Following the post-Cold War reset, EU-Russia relations have been strained, not least by Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, to which the EU responded with hard-hitting sanctions. Putin’s support for rebel groups in eastern Ukraine, his policies in the neighbourhood, disinformation campaigns and Russia’s intervention in Syria just added fuel to the fire... And yet, the two remain closely interdependent… So, how to deal with Putin’s Russia?

EPRS policy podcast - The EU and Russia: Locked into confrontation

Frans Timmermans, born on 6 May 1961 in Maastricht, is a Dutch politician. Timmermans is Executive Vice-President and Commissioner designate for European Green Deal.

After the hearing by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President-designate

Valdis Dombrovskis, born on 5 August 1971 in Riga, is a Latvian politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009. Dombrovskis is Executive Vice-President-Commissioner designate for&nbsp;An Economy that Works for People

After the hearing by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Valdis DOMBROVSKIS, Executive Vice-President-designate

On 5 April Ursula von der Leyen announced in the European Parliament that EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn had&nbsp;informed the Hungarian authorities about the Commission’s plans to “move on to the next step” and formally “launch the <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220304IPR24802/rule-of-law-conditionality-commission-must-immediately-initiate-proceedings" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">rule of law conditionality mechanism</a>” to protect the EU budget, mainly over corruption concerns.

Rule of law is laid down in the EU treaties as one of the values on which the Union is based. It means that governments should be bound by law&nbsp;not to take arbitrary decisions, and that citizens should be able to challenge their actions in independent courts.

It also enshrines the fight against corruption, which unfairly favours some to the detriment of others, and the safeguarding of media freedom, thus ensuring that the public is properly informed about the work of government.

The EU has existing tools at its disposal to protect the rule of law. In&nbsp;September 2020, the European Commission published the first annual rule of law&nbsp;report monitoring both positive and negative developments with regard to the rule of law in all member states. In July 2021 the second edition of the report was published.

There is also&nbsp;dialogue on the rule of law in the Council.

If the Commission deems that a member state is violating EU law, it can start infringement proceedings that may lead to financial sanctions determined by the European Court of Justice. Another procedure, under Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union, allows the Council to make recommendations or decide by unanimity on sanctions against a member state, including the suspension of membership rights.&nbsp;MEPs have argued that existing tools are insufficient.

​Under the new regulation, effective from January 2021, EU budget payments can be witheld from countries where established breaches of the rule of law compromise management of EU funds. At the same time, the EU ensures that final beneficiaries do not end up paying the bill.

Rule of law

EU leaders met&nbsp;for a European Council summit on 23-24 March 2023. The main items on the agenda were&nbsp;the ongoing war in Ukraine, the competitive of the European single market and the economy, as well as energy prices and logistics.

In the conclusions the leaders stated that the European Union stands firmly and fully with Ukraine and will continue to provide strong political, economic, military, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.

The European Union and Member States are increasing their efforts to help meet Ukraine’s pressing military and defence needs. The European Council welcomed&nbsp;the agreement in the Council to urgently deliver ground-to-ground and artillery ammunition to Ukraine and, if requested, missiles, including through joint procurement and the mobilisation of appropriate funding including through the European Peace Facility.

“We need to strengthen our solidarity with Ukraine, and boost Europe’s investments and competitiveness”, said&nbsp;&nbsp;European Parliament President Roberta Metsola at the European Council.&nbsp;Peace must remain the ultimate goal and the EU is uniquely placed to help that. But in order for there to be peace there must be a Ukraine. And there will not be without our support.”, she added.

European Council, 23-24 March 2023

The Republic of Ireland covers five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The north-eastern part of the island is Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. There are 11 members of the European Parliament from Ireland.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;plenary is&nbsp;commemorating&nbsp;the 25th anniversary of the Northern Ireland peace agreement on 29 March.&nbsp;&nbsp;Presidents Metsola, Michel and von der Leyen will take the floor, followed by a round of political groups interventions.

EU - Ireland

Dubravka Suica, born on 20 May 1957 in Dubrovnik, is a Croatian politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2013.

After the hearing by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Dubravka ŠUICA, Vice-President-designate, Democracy and Demograp

Full gender equality is far from being achieved, and this has implications for the lives and life chances of individual women, girls, boys and men, the communities they live in and the EU as a whole. The European Parliament has consistently taken a strong, proactive stance on advancing gender equality, stressing the need to deliver on EU commitments.

The EP´s Committee of Women´s rights and Gender equality (FEMM) is in the heart of these discussions.

Options for further EU involvement could include better implementation and enforcement of existing legislation, moves to modernise it, fill gaps in protection and address emerging issues, and non-legislative measures such as data collection and monitoring, awareness-raising, and support for national and grassroots initiatives.

Promoting equal economic independence for women and men, closing the gender pay gap, advancing gender balance in decision making, ending gender based violence and promoting gender equality beyond the EU are the concrete areas of interest for the EU.

Gender balance

The GFA, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on 10 April 1998 by the British and Irish governments, and confirmed by referendums in Ireland and Northern Ireland in May the same year. The agreement established devolved political power-sharing structures for the nationalist and unionist communities in Northern Ireland, and brought the 30-year period of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, to an end.

On Wednesday, Presidents Metsola, Michel and von der Leyen&nbsp;participated in a ceremony in plenary to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) and address MEPs, followed by one round of interventions from political group speakers.

25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement

Sylvie Goulard, born on 6 December 1964 in Marseille, is a French politician.

After the hearing by the Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Sylvie GOULARD, Commissioner-designate, Internal Market

On 6 April, during the plenary session, MEPs assessed the application of asylum rules in the EU and the allegations of breaches of the right to asylum and non-refoulement. MEPs referred to reports of pushbacks at different EU borders such as the Greek-Turkish border and the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish borders with Belarus. Besides insisting on the need to guarantee decent reception conditions for people seeking international protection in the EU, they called&nbsp;for the principle of international law in Article 33 of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the return of refugees to countries where their lives may be threatened, to be respected.

Europe has a duty to respect the need for international protectoin of people in need, in accordance with the Geneva Convention. The EU has put in place a Common European Asylum System in 2013. It sets minimum standards for the treatment of all asylum seekers and applications across the EU.

The migration crisis highlighted the&nbsp;need to reform&nbsp;EU asylum rules.Under current rules, asylum seekers are not treated uniformly across the EU and the proportion of positive asylum decisions in different countries also varies greatly. As a result of this asylum seekers travel around Europe and apply for asylum in the countries where they believe they will have a higher chance of receiving international protection.

As part of a more general reform of EU migration and asylum rules, on 23 September 2020 the European Commission proposed a&nbsp;new pact on migration and asylum. The proposal provides for a comprehensive common European framework for migration and asylum management, including several legislative proposals.&nbsp;

There are also previous legislative proposals from 2016 that have not been affected by the new Commission's proposal, and on which progress has already been achieved.

Concerning the budget, in July the European Parliament adopted two funds for asylum and border policies- the&nbsp;&nbsp;Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (€9.88 billion) and the&nbsp;Integrated Border Management Fund (€6.24 billion) -&nbsp;intended to strenghten EU´s common asylum policy, develop legal migration, fight&nbsp;against irregular&nbsp;migration&nbsp;and&nbsp;strengthen EU&nbsp;external border management.

Asylum

Since the beginning of the pandemic COVID-19, the EU has developed a wide range of health policy responses, exemplified by the common approach to vaccines through the EU Vaccines Strategy and initiatives across a range of other policies.

A common approach to assessing infection rates in different regions made testing and quarantining much more consistent. EU Digital COVID Certificates were agreed on and implemented in record time, paving the way for the safe resumption of tourism and travel during summer, and beyond.

At the same time, the EU took decisive action to tackle the economic fallout of the pandemic with funds and special economic aid for&nbsp;Member states, entreprises and citizens.

The EU Health Union is underway with&nbsp;reinforcing the mandates of the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, addressing cross-border threats to health and creating a future-proof EU pharmaceutical policy. MEPs obtained better support for the EU4Health programme in the 2022 EU budget, with an additional €51 million to build up a strong Health Union and to make national health systems more resilient.

Effective coordination of national measures as well as solidarity among member states together with the importance of&nbsp;making national health systems more sustainable and resilient are the main challenges of the EU, learned from&nbsp;the&nbsp;COVID-19 pandemic.

EU's response to COVID-19

The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) have two main goals: to create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected and to establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally.

The&nbsp;Digital Services Act (DSA)&nbsp;aims to create a safer digital space in which users rights are protected, including rules to tackle illegal content online, enhance the accountability and transparency of algorithms, and dealing with content moderation and targeted advertising.

Digital Markets Act&nbsp; (DMA) sets rules on what big online platforms will be allowed to do and not do in the EU. It&nbsp;blacklists certain practices of large platforms acting as “gatekeepers” and enables the Commission to carry out market investigations and sanction non-compliant behaviour.

Digital Services and Digital Markets Act

Josep Borrell Fontelles, born on 24 April 1947 in La Pobla de Segur, is a Spanish politician. He was Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009 and President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007. Borrell is High Representative/Vice-President designate for foreign affairs and security policy.

After the hearing by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament, the committee prepares an evaluation letter on the candidate.

Hearing of Josep BORRELL, EU´s High Representative

Vĕra Jourova, born on 18 August 1964 in Třebíč, is a Czech politician and lawyer.

After the hearing by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Věra JOUROVÁ, Vice-President-designate, Values and Transparency

Thierry Breton, born on 15 January 1955 in Paris, is a French businessman and former Finance Minister.

After the hearing by the Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate.

Hearing of Thierry BRETON, Commissioner-designate, Internal Market

Mariya Gabriel, born on 20 May 1979 in Gotse Delchev, is a Bulgarian politician. She has been a European Commissioner since 2017.

After the hearing by the Committees on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament, the committees prepare an evaluation letter on the candidate. Parliament is expected to vote on the new Commission as a whole on 23 October.

Hearing of Mariya GABRIEL, Commissioner-designate, Innovation and Youth

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Bratislava (Slovakia) - Meeting with Zuzana ČAPUTOVÁ, President of Slovakia

Launch of the 20 KM of Brussels race

Debate with Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Ingrida ŠIMONYTĖ, Lithuanian Prime Minister, Eduard HEGER, Former Slovak Prime Minister and Kevin BARON, Executive Director "Defense One" at Globsec Security Conference - "Pesky populists: Who is winning the battle of ideas?"

ING2 - AFET

Committee on Regional Development

Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries

AFET - INTA

Committee on Budgetary Control - Item 11

Committee on Budgetary Control

Address by Roberta METSOLA, EP President at the Plenary sitting of the Austrian National Council, Official visit to Vienna (Austria)

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

Euroscola

Committee on Transport and Tourism - Interparliamentary Committee Meeting

ENVI in association with AGRI and PETI

Committee on Culture and Education

Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Committee on International Trade

Committee on Petitions

AFET - DEVE

During her official visit to Bratislava (Slovakia), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, meets with Zuzana ČAPUTOVÁ, President of Slovakia. Extracts from the arrival, welcome and roundtable.

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Bratislava (Slovakia): meeting with Zuzana ČAPUTOVÁ, President of Slovakia

The start of the 43rd edition of the famous “20 kilometers of Brussels” race took place on Sunday 28th May 2023 at the Parc du Cinquantenaire. The beginnings are given by various political personalities, including Roberta Metsola EP president

Launch of the 43rd edition of the 20 km of Brussels by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, attends the opening ceremony of the Europa Experience in Vienna, alongside the Federal President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. Extracts from the opening ceremony. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Vienna (Austria): Meeting with Alexander Van der BELLEN, Federal President of Austria and extracts from the opening ceremony of the Europa Experience

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Austria (Vienna). She and Alexander Van der BELLEN, Federal President of Austria, give their opening statement at the Europa Experience, a project that let's the visitors explore how Europeans work together to tackle the EU's most important challenges. Using cutting-edge multimedia tools, people can find out how the European Union works, how it affects their daily lives and how they can make a difference. All visits to Europa Experiences are free of charge and available in all 24 official European Union languages. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Opening ceremony of the Europa Experience in Vienna: statements by Alexander Van der BELLEN, Federal President of Austria, and by Roberta METSOLA, EP President

MEPs from the Agriculture Committee adopted a report on the reform of EU rules for registering and protecting geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, and quality schemes for agricultural products. This infoclip illustrates several EU products such as ham, wine, olive oil and cheese.

Infoclip: Geographical indications for wine and agricultural products

While in Vienna, The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, participates in a Town Hall discussion with young Austrian students. Extracts from the Town Hall discussion. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, to Vienna (Austria): Extracts from the Town Hall discussion with young students

This tutorial offers a step by step guide on how to access and best utilise the streaming of the European Parliament on the Multimedia Centre. Streaming 4.0 enables users to browse the agenda for live or recorded streams. The user can trim/clip parts of the video by selecting a time code or through the slider bar. Furthermore, the users can customise the videos by selecting the preferred language and the quality of the image. The videos can then be downloaded directly and also be shared via social media or email.

Multimedia Centre Streaming and Clipping tutorial

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, visits Vienna and addresses the Austrian Parliament, where she meets Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the National Council, and Günter KOVACS, the President of the Federal Council.

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Vienna (Austria): extracts from the address to the Plenary sitting, meeting with Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the National Council, meeting with Günter KOVACS, the President of the Federal Council

European citizens have repeatedly demanded an end to the harmful use of animals in cosmetics and other chemical tests, as well as an ambitious plan to bring all experiments on animals to an end.The Save cruelty free cosmetics European Citizens' Initiative closed on 31 August 2022 with 1,413,383 signatures collected in one year. This is the second ECI on this issue that has surpassed the one million signature mark, the first being Stop Vivisection in 2015. This infoclip shows cosmetics and cruelty free logos in a make-up store and a drugstore, close-ups of different types of cosmetics and a professional make-up artist at work.

Infoclip: Cruelty free cosmetics

MEPs from the EP Committees on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and on Petitions (PETI) debate animal testing in cosmetics with the initiators of a citizen’s initiative to secure better animal welfare and environmental protection, in a public hearing. The European Citizens’ Initiative on “Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics”, with nearly 1.5 million signature collected in one year, wants the EU to strengthen its animal testing ban

European Citizens’ Initiative - "Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing": extracts from the event and statements - ENVI, AGRI and PETI Committees

Roberta METSOLA, EP President, gives an address to the working dinner of the "25 years of European Central Bank" organised in Frankfurt, Germany. The transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please, check against delivery.

Address by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to the "25 years of European Central Bank" working dinner

Načelo „zagađivač plaća” u središtu je sustava trgovine emisijama (ETS) Europske unije. U travnju 2023. Europski parlament usvojio je ambiciozno zakone za ažuriranje ETS-a i smanjenje emisija stakleničkih plinova. Novi sustav će osigurati da više industrija plaća za svoje emisije i potaknuti više ulaganja u zelene tehnologije. Revidirani ETS dio je zakona EU-a „Fit for 55” za rješavanje klimatske krize. Saznajte više u našim kratkim, animiranim pitanjima i odgovorima

Objašnjenje ažuriranog sustava trgovine emisijama

MEPs on the Environment Committee vote on their position on the revision of EU industrial emissions rules that currently cover over 30,000 large industrial plants and 20,000 intensive livestock farms. The revision aims to stimulate the green transition of large industries, with significant health and environmental benefits. Statement by Radan KANEV (PPE, BG) and extracts from the vote. The transcription is the result of an automated process.

Amending directive on EU industrial emissions: statement by Radan KANEV (PPE, BG) and extracts from the vote - ENVI Committee

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Krišjanis KARIŅŠ, Latvian Prime Minister. Arrival, and welcome roundtable

Roberta METSOLA, EP President meets with Krišjanis KARIŅŠ, Latvian Prime Minister

Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Krišjanis KARIŅŠ, Latvian Prime Minister give a statement during a press point ahead of their official meeting.

Press point by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Krišjanis KARIŅŠ, Latvian Prime Minister

Arba KOKALARI (EPP, SE) and Łukasz KOHUT (S&D, PL), give a press conference in the European Parliament, on the EU ratification of Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women. The Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence is a major human rights treaty establishing comprehensive legal standards to ensure women’s right to be free from violence. Resulting from the Council of Europe’s continuous efforts since the 1990’s to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, this European legal instrument was negotiated by its 47 member states and adopted on 7 April 2011 by its Committee of Ministers. It is known as the Istanbul Convention after the city in which it opened for signature on 11 May 2011. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Arba KOKALARI (EPP, SE) and Łukasz KOHUT (S&amp;D, PL), on the EU ratification of Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women

MEPs of LIBE Committee vote on Parliament's mandate on the revision of the EU rules on criminal asset recovery and confiscation. The draft bill would extend the scope of the EU's confiscation rules, ensure that all member states can quickly and effectively seize criminal assets, and close loopholes in the existing rules. Extracts from the vote and statement by Loránt VINCZE (EPP, RO), Rapporteur.

Criminal asset recovery and confiscation: extracts from the vote and statement by Loránt VINCZE (EPP, RO), Rapporteur

Yannis VARDAKASTANIS, President of the European Disability Forum (EDF), gives an opening statement ahead of the event "Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU". This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

European Parliament of persons with disabilities - "Building an inclusive future for persons with disabilities in the EU": statement by Yannis VARDAKASTANIS, President of the European Disability Forum (EDF)

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EPRS policy podcast - The EU and Russia: Locked into confrontation