European Union

I. JOBS, GROWTH AND COMPETITIVENESS

1. To steer the Council's discussions on the 2016 European Semester, the European Council endorsed the policy priority areas of the Annual Growth Survey: re-launching investment, pursuing structural reforms to modernise our economies, and conducting responsible fiscal policies. Member States will reflect these priorities in their forthcoming National Reform Programmes and Stability or Convergence Programmes. Such policies will contribute to placing the current recovery on a more sustainable basis and to fostering growth and employment. The European Council notes the Commission consultation on social issues and stresses the importance of well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems.

2. At its June meeting, the European Council will discuss the progress achieved in the work towards completing the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also adopt an Agenda for the implementation of all aspects of the Single Market, including delivery of the Commission's Single Market, Digital Single Market and Capital Markets Union strategies, with a view to exploiting in full its untapped growth and productivity potential.

3. In the light of the difficult situation of the European steel sector, in a context of overcapacity at global level, the European Council calls on the Council to rapidly examine the Commission's communication with a view to taking strong action in response to this challenge

4. The European Council notes the situation of farmers, notably in the dairy and pig sectors, who are seriously affected by the drop in prices. It invites the Commission to quickly act upon the outcome of the Council (Agriculture) meeting of 15 March. It will closely follow the evolution of this sector of such importance for Europe.

5. The European Council notes that the Commission intends to publish shortly a communication on an action plan on VAT. It welcomes the intention of the Commission to include proposals for increased flexibility for Member States with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which would provide the option to Member States of VAT zero rating‎ for sanitary products.

II. CLIMATE AND ENERGY

6. The European Council welcomes the submission by the Commission of the package on energy security as well as of the Communication "Road from Paris". It encourages the legislators to proceed with work on the proposals to reinforce the EU energy security as a matter of priority on the basis of its previous conclusions and the relevant strategies endorsed by the European Council. It also recalled the importance of a fully-functioning and interconnected energy market. Based on the Climate Communication, it underlines the EU's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions domestically and to increase the share of renewable energies and improve energy efficiency as agreed by the European Council in October 2014. Adapting the legislation in order to implement this framework remains a priority. The European Council invites the Commission to rapidly present all the remaining relevant proposals to this end so as to swiftly engage the legislative process. The European Council looks forward to the signature of the Paris Agreement in New York on 22 April and underlines the need for the European Union and its Member States to be able to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and on time so as to be Parties as of its entry into force.

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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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A Russian government photo of Syria-based military aircraft returning home yesterday

Once again, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has caught nearly everyone with their guard down. Yesterday, as promised, he began withdrawing Russian forces from Syria, complete with cinematic videos of Sukhoi fighter jets departing Hmeymim airbase for home, posted to the defence ministry’s webpage. The Tass news agency quoted senior Kremlin officials saying anti-aircraft systems would remain, however, raising questions everywhere fromWashington to Brussels to Damascus about whether this amounted to a full stand-down or, as frequently happened in Ukraine, a temporary move that could be reversed.

At home, Mr Putin’s move is being hailed as a great strategic victory. State TV declared the deployment had completed its mission of “exterminating the terrorists” and stabilising the region. But western analysts were less convinced, noting that while Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president and close Kremlin ally, has been shored up, the country’s second city of Aleppo remains out of firm regime control and the fighting has ground into an uncertain quagmire rather than a clear victory.

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Google, Apple, Inter-IKEA Group and McDonald's would welcome more clarity and certainty about their tax liabilities in the EU, but they are concerned about the administrative compliance costs and reluctant to see tax data being made public. So said their representatives at a public hearing, held by Parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings II on Tuesday, to elicit their views on recent and upcoming proposed legislation on corporate tax.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2)

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Google, Apple, Inter-IKEA Group and McDonald's would welcome more clarity and certainty about their tax liabilities in the EU, but they are concerned about the administrative compliance costs and reluctant to see tax data being made public. So said their representatives at a public hearing, held by Parliament's Special Committee on Tax Rulings II on Tuesday, to elicit their views on recent and upcoming proposed legislation on corporate tax.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2)

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The failure to date of the EU asylum system to cope with ever-rising numbers of migrant arrivals calls for a radical overhaul of the so-called Dublin rules, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Wednesday. They propose establishing a central system for collecting and allocating asylum applications. The scheme, which could include a quota for each EU member state, would work on the basis of “hotspots” from which refugees would be distributed.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The failure to date of the EU asylum system to cope with ever-rising numbers of migrant arrivals calls for a radical overhaul of the so-called Dublin rules, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Wednesday. They propose establishing a central system for collecting and allocating asylum applications. The scheme, which could include a quota for each EU member state, would work on the basis of “hotspots” from which refugees would be distributed.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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The Tripartite Social Summit takes place on 16 March, one day before the March European Council. The main theme of the Social Summit is: "A strong partnership for job creation and inclusive growth".

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Dextro Energy v Commission
Environment and consumers
The General Court confirms that a number of health claims relating to glucose may not be authorised

The Body Shop International v OHMI - Spa Monopole (SPA WISDOM)
Intellectual and industrial property
The Body Shop cannot register ‘SPA WISDOM’ as a Community trade mark

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

While many positive steps have been made around the world in eliminating racial discrimination, we remain confronted by critical barriers and challenges.  

In September of last year, European and world leaders agreed on the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, pledging to leave no one behind in our common commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development across the globe. Conversely, we are also faced these days with increasing challenges connected to the global economic crisis, migration, terrorism, poverty and rising inequalities. 

These challenges affect in particular those who are already subject to discrimination on the grounds of their colour, race, descent, caste and ethnic or national origin. The European Union will continue to operate to eliminate all forms of discriminations, within its borders and in the world, so that all may enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms, without restrictions or exceptions. The EU also stands firm in addressing and combating hate speech. All human beings are equal in dignity and are entitled to enjoy their rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   

On this day, the European Union once again calls on all states that have not yet done so to become parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. Determined and effective measures at the national, regional, and international levels are essential if we are to prevent and put an end to racial discrimination.   

The European Union will continue to work closely with all our partner countries, regional and international organisations, as well as civil society for the elimination of racial discrimination across the world.

Two years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the European Union remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

The European Union reiterates that it does not recognise and continues to condemn this violation of international law. It remains a direct challenge to international security, with grave implications for the international legal order that protects the unity and sovereignty of all states. 

The European Union remains committed to fully implementing its non-recognition policy, including through restrictive measures. The EU calls again on UN Member States to consider similar non-recognition measures in line with the UNGA Resolution 68/262. 

The EU reaffirms its deep concern at the military build-up and the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula, including the denial of freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of religion and belief, and the persecution of persons belonging to minorities, in particular the Crimean Tatars. The filing of a request to ban the activities of the Mejlis, a self-governing body of the Crimean Tatars, as an extremist organisation, is a particularly worrying development. The EU calls for full compliance with international human rights standards and other obligations under international law. All pending cases of human rights violations such as enforced disappearances, torture and killings should be thoroughly investigated.

Oleh Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko, detained and sentenced in breach of international law, should be immediately released and guaranteed a safe return to Ukraine. Full, free and unrestricted access for international human rights actors to the whole territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and Sevastopol, continues to be paramount.

Length of video : 171'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Donald TUSK, President of the European Council, visits Turkey on 15 March 2016, ahead of the European Council meeting on 17 and 18 March in Brussels.

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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU-Turkey cooperation on migration should be uncoupled from the EU accession negotiating process, say Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a repor voted on Tuesday. MEP praise Turkey for hosting the largest refugee population in the world, and note that it remains a "key strategic partner for the EU" but nonetheless call for progress on rule of law and fundamental values and "a more structured and frequent political dialogue on key thematic issues".
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU-Turkey cooperation on migration should be uncoupled from the EU accession negotiating process, say Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a repor voted on Tuesday. MEP praise Turkey for hosting the largest refugee population in the world, and note that it remains a "key strategic partner for the EU" but nonetheless call for progress on rule of law and fundamental values and "a more structured and frequent political dialogue on key thematic issues".
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

EU-Turkey cooperation on migration should be uncoupled from the EU accession negotiating process, say Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a repor voted on Tuesday. MEP praise Turkey for hosting the largest refugee population in the world, and note that it remains a "key strategic partner for the EU" but nonetheless call for progress on rule of law and fundamental values and "a more structured and frequent political dialogue on key thematic issues".
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Good evening. Before I say anything else, let me express my deepest condolences to the victims and their families of yet another appalling terrorist attack here in Ankara. We cannot accept terrorism as the new normal. No matter how many times it has happened, we will never get used to it, and we will always fight it. On the 18th of February, EU leaders stood united with Turkey after the latest terrorist attack in Ankara, condemning terrorism in all forms and reaching out in solidarity. Let me reiterate this pledge and stress that we stand together in the fight against terrorism, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Events like these also remind us that our cooperation goes way beyond migration. It is about working together on our common challenges. They range from the economy to counter-terrorism, from visa-free travel to foreign policy. And it is about moving forward in the accession talks.

Prime Minister, we are in between two important summits of the European Union and Turkey. At our last summit on the 7th of March, we took stock of the implementation of our Joint Action Plan and the Joint Statement of last November. At that meeting I was also handed the mandate to work out the details of a new proposal to further enhance our cooperation to stem and ultimately end irregular migration from Turkey to Europe.

My task for our summit on Thursday and Friday is to put together the elements needed to make this proposal legally sound, in line with EU and international law, practically implementable, and of course acceptable to all 28 EU Member States as well as to Turkey. That is why I am here in Ankara today.

This is not an easy task, and we have to get it right. It is clear that there is still hard work to be done. Today we established a catalogue of issues that we need to address together if we are to reach an agreement by Friday. I will bring this catalogue back to Brussels, along with the confidence I have in the goodwill of Prime Minister Davutoglu.

Thank you again, Ahmet. I look forward to continuing our discussions this evening and I look forward to welcoming you back in Brussels this Friday. Thank you.