European Parliamentary Research Service Blog

Written by Anja Radjenovic.

The safe third country (STC) concept is well established in international asylum policies. According to the concept, certain migrants should not be granted protection in the country where they have applied for it. Instead, they may be returned, or transferred, to a country where they could have found, or can find, international protection. Amid ongoing EU-level discussions on safe third country rules, in 2018 the United Nations Refugee Agency developed legal considerations on safe third countries.

Within the framework of the body of EU law on asylum, the STC concept is based on the assumption that certain third (i.e. non-EU) countries can be designated as safe for applicants seeking international protection, under specific conditions. The concept builds on cooperation with third countries in a bid to reduce irregular arrivals and increase return rates. It seeks to speed up the processing of the claims of asylum applicants arriving from safe third countries, to prevent overburdening national asylum systems.

The recently adopted Asylum Procedure Regulation provides for broader applicability of safe country clauses. This concerns, in particular, four aspects: (i) the safety assessment when applying the STC concept; (ii) interpretation of the ‘connection requirement’, i.e. the connection between an asylum seeker and a third country, when readmitting an applicant to a designated STC; (iii) the option to designate a third country as safe with territorial limitations or to exclude certain vulnerable groups from such a designation; and (iv) the creation of a common EU list of STCs in addition to national lists.

The success of any STC scheme relies on third countries’ cooperation, something that can be challenging to obtain. To counter criticisms of burden shifting and to boost the viability of STC schemes, the EU must demonstrate solidarity through burden sharing. Furthermore, many potentially safe third countries lack asylum laws and administrative frameworks. Consequently, they would likely require substantial support from external partners.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Safe third country concept in the EU pact on migration and asylum‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Tarja Laaninen.

The European Union now has its first ever Commissioner dedicated to Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef. He has been specifically tasked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with preparing a ‘strategy on intergenerational fairness’ that takes fully into consideration the impact of today’s decisions on future generations, and seeks feedback from all age groups. Micallef says he will ‘attach particular importance to instilling a true and lasting culture of participatory democracy that applies to all ages, including senior citizens’.

The momentum for this kind of thinking is growing. In September 2024, world leaders convened at the United Nations in New York for a ‘Summit of the Future’, and committed to fostering intergenerational dialogue and ensuring youth participation in national and international forums. Addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges demands the engagement of all generations, as both younger and older people contribute their own unique knowledge, experience, and skills.

This briefing delves into the mechanisms already in place in the EU for listening to young people, and explores the incoming Commission’s plans for further engaging young people in decision‑making processes. From now on, for example, every Commissioner must organise an annual youth policy dialogue dealing with his or her area of competence. Additionally, as of 2025, all new initiatives in the Commission’s annual work programme that are of significant relevance for young people will undergo a specific ‘youth check’.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Intergenerational dialogue: Addressing future challenges and consulting young people in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Gemma Patterson.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) is organising the fifth European Gender Equality Week from 9 to 13 December 2024. Events on the agenda cover how Parliament works to combat gender inequality within different policy sectors and different demographics. This year the week has a special focus on tackling gender inequality in the digital world. Women face growing danger in the digital space, driven by the spread of harmful technologies, disinformation and new forms of online abuse.

Gender equality in the EU is a long-established policy. Increasingly, however, a minority of actors oppose certain aspects, often perceiving gender equality as a zero-sum game that disempowers men. This raises the possibility that there is a need to clarify that EU policies benefit men as well, particularly through tools and data addressing health and education. For example, some EU countries face some of the world’s largest gender gaps in life expectancy and disparities exist between male and female students at post-secondary level. No country or region in the world has yet achieved all the UN sustainable development goals on gender equality.

The week begins with an exchange of views on gender mainstreaming in the EU budget, in conjunction with Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT). The EU adopted gender mainstreaming as its official approach to gender equality in 1997. Priorities were set in the EU’s gender equality strategy to achieve this, for instance by ending gender-based violence, and addressing the pay and pension gaps, gender balance in decision making positions at work and the gender care gap. However, despite these efforts, much change still needs to happen and Parliament is keen to advance legislation for a more just society for everyone. The European Parliament has previously advocated for binding gender provisions that should ensure trade agreements promote equality and empower women effectively.

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Beyond women’s roles in the workplace, it is essential to look at their broader participation in employment and focus on breaking down the barriers that hold them back. EU directives require Member States to establish equality bodies to support victims of discrimination and to combat inequality. Vague rules have caused disparities, with some bodies working with limited resources, independence or mandates. New legislation adopted in May 2024 seeks to strengthen the equality bodies, ensuring they are better equipped to address continued sex discrimination in employment.

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Although they form half the population, women remain under-represented in politics across the EU, despite the clear benefits of gender balance for society and governance. Political parties and media play dual roles as both obstacles and enablers of women’s political participation,  while those women who do succeed in a securing a seat are likely to be held to a higher level of scrutiny and criticism than their male counterparts. Only 39 % of elected Members in the 2024 elections to the European Parliament were women. One seldom-discussed barrier to more women entering politics is gendered violence. This takes multiple forms, from physical attacks to psychological and symbolic abuse, including sexual and sexist comments, online hate speech and sexual harassment.

Violence against women remains prevalent and omnipresent. One in three women in the EU have experienced physical violence, according to a recent survey. Gender-based violence against women encompasses physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence and can take many forms, including harassment, stalking, rape, female genital mutilation, domestic violence and femicide. The violence takes place within the family and intimate relationships, in the workplace, in public spaces and online. Currently, national protection is inconsistent and gaps persist in EU measures to combat this serious violation of rights and barrier to equality. In May 2024, the EU adopted a directive setting minimum standards to criminalise certain forms of such violence, enhance victim support, and improve prevention. Member States now have 3 years to implement these crucial measures.

Digital technologies have both amplified and repressed women’s rights. The digital world has empowered women to connect, share their experiences, and raise awareness about issues such as abuse, as seen with movements like #MeToo. At the same time, it has given abusers and misogynists new tools to amplify harmful content on an unprecedented scale. Recognising the harm of digital violence, the EU has implemented legislation to tackle it, this includes the Directive on Combating Violence against Women, which criminalises serious forms of cyberviolence, and the Digital Services Act, which mandates the removal of harmful content, content that disproportionately affects women. The internet has also become a central tool in facilitating human trafficking, enabling traffickers to recruit, control, and exploit victims through digital means. Europol highlights that adult females in EU Member States are the primary victims of online human trafficking, practices often referred to as ‘cyber slavery’, creating a new set of dangerous circumstances and ways for women to be exploited.

Further reading

• Topical Digest November 2024

Written by Ionel Zamfir and Colin Murphy.

The rise of digital technologies represents a double-edged sword for women’s rights. On the one hand, the digital environment has enabled women to build networks and spread awareness about the abuse they suffer, such as through the #Metoo movement. On the other, it has provided abusers and misogynists with new tools with which they can spread their harmful content on an unprecedented scale. With the development of artificial intelligence, these trends, both positive and negative, are expected to continue.

Against this backdrop, it has become clear that digital violence is as harmful as offline violence and needs to be tackled with the full force of the law, as well as through other non-legislative measures. Moreover, the digital content causing the harm – images, messages, etc. – needs to be erased. This is particularly important, as the impact on victims is profound and long-lasting.

The European Union has adopted several pieces of legislation that aim to make a difference in this respect. The directive on combating violence against women, to be implemented at the latest by June 2027, sets minimum EU standards for criminalising several serious forms of cyberviolence and enhances the protection of and access to justice for victims.

EU legislation on the protection of privacy is also having an impact on cyberviolence. For example, the new Digital Services Act imposes an obligation on big digital platforms in the EU to remove harmful content from their websites. This is instrumental in removing intimate or manipulated images that are disseminated on the internet without the person’s consent; almost all such images portray women, according to existing data.

Member States use a multiplicity of legal approaches to tackle this issue, combining criminalisation of specific cyber offences with the use of general criminal law. In some Member States, an explicit gender dimension is also included.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Cyberviolence against women in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Marc Jütten.

Respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights is a core value of the European Union (EU), and one that is promoted through its policies. The European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize honours the work of people who stand up for these freedoms and rights. This year’s Sakharov Prize is to be awarded to María Corina Machado, leader of Venezuela’s democratic forces, and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia. They represent all Venezuelans both inside and outside the country who are fighting to restore freedom and democracy. The Sakharov Prize award ceremony will take place during the European Parliament’s December plenary session.

Significance of the Sakharov Prize

The European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest tribute paid by the EU to human rights work. Every year since 1988, Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize to individuals or organisations for their outstanding achievements in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Past prize winners have included Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny and Malala Yousafzai. The prize is named after Andrei Sakharov, the eminent Soviet Russian nuclear physicist, dissident, human rights activist and 1975 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Award procedure and the 2024 Sakharov Prize finalists and laureates

A political group, or at least 40 Members of the Parliament, can nominate a candidate for the Sakharov Prize each year. From the list of nominees, three finalists are shortlisted in a joint vote by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development and the Subcommittee on Human Rights. The three finalists for the 2024 Sakharov Prize were (in alphabetical order): Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, academic and anti-corruption activist in Azerbaijan; María Corina Machado, as leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia, representing all Venezuelans inside and outside the country fighting to restore freedom and democracy; and Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun, from Israel and Palestine respectively.

On 24 October 2024, Parliament’s Conference of Presidents decided to honour María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia with the 2024 Sakharov Prize. When announcing the decision, Parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola, commended Machado and Urrutia for continuing to fight for a fair, free and peaceful transition of power in Venezuela and for upholding justice, democracy and the rule of law fearlessly. The President stressed that the European Parliament stands with the people of Venezuela and with the laureates in their struggle for the democratic future of their country.

The fight to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela

In 2018, Nicolás Maduro was re-elected in a presidential election that was contested by the international community (including the EU) as it failed to meet international standards and the outcome lacked legitimacy and credibility. In October 2023, the Maduro regime and the Unitary Platform, the alliance of Venezuelan opposition parties, met in Barbados and agreed to hold free and fair elections in 2024. María Corina Machado, who served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014, stood out as one of the strongest and most critical voices of the regime. In the primary organised by the Unitary Platform on 22 October 2023, she was elected with 92.35 % of the vote to be the opposition’s candidate in the presidential election. Since then, Machado has been the image and symbol of the united Venezuelan opposition. However, breaching the Barbados agreement, the regime disqualified Machado from standing for election on arbitrary and politically motivated grounds. As a result, on 22 March 2024, Machado announced that Corina Yoris would be the presidential candidate. Ultimately, as the Maduro regime also prevented Yoris from registering, Edmundo González Urrutia, a former diplomat, became the democratic opposition’s presidential candidate.

Nicolás Maduro’s government did not allow an EU observation mission (EOM) into the country to oversee the 2024 presidential elections. However, reports from international election observation missions clearly state that the presidential election on 28 July did not meet international standards of electoral integrity at any of its stages, and cannot be considered democratic. It came as no surprise that the National Electoral Council of Venezuela (CNE) and the country’s highest court – both stacked with government loyalists – announced the victory of Maduro without publishing evidence. Maduro’s claimed victory has not been recognised by the Organization of American States, the United States, the EU or by key states in Latin America, such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. However, Russia and China (together with Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Honduras) were among the first to congratulate Maduro. The fact is that more than 80 per cent of voting tallies published by the opposition credibly demonstrate that Edmundo González Urrutia won the election with 67.08 % of the votes cast; this outcome was confirmed by the interim report of the United Nations (UN) Panel of Experts on the election. Following the election, María Corina Machado was forced to go into hiding for fear of reprisals from the regime. Edmundo González Urrutia had to flee the country and seek asylum in Spain on 8 September after an arrest warrant was issued against him.

Human rights situation in Venezuela

In October 2024, the UN’s independent international fact-finding mission on Venezuela released a report documenting a deeply worrying rise in human rights violations. The investigation documents multiple and increasing violations and crimes committed by the Venezuelan government, security forces and pro-government armed civilian groups before, during and after the July presidential vote. These violations include arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances and sexual violence – all of which are taking place as part of a coordinated plan to silence critics and perceived opponents. Among the victims are children, as well as people with disabilities.

Following the elections, the Maduro regime further increased its repression and intimidation to hold onto power by force and violence. At least 25 people were killed, hundreds were injured, and over 2 400 Venezuelans were arrested for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 7.7 million Venezuelans have become refugees or displaced migrants since 2014. The vast majority of them – more than 6.5 million – are hosted in Latin American and Caribbean countries. This is one of the world’s biggest international displacement crises.

EU position on Venezuela

On 13 November 2017, the EU imposed targeted sanctions against Venezuela.They include an embargo on arms and on equipment for internal repression, a travel ban for the regime’s leaders, and an asset freeze on individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations and for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela. The sanctions were last extended until 10 January 2025. In 2019, the EU established an International Contact Group on Venezuela with the objective of working to facilitate conditions for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Venezuelan crisis. The EU deployed an EU electoral observation mission to observe Venezuela’s regional and local elections inNovember 2021.

Following the 2024 presidential election, EU leaders called on the Venezuelan authorities to respect the democratic will of the Venezuelan people, end the violence, repression and harassment against the opposition and civil society, and release all political prisoners.

European Parliament position

Parliament has adopted several resolutions on the situation in Venezuela in recent years. On 19 September 2024, Parliament recognised Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate and democratically elected President of Venezuela and María Corina Machado as the leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela.

This is not the first time Parliament has awarded its Sakharov Prize to the democratic opposition in Venezuela. In 2017, the prize was given to the political opponents of the Venezuelan government, including the National Assembly and all political prisoners, to reward their ‘continuing bravery in the pursuit of freedom and prosperity in Venezuela’.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Laureates of the 2024 Sakharov Prize: María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, fighting for democracy in Venezuela‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Györgyi Mácsai, Members’ Research Service (EPRS) with Raffaele Ventura, GlobalStat, EUI.

Our infographic provides an overview of the EAC countries’ economic and trade relations with the EU. All eight EAC states have experienced a relatively consistent increase in their GDP per capita (PPP) since 2007. All eight countries are in the lower half of the Human Development Index ranking. EU trade in goods (imports and exports) with the EAC has risen steadily comparatively to 2007 volumes. The EU’s leading trading partner for goods with the EAC is the Netherlands, while the primary partner in services is France. For the EAC region, the EU is the fourth trading partner.

Read this ‘infographic’ on ‘East African Community (EAC): Economic indicators and trade with EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso, Martin Höflmayr and Giulio Sabbati.

The current economic context is a story of contrasts: the labour market continues to exceed expectations, with record employment, while inflation is nearing the 2 % target; meanwhile, subdued growth momentum is fuelling concern over the sustainability of high public debt. Despite extremely challenging circumstances, the EU economy achieved an anticipated soft landing, not least thanks to fiscal support measures at national and EU level. However, factors weighing on economic growth, estimated at 1.5 % in 2025, include tight financing conditions, low consumer confidence and the impact of uncertainty and high energy costs on business. Cumulative growth since the pre-pandemic period has varied widely across EU countries, with countries reliant on (financial) services leading, followed by the eastern European economies, whereas Germany, Finland, and Estonia have stagnated with no notable growth. The new fiscal rules are expected to trigger a shift in fiscal policy, with a decline in the EU’s aggregate deficit below 3 % of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026. Nevertheless, fiscal tightening is projected to be pro-cyclical in a number of countries. With the EU’s employment rate at a record high (75.8 % of people aged 20 to 64), labour markets remain strong and the employment gender gap has narrowed. A gradual easing of monetary policy is anticipated. In their final 2 years, Next Generation EU (NGEU) and its Recovery and Resilience Facility are expected to mitigate the impact of fiscal consolidation, providing support for public investment, if their implementation is not delayed.

Read this infographic on ‘Economic Outlook Quarterly: A story of contrasts‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Pieter Baert.

Around 100 million people in the EU– or 1 in 4 adults – have some form of disability. Addressing both fiscal support and public service accessibility for people with disabilities is crucial for a more inclusive and equitable tax system across the EU. On 3 December 2024, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) will host a public hearing on this topic as part of the European Parliament’s Disability Rights Week.

Examples of social benefits and tax programmes

Effective tax policies and tax collection are essential for supporting the financial wellbeing of people with disabilities. Robust tax revenue enables the funding of vital services, such as healthcare, accessibility infrastructure, and social benefits that foster inclusivity and financial security. In 2021, EU Member States allocated €300 billion in social benefits to people with disabilities. Figure 1 shows the amount of social benefits dedicated to disability support per inhabitant across various EU countries, measured in purchasing power standard (PPS).

Figure 1 – Social protection expenditure on disability by benefits, PPS per inhabitant, 2022

As people with disabilities can face (un)employment or poverty gaps (28 % are at risk of poverty or social exclusion), certain tax measures can help offset the additional costs associated with accessibility and healthcare needs, for instance. In terms of tax incentives, the EU VAT Directive allows Member States to apply VAT rates as low as 0 % to the supply of (medical and assistive) equipment for people with disabilities, as well as the adaptation, repair, rental and leasing of such goods. Domestic care services for people with disabilities, such as home help, can also benefit from reduced VAT rates as low as 5 %.

Nevertheless, taxation remains largely a Member State competence; tax programmes for people with disabilities, such as dedicated tax credits, exemptions or deductions, vary widely from one Member State to another, and can depend on the severity of the disability and the individual’s age, employment status or family situation, among other factors. As a result, comparing disability-related tax incentives across EU countries is complex, as each system is tailored both to the wider national tax (and benefits) system and to the disabled individuals’ specific conditions and needs.

When considering tax programmes for families taking care of a disabled child, approaches vary across the EU, dependent on national conditions. To name but a few examples: in Malta and Ireland, families receive a dedicated yearly tax credit (€500 and €245 respectively). Belgium increases the personal income tax exemption threshold to reduce the families’ taxable income. In Czechia, the regular family tax credit is doubled, while in Italy, it is increased by a fixed amount (€400). In France, depending on certain conditions, the family quotient system lowers the taxable income of families with a disabled child.

Access to disability benefits across borders

Because of differing criteria and assessor judgment, disability status assessments vary widely across the EU. This complicates the lives of people who move between Member States and rely on disability benefits or tax support. Several citizens have petitioned the European Parliament, expressing concern about the complex, non-transferable nature of the disability status and, by extension, access to (and the level of) disability benefits and/or tax treatment across borders. The European Disability Card, adopted by the co-legislators (the European Parliament and the Council) in October 2024, should promote mutual recognition of disability status across the EU. However, it applies only to those travelling between Member States for short periods (3 months) and excludes social benefits and other cash contributions explicitly from its scope (recital 38).

Another common issue is that many people with disabilities would like to join the labour market, but may feel discouraged or unsure if taking up employment could lead to steep benefit reductions. A 2020 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) covering 11 EU Member States plus the United Kingdom shows how earnings are affected by a reduction in disability benefits and increased taxes on entering employment. Some countries (Czechia, Lithuania) tend to allow recipients to earn additional income without losing benefits, providing strong incentives to enter the labour force as full-time workers. Hungary and Sweden, by contrast, discontinue benefits on taking up employment (or at low levels of earnings or working hours). A third group of countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland) occupy a middle ground, phasing out benefits more gradually as earnings rise, thus encouraging part-time work. Furthermore, social economy entities, such as organisations employing people with disabilities, may benefit from favourable tax treatment, as well.

Access to tax administrations

Ease of contact between people with disabilities and tax administrations is yet another perspective that warrants consideration. Tax compliance has shifted increasingly towards online processes, thereby reducing opportunities for in-person interactions that might otherwise accommodate specific accessibility needs. This transition places greater responsibility on tax administrations to ensure that digital compliance tools are fully accessible to all. Fulfilling tax obligations is a civic duty, and accessible services empower people with disabilities to participate fully in their communities and contribute actively to the economy. Moreover, as seen above, countries have specific tax programmes to support those with disabilities, and information on those incentives – for instance relating to entry requirements, and filing deadlines and required documentation – has to be communicated clearly and pro-actively to those who need it.

A 2022 OECD survey of tax authorities across 24 EU Member States found that there is room for progress in this respect: two thirds of tax authorities surveyed reported having online assistive tools designed for taxpayers with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. Among these, only half evaluate users’ feedback in order to assess the quality of these tools. Such assistive tools can be text-to-speech and speech recognition software, alternative keyboards, and screen readers that convert text into braille.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Taxation measures to support people with disabilities in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Marie Lecerf.

The EU and its Member States have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and use its definition of disability as a common reference at EU level. There is no other harmonised definition of disability in the EU.

The recent introduction of the Global Activity Limitation Instrument indicator (GALI) in most of Eurostat’s social and economic surveys offers the opportunity to have a clearer assessment of disability in the EU than before. It confirms that in 2023 the prevalence of disability was higher among female, older and less educated respondents.

The EU combats all forms of discrimination alongside and in support of its Member States. To improve the situation of people with disabilities, it has introduced a series of initiatives, programmes and strategies over a number of decades. The European Parliament has been highly active in the bid to end all forms of discrimination against people with disabilities, since the early 1980s.

In 1997, Article 13 of the Treaty establishing the European Community on the human right not to suffer discrimination on grounds, in particular, of disability, paved the way for a genuine disability policy. The first step in this regard was the adoption of a 2001-2006 action programme to combat discrimination. Later, the 2010-2020 European disability strategy sought to enable people with disabilities to exercise their rights and participate fully in society and the economy.

The 2021-2030 strategy, incorporating lessons learned from its predecessor, seeks to ensure that all persons with disabilities in the EU, regardless of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation: enjoy their human rights; have equal access to participation in society and the economy; can decide where, how and with whom they live; can move freely in the EU regardless of their support needs; and no longer experience discrimination. This is an update of a briefing published in November 2023.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Understanding EU policies for people with disabilities‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Laurence Amand-Eeckhout.

World AIDS Day, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1988, takes place each year on 1 December. The aim is to raise awareness, fight prejudice, encourage progress in prevention, and improve treatment around the world. Although infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is preventable, significant HIV transmission remains a challenge to EU Member States’ health systems. This year’s theme ‘Take the rights path: My health, my right!’ underlines the need to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has the right to quality healthcare services in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Background

Attacking the body’s immune system (the white blood cells or ‘CD4 cells’), HIV weakens its defence against other infections and diseases. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is AIDS (with a CD4 count below 200). Found in a variety of body fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk, HIV can be transmitted through sex, blood transfusion, the sharing of contaminated needles, and between mother and child during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.

People who are at high risk of getting HIV can take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine to reduce the risk of infection.

People diagnosed with HIV and treated early can now expect to live a normal lifespan. Infections can be treated to prevent progression to AIDS by decreasing viral load in an infected body (antiretroviral therapy, ‘ART’). However ART does not cure HIV infection, and there is no vaccine.

The United Nations (UN) Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is leading the global effort to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2015 (Goal 3.3). UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO).

With World AIDS Day 2024’s theme ‘Take the rights path: My health, my right!’ the WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to champion the right to health by addressing the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS. In its report published on 26 November 2024, UNAIDS underlines the urgent need to remove laws, policies and practices which harm people’s rights by punishing, discriminating against or stigmatising people and obstructing access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, as well as laws, policies and practices that hinder the work of people who are providing vital HIV services for affected communities or who are advocating for reforms.

Facts and figures

UNAIDS data show that, in 2023, 1.3 million people contracted HIV, 39 million people were living with HIV (38 million adults (15 years or older) and 1 million children (0–14 years) and 630 000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Stigma and discrimination hinder individuals from seeking and obtaining HIV-related care:  across countries with available data, people living with HIV who perceive high levels of stigma are 2.4 times more likely to delay care until they are very ill.

According to the 2024 report  on ‘HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe’ (2023 data), published on 28 November 2024 jointly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe, HIV affects over 2.6 million people in the WHO European region (made up of 53 countries covering a vast geographical region from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean), including over 650 000 people in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA).

In the EU/EEA specifically, 24 731 people were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2023 (22 995 in 2022).

In addition, more than 1 in 10 people living with HIV in the EU/EEA are still unaware of their status, which contributes to late diagnoses, worse outcomes and the continued spread of HIV.

EU action on HIV/AIDS

EU Member States are responsible for their own healthcare policies and systems. However, according to Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the EU complements national policies while also fostering cooperation between Member States.

In the EU, HIV/AIDS policy focuses on prevention and on supporting people living with the disease. The European Commission has mobilised measures and instruments across several policy areas in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This includes support for Member States to help them achieve the global target under Goal 3.3 of the UN SDGs, to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. In that context, the Commission facilitates the exchange of best practices through the Health Security Committee, as well as dedicated networks on the EU Health Policy Platform. EU4Health projects aim to provide support to vulnerable groups, including access to information, testing, and community-based services. The EU drugs strategy for 2021-2025, aims to ensure a high level of health promotion, including measures to reduce the prevalence and incidence of drug-related infectious diseases, such as viral hepatitis and HIV.

Since the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, the EU has invested significantly in HIV/AIDS research. The Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation supports projects ranging from basic research to the development and testing of new treatments and vaccines.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) supports the global HIV response through scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines. The ECDC is a key partner of the Commission in relation to HIV/AIDS and provides guidance to Member States. Its 2023 progress report published in February 2024 summarises the progress towards UN SDG 3.3 to eliminate the AIDS epidemic in Europe by 2030. It provides an update on the progress in relation to HIV prevention, testing and treatment, AIDS-related deaths and HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

On the world stage, as underlined in its 2022 global health strategy, the EU supports the Global Fund against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. In 2022, the EU pledged €715 million for the 2023-2025 period, a 30 % increase over its pledge of €550 million covering the 2020-2022 period. The UNAIDS 2021‑2026 global AIDS strategy highlights the need for a new approach that reduces the inequalities driving the AIDS epidemic and puts people at its centre, involving communities and prioritising human rights and dignity.

In its May 2021 resolution on accelerating progress and tackling inequalities towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, the European Parliament calls on the European Commission to address AIDS as a global public health crisis, to prioritise health as part of the EU-Africa strategy, to work with Member States and partners to invest in community engagement and community-led responses as key components in the fight against HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.

In November 2022, at the request of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies provided a study on ‘Health-related quality of life in people living with HIV’. The study suggests accelerated action in several areas to reduce the incidence of HIV and to improve quality of life for people living with HIV, notably: a combined approach to HIV prevention (including access to condoms, PrEP, and harm reduction services such as needle exchange and drug treatment); expanded accessibility to HIV testing and, for those who test positive, rapid linkage to care; development of integrated, patient-centred services; and monitoring and addressing HIV-related stigma, particularly in healthcare systems. This study was presented at the European Parliament’s Subcommittee meeting on Public Health (SANT) of 28 November 2023.

In its December 2023 resolution on non-communicable diseases, Parliament supports further research on the development of vaccines and innovative treatment options against HIV. It calls on the Member States to step up their support to ensure that all citizens, including vulnerable communities more at risk, can be tested, diagnosed and have rapid access to the best innovative care options. It encourages the Member States to invest in and support high-impact innovative combination prevention approaches.

This updates an ‘At a glance’ note from November 2023.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘World AIDS Day 2024: Still too many HIV infections‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Kjeld van Wieringen.

Europe is lagging behind the US and China in electric vehicle (EV) innovation and has become China’s largest EV export market. The double pressure of Western companies moving production facilities to China and Chinese companies that are looking to Europe to sell EVs risks disrupting the European automotive supply chain. As the automobile sector generates 7 % of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) and close to 14 million direct and indirect jobs, any threat against the sector should be taken seriously. This paper explores the future of European EVs and whether the EU car industry will manage to survive competition with China. 

China has become the world’s leading EV-producing country in recent years, making over half of the world’s electric vehicles. The European Commission has stressed that China’s rapidly rising exports of cheap EVs and growing overcapacity constitute a threat to Europe’s automotive industry. China achieved its leadership position through subsidies and various competitive advantages such as its access to natural resources, its large internal market, cheap labour and cheap technologies.

The European Commission announced the initiation of EU anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese electric vehicle supply chains on 4 October 2023. This anti-subsidy probe is the largest EU trade case against China in history. The Commission concluded in June 2024 that Chinese-made EVs have benefited from unfair subsidies and implemented various provisional tariffs in response, ranging from 17.4 % to 38.1 %. In October, the Commission received the necessary support from Member States to impose definitive duties on Chinese EVs.

Stakeholders and experts have warned that tariffs will not be enough to protect EU competitiveness in the EV industry, stressing the need for investment and other measures, and that the EU needs a stronger industrial policy to this end. However, they do suggest that tariffs will help EU producers buy time in their transition towards EV production, and that tariffs may also serve to attract Chinese EV investment into the EU.

Ten policy experts in the field were surveyed for the development of four scenarios for the European EV industry by 2030. These scenarios are the following:

• Cutting-edge Europe: The EU and its EV manufacturers develop cutting-edge technologies and take a leading role in the global EV market.
• Slow electrification: Chinese carmakers have captured large shares of the European EV market through exports and local production as Europe lags behind.
• Overdependence: Europe is reliant on Chinese technology as almost all domestic European EV industry and brands vanish.
• Sanctions spiral: Chinese counter-sanctions following aggression against Taiwan cause massive disruption to EV supply chains.

If Europe is to steer its future to a positive outcome, it will have to use its existing policy instruments and build new ones to promote and protect its EV industry and foster meaningful partnerships to that end. All of this could involve a new EU industrial plan designed to stimulate electric vehicle manufacturing in Europe.

Read the complete ‘in-depth analysis’ on ‘The future of European electric vehicles‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Chinese-made EV sales in Europe by producer (January 2021 – March 2022) European EV scenarios for 2030

Written by Clare Ferguson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

The highlight of the November III 2024 plenary session was the election of the European Commission, following the Commission President-elect’s presentation of the College of Commissioners and a debate in the chamber. Members held debates on Commission statements on the outcomes of the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the COP29 climate change conference. Members also debated Commission and Council statements on reinforcing the EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine; continued escalation in the Middle East; and the political and humanitarian situation in Mozambique.

Other debates on Commission statements addressed, inter alia, Bulgaria and Romania’s full accession to the Schengen Area; prevention of the recruitment of minors for criminal acts; the need to adopt an ambitious international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution; the Commission’s Autumn 2024 economic forecast; venture capital financing and safe foreign direct investments in the EU; energy prices and fighting energy poverty; the gender pay gap; critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea; foreign interference and espionage by third-country actors in European universities; condemning the unilateral declaration of independence of the secessionist entity in Cyprus and efforts to legitimise it, 41 years on; and the repression of freedom of speech in Algeria.

Members also posed questions to Commissioner Elisa Ferreira on challenges in the implementation of the 2021-2027 cohesion policy.

Vote of investiture of the European Commission  

Following the confirmation hearings of Commissioners-designate earlier in November, and the decisions by committee coordinators in all cases of the suitability of the candidates for their proposed roles, the Conference of Presidents agreed to close the process and to hold the vote in plenary on the proposed College of Commissioners. Members therefore took the penultimate step in the investiture process for the second von der Leyen Commission on Wednesday, giving their consent to the appointment by 370 votes for, 282 against, and 36 abstentions. This allowed the European Council to formally appoint the new Commission the following day. The new Commission will therefore assume office on 1 December 2024, and serve until 31 October 2029.

Adoption of the European Union’s 2025 budget

Insisting on a people-centred approach to the 2025 budget, Parliament secured an additional €230 million in funding for key areas aimed at improving people’s lives during negotiations between the co-legislators. The Conciliation Committee reached a provisional agreement on 16 November 2024. Following the Council’s adoption of the agreed text, Parliament then adopted it during the plenary session, after which President Roberta Metsola signed the budget into law, with the 2025 EU budget to enter into force on 1 January 2025.

Outcome of the COP16 biodiversity conference

Members heard a Commission statement on the outcome the 16th Conference of parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), held in Cali, Colombia. Parliament has previously called for an ambitious global biodiversity framework, and the EU played a significant role at COP16, highlighting its biodiversity strategy for 2030, committing €7 billion in external biodiversity funding, and launching €160 million in new initiatives to support global biodiversity efforts.

Smoke- and aerosol-free environments

Aiming to better protect young people in particular against second-hand smoke and aerosols from new products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, Members held a debate on a proposed Council recommendation on the matter. The non-binding text would aim to create a Tobacco-Free Generation by 2040, where less than 5 % of the population uses tobacco. It recommends expanding smoke-free policies to outside areas in playgrounds, schools, hospitals, and public transport stops.

Elimination of violence against women

The first day of the plenary week coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and Parliament opened the session with a statement on the issue. Violence against women remains widespread, with one in three women worldwide experiencing physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Parliament has called repeatedly for the EU to combat violence against women.

Recent legislation targeting LGBTI persons

Members debated the rising trend of anti-LGBTI propaganda laws following a Commission statement. The discussion follows Bulgaria’s controversial August 2024 amendments to its education law, prohibiting the promotion of ‘non-traditional sexual orientation’ in schools. Earlier anti-LGBTI laws in Hungary are now under review by the EU Court of Justice in a landmark case. Parliament has long opposed such measures, declaring the EU an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone in 2021. This debate underscores Parliament’s unwavering commitment to equality, tolerance, and a discrimination-free EU.

Convention on the Rights of the Child: 35th anniversary

Members heard and debated a Commission statement on strengthening children’s rights, marking 35 years of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Recent EU achievements on children’s rights include the Temporary Protection Directive; aiding Ukrainian children; enhanced measures against child sexual abuse and online risks; and the European Child Guarantee to combat child poverty.

Corrigenda

Following committee approval of corrigenda on six more legislative files voted in plenary before the end of last term, these were deemed approved after announcement in plenary, under Rule 251 of the Rules of Procedure.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Plenary round-up – November III 2024‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Silvia Kotanidis.

Involving young people could be considered an ethical requirement in any inclusive approach to the policy-making process. However, while young people are often the direct addressees of specific policy initiatives, their voices are little heard – whether at Member State or EU level.

Over the past 5 to 6 years, the younger generations have been able to claim more attention from politicians, and from society at large, on matters they close to their hearts. A case in point was the school climate strikes movement in 2018 and 2019. However, the impact of policies on younger generations cannot be perceived through the lens of adults alone. It is widely acknowledged that more attention needs to be given to the voices of young people themselves.

For this reason, Ursula von der Leyen has pledged to listen to young people’s voices in a structured way during her second term as European Commission President. One of the tools she intends to deploy are youth policy dialogues, to be organised on an annual basis. In addition, a ‘youth check’ is expected to be implemented from 2025. While more details of both initiatives will emerge as the new Commission starts work, the new Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, sketched an outline of the plan during his confirmation hearing in the European Parliament.

Currently, an overview of existing tools through which EU institutions can interact with young people shows that young people’s participation is receiving attention, albeit in an unsystematic way. The new Commission has pledged to enrich these tools in order to give an innovative boost to young people’s participation in EU policy-making, and to focus EU decision-makers’ attention more sharply on intergenerational fairness and young people’s needs.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Youth policy dialogues: Young people’s participation in EU policy-making‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Andres Garcia Higuera with Adam Furman.

Europe could gain competitive edge by supporting the development of new hardware for artificial intelligence (AI). Current state-of-the-art hardware is not optimised for machine learning, and both academic and private sector research is already leading to new designs. At the same time, the need for more time- and energy-efficient machine-learning hardware is increasing as more consumers and companies want access to machine-learning applications. The European Union (EU) has the opportunity to leverage its strong regulatory framework for AI products as a mark of trust and safety, while also investing to support the next generation of hardware, opening up a new market for Europe’s high tech industry. What would happen if the EU formulated a cohesive plan to support these technologies through both research and economic policy?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning require large amounts of computing power. Training a new application and using that application to generate responses to user queries are tasks that are already performed by dedicated hardware – GPUs (graphics processing units). These specialised computer chips are fast and efficient at processing and displaying images and videos, but also faster than regular processors at machine-learning tasks.

Though graphics card manufacturers have pivoted towards AI as the   primary use of their devices, demand for GPUs has already caused shortages. At the same time, energy usage by GPUs used for machine learning is becoming a concern. Recently, Microsoft announced plans to restart a nuclear power plant just to power AI data centres. Industry leaders have stated that they expect a shift away from GPUs within 5 to 10 years, and major technology companies have already developed custom chips to execute some AI-related functions, citing the limitations of GPUs as reason.

The economic incentives to develop new hardware are strong, and Europe is in a unique position to take competitive advantage of the developing market. With the AI Act in place, there is a regulatory standard in the EU that would lend European AI technologies a mark of safety and privacy that is not currently perceived elsewhere. While the AI hardware sector is currently focused around non-European companies such as NVIDIA and AMD, a new market niche is opening: Europe could promote the development of new, specifically designed non-GPU hardware and gain market share through policy and investment.

Potential impacts and developments

The scientific community has taken note of the potential to improve the performance and energy efficiency of machine learning by developing new purpose-built hardware. Because machine learning usually consists of ‘artificial neural networks’ – code that mimics the interconnection and firing of synapses in the brain – the emerging field is called neuromorphic computing. Defined in a 2022 issue of Nature Computational Science as ‘computers whose structure and function are inspired by brains and that are composed of neurons and synapses’, research in this area includes both entirely new types of computers and direct replacements for GPUs in the form of chips dedicated to machine-learning functions. However, not all new AI hardware is necessarily called neuromorphic, and there are many routes of active inquiry.

Scientists are also developing photonic chips, which make direct use of light as an input, for their advantages in time-critical applications like autonomous driving, and in computer vision where AI is used to process visual information. Another technology being developed for machine-learning chips is the memristor, a circuit component similar to a resistor. Memristors’ electrical properties could reduce the amount of computer memory needed for machine-learning programs and speed up the computations needed to train and run them.

Current research in both photonic and memristive technologies is routinely published in major peer-reviewed academic journals. The performance of existing hardware, such as Google’s Tensor Processing Units, is likewise being studied. The consensus is that new hardware could surpass existing solutions both in terms of performance and energy efficiency, and more than one technology may succeed in doing so.

From an industrial perspective, memristor-based hardware more closely resembles the process for traditional silicon chips (though sometimes requiring slightly different materials). Photonic chips present an entirely new paradigm, though existing photolithography techniques – where Europe is already a leader – are still relevant. In either case, new industrial facilities may be necessary for full-scale commercialisation.

Multiple new companies, including Ephos, Lightmatter (photonic chips) and Graphcore (dedicated AI processors), have received funding – including from the European Innovation Council (EIC) – to develop hardware informed by new scientific research. Within the next decade, one or multiple technologies will likely become available to the market. GPUs for AI represented a US$48 billion market in 2023 that is projected to grow by roughly 25 % year on year. This creates a strong incentive for new technologies to compete. Combined with a growing awareness of the energy costs of AI, it is highly probable that new, specifically designed hardware will be sought after and implemented as it becomes available.

Anticipatory policymaking

A concerted research effort could position Europe as the leader of a new wave of machine-learning hardware developments. The European Chips Act already has objectives, including energy efficiency and innovation in semiconductor technologies, that align with supporting purpose-built AI hardware. The increased energy efficiency of this hardware would also align with European Green Deal goals.

More efficient hardware would lower the cost of generative AI applications, leading to their even greater proliferation. Generative AI is already causing concern, especially among creative and programming workers, and ‘deepfake’ media is troubling for both law enforcement and European citizens concerned with the integrity of elections. The risk to democracy exists regardless of whether new AI tools are actually used maliciously, since their mere presence can be enough to create distrust.

The risks of AI have been covered in other EPRS publications, discussing how those risks apply to democracy, the European economy, and healthcare, among other things. The AI Act has already set a strong regulatory standard, so far unique in the world, and the European AI safety initiative has been followed up by the creation of the Centre for Algorithmic Transparency. Building on existing regulation, information on how to use AI tools responsibly should be distributed, with special attention given to elections. The risks of AI should not discourage the promotion and development of new hardware.

European digital leadership could be improved by pairing the safety and transparency created through strong regulation with investment in new machine-learning hardware. If the best AI hardware were European, this would create an incentive to bring new AI applications to the European market. Strong regulation could be reframed as a new European brand – tied to a certification standard – for AI products. An ‘EU Safe AI’ label, reflecting compliance and quality, could promote European hardware and software.

There are ways to advance this strategy and strengthen the EU’s competitive resilience. First, directing funds from Horizon Europe and the next framework programme for research and innovation towards new and existing machine-learning hardware research would help position AI hardware as a fundamental part of Europe’s digital and industrial value chains. Second, funds such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments Equity Instrument could help companies with actionable product designs. Finally, an incentive structure could be created to encourage AI software companies to develop applications in the EU that comply with the AI Act using the new European hardware. These actions should cover the whole industrial chain, from raw materials to software, in turn generating both software- and hardware-related jobs.

European AI products would emerge with a reputation for safety, privacy, efficiency, and speed. Broad investment in multiple new machine-learning hardware technologies would increase resilience and minimise risks, and a similar research investment structure could also benefit related fields. Novel hardware could provide Europe with a unique and decisive competitive edge in technological innovation.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘What if Europe championed new AI hardware?‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Martina Prpic.

Human trafficking is a serious crime and a violation of human rights. It has been on the rise because of increasing mobility, the spread of internet use and the generally low risks and high profit involved. The true extent of the problem can only be estimated, as complete statistics are not available and data are difficult to collect. However, even without exact numbers, it can be observed that a victim’s gender influences the likelihood, manner and purpose of their being exploited. Available data on the prevalence of human trafficking show that most victims are women and girls, although men and boys are registered as victims in increasing numbers, as are transgender people. Sexual exploitation is by far the number one purpose of trafficking in women, while forced labour is the main purpose of trafficking in male victims.

The leading factors that contribute to trafficking in women are their vulnerability, particularly as a consequence of violence, and demand for their sexual services. Traffickers usually exploit the dire economic situation of people searching for a better life abroad. The internet plays an important role, as does migrant smuggling. Sex trafficking also has an impact on how EU Member States legislate for prostitution, as authorities are aware that many people may not engage in prostitution willingly.

The EU has adopted key instruments to tackle trafficking in human beings. In line with international standards, these instruments take a victim-centred approach and recognise that support and protection of victims, as well as prevention, should be gender-specific. In the most recent legislative instruments, the crime’s digital dimension has been given more attention. The European Parliament is playing an important part in shaping EU policies in the field, and has pushed for more progress.

This updates a briefing written by Anja Radjenovic and Sofija Voronova in 2016.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Human trafficking: The gender dimension‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Global percentages of victims by gender, selected years Global percentages of victims by form of exploitation, selected years EU percentages of victims by form of exploitation

Written by Gisela Grieger.

To discuss the implications of the outcome of the recent United States election for transatlantic security and trade relations, EPRS held an online policy roundtable on 19 November 2024. Étienne Bassot, Director of the Members’ Research Service, welcomed the audience and introduced the participants, among whom were EU Ambassador to the US, Jovita Neliupšienė, and Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy), Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the US.

Ambassador Neliupšienė stressed that a key transatlantic priority for the incoming Trump administration is cooperation on China and non-market economic activities in the US and globally. Brando Benifei similarly emphasised the bipartisan support in the US for a tough approach to China and expressed his view that the Trump administration could expect the EU to align with the US approach to China to avoid a tariff war. As the rapporteur for the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, he was confident that common ground could be found with the US in this field.

The ensuing discussion, moderated by Eva-Maria Poptcheva, Head of the EPRS External Policies unit, featured five distinguished panellists and attracted more than 230 attendees. Bruce Stokes, of the German Marshall Fund, explained that 72 % of Americans are discontented with their country’s direction, and this led them to vote for change. Class politics has re-emerged as a major dividing line in American politics. According to Bruce Stokes, Democrats are no longer seen as representing the interests of the working class. The Democratic Party has become the party of urban voters with advanced degrees, whilst the Republican Party is largely seen as the party representing rural areas.

Matthew Boyse, of the Hudson Institute, stated that he was not worried about NATO’s future, but that he would strongly suggest that EU Member States whose defence spending was not yet at 2 % of GDP make efforts to achieve this target soon and that all of them should plan for 3.5 % or 4 %. He warned that confronting the Trump administration on divisive issues would be counterproductive and concerns could become a self-fulfilling prophesy. He recommended approaching the Trump administration with a positive, constructive and collaborative frame of mind.

Leslie Vinjamuri (Chatham House), pointed to a significant shift in the general direction in the US, coupled with a reorientation of its priorities. Europe is currently undertaking a lot of hedging, manoeuvring and preparing for what is ahead in the US. A big part of the motivation for this is not only to prepare for what a Republican administration might mean, but also carries the memory of Afghanistan and seeks to avoid being excluded from US decisions when it comes to Ukraine – via a ‘grand bargain’ with Putin. She predicted that linkage politics is on the rise. The economic security agenda has blurred the line between open markets and the rules-based order on the economic side and security commitments and defence spending. The use of linkages across these two domains that used to be sacredly distinct is certainly the direction going forward.

Mark Strand, former President of the Congressional Institute, stressed that Trump won a broad-based, multi-racial, working-class majority. Trump won votes not only from white and Hispanic men, but he also doubled his support among black Americans. He also dramatically shifted voters to back him in states that he lost. Mark Strand stressed that Trump is not an isolationist, but rather a realist who takes countries as they are and does not seek to change them. On tariffs, he stated these are a tool for Trump to force certain behaviours. He suggested that the EU enter into sectoral trade agreements with the US, to seize opportunities where there is low-hanging fruit to see US tariffs disappear.Walter Goetz, Head of the EU-US Congress Liaison Office in Washington DC, noted that the Washington office will continue to serve as a transatlantic bridge to build good relations with the incoming administration by facilitating exchanges between Members and US lawmakers, including in the framework of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue.

Citizens are calling on the European Union to establish a European plan for hedges with the aim of doubling their length by 2050. Many citizens have written to the President of the European Parliament on this subject since November 2024.

We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the President:

English

The European Parliament recognises the importance of hedges for the environment. It has worked in recent years to introduce measures into European Union legislation to promote the protection and restoration of hedges in agricultural landscapes.

European law on nature restoration

In 2024, the EU adopted a law on nature restoration. It requires EU countries to restore at least 30% of habitats in poor condition by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050. For agricultural ecosystems, countries must make progress on high diversity landscape features, such as hedges.

The law also obliges EU countries to increase farmland bird populations and to halt the decline of pollinating insects. Hedges help to achieve these goals by providing space for wildlife.

Financial support under the EU’s common agricultural policy

In 2021, the EU adopted rules on financial support under the common agricultural policy. Under these rules, EU countries must compensate farmers who preserve landscapes and protect the environment. Farmers who maintain and create hedges are eligible for this support.

European Parliament’s position

In 2021, Parliament called on Member States to implement measures to promote high diversity landscape features, including hedgerows. In addition, in 2019, Parliament called on the European Commission and EU countries to promote good hedge maintenance.

New proposals

In the EU, only the European Commission can propose new legislation.

French

Le Parlement européen reconnaît l’importance des haies pour l’environnement. Il a travaillé ces dernières années pour introduire des mesures dans la législation de l’Union européenne (UE) afin de promouvoir la protection et la reconstitution des haies dans les paysages agricoles.

Loi européenne de restauration de la nature

En 2024, l’UE a adopté une loi pour la restauration de la nature. Cette loi oblige les pays de l’UE à restaurer au moins 30% des habitats en mauvais état d’ici 2030, 60% d’ici 2040 et 90% d’ici 2050. Pour les écosystèmes agricoles, les pays doivent progresser sur les éléments de paysage à haute diversité, comme les haies.

Cette loi oblige aussi les pays de l’UE à augmenter les populations d’oiseaux agricoles et à stopper le déclin des insectes pollinisateurs. Les haies aident à atteindre ces objectifs, en offrant de l’espace à la faune sauvage.

Aides de la politique agricole commune de l’UE

En 2021, l’UE a adopté les règles sur les aides de la politique agricole commune. Selon ces règles, les pays de l’UE doivent récompenser les agriculteurs qui préservent les paysages et protègent l’environnement. Le maintien et la création de haies permettent aux agriculteurs de bénéficier des aides.

Position du Parlement européen

En 2021, le Parlement a invité les pays membres à mettre en place des mesures pour promouvoir les éléments de paysage à haute diversité, dont les haies vives. Par ailleurs, en 2019, le Parlement a demandé à la Commission européenne et aux pays de l’UE de promouvoir le bon entretien des haies.

Nouvelles propositions

Dans l’UE, la Commission européenne est la seule à pouvoir proposer une nouvelle législation.

Background

Citizens often send messages to the President of the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.

Written by Marc Jütten and Kadri Paris.

Leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November 2024 for the 19th summit of the G20, hosted by the Brazilian G20 presidency. The meeting was overshadowed by events that are further increasing divisions among the world’s leading and emerging economies: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which entered its 1 000th day, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and the election to a second term of President Donald Trump, whose ‘America First’ approach to foreign policy includes threats to impose tariffs on imports. The G20 leaders adopted a declaration addressing pressing global issues, including combating hunger, reforming international institutions, and climate change.

Background

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum for international economic cooperation between the world’s leading economies. It consists of 19 countries, the African Union and the EU. The G20 countries together account for more than 80 % of the world’s GDP, 75 % of global trade and two thirds of the world’s population. The G20 Summit represents the conclusion of the work carried out by the country holding the group’s rotating presidency, with a leaders’ declaration adopted at the end of the summit. In 2023, the G20 decided to grant permanent member status to the African Union.

Brazil’s G20 presidency

Brazil took over the annual G20 presidency from India on 1 December 2023. After years of ‘quasi-isolationism’ under President Lula’s predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, the presidency provided an opportunity to show to the world that Brazil is back on the international stage as a promoter of the Global South to tackle global challenges. Under the theme ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet’, the Brazilian government established the following three G20 priorities:

• The fight against hunger, poverty and inequality
• The three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental)
• The reform of global governance

These priorities provide a certain continuity with the topics chosen by the Indian G20 presidency (green development, inclusive growth, progress on the UN SDGs, technological transformation, multilateral institutions for the 21st century, and women-led development). President Lula emphasised that the Brazilian G20 presidency places the poor, and ‘those who have always been invisible’, at the centre of the international agenda. This stance is symbolised by the initiatives for a two per cent tax on the world’s billionaires for climate action and poverty relief, and the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

Key takeaways from the summit: The G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration

As in previous years, the G20 leaders committed to a series of actions and goals in a wide-ranging 85‑paragraph-long leaders’ declaration. Some of the key takeaways are:

Ukraine: Against the background of President Biden’s authorisation to allow Ukraine to use long-range US missiles (ATACMS) and the fact that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine entered its 1 000th day during the summit, the media focused on the question of how the G20 leaders would address the issue. Compared to previous declarations, in particular the G20 Bali leaders’ declaration, the declaration issued on 19 November refers to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in the weakest possible terms. In fact, the document does not even mention Russia, but highlights the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth. Moreover, leaders welcomed all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit, and was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was not invited to attend the meeting.

Middle East: On the other key geopolitical issue, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, G20 leaders expressed their deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the escalation in Lebanon. Moreover, leaders called for a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza. However, the declaration does not contain a condemnation of Hamas nor a call for the release of all hostages. Leaders affirmed the Palestinian right to self-determination and reiterated their commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.

Climate:The G20 summit took place while the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) was being held in Baku, Azerbaijan (from 11 to 22 November 2024). Hopes were high that G20 leaders would give a strong impetus to the difficult UN climate talks. However, the declaration does not go beyond the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. In particular, it remains unclear from which sources the scaling-up of climate finance from billions to trillions should come. The reference of ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’, to which all nations agreed last year at COP28 in Dubai, did not find its way into the text.

Hunger:Probably the most concrete result of the Brazilian G20 presidency was the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. The alliance was created with 148 founding members, among them 82 countries, the African Union, the EU and international organisations. The alliance pursues the goal of reaching 500 million people with cash transfer programmes in low- and lower-middle-income countries by 2030.

Tax on the super-rich: Regarding the Brazilian presidency’s initiative for a two per cent tax on the world’s billionaires, leaders agreed for the first time to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed.

Position of the EU

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, represented the EU at the G20 summit. In his speech, Charles Michel stressed that the world needs a robust and effective multilateral system more than ever. With a view to the agenda of the Brazilian G20 presidency, he recalled that trade was a powerful tool to fight poverty and called for reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO), including the dispute resolution mechanism. Von der Leyen stressed, among other things, that the EU fully supports the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and that the EU is committed to making the fight against poverty a priority for ‘domestic policies’.

Some observers saw the opportunity for the EU and Mercosur to advance talks on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement on the margins of the G20 summit, as key leaders from both sides were participating. However, it seems that, instead, resistance might grow, with French President Emmanuel Macron reiterating that France would not sign the agreement as it stands. Following his bilateral meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Macron reported that Milei was not satisfied with the deal either.

The tenth G20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit took place on 7-8 November in Brasilia, on the topic of ‘Parliaments for a just world and a sustainable planet’. It concluded with the adoption of a joint statement. A parliamentary forum on gender equality and women’s empowerment preceded the summit.

Outlook

On 1 December 2024, South Africa, another key state from the Global South and the third BRICS country in a row, takes over the G20 baton. The three consecutive G20 presidencies by countries from the Global South present an opportunity to push for the interests of developing and emerging countries on the world stage. It will also be the first time that the African continent hosts the G20. The theme for South Africa’s G20 presidency will be ‘Fostering Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainable Development’ and will address critical global challenges, with a strong focus on Africa’s development in alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Looking further into the future of the G20, some experts such as Markus Engels from the Global Solutions Initiative (GSI) are of the opinion that the forum could take the lead in driving multilateralism forward. However, for this to happen the G20 system would need to be strengthened in three areas: the G20 needs to become a decision-making body rather than just an advisory one; the G20’s representativeness needs to be further improved; and the G20 organisation needs to be consolidated and professionalised, including having a permanent secretariat.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘The 2024 G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Written by Clare Ferguson with Gemma Patterson.

For the third plenary session of this month (an extraordinary meeting took place on 19 November to mark 1 000 days of Russia’s war on Ukraine), Members’ agenda includes important debates on the election of the European Commission and next year’s EU budget.

Members are set to take the penultimate step in the investiture process for the second von der Leyen Commission on Wednesday morning. Following the confirmation hearings for Commissioners-designate, after discussions in Parliament’s Conference of Presidents on 20 November, the committees concluded their evaluations of the remaining candidates that evening. A further meeting of the Conference of Presidents early on Wednesday morning is set to clear the way for a key debate and vote later that day. Parliament’s consent would allow the European Council to formally appoint the new Commission by qualified majority, enabling it to assume office on 1 December 2024. If approved, the new European Commission will serve until 2029.

Parliament has insisted on a people-centred approach to the 2025 budget, which prioritises social, economic, and environmental goals. During negotiations, it secured over €230 million in additional funding for key areas. These increases include €50 million for humanitarian aid, €25 million for Horizon Europe and €10 million for the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as funding for security-focused programmes such as Europol and border management. It has enhanced funding for research, health, and education, including an additional €180 million for research, using unspent funds. Following extensive negotiations, the Conciliation Committee (composed of a delegation of 27 Members of Parliament and 27 Member State representatives), reached a provisional agreement on 16 November 2024. Parliament plans to vote on the agreed text on Wednesday, after which President Metsola would then sign the budget into law, with the 2025 EU budget to enter into force on 1 January 2025.

The first day of this plenary week coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and Parliament plans to open the session with a statement on this issue. Violence against women remains widespread, with one in three women worldwide experiencing physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Parliament has called repeatedly for the EU to combat violence against women.

Members are expected to debate the rising trend of anti-LGBTI propaganda laws on Wednesday afternoon. The discussion follows Bulgaria’s controversial August 2024 amendments to its education law, prohibiting the promotion of ‘non-traditional sexual orientation’ in schools. Earlier anti-LGBTI laws in Hungary are now under review by the EU Court of Justice in a landmark case. Parliament has long opposed such measures, declaring the EU an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone in 2021. This debate underscores Parliament’s unwavering commitment to equality, tolerance, and a discrimination-free EU.

On Thursday morning, Members are due to hear a Commission statement on strengthening children’s rights, marking 35 years since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Recent EU achievements on children’s rights include the Temporary Protection Directive, aiding Ukrainian childre; enhanced measures against child sexual abuse and online risks; and the European Child Guarantee, to combat child poverty.

Aiming to better protect young people in particular against second-hand smoke and aerosols from new products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, Members are set to debate a proposed Council Recommendation on Wednesday afternoon. The non-binding text would aim to create a Tobacco-Free Generation by 2040, where less than 5 % of the population uses tobacco. It recommends expanding smoke-free policies to outside areas in playgrounds, schools, hospitals, and public transport stops.

On Monday evening, Members are due to hear Commission statements on the outcomes of two important recent international meetings: the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the 16th conference of parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), held in Cali, Colombia. In a tense geopolitical environment, the G20 Summit adopted a declaration addressing the current conflicts, combating hunger and climate change, as well as reforming international institutions. At COP16, the EU played a significant role, highlighting its biodiversity strategy for 2030, committing €7 billion in external biodiversity funding, and launching €160 million in new initiatives to support global biodiversity efforts. Parliament has previously called for an ambitious global biodiversity framework.

• Vote of investiture for the Commission
• Adoption of the European Union’s 2025 budget
• Elimination of violence against women
• Recent legislation targeting LGBTI persons
• Convention on the Rights of the Child: 35th anniversary
• Smoke- and aerosol-free environments
• G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Outcomes of the COP16 biodiversity conference

Written by Gabija Leclerc.

A sharp deterioration in the population’s health, as well as in healthcare systems, is often the consequence of armed conflicts, natural hazards or human-made disasters, of which there have been many in recent times. The European Union (EU), a significant global humanitarian player, views health as an essential part of its assistance.

Background

More frequent and severe natural hazards, amplified by climate change and environmental degradation, as well as human-made emergencies, such as industrial accidents or armed conflicts, or often a combination of multiple factors, can lead to humanitarian crises. These crises are marked by a decline in population health and compromised functioning of and access to health services. On one hand, emergencies directly affect healthcare facilities and the population by inflicting physical damage to infrastructure and the workforce, as well as inducing traumas and injuries. On the other hand, indirect effects, such as the risk of epidemic outbreaks (over 70 % of epidemics occur in conflict-affected, environmentally and economically vulnerable areas), food insecurity, economic fragility, interrupted treatment of patients with chronic diseases, displacement and gender-based violence, can overwhelm already strained health services and increase healthcare demand. In such cases, the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children, are often the most affected. External assistance is often crucial in preventing catastrophic health consequences.

EU humanitarian health assistance

Health, as a core component of humanitarian assistance, is central to EU humanitarian action. This action guided by international humanitarian principles and the European consensus on humanitarian aid. The European Commission’s humanitarian health guidelines govern EU funding for health-related humanitarian assistance. The main aim of EU health assistance in emergencies, as outlined in the 2022 EU global health strategy, is to limit excess preventable mortality, permanent disability, and disease associated with humanitarian crises. The EU considers health the primary indicator for evaluating humanitarian response.

Humanitarian assistance is a shared competence of the EU and the Member States, as set out in Article 4(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. This means that the EU and the Member States can act in a complementary and mutually reinforcing way. At the EU level, health assistance is primarily coordinated by the Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). With a view to updating its health policy, in 2023, DG ECHO contracted an external evaluator to carry out a consultation with stakeholders, and support the drafting of the policy update based on the feedback received.

The EU provides high-quality humanitarian health assistance to the most vulnerable by building on and in harmony with pre-existing local facilities, programmes and systems to the greatest extent possible. It focuses on immediate needs during and after crises, including through emergency medical assistance, sexual and reproductive health care, and mental health and psychosocial support. Emphasising a ‘health in all policies’ cross-sectoral approach, the EU supports water and sanitation, nutrition, protection and disability inclusion, among other areas. It also adopts an integrated approach by linking humanitarian health aid with development cooperation (humanitarian-development-peace nexus) to ensure long-term resilience. This encompasses epidemic prevention, preparedness and response, strengthening of primary health care, and addressing the root causes of health crises such as poverty, conflict, and weak governance.

EU tools

The EU employs both financial resources and operational capabilities to provide support for health in situations of emergency. In 2023, €334 million, or 13.8 % of the EU’s total humanitarian funding for that year, was allocated to health (in comparison, the United States dedicated more than €532 million, or around 5.8 % of its total humanitarian funding, to health). The majority of this funding was directed towards Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan and Afghanistan, to assist the efforts of recognised humanitarian and health players such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. A part of this funding is channelled through the Epidemics Tool (for emergencies caused by infectious disease outbreaks), the Small-Scale Tool (for localised disasters) under the Emergency Toolbox, and the Disaster Response Emergency Fund. This enables the EU to provide swift support to its humanitarian partners on the ground in response to outbreaks, and to mitigate the impact of disasters on health.

To strengthen operational support, in February 2016 the Commission launched the European Medical Corps (EMC). Coordinated by the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM), the EMC allows for the rapid deployment of medical assistance and public health expertise from all Member States and participating countries during a health emergency within the EU and beyond. Since 2020, the EU has bolstered its readiness, including strengthening its reserve of capacities through rescEU. This reserveoffers services such as (i) aerial medical evacuations (MedEvac); (ii) emergency medical teams (EMTs) that provide direct medical care; and (iii) access to a stockpiling reserve of medical products. Additionally, the European Humanitarian Response Capacity (EHRC) provides support through humanitarian air bridges, stockpiles of health-related supplies, including personal protective equipment and first aid kits, common warehousing services (e.g. for temperature-sensitive health items) and health expertise. DG ECHO and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) collaborate in deploying experts from the ECDC EU Health Task Force (EUTF), who are also available to support UN or international health efforts. Together with the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, they also coordinate support for threat detection, health emergency preparedness and the response in the area of medical countermeasures. Furthermore, the EU backs the WHO health emergencies programme, assisting in standards development and classification processes for globally deployable EMTs and coordinating with the WHO to support its own EMTs. Furthermore, the EU supports disaster management capacity-building in regional organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. At international fora, in line with 2021 Commission communication on humanitarian action, the EU is a vocal advocate for respecting UN Security Council Resolution 2286 on health care in armed conflict, which includes the protection of humanitarian and healthcare workers.

Example: EU humanitarian health assistance in Ukraine

Despite the resilience of Ukraine’s healthcare system during Russia’s invasion, certain regions, the vulnerable, displaced, and those with chronic illnesses have been disproportionately affected. The EU has therefore provided political, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine’s healthcare system, as well as support to those who had to flee the country. It has sent its rescEU stockpiles, including power generators (crucial for the functioning of healthcare facilities) and medical supplies. Since March 2022, a ‘MedEvac’ capability has been in use. In September 2022, the EU set up a centre in Rzeszów, Poland, to provide medical care to Ukrainians before their transfer to hospitals in other Member States. In June 2023, the Commission and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine signed a cooperation arrangement, which, inter alia, covers mental health and psychosocial support in Ukraine and for those displaced to the EU; healthcare for those displaced from Ukraine; patient repatriation after MedEvac; and continued EU4Health funding.

Example: EU humanitarian health assistance in the Gaza Strip

Israel’s attack following Hamas terrorist acts of 7 October 2023 resulted in the implosion of the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip. War-induced traumas, displacement, malnutrition, lack of hygiene and economic vulnerability have massively increased demand for health services. In this context, the EU has increased its humanitarian funding, including for health. This funding is channelled through humanitarian partners such as the UN agencies, most notably its Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA, recently banned from Israel), the IRCC and non-governmental organisations. In 2024, the EU allocated €32.5 million in humanitarian funding to health-related issues in Gaza. The EU also supports the WHO’s Gaza EMT coordination cell in Cairo, Egypt, with 22 experts deployed from the EU and the UCPM countries. Under the EHRC, EUHTF experts have been deployed to Amman, Jordan, to support UNRWA, and 60 humanitarian air bridge operations have transported essentials, including medical items to Gaza. Following the activation of the UCPM by the WHO, the EU supports the coordination of the medical evacuations, with assistance offered by Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

Read this ‘At a glance’ note on ‘Health in emergencies: EU contribution to humanitarian health initiatives worldwide‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.