European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
European Union
Brexit: Towards the end-game [What Think Tanks are thinking]
There is now growing doubt about possible progress on the future relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Continue reading
The State of the Union 2020 [What Think Tanks are thinking]
In what has now become a tradition, every year in September, the President of the European Commission delivers the State of the Union address before the 2020 European Parliament, taking stock of achievements over the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. Continue reading
Understanding the EU response to organised crime [Policy Podcast]
The EU has made substantial progress in terms of protecting its citizens since the early 1990s, often in response to dramatic incidents, such as mafia or other organised crime group murders, big money-laundering scandals, a steep increase in migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings following the 2015 migration crisis, or – more recently – a sharp rise in cybercrime, fraud and counterfeiting during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Outcome of the European Council video-conference of 19 August 2020
The European Council video-conference meeting of 19 August 2020 was called by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, due to the increasingly worrying situation in Belarus after the recent national elections. Continue reading
Outcome of the Special European Council meeting of 17-21 July 2020
After almost five days of negotiations, the European Council finally reached a political agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021 to 2027 and a specific recovery instrument following the coronavirus crisis – Next Generation EU (NGEU) – together totalling €1 824.3 billion. Continue reading
Review of EU Enforcement Regulation for trade disputes [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 12 December 2019, the European Commission adopted a proposal to amend Regulation (EU) No 654/2014 concerning the exercise of the EU’s rights for the application and enforcement of international trade rules (‘the Enforcement Regulation’) of 15 May 2014. Continue reading
Negotiations on the next MFF and the EU recovery instrument: Key issues ahead of the July European Council
The current multiannual financial framework (MFF), also known as the EU’s long-term budget, comes to an end this year. Continue reading
Jacques Delors: Architect of the modern European Union
The consensus among most historians of European integration and political scientists is that Jacques Delors, who served as President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, was the most successful holder of that post to date. His agenda and accomplishments include the EU single market, the Single European Act, Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the rapid integration of the former German Democratic Republic into the European Community. His combination of coherent agenda-setting and strong negotiating skills, acquired through long experience of trade union bargaining and years of ministerial responsibilities in turbulent times, puts Delors above other Commission Presidents, whether in terms of institutional innovation or the development of new Europe-wide policies. He also showed himself able to react swiftly to external events, notably the collapse of the Soviet bloc, whilst building Europe’s credibility on the international stage. This Briefing records Delors’ life across its crucial stages, from trade union activist, senior civil servant, French politician, and Member of the European Parliament, to the helm of the European Commission, where he left the greatest individual impact on European integration history to date. It also traces the most important ideas that guided Delors in his national and European roles. Finally, it describes the political events and key actors which made Delors’ decade in office a time of important decisions and progress in the process of European integration and, in doing so, it draws on recent academic literature and on speeches Delors gave in the European Parliament. Continue reading
Outlook for the special European Council meeting of 17-18 July 2020
Based on an updated ‘negotiating box’ presented by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on 10 July, the special meeting of the European Council on 17-18 July will aim at finding a political agreement on the EU recovery fund, entitled ‘Next Generation EU’, and the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the 2021-27 seven-year financing period. Continue reading
The right to disconnect
According to Eurofound, the ‘right to disconnect’ refers to a worker’s right to be able to disconnect from work and refrain from engaging in work-related electronic communication, such as emails and other messages, during non-work hours and holidays. Continue reading
States of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis: Situation in certain Member States IV
With the virulence of the coronavirus pandemic gradually diminishing, and in the light of the restrictive measures adopted by Member States, attention remains on the way chosen by the various states to respond to the crisis. Continue reading
EU-China relations: Taking stock after the 2020 EU-China Summit
The 22nd EU-China Summit, originally scheduled for March 2020, was postponed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. While other summits were simply cancelled or postponed indefinitely, the EU and China decided to hold the summit by video-link, on 22 June 2020. Continue reading
Cross-border regional healthcare cooperation to combat the coronavirus pandemic
The pandemic has led to a situation where the healthcare systems of European regions have been heavily over‑burdened, with more patients to treat than they have capacity for. Continue reading
Single market and the pandemic: Impacts, EU action and recovery [Policy Podcast]
The coronavirus crisis caused an asymmetric shock to both supply and demand in the EU, inflicting unprecedented economic harm: the deep recession in 2020 is likely to be followed by a fragile recovery in 2021. Continue reading
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: During the pandemic and beyond
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is a decentralised European Union (EU) agency based in Stockholm, Sweden. Continue reading
States of emergency in response to the coronavirus crisis: Situation in certain Member States III
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has prompted countries to take extensive and far-reaching measures to tackle the consequences of the outbreak. Apart from curbing the spread of the disease, these measures have also posed legal and economic challenges, significantly affecting people’s lives. Continue reading
CSDP missions and coronavirus
As Covid-19 adds increased pressure on international security, the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations have been adapted and contributed to the mitigation of the effects of the pandemic in host countries. Continue reading
Outlook for the European Council video-conference of 18-19 June 2020
The European Council meeting on 19 June, to be held by video-conference, will be almost exclusively dedicated to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the proposed new EU recovery fund, dubbed ‘Next Generation EU’. Continue reading
EU agricultural policy and climate change [Policy Podcast]
In December 2019, the European Parliament declared a climate and environmental emergency in Europe and across the globe – a recognition of the challenges that the EU faces in this area. Continue reading
Understanding EU data protection policy [Policy Podcast]
The near-ubiquity of data in the lives of ordinary people, along with its exponential growth in generation rate and potential misuse, has made the protection of personal information an increasingly important social, legal and political matter for the EU. Continue reading
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