delivering on the goal of the European strategy for universities to set up at least 60 alliances by mid-2024. The 14 new alliances encompass 130 higher education institutions, including the University of Limerick which is one of 9 universities in the EMERGE (Empowering the Margins of Europe through Regional and Global Engagement) group. The new alliances will receive up to €14.4 million each for 4 years. They will start their activities in the autumn.

New EU rules on beverage containers enter into force (03/07/2024)

Starting from this week, beverage containers (of up to 3 litres capacity) sold in the EU must have their caps and lids attached if made of plastic. This requirement comes under the EU directive on reducing the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. Plastic caps and lids are found 2-3 times more often than bottles and animals can confuse them with food. Attaching caps to bottles reduces plastic pollution and prevents them from being eaten by animals.

Commission sends preliminary findings to Meta over its “Pay or Consent” model for breach of the Digital Markets Act (02/07/2024)

The European Commission this week informed Meta of its preliminary findings that its “pay or consent” advertising model fails to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In the Commission's preliminary view, this binary choice forces users to consent to the combination of their personal data and fails to provide them a less personalised but equivalent version of Meta's social networks. Commissioner Thierry Breton said: "Our preliminary view is that Meta’s “Pay or Consent” business model is in breach of the DMA. The DMA is there to give back to the users the power to decide how their data is used and ensure innovative companies can compete on equal footing with tech giants on data access".

European SMEs continue to create jobs despite high inflation rates: SME Performance Review (04/07/2024)

The 2023/2024 annual report on European SMEs, out this week, evaluates their economic performance in 2022 and 2023, and forecasts their outlook for 2024 focusing mainly on three key variables: value added expressed in both current and constant prices, employment and number of firms. The report shows that there were 62 SMEs per 1,000 inhabitants in Ireland in 2023, above the EU average of 57. It also shows that Irish SMEs had the highest value added per person employed in 2023 at €119,500, over double the EU average of €54,500.

EU and Egypt strengthen investment opportunities at Investment Conference in Cairo (03/07/2024)

At last Friday's EU-Egypt Investment Conference in Cairo, President von der Leyen announced the conclusion of over 20 deals between European companies and Egyptian partners, worth over €40 billion, in sectors ranging from hydrogen to water management, from construction to chemicals, from shipping to aviation and automotive. Furthermore, the EU and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Macro-Financial Assistance operation of €1 billion. The memorandum lays out the reforms that Egypt will take forward in order to receive the funds.

New EU-Kenya trade agreement enters into force (02/07/2024)

The EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) entered into force this week, representing a key milestone in the EU-Kenya Strategic Partnership. The agreement will boost bilateral trade in goods, increase investment flows, strengthen the ties between reliable partners, and facilitate mutually advantageous economic relations in a sustainable manner, stimulating job creation and economic growth. It will also unlock new economic opportunities, as the EU is Kenya's first export destination and second largest trading partner.

Commission authorises Chikungunya vaccine (03/07/2024)

The European Commission has authorised the first-ever vaccine against the Chikungunya virus - a disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. While the virus is not endemic in the EU, the effects of climate change have led to an increased presence of mosquitoes that transmit serious diseases in Europe. A recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed the presence of the Aedes albopictus mosquito in 13 EU/EEA countries and the Aedes aegypti mosquito recently established in Cyprus, which can contribute to the spread of Chikungunya, Zika, dengue and yellow fever.

EU further extends the scope of sanctions on Belarus to fight circumvention (02/07/2024)

The European Commission welcomed the adoption last weekend by the Council of the EU of a new set of sanctions against Belarus, in view of its involvement in Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. The new measures are tailored in view of the specific characteristics of EU-Belarus trade and affect various sectors of the Belarusian economy, including trade, services and transport. The Commission will continue to monitor the possible circumvention of sanctions on Russia via Belarus and stands ready to support further alignment between the two sanctions regimes.

Commission authorises genetically modified maize for use as food and animal feed (04/07/2024)

The European Commission this week authorised two genetically modified maize crops and renewed the authorisation for another genetically modified maize crop for food and animal feed. The Commission's authorisation decisions only allow these genetically modified maize to be imported for use in food and animal feed, but not to be cultivated in the EU. Following a comprehensive and stringent assessment procedure, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a favourable scientific assessment concluding that these genetically modified maize are as safe as their conventional counterparts.

Youth unemployment second lowest in Ireland in May 2024: Eurostat (02/07/2024)

New Eurostat figures show that youth (under 25s) unemployment in Ireland was down to 7.7% in May 2024 from 10.2% in May 2023. This is the second lowest rate of youth unemployment in the EU after Germany at 6% and is well below the EU (14.4%) and Euro Area (14.2%) averages. In real terms, it means that 9,000 fewer young people in Ireland were unemployed this May compared to May of last year. Across the EU, the highest rates of youth unemployment were recorded in Spain (26.6%), Sweden (24.1%), Greece (23.8%) and Portugal (23%).

Friday 5 July: Lessons for Irish Reunification from Germany (IIEA hybrid event) (28/06/2024)

On Friday 5 July at 1pm, Professor Tobias Lock will give a detailed examination of the constitutional and legal processes behind German reunification to highlight the substantial legal challenges that Irish unification would entail. Similar to German reunification, achieving Irish unity would necessitate negotiations at multiple levels: domestic, bilateral, and international, including with the EU. This process would involve integrating two distinct legal systems, addressing issues ranging from the routine to the contentious. Tobias Lock is a Professor of Law at Maynooth University and the founding director of the Maynooth Centre for European Law.

Tuesday 9 July: What’s Next? Post-UK general election (IIEA online event) (03/07/2024)

In this IIEA webinar, Dr Tim Oliver, Director of Studies, and Senior Lecturer for the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance, Loughborough University and Dr Lisa Claire Whitten, Research Fellow at Queen's University Belfast, will discuss the implications and outcomes of the UK general election taking place on Thursday, 4 July.

Wednesday 10 July: Crimes Against Armenian Cultural Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh (IIEA online event) (03/07/2024)

Since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, reports of crimes against Armenian cultural heritage in the territory have emerged. In this panel, two experts will discuss abuses of cultural heritage in general and, specifically, the alleged or potential destruction of Armenian cultural heritage following the assertion of Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh. They are Derek Fincham, Professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston, and Lori Khatchadourian, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology at Cornell University.

Thursday 11 July: Annual event on Ireland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (04/07/2024)

Ireland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan Annual Event will mark the submission and approval of Ireland’s first payment request under NextGenerationEU worth €324m, as well as the approval of the REPowerEU addition to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The event will also provide stakeholders with an opportunity to network and engage with projects and programmes across EU funding streams. The event will include keynote addresses from Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe; Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers; and Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy.

Thursday 11 July: Mapping the Romania-Moldova-Ukraine Triangle in Geopolitics (IIEA event) (03/07/2024)

In an address to the IIEA Radu Magdin, CEO, EU Affairs and Global Operations at Smartlink Communications, will discuss what he sees as the ‘Romania-Moldova-Ukraine Triangle’ in geopolitics. As Russia’s full-scale invasion continues to cause significant destruction to infrastructure in Ukraine, global and regional supply chains have endured disruption. While the world considers how best to assist Ukraine in its reconstruction, Dr Magdin will reflect upon the opportunities and challenges that supply chains may face in helping Ukraine rebuild. This in-person event takes place at 1pm on Thursday 11 July.

Friday 12 July: Changing the Narrative on Migration (IIEA online event) (02/07/2024)

Monday 15 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (28/06/2024)

On the agenda: the work programme of the Hungarian presidency; trade-related agricultural issues; and ways to improve the long-term viability of rural areas.

Monday 15 July: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels (04/07/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 16 July: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Social, Employment), Brussels (28/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 16 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (28/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Thursday 18 July: Meeting of the European Political Community, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (28/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Wednesday 31 July: EU Basics Webinar (02/07/2024)

EU invests €325 million to support Europe's semiconductor innovation ecosystem (04/07/2024)

The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) this week announced the opening of calls to support semiconductor research and innovation initiatives in photonics, competence centres, and a cloud-based semiconductor design platform as part of the Chips for Europe initiative under the Chips Act. The total EU funding available for these calls is €325 million, which should be topped up by additional financing from participating states of the Chips JU. This new round of calls will further support Europe's semiconductor industry by establishing a pilot line for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Detailed information about the calls and application process will be given via information sessions on 11-12 July 2024.

Commission launches targeted consultation on new procedure for access to justice in environmental matters in relation to State aid decisions (02/07/2024)

The European Commission has launched a targeted consultation to seek feedback from the business community and public authorities on a proposed new procedure aimed at enabling public access to justice for specific Commission decisions on State aid measures, for challenges based on grounds related to alleged breaches of EU environmental law. In particular, the Commission is seeking feedback on the impact of the proposed procedure on investment decisions and project implementation by the business community, and more generally on the roll-out of EU policies. The consultation will run from 1 July to 6 September 2024

27/06/2024

EU news you can use

EU leaders meet this week to decide on top jobs (27/06/2024)

EU leaders are meeting this afternoon and tomorrow in Brussels where they will decide on the top EU jobs for the next institutional cycle and adopt the strategic agenda 2024-2029, a policy plan that sets the EU’s direction and goals. Leaders are also expected to adopt a roadmap for future work on internal reforms to be undertaken by the EU to fulfil long-term ambitions and strengthen its capacity to deal with increasingly complex challenges. Also on the agenda are: Ukraine; the Middle East; security and defence; competitiveness; migration; foreign policy; and, hybrid threats.

European Union opens accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova (25/06/2024)

The European Union opened accessions negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova this week. Welcoming the news, President von der Leyen said: "The people of Ukraine and Moldova have demonstrated their unwavering commitment and determination to be a part of this project. Even in a time of war and turmoil they have started extensive reforms. They know, that their journey will be rigorous and demanding. The accession negotiations are designed to prepare the candidates for the responsibilities of membership. This is why there are no shortcuts. We embark on these negotiations in a strong spirit of openness, engagement, and commitment".

EU adopts 14th package of sanctions against Russia (26/06/2024)

The European Commission has welcomed the adoption by the Council of the EU this week of a 14th package of sanctions against Russia. The new sanctions target high-value sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, finance and trade, and make it increasingly difficult to circumvent EU sanctions. In addition, political parties and foundations, and NGOs will no longer be allowed to accept funding from Russia, and 116 entities and individuals have been sanctioned.

Commission sends Statement of Objections to Microsoft over possibly abusive tying practices regarding Teams (25/06/2024)

The European Commission this week informed Microsoft of its preliminary view that Microsoft has breached EU antitrust rules by tying its communication and collaboration product Teams to its popular productivity applications included in its suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365. Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said: "We are concerned that Microsoft may be giving its own communication product Teams an undue advantage over competitors, by tying it to its popular productivity suites for businesses. And preserving competition for remote communication and collaboration tools is essential as it also fosters innovation on these markets. If confirmed, Microsoft’s conduct would be illegal under our competition rules".

Convergence Report reviews Member States' progress towards joining the euro area (26/06/2024)

The European Commission this week published the 2024 Convergence Report in which it provides its assessment of the progress non-euro area Member States have made towards adopting the euro. The report covers the six non-euro area Member States that are legally committed to adopting the euro: Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden. It concludes that none of the six currently meets all of the criteria for joining the euro area.

EU steps up the fight against vaccine-preventable cancers under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (21/06/2024)

The European Commission welcomed the adoption of a set of recommendations on vaccine-preventable cancers at last Friday's Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council. Proposed by the Commission in January, the recommendations aim to increase the uptake of vaccination against viruses that can lead to cancers Human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV). By boosting vaccination uptake, Member States can prevent cancers caused by these viruses, save lives and reduce the pressures on health systems.

EU gains US market access for certain plants (27/06/2024)

Producers of certain plants from 21 EU Member States, which include Ireland, will soon be able to export to the United States, thanks to the European Commission’s efforts to negotiate the removal of US import restrictions. On 12 June 2024, after several years of discussions, the US published its final Notice recognising 'country free' status for 21 EU Member States for two plant pests: the Asian long-horned beetle (ALB) and the Citrus long-horned beetle (CLB). This positive result follows a long and detailed engagement with the US to see this trade restriction lifted.

EU signs agreement with Serbia to strengthen migration and border management cooperation (25/06/2024)

The European Union and Serbia have signed an agreement on operational cooperation in border management with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). The agreement will allow Frontex to carry out joint operations and deploy the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps anywhere on the territory of Serbia, including its borders with neighbouring non-EU countries. Reinforcing border management along the whole migration route is essential to reduce irregular arrivals, also considering the evolving modus operandi of smugglers, and the risks of firearms trafficking and organised crime.

First Net-Zero Academy to train 100,000 workers in the EU solar photovoltaic value chain (21/06/2024)

Last Friday, the European Commission launched the European Solar Academy, the first in a series of EU Academies to be set up under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). It is estimated that in the solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing sector alone, some 66,000 skilled workers will be needed by 2030 for the EU to meets its ambitious renewable energy targets while ensuring industrial competitiveness. The Solar Academy aims to train 100,000 workers in the solar photovoltaic value chain over the next three years.

Commission provides new evidence for approach to R&I for a more competitive Europe (27/06/2024)

A new report published this week by the European Commission highlights three main challenges for EU Research and Innovation (R&I): underutilised R&I ecosystems; persistent R&I divide; and technological gap compared to other regions of the world. The Science, Research and Innovation Performance report (SRIP) also shows that there has been an increase in EU investments in R&I over the past two decades which has contributed to the EU's competitiveness in green tech especially, and to the overall high quality of EU research.

Temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees extended until March 2026 (26/06/2024)

The Council of the EU this week adopted a decision to extend the temporary protection until 4 March 2026 for the more than 4 million Ukrainians fleeing from Russia’s war of aggression. According to their national procedures member states may have to adopt additional implementation acts to formalise the prolongation. Temporary protection provides immediate and collective protection to a large group of displaced persons who arrive in the EU and who are not in a position to return to their country of origin. It reduces pressure on national asylum systems because applications do not have to be examined individually.

New EU report looks at the inclusion of displaced Ukrainian children in the EU education system (26/06/2024)

Approximately 700,000 displaced children from Ukraine are estimated to be enrolled in schools across the EU, according to a new European Commission report on the inclusion of displaced Ukrainian children in European education systems. In Ireland, there are over 11,000 Ukrainian students enrolled in primary schools, almost 7,000 in secondary schools and over 18,600 in the third level sector. All 23 Member States that responded to the survey, which include Ireland, have mobilised support for students, families, teachers and educational institutions, across all levels of education and training. They also provide support in the language of schooling.

Strong Irish support for EU trade policy: Eurobarometer (25/06/2024)

68% of Irish people feel they benefit from trade according to a new Eurobarometer on Europeans' attitudes on trade and EU trade policy, above the EU average of 62%. The survey also showed that 85% or Irish respondents agreed that the EU is more effective at defending the trade interests of Member States' in the world than they are when acting alone - again well above the EU average of 74%. And 83% of Irish people, the second highest in the EU after Portugal at 87%, trust the EU to conduct its trade policy in an open and transparent manner. The EU average was 65%.

Renewables made up 44.7% of EU electricity production: Eurostat (27/06/2024)

Renewable energy (hydro, wind and solar PV) was the leading source of electricity in the EU in 2023, according to Eurostat, when it accounted for 44.7% of all electricity production, an increase of 12.4% on 2022. Fossil fuels were in second place accounting for 32.5 % of electricity (down from 39.4 % in 2022). The remaining 22.8% came from nuclear power, which saw a very mild recovery in 2023 compared with the record-low levels registered in 2022.

Thursday 27 and Friday 28 June: European Council, Brussels (21/06/2024)

EU leaders will discuss the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, the next institutional cycle, Ukraine, the Middle East, security and defence, competitiveness, and other items.

Monday 1 July:European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen to address IIEA event on the Global Gateway investment strategy (21/06/2024)

On Monday afternoon 1 July, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, will present the Global Gateway investment strategy at an IIEA hybrid event. In a time of geopolitical turmoil and subsequent global crises, which have hit the most vulnerable the hardest, Global Gateway is the European Union’s positive and holistic partnership offer to advance Sustainable Development Goals in partner countries. It reflects the new paradigm of development cooperation, stemming from the need to reset relations with the Global South and build mutually beneficial, equal partnerships to solve global challenges.

Wednesday 3 July: Webinar - Launching your EU Career: Opportunities in Crisis Management and Migration (21/06/2024)

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) recently launched a recruitment competition for Administrators (AD7) in the field of Crisis management and Migration and internal security. On Wednesday morning 3 July, Ireland’s Permanent Representation to the EU will host a webinar on this competition starting at 11:00 am (Irish time). Attendees will hear from colleagues working in this policy area, as well as hearing from EPSO regarding the competition process. Anyone interested in attending this online event should register by 2 July 2024.

Thursday 4 July: Eurofound webinar - Is Europe’s green transition in jeopardy? (26/06/2024)

On Thursday morning 10 July, Eurofound and the European Environment Agency (EEA) are hosting #EurofoundLive webinar: Is Europe's green transition in jeopardy? Join the experts Maria Jepsen, Deputy Director at Eurofound, and Riyong Kim, Head of Sustainability Transitions (STR) at the EEA, who will discuss why Europe has embarked on its green transition, what impact will be on jobs, and the prospects for Europe’s environmental policies are for the future.

Friday 5 July: Lessons for Irish Reunification from Germany (IIEA hybrid event) (21/06/2024)

Monday 15 July: Eurogroup meeting, Brussels (26/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Monday 15 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Brussels (26/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 16 July: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Social, Employment), Brussels (26/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Tuesday 16 July: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Brussels (26/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Thursday 18 July: Meeting of the European Political Community, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (26/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Call for proposals - projects fight migrant smuggling (21/06/2024)

The European Commission has opened a call for proposals to fight agains migrant smuggling. This call, which has a budget of €12 million, will support Common Operational Partnership projects that enhance the prevention and fight against migrant smuggling and support cooperation between law enforcement, judicial authorities and other relevant services of the participating Member States and third countries. The application deadline is 4 September 2024.

Applications open for Access City Awards 2025 (27/06/2024)

Applications opened this week for the Access City Awards 2025, an EU initiative that recognises efforts by cities to become more accessible and to promote equal access to urban life for people with disabilities. The awards are open to all EU cities of over 50,000 inhabitants and to urban areas composed of two or more towns with a combined population of over 50.000 inhabitants. The winner and runners-up will receive a monetary prize: €150,000 for the first place; €120,000 for second place and €80,000 for third place. Applications are open until 10 September 2024. Dublin received a special mention in 2011 while South Dublin County received a special mention for landscape and playground areas in 2024.

2025 European Prize for Women Innovators open for applications (27/06/2024)

The European Commission this week launched the 2025 edition of the European Prize for Women Innovators. This joint initiative, supported by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), celebrates the outstanding achievements of women entrepreneurs behind Europe's most game-changing innovations. Winners will be selected in three prize categories: EIC Women innovators, EIC Rising innovators and EIT Women leadership. The deadline for applications is 25 September 2024. A number of Irish women have won prizes in recent years.

Call for expressions of interest in order to recruit DSA (Digital Services Act) Policy Officers (CA FG IV) in the Commission's Representations (21/06/2024)

The European Commission has launched a call for expressions of interest in order to recruit DSA (Digital Services Act) Policy Officers (CA FG IV) in the Commission's Representations in the 27 Member States. Candidates must hold EU citizenship, have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Group for this position; and have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma. If you are interested in applying, please click on the link below. The deadline for applications is 16 July 2024.

ICT Experts in the European Parliament (27/06/2024)

The European Parliament has recently published two Calls for Expression of Interest for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Officers (Contract Agents – Function Group III) and ICT Experts (Contract Agent – Function Group IV). They are looking to recruit these positions in Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Brussels. Applicants must hold EU citizenship; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service; and produce the appropriate character references as to your suitability for the performance of the duties.

Commission launches stakeholder consultation on the Digital Europe Programme (27/06/2024)

The European Commission has launched a 12-week open stakeholder consultation on the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL). The consultation seeks to gain insights into the needs of stakeholders related to the digital transformation, DIGITAL's benefits and possible improvements - small and medium-sized enterprises, non-governmental organisations, academia, social partners, public authorities, and other public and private organisations and citizens from EU Member States and associated countries.

20/06/2024

EU news you can use

Over €32 million in grants announced under Fáilte Ireland EU Just Transition Scheme (19/06/2024)

Fáilte Ireland this week announced the first round of approved investment grants for projects under the EU Just Transition Fund which are being delivered as part of its Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme 2023-2026, co-funded by the EU and the Government of Ireland. In total, 22 projects have been approved for €27.1 million investment. These include walking and cycling trails on former industrial peatland, and investment in Local Authority and State Agency tourism and visitor experience projects in the Midlands Region. Head of the Commission Representation in Ireland Barbara Nolan, said: "Investing in sustainable tourism will not only generate local jobs but is also a step further in positioning the Midlands as an attractive tourist destination in the heart of Ireland".

Council of the EU adopts Nature Restoration Law (18/06/2024)

EU Environment Ministers this week formally adopted the – first of its kind – regulation on nature restoration. This law aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. It sets specific, legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration in terrestrial, marine, freshwater, forest, agricultural and urban ecosystems. Specific measures include protecting pollinators and grassland butterflies, protecting urban green spaces and planting at least three billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level.

European Commission publishes Spring 2024 Post-Programme Surveillance Report for Ireland (19/06/2024)

As part of its 2024 European Semester Spring Package, the European Commission published this week the Spring 2024 Post-Programme Surveillance Report for Ireland. Post-programme surveillance reports assess the economic, fiscal and financial situation of Member States that have benefited from financial assistance programmes, focusing on their repayment capacity. Ireland retains the capacity to repay its debt according to the report. The European Semester package also includes country reports analysing the economic, employment and social developments in each EU country, including Ireland, and providing policy guidance

President von der Leyen calls for a “comprehensive, just and sustainable peace” for Ukraine at Summit on Peace (18/06/2024)

Speaking at last weekend's Summit on Peace in Ukraine, which took place in Bürgenstock (Switzerland), President von der Leyen said: “Freezing the conflict today, with foreign troops occupying Ukrainian land, is not the answer. Instead, we need to support a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace for Ukraine. One that restores Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity. The inviolability of all borders. The sovereignty of all nations. This is at stake.” This peace, the President stressed, needs to be based on a firm commitment to the Charter of the United Nations.

EU leaders discuss the candidates for the new heads of EU institutions (18/06/2024)

At an informal meeting this week, EU leaders started discussions on the next institutional cycle, including EU top jobs. The discussions will continue with a view to taking a decision at the formal European Council on 27-28 June. All nomination processes are laid out in the Treaty on European Union (TEU), one of the EU’s primary treaties. Any decision by the European Council needs to reflect the diversity of the EU in terms of geography, country size, gender and political affiliation.

Commission funds Regional Innovation Valleys with €116 million to strengthen competitiveness and promote innovation (20/06/2024)

The European Commission has identified 151 regions in the EU as Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs), as part of the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA). By bringing together a range of regions across Europe with different innovation levels and linking up their key innovation actors, RIVs aim to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems, bridge the innovation gap in Europe and improve Europe's overall innovation performance. The EU will support this initiative with €116 million. The three Irish regions are included in the 151 - the Northern and Western region, the Southern region and the Eastern and Midland region.

European Climate Pact Ambassadors meet in Dublin (20/06/2024)

Ireland's South East Energy Agency (SSEA) hosted the first European Climate Pact National Conference in Dublin this week. The aim of the Conference was to improve networking, engagement and collaboration between the Pact Community, the European Commission Representation in Ireland, and the country coordinator (SEEA), who are all working towards the shared goal of building a more sustainable Europe and helping the EU to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The conference was addressed, among others, by Helen Kearns, Head of Communications at the Commission Representation, and by Paulo Caridi, Head of Unit in the Commission's Directorate General for Climate Action. They both welcomed Ireland's 18 new EU Climate Pact Ambassadors and commended them on the important role they are undertaking in their communities.

Commission launches new public procurement portal (20/06/2024)

The European Commission this week launched an online platform providing easy-to-access information on the rules governing public procurement for contracting entities in the EU Member States. This new tool, “Procurement for Buyers”, will serve as a portal for public procurement entities in Member States, helping them understand and apply international procurement rules in a clear and consistent manner. It will also help EU contracting entities identify which bidders are eligible to participate in public procurement procedures in EU Member States.

Commission decides to register two new European Citizens' Initiatives (19/06/2024)

The European Commission this week decided to register two European Citizens' Initiatives, entitled ‘Air-Quotas' and ‘Stop Destroying Videogames'. The ‘Air-Quotas' initiative calls for the Commission to establish a citizens' carbon quota mechanism in each country that will encourage businesses to decarbonise through consumer demand. The organisers of the ‘Stop Destroying Videogames' initiative call for the Commission to introduce a requirement for publishers selling or licensing videogames in the EU to leave such games in a functional (playable) state, and to prevent publishers from remotely disabling videogames.

MSCA co-funds doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes with €96.2 million (18/06/2024)

The European Commission this week announced the results of the 2023 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND), part of the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe. The Commission is to provide €96.2 million to fund 27 COFUND projects. They include 12 doctoral training programmes and 15 post-doctoral fellowship programmes of outstanding quality. Three of the 27 projects are based in Ireland.

EU begins dispute settlement proceedings against Algeria to defend European companies (18/06/2024)

The EU has launched a dispute settlement case against Algeria and requested consultations with Algerian authorities to address several restrictions imposed on EU exports and investments. The EU considers that, by imposing these trade restrictive measures since 2021, Algeria is not respecting its trade liberalisation commitments under the EU-Algeria Association Agreement. The EU's aim is to engage constructively with Algeria with a view to removing the restrictions on several market sectors, spanning from agricultural products to motor vehicles.

Team Europe announces over €750 million to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (20/06/2024)

The European Union and its Member States have announced that they will contribute over €750 million, including close to €220 million from the EU budget, to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) launched this week in Paris. Through this innovative instrument, developed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance together with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), it will be possible to enhance the predictability of demand for vaccines made in Africa and to support the sustainable growth of Africa's manufacturing base. The EU and its Member States France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg are together the largest contributors to the initiative.

EU to provide €99 million in humanitarian assistance for Democratic Republic of the Congo (19/06/2024)

During a visit this week to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced EU plans to provide close to €99 million in total in humanitarian assistance for the country this year. Between conflict, poverty, malnutrition and frequent disease outbreaks, humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are among the highest in the world. There are currently over 7 million displaced people within the DRC – the second highest number in Africa, after Sudan.

Ireland second most expensive for household goods and services in the EU in 2023: Eurostat (20/06/2024)

New figures from Eurostat show that the cost of household goods and services in Ireland was at 142% of the EU average in 2023, just behind Denmark in top place at 143%. Ireland was the most expensive country in the EU for tobacco (258% of the EU average) and the second most expensive for alcohol (201%). It also had the third highest prices for restaurants and hotels (128% of the EU average). The cost of food was also above the EU average (111%). Clothing, however, was a little below the EU average (96%). Overall, the cheapest countries in the EU were Bulgaria and Romania (each at 60% of the EU average).

Ireland second highest for per capita GDP in the EU in 2023 but AIC below the EU average: Eurostat (19/06/2024)

Per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ireland stood at 211% of the EU average in 2023, second only to Luxembourg at 239%, according to new figures published this week by Eurostat. However, the figures also show that Active Individual Consumption (AIC) was below the EU average in Ireland (94%) in 2023. AIC includes all goods and services that households use, irrespective of whether they were purchased and paid for by households directly, by government, or by nonprofit organisations and can be considered as an indicator of the material welfare of households. AIC was highest in Luxembourg in 2023 at 138% of the EU average.

Ireland has the second lowest share of organic farming in the EU: Eurostat (19/06/2024)

Ireland had the joint 2nd lowest share (with Bulgaria) of agricultural land devoted to organic farming in the EU in 2022 at just over 2%, well below the EU average of 10.5%, according to Eurostat. Only Malta (1%) had a lower share than Ireland. The figures show that Austria at 27% had the highest share, followed by Estonia (23%) and Sweden (20%). Overall, the share of land used for organic farming in the EU is increasing - from 14.7 million hectares in 2020 to 16.9 million hectares in 2022.

Expenditure on pensions as a share of GDP lowest in Ireland: Eurostat (18/06/2024)

New data from Eurostat show that just over 27% of the EU population were pension beneficiaries in 2021, with around 80% of them being old age pensioners. Approximately €1,882 billion, or 12.9% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the EU, was spent on pensions in 2021. In terms of share of GDP, the highest expenditure was in Greece at 16.4% while the lowest was in Ireland at 4.5%.

Friday 21 June: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Luxembourg (18/06/2024)

On the agenda: VAT in the digital age; the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); the state of play of the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine; the 2024 European Semester Spring Package; tax issues; and, the state of play of legislative proposals in the field of financial services.

Friday 21 June: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Health), Luxembourg (18/06/2024)

On the agenda: the regulatory incentives set out in the revision of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation; vaccine-preventable cancers; and, the future of the European Health Union.

Monday 24 June: Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Luxembourg (18/06/2024)

On the agenda: the future of agriculture in the EU and the state of play of sustainable fishing in the EU and the orientations for the exercise of setting fishing opportunities for 2025.

Monday 24 June: Foreign Affairs Council, Luxembourg (18/06/2024)

On the agenda: the Russian aggression against Ukraine; the situation in the Middle East; an exchange of views on Western Balkans; recent developments in Georgia; and the Great Lakes region.

Tuesday 25 June: Dublin Briefing: The many faces of self-employment – How to pave the way for greater social protection, Europe House, Dublin 2 (18/06/2024)

In cooperation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Eurofound is organising its latest Dublin Briefing, on self-employment, on Tuesday morning 25 June at Europe House, 12-14 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. The in-person, off-the record briefing with Eurofound experts will examine self-employment and platform work and how to improve the situation of these workers. Drawing on the latest data from Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, the expert briefing will cover the working conditions of different groups of self-employed people. While most self-employed people enjoy good working conditions, autonomy and good earning potential, the policy debate at both EU and Member State level has increasingly focused on the most vulnerable, especially those finding themselves in false and bogus self-employment. If you are interested in attending this event, please register at the link below.

Tuesday 25 June: General Affairs Council, Luxembourg (18/06/2024)

Ministers will continue preparations for the European Council meeting on 27 and 28 June 2024 by discussing draft conclusions. They will also discuss: Ukraine; the Middle East; security and defence; competitiveness; the next institutional cycle. In public session, ministers will hold a policy debate on the directive on transparency of interest representation on behalf of third countries.

Wednesday 26 June: Addressing Myths and Misconceptions amidst the Rise of right-wing Populism (IIEA online event) (18/06/2024)

In his presentation Gerald Knaus, founder and chairman of the European Stability Initiative, will argue that migration fears drive populist leaders like Viktor Orban and Donald Trump to undermine post-war liberal democracies. Using examples from Austria, France, Italy, and Germany, Dr Knaus will demonstrate how these fears have enabled the far-right to achieve their strongest results in recent European elections. He will offer suggestions on how to improve migration management in Europe by moving towards a more humane legal system which balances border control and human rights by introducing fast and fair asylum procedures, strategic deportations, and legal mobility for migrants. He will also discuss partnership agreements and other options to deter illegal migration. This online event takes place at 1pm on Wednesday 26 June.

Thursday 27 June: A Less Fractured Union? Where Next for the UK’s Territorial Constitution after General Election 2024? (IIEA hybrid event) (19/06/2024)

In his address to the IIEA, Michael Kenny will discuss the main themes of his new book, Fractured Union, which provides a comprehensive analysis of how and why the UK’s Union has, in his opinion, come near to breaking apart in recent years. Michael Kenny is Professor of Public Policy and the inaugural Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. This hybrid event takes place at 1 pm on Thursday 27 June.

Thursday 27 and Friday 28 June: European Council, Brussels (18/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Wednesday 3 July: Webinar - Launching your EU Career: Opportunities in Crisis Management and Migration (20/06/2024)

Call for expressions of interest in order to recruit DSA (Digital Services Act) Policy Officers (CA FG IV) in the Commission's Representations (18/06/2024)

Public consultation on Creative Europe (18/06/2024)

The European Commission has opened a public consultation to collect feedback from everyone, in addition to the organisations and individuals directly involved in or benefiting from the Creative Europe programme. The consultation is open until 6 September 2024. Creative Europe is the European Commission's programme for providing support to the cultural and audiovisual sectors.

Public consultation on the European Capitals of Culture (19/06/2024)

The European Commission has opened a public consultation to seek feedback from all stakeholders involved in the implementation, management, and delivery of the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) action as well as from the wider public who are either interested or participate in culture. The consultation is open until 24 September 2024.

Public consultation on 2025-27 priorities for New European Bauhaus Facility (20/06/2024)

The European Commission is inviting all interested parties to participate in a consultation process to help define the 2025-27 roadmap for the New European Bauhaus Facility. The NEB Facility is a unique EU funding tool that aims to revitalise neighbourhoods through design for sustainability and inclusion. The consultation launched today seeks to gather information on specific needs on the ground and as well as most cutting-edge ideas required for comprehensive transformation of neighbourhoods for the better. This will help the Commission develop the roadmap that will guide the facility's implementation in the 2025-27 period. The consultation is open until 17 September 2024.

Public consultation on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) (20/06/2024)

The European Commission has launched a consultation to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the common fisheries policy (CFP). The consultation aims to gather evidence and different perspectives on the CFP from a range of stakeholders, including individuals, the fisheries and the maritime sectors, non-governmental and other organisations, and national administrations from Member States. The consultation is open until 6 September 2024.

13/06/2024

EU news you can use

Message from Barbara Nolan, Head of Representation (13/06/2024)

While counting continues in the European Elections, good news has arrived from European Commission HQ in Brussels. South Korea, one of the biggest import markets for beef in the world, has officially opened its market for Irish and French beef, which is good news for Irish beef producers. Earlier this week, I was delighted to attend European Movement Ireland’s, European of the Year ceremony, in honour of Minister Paschal Donohue, President of the Eurogroup. You can see more in the links below.

Trade barriers removed from exports of Irish and French beef to Republic of Korea (13/06/2024)

In a significant development for the European beef industry, the Republic of Korea has officially opened market access for beef from Ireland and France. This positive result follows consistent representations made by the Commission, including through direct outreach by Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis in Seoul last November, when he raised the removal of restrictions on imports of EU beef with ministers and parliamentarians. The Republic of Korea is one of the biggest import markets for beef in the world.

Commission presents the Common Implementation Plan for the Pact on Migration and Asylum (12/06/2024)

The Common Implementation Plan for the Pact on Migration and Asylum sets out the key milestones for all Member States to put in place the legal and operational capabilities required to successfully start applying the new legislation by mid-2026. In addition, the EU Agencies will also provide both operational and targeted support to the Member States throughout this process. It provides a template for the National Implementation Plans to be adopted by Member States by the end of this year. It groups the legal, technical and operational work into 10 building blocks to focus and facilitate the practical implementation efforts.

Commission investigation provisionally concludes that electric vehicle value chains in China benefit from unfair subsidies (12/06/2024)

As part of its ongoing investigation, the European Commission has provisionally concluded that the battery electric vehicles (BEV) value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers. The investigation also examined the likely consequences and impact of measures on importers, users and consumers of BEVs in the EU. Consequently, the Commission has reached out to Chinese authorities to discuss these findings and explore possible ways to resolve the issues identified in a WTO-compatible manner.

The EU signs €1.4 billion of new guarantee and grant agreements to support Ukraine's recovery and attract private sector investments (12/06/2024)

At Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the signature of €1.4 billion in new guarantee and grant agreements to support Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction, as part of the Ukraine Facility's Investment Framework. These agreements underscore the EU's steadfast commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

President of Eurogroup Paschal Donohoe Awarded European of the Year (12/06/2024)

European Movement Ireland honoured President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe as European of the Year at a ceremony on Monday, 10 June. The award recognises individuals and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting and enhancing Ireland’s place within the EU.

Commission proposes to extend temporary protection for people fleeing Russian aggression against Ukraine until March 2026 (12/06/2024)

The European Commission has proposed to extend the temporary protection for people fleeing Russia's aggression against Ukraine for another year, from 5 March 2025 to 4 March 2026. Given continued Russian attacks on the civil and critical infrastructure across Ukraine, safe and durable conditions for the return of people to Ukraine are not currently in place. The Commission therefore considers that the reasons for temporary protection persist, and that it should be prolonged for another year as a necessary and appropriate response to the current situation.

EU law on combatting violence against women enters into force (13/06/2024)

The first ever EU rules on combating violence against women and domestic violence enter into force on 13 June. Violence against women and domestic violence affect an estimated one in three of the 228 million women in the EU. By criminalising certain forms of violence against women across the EU, including online, and strengthening victims’ access to justice, protection and support, the Directive aims to ensure the fundamental rights of equal treatment and non-discrimination between women and men.

Commission sends request for information on illegal content and protection of minors to Pornhub, XVideos and Stripchat under the Digital Services Act (13/06/2024)

The Commission sent Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos requests for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting the companies to provide more detailed information on the measures they have taken to diligently assess and mitigate risks related to the protection of minors online, as well as the to prevent the amplification of illegal content and gender-based violence. Among others the Commission is requiring details on age assurance mechanisms adopted by these pornographic platforms.

Commission secures access for Member States to 665,000 doses of zoonotic influenza vaccines to prevent avian flu (12/06/2024)

The European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as part of its mandate on preparedness, has signed on behalf of participating Member States, a joint procurement framework contract for the supply of up to 665,000 pre-pandemic vaccine doses of the up-to-date Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus, as well as an option for a further 40 million doses over the duration of the contract. Thanks to this contract the participating Member States will have access to medical countermeasures to prevent avian flu.

EU Justice Scoreboard 2024 shows that perception of judicial independence has improved (12/06/2024)

The European Commission published the twelfth edition of the EU Justice Scoreboard, an annual overview providing comparative data on the efficiency, quality, and independence of justice systems among the EU Member States. Compared to last year, the public's perception of judicial independence has improved, also in countries that had experienced systemic challenges.

Progress on recovery of fish populations - fish stocks in North-East Atlantic on average within healthy ranges (07/06/2024)

The overall sustainability of EU fisheries continues to gradually improve and fewer stocks are overfished, according to a new Commission Communication ‘Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2025'. The Communication highlights that fish stocks in the North-East Atlantic, and particularly in EU waters, are on average within healthy ranges, proving that EU sustainable fisheries management decisions and fishers' efforts are paying off. However, several species essential for ecosystem balance and commercial purposes continue to underperform. The news for fish stocks in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea is less positive.

New EU rules make high-value datasets available to fuel artificial intelligence and data-driven innovation (13/06/2024)

New EU rules on making more public datasets available for reuse have started applying since 9 June. These so-called ‘high-value datasets' contain information on six thematic areas laid out in the Open Data Directive: geospatial, earth observation and environment, meteorological, statistics, companies and mobility.

EU announces €150 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan crisis (12/06/2024)

In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the EU has activated its emergency aid reserve to avoid a risk of famine in the country. This will bring the total EU response to nearly €150 million in humanitarian aid for this crisis in 2024. This funding will support partners working inside Afghanistan (nearly €126 million) and responding to the need of Afghan refugees in Pakistan (over €11 million) and for humanitarian organisations in Iran (nearly 11 million), as well as strengthening disaster preparedness.

Commission publishes transition pathway for a resilient, sustainable and digital aerospace industrial ecosystem (07/06/2024)

The European Commission has published the transition pathway for the aerospace ecosystem. The pathway is a dynamic roadmap to support the green and digital transition of the aerospace ecosystem, as well as to improve its resilience and competitiveness. The aerospace ecosystem's stakeholders will be invited in the next weeks to propose commitments to turn the pathway into reality, with the Commission's support and cooperation.

Commission launches Destination Earth system in Finland to help climate change adaptation (12/06/2024)

The European Commission activated the initial Destination Earth (DestinE) system in the presence of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and the Finnish Minister for employment, Arto Satonen. DestinE is a flagship initiative of the Commission, aiming to develop a highly accurate digital twin of the Earth. Deployment of the DestinE system means that the Europe's High-performance computers (EuroHPC), including the LUMI supercomputer in Kajaani, Finland, have been tasked to simulate the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. Thanks to this initiative, Europe will be better prepared to respond to major natural disasters, adapt to climate change and assess the potential socioeconomic and policy impacts of such events.

Over 19% of people in Ireland at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023 (13/06/2024)

19.2% of the people in Ireland in 2023 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This means that they lived in households experiencing at least one of the three poverty and social exclusion risks: risk of poverty, severe material and social deprivation, and/or living in a household with very low work intensity. The figure for Ireland is slightly lower than the average for the EU of 21% of the population or 94.6 million people living at risk. The shares of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion varied across the EU in 2023. The highest values were reported in Romania (32%), Bulgaria (30%), Spain (27%) and Greece (26%). On the other hand, the lowest shares were recorded in Czechia (12%), Slovenia (14%), Finland and Poland (both 16%), according to the data published by Eurostat.

Thursday 13 and Friday 14 June: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

On the agenda: the state of play of a legislative proposal to combat child sexual abuse; the extension of the temporary protection for persons having fled from Ukraine after the start of the war; the Schengen area; the pact on asylum and migration; progress achieved in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime; internal security; a proposed regulation to facilitate the recognition in a member state of the parenthood of a child which has been established in another member state; and the update of the directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.

Monday 17 June: Environment Council, Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

On the agenda: the revision of the waste framework directive; the green claims directive; the soil monitoring directive; Europe's 2040 climate target and path to climate neutrality by 2050; and the mid-term review of the 8th environment action programme.

Monday 17 June: Informal meeting of leaders, Brussels (07/06/2024)

Following the European Parliament elections, EU leaders will discuss the next institutional cycle. The European Council is central in designating the next high-profile EU-level roles. Any decision by the European Council needs to reflect the diversity of the EU in terms of geography, country size, gender and political affiliation. All these procedures are laid out in the Treaty on European Union (TEU), one of the EU’s primary treaties.

Tuesday 18 June: Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Brussels (07/06/2024)

On the agenda: maritime safety and inland waterways; greening freight transport; and EU efforts towards achieving its road safety objectives.

Wednesday 19 June: European Climate Pact National Conference (12/06/2024)

South East Energy Agency invites you to attend the European Climate Pact National Conference on Wednesday, 19th June 2024, 09:00 to 15:00, at Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin. The Conference aims to improve networking, engagement, collaboration between Pact Community, European Commission Representative in Ireland, and Country Coordinator (SEEA), to deliver the Climate Pact in Ireland. The Head of Unit, Communication and Civil Society at DG CLIMA who is also in charge of the Climate Pact, the Head of Communications, European Commission’s Representation, Dublin, Climate Pact Ambassadors, members of the Pact Community, UCC, LAs, SEAI, and people passionate about the climate will also be attending this event.

Wednesday 19 June: ICEL conference, RIA, Dublin (07/06/2024)

The Irish Centre for European Law (ICEL) is hosting its annual Privacy and Data Protection Conference in the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin 2, on Wednesday 19 June. This hybrid event will feature leading practitioners and experts providing updates on important and topical issues including: Professor Christopher Kuner (remote), on the international data transfers; Professor Eleni Kosta on how the CJEU is shaping developments in data retention; and Dr David Fennelly BL on damage compensation for data protection claims.

Thursday 20 June: Eurogroup meeting, Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

Information on this meeting will be available at the link below.

Thursday 20: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Social Policy), Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

On the agenda: the European Works Council Directive; a proposed directive prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in areas other than employment; the Spring Package of the European Semester, the EU’s framework for coordinating and monitoring economic and social policies; and, the social dimension of the internal market.

Friday 21 June: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

Friday 21 June: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Health), Luxembourg (07/06/2024)

On the agenda: the regulatory incentives set out in the revision of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation; vaccine-preventable cancers; and, the future of the European Health Union.

Administrators in the field of statistics (12/06/2024)

The EU is seeking highly qualified professionals in the field of data and statistics, as well as macroeconomic statistics. Successful candidates will be recruited at the administrator grades AD 6 and AD 7, respectively.

Commission seeks feedback on draft targeted amendments to rules on small amounts of State aid to the agricultural sector (07/06/2024)

The European Commission has launched a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on draft targeted amendments to the rules on small amounts of aid to the agricultural sector (‘Agricultural de minimis Regulation'). All interested parties can respond to the public consultation until 21 July 2024. The Agricultural de minimis Regulation exempts small amounts from State aid control since they are deemed to have no impact on competition and trade in the Single Market. Member States can currently grant support to the agricultural sector of up to €20,000 per beneficiary over a period of three fiscal years without prior notification for Commission approval.

Commission launches consultations on fisheries and maritime activities funding programmes (13/06/2024)

The European Commission launched two consultations to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of past and current funding programmes for fisheries and maritime activities.

Survey about the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (12/06/2024)

Are you between 15-29 years old? Then, we are keen to hear your views on certain aspects of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027. The Strategy aims to encourage young people to participate in democratic life, support social and civic engagement, and ensure that all young people have the resources they need to play an active part in society. Your answers will be included in the next EU Youth Report on the progress of the Strategy during the years 2022-2024. They will complement results of other consultations to provide a better picture of young people’s views and how to give young people a stronger voice in EU policymaking. This survey is available until 30/06/2024.

Survey on Europe-by-Satellite (12/06/2024)

Are you a Europe-by-Satellite user? We would like to get your feedback! Thank you for taking this short survey on Europe by Satellite (EbS) and its programming. Tell us what you appreciate, and what we could improve.

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