European Union

On International Refugee Day, celebrated on Tuesday, more than 65 million people were displaced worldwide. This dramatic and long-term situation must not be trivialised and reduced to a supposedly temporary state by the use of the term "crisis", commentators warn, and call on governments to take responsibility.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is to release its ruling on the border dispute between Croatia and Slovenia next week. The Slovenian government has announced that it will abide by the ruling. Croatia, however, says it doesn't feel obliged to observe it. Zagreb would offend not just Slovenia if it doesn't, commentators warn.

Just under a year after the British voted to leave the EU the Brexit negotiations have begun in Brussels. Weakened after the general elections, the British government will be more open to a softer and more humane Brexit, commentators believe, putting their trust in the negotiators' bargaining skills.

The power struggle in Romania has entered a new round. The leadership of the ruling Social Democrats (PSD) under Liviu Dragnea submitted a no-confidence vote against its own head of government, Sorin Grindeanu. The vote is scheduled for this Wednesday. The Romanian press warns of the consequences of this bitter contest for power within the party.

The Premio Princesa de Asturias de la Concordia Award granted to the European Union is a significant recognition in a year marked by the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Six decades ago, the founding fathers of the EU sowed the seeds of a united Europe in the ashes of a devastating war. Since then, the path we have followed has helped us develop a union of peoples, allowing Europeans to embark upon a project of peace, democracy and prosperity.

Thirty years ago, Spain joined this European adventure enthusiastically and with a constructive spirit. Today, it has become one of the main protagonists of the European project.

On behalf of the European Union, we accept this prestigious award and we express our appreciation for the recognition and great honour bestowed upon the EU by Spain.

Press contacts:

For the European Council
Preben AAMANN (+32 2 281 20 60; +32 476 85 05 43)

For the European Parliament
Jaume DUCH GUILLOT (+32 2 284 30 00; +32 496 59 94 76)

For the European Commission
Margaritis SCHINAS (+ 32 2 296 05 24; +32 496 58 38 26)
Mina ANDREEVA (+32 2 299 13 82; +32 498 99 13 82)

 

More information on the Princess of Asturias Foundation website

"The European Union has achieved the longest period of peace in modern Europe, contributing to introducing and disseminating values such as freedom, human rights and solidarity to the world. These values of the European Union project hope for the future, in times of uncertainty, offering an example of progress and well-being."

On 21 June 2017, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a proposal for a revised directive concerning the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The agreement will have to be confirmed by the EU ambassadors (Coreper) during their meeting scheduled this Friday, 23 June.

The new directive revises the scope of the Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 2). It includes amendments aimed at establishing equal treatment of products covered by the Directive, proposes to exclude a particular product: pipe organs; and specifically, addresses concerns arising from the "open-scope" product group. 

"We have reached a deal with the European Parliament to reduce hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. With this new legislation, we are improving the prevention and management of  waste and encouraging the reuse and recycling of those products and materials in the EU. The Maltese presidency is determined to move the EU forward towards a more circular economy."

José Herrera, Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change

The main purpose of the amended text is to address a number of problems which were identified in the evaluation carried out by the Commission in relation to the scope of the Directive. Specifically, it will ensure the possibility of secondary market operations (e.g. reselling, second-hand market) for electrical and electronic equipment that were newly covered by RoHS 2 and the use of spare parts for such equipment if they are put on the market before 22 July 2019.

Both the Council and the European Parliament are in favour of the approach followed by the Commission not to widen the scope of this revision and leave, as scheduled, the general review of the Directive for 2021. In the agreed text, the Commission is required to carry out this general review of RoHS2 by 22 July 2021. 

In relation to applications for the renewal of an exemption warranted under the directive, the Commission will also have to inform applicants on the expected timing of the decision-making process.   

Next steps 

Once the deal is approved by the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee the new directive has to be formally adopted by the Council and the European Parliament. 

The legislative act will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. 

Background

The Commission submitted a proposal for a new directive amending Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS 2) on 26 January 2017. The Council adopted its negotiating mandate on 14 June. On the same day, the European Parliament gave its authorisation to start negotiations immediately.

RoHS 1 and 2 have introduced measures to limit the presence of these harmful substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The existing Directive RoHS2 broadened the scope significantly as it now applies to all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)  placed on the EU market.

Martinez Silva
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
A national of a non-EU country holding a single work permit in a Member State enjoys, as a general rule, the social security benefits provided for nationals of that State

W and Others
Approximation of laws
Where there is a lack of scientific consensus, the proof of the defect of the vaccine and of a causal link between the defect and the damage suffered may be made out by serious, specific and consistent evidence

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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, 2017 - EP

Length of video : 67'
You may manually download this video in WMV (647Mb) format

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, 2017 - EP

All Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) activities of the European Union, including military missions and operations, are dependent on effective command and control, on assured information and functioning, as well as on uncontested communication and information systems.

They rely on the availability of free and secure access to the internet or – using the newer and broader term – to ‘cyberspace’. But cyberspace is becoming a new battlefield. Cyber-attacks are daily business, and part of foreign affairs as well as CSDP operations and missions.

Anonymously, without attribution, and below the threshold of armed conflict, adversaries are using the cyber domain to accomplish their political, economic and military objectives in emerging ‘hybrid’ scenarios. The means vary from sharing disinformation in social media and influencing public opinion and electoral behaviour to more severe, destabilising operations: cyber-attacks targeted at energy, transport or banking systems, and even direct cyber operations on the EU’s CSDP networks.

Although there is no evidence yet being specifically targeted, operations and missions are facing growing cyber-threats.

“Cyberspace is becoming a new battlefield”

In 2014 – in the follow-up to the publication of the EU Cyber Security Strategy – the European External Action Service developed a framework policy to improve Europe’s resilience against cyber threats in CSDP activities and develop capabilities for cyber-security and defence implementation.

Recently, the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy designated cyber-security and defence as a priority. These high-level documents form a valuable foundation for the implementation of cyber-security and defence in CSDP activities.

For the three most recent EU military missions, an appropriate consideration of cyber-defence aspects was achieved in planning; resilience and protection of command, control and communication information have been implemented successfully.

The missions also identified four lessons for the future:

• Human risk mitigation: The most important aspect of resilience is to prepare the people involved, as the most common ‘cyber-vulnerability’ is the human element. This essentially requires a change in culture and behaviour in handling and working with information and communication technologies, which can be achieved through constant education and by regular cyber-awareness training.
• Early planning: To ensure effective cyber-security and -defence during conduct, it is essential to consider cyber aspects as early as possible during the planning phase.
• Sharing Cyber Intelligence information: Cyber aspects must be included in and seen as part of the overall threat evaluation for the planned operations or missions. Any planning and conduct of cyber-defence has to be supported by continuous cyber-intelligence information. This information is to be provided by the EU’s strategic intelligence structures, underpinned by intensified information-sharing between member states and other partners.
• Increased awareness: Importantly, commanders and their staff must be able to understand detailed cyber-related information. They have to know about the relevance of the cyber domain in today’s conflicts ‒ to be accepted and used as the fifth operational domain equal to land, air, sea and space ‒ and the impact of cyber operations.

In view of the above-mentioned challenges and reflecting the lessons learnt, the EU Military Staff (EUMS) developed a new ‘EU Concept for Cyber Defence for Military Operations and Missions’ in 2016. The aim was to describe the process of an assured and effective consideration of cyber aspects in (military) planning and give means to implement cyber-defence measures in operations and missions, addressing cyber-specific organisational and procedural aspects as well as requirements for member states’ provision of cyber-capabilities for CSDP activities.

The Cyber Defence Concept also defined follow-up activities to implement cyber-defence in CSDP activities. A major task is building up resilience, mainly through education, training and exercises, and the streamlining of the EU’s cyber-defence education and training landscape.

“A key enabler is cooperation with civilian and military partners”

Supported by the EUMS and the member states, the EU Military Training Working Group (EUMTG), the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) are working hand-in-hand on new initiatives for the design, development, conduct and evaluation of training activities and exercises, from awareness training to courses for high-level decision-makers.

A key enabler for this work is cooperation with civilian and military partners. While cyber-expertise from industry and academia is linked into the processes mainly by the EDA and the ESDC, the EUMS interacts closely with NATO on military aspects of cyber-defence. The implementation plan of the EU-NATO Joint Declaration, adopted by the European Council in December 2016, gives a huge impetus also to the common use and development of training and exercises by the two organisations.

The success of cyber-defence in security operations and missions remains dependent on a well-balanced combination of state-of-the-art technology, well-functioning structures and procedures, as well as educated, cyber-aware and competent staff.

But, more than ever, this success has to be enabled by agreements on cooperation and sharing of information on cyber incidents, both with external partners, such as NATO, and internally, across member states and EU institutions.

With likely organisational changes and the integration of civil and military elements in crisis management and response, there is a clear need for an integrated approach to counter cyber- (and hybrid) threats for a stronger stance and more resilience across all military and civilian security and defence activities.

IMAGE CREDIT: CC/Flickr – West Point – The U.S. Military Academy

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