European Union

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. /// “In every normal country, Theresa May would have already resigned a long time ago,” former...

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Monday (18 March) that Europe was concerned about the United States’ long-term commitment to NATO and implicitly criticised US President Donald Trump’s approach toward the military alliance.

Companies will support EU law on human rights due diligence, but want assurances that it will not expose them to increased risk of lawsuits, argues Virginie Mahin.

Norway says it has electronic proof that Russian forces disrupted GPS signals during recent NATO exercises, and has demanded an explanation from its eastern neighbour, the Nordic country’s defense minister said on Monday (18 March).

German police are investigating the Bonn office of Axel Voss, the MEP leading the controversial copyright directive through the European Parliament, after he was the subject of a bomb threat last week, German media are reporting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin flew into Crimea on Monday (18 March) to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Moscow's annexation of the strategic peninsula from Ukraine which was condemned by the West but remains popular among Russians.

What is really needed is not the theatre of a rebellion trial, but a forensic examination of whether public funds were misused, and a process of dialogue and negotiation on how the Catalan peoples' right to self-determination can be satisfied.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's bid to get her EU divorce deal through parliament was hit Monday (18 March) with a bombshell announcement by the speaker, ruling MPs could not vote again on the same proposal they had already rejected.

Every year, each one of us produces over 30 kg of plastic waste, but only 40% of this is recycled. So what happens to the rest? It becomes pollution, polluting our oceans, our environment and even our bodies.

The Council adopted conclusions on the EU human rights guidelines on non-discrimination in external action.

A global geopolitical shift has taken place without the wider audience noticing. Turkey has drifted apart from the US and NATO, it has got much closer to Russia, and the US is desperately seeking to find ways to fill a...

The Speaker of the UK parliament on Monday warned the government it could not bring its Brexit deal to the House of Commons for a third vote, after it was previously rejected twice. John Bercow said the rules stated a bill could not be put again to a vote unless it was "substantially" changed. May lost the first vote by 230 votes, and a second vote by 149 votes.

The production of so-called green hydrogen from wind and solar electricity is seen as a potential game-changer for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system. But getting there will take some time and some intermediary solutions will be needed, says Daan Peters.

Committee and political group meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Three people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, the local mayor confirmed on Monday. Some nine others were injured, some of them seriously, mayor Jan van Zanen said, adding police were "assuming" a terrorist motive. Police named 37-year old Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis as their chief suspect, warning the public not to approach him.

Portugal has strong links with Britain and Brexit is perceived as a challenge in the country, as it has affected trade since the time of the referendum in 2016. But many companies seem to believe that Brexit will not happen, Paulo Vaz told EURACTIV in an interview.

EPP leader and prospective next EU Commission president Manfred Weber spells out his plan for dealing with recalcitrant EU member states - ahead of Wednesday's EPP meeting on the vexed issue of Hungary's Viktor Orban and Fidesz.

The determination to combat climate change is deeply rooted in the values of the new generation. If well-nurtured, their commitment can drive a sustainable transformation of the whole European economy, write Matilda Axelson and Ólöf Söebech.

Written by Wouter van Ballegooij and Elodie Thirion,

© ArTo / Fotolia

Ensuring that legally residing non-European Union nationals, referred to as third-country nationals (TCNs), are treated fairly and in a non-discriminatory manner is the goal of the EU’s efforts to build a comprehensive EU immigration policy. Accordingly, the EU has adopted secondary legislation covering different categories of TCNs and various stages of the migration process. The European Parliament has furthermore highlighted the need for a comprehensive labour migration policy for TCNs, and for better integration of TCN migrants to meet the European Union’s objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as to fill gaps identified in the EU labour market – which lead to loss of individual income and tax revenue.

Gaps and barriers

This cost of non-Europe report however identifies a number of gaps and barriers. These result from the lack of incorporation and implementation of international and EU human rights and labour standards, and the sectoral approach taken in the EU legal framework, which does not cover all TCNs and not in the same way, and in part leaves parallel national schemes in place. The report particularly highlights a number of obstacles TCNs face, including regarding equal treatment, entry and re-entry conditions, work authorisation, residence status, intra-EU mobility, social security coordination, family reunification and the recognition of qualifications.

Visit the European Parliament homepage on migration in Europe.

Impacts

This cost of non-Europe report draws a distinction between impacts at the individual level, due to an inadequate protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, and economic impacts upon Member States and the EU.

Beyond giving rise to discrimination, the gaps and barriers in EU action and cooperation in the area of legal migration result in income losses at individual level and lost tax revenue at societal (aggregate EU) level. The greatest impacts are due to unequal treatment with regard to access to employment, employment conditions including remuneration, and the barriers imposed on family migrants.

At societal level, these deficiencies undermine the EU’s ability to attract workers, and especially to address shortages in particular sectors or occupations in the EU labour market, as well as the effects of demographic change (an ageing population), and to boost innovation and growth. These deficiencies all negatively impact GDP growth. It is, however, very difficult to estimate a monetised benefit of the EU attracting further TCNs. This is due to the many factors to take into account, especially when making longer-term predictions.

Policy options

This report identifies seven policy options the EU could adopt to tackle the identified gaps and barriers:

• implement and enforce existing standards more efficiently;
• extend EU legislation gradually to include other sectors; or
• revisit the idea of adopting a binding immigration code covering all TCNs.

Depending on the policy option pursued, some €21.75 billion in individual and economic benefits could be achieved each year.

Read this study on ‘The Cost of Non-Europe in the area of legal migration‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The far-right Christchurch attacker documented his killing spree with a bodycam and posted the footage live on social media. He shot dead at least 50 people in two mosques on Friday. Facebook says it has deleted roughly 1.5 million copies of the video in the meantime. What does the distribution of images of this terrorist act on social media signify, and what action should be taken in response?