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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13304

1 December 2023
Contents Publication in full By article 20 / 40
SECURITY - DEFENCE / Defence
Inflated by acquisition of new equipment, spending reached record levels in 2022, according to EDA
Brussels, 30/11/2023 (Agence Europe)

On Thursday, 30 November, the European Defence Agency (EDA) announced in its annual report on defence data that European defence spending increased 6% in 2022, hitting a record €240 billion. This is the eighth consecutive year of growth, but spending should have reached €316 billion if all Member States had adhered to NATO’s guideline of 2% of GDP.

Of the 27 EU Member States, 20 increased their defence spending—6 of which did so by more than 10%. Sweden (+30.1%),...

Contents

INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: many obstacles still in way of multiannual financial framework revision in run-up to European summit in December
COHESION: post-2027 cohesion policy must offer specific support to regions whose development is lagging behind, according to EU Council
FUTURE OF EU: revision of European treaties should not be on agenda of December European Council
EUROPEAN PARTIES: four candidates to represent European environmentalists in June 2024
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
MEDIA: EU Council and European Parliament reach a provisional political agreement on ‘anti-SLAPP’ directive
MEDIA: as agreement on Media Freedom Act draws closer, EU co-legislators will have to strike balance on journalist surveillance on 15 December
RULE OF LAW: European Commission’s main concern is renewal of Judiciary Council, says Felix Bolaños
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: Katarzyna Starzec and Patrick Hurst talk to European Parliament Transport Committee about inequalities and bureaucratic obstacles to mobility
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: violence against women with disabilities, Sarah Rocha and Ana Peláez denounce forced sterilisation in EU and call for immediate action
SECTORAL POLICIES
HEALTH: Open Strategic Autonomy, combating medicine shortages is a priority for EU Member States
HEALTH: Belgium and other countries call for a “common approach and organisation” by EU for medical evacuations of Gaza citizens
HOME AFFAIRS: Schengen enlargement, EU home affairs ministers will not take a decision on Bulgaria and Romania on 5 December
ENERGY: European Commission highlights challenges and opportunities of green transition for energy-intensive industries
TRANSPORT: MEPs adopt negotiating position on cross-border exchange of information on road traffic offences
DIGITAL: after Noyb, the European Consumer Organisation also attacks Meta for its ‘Pay or Okay’ system
CLIMATE: COP28, European Investment Bank to unveil its first just transition and just resilience approach in Dubai
CIVIL PROTECTION: Janez Lenarčič reiterates his call for greater preparedness in Member States and at EU level for extreme weather events
SECURITY - DEFENCE
DEFENCE: strategic vision, better rules, dual-use and funding will be pillars of European Defence Industrial Strategy, according to Ursula von der Leyen
DEFENCE: military mobility, cyber capabilities and implementation of ‘Strategic Compass’, priorities of Belgian Presidency of EU Council
DEFENCE: inflated by acquisition of new equipment, spending reached record levels in 2022, according to EDA
SPACE: first Ariane 6 launch scheduled for early summer 2024
EXTERNAL ACTION
ACP: COP28, a joint declaration by 27 EU countries and 79 partner countries from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific as a pledge of North/South solidarity
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
TAXATION: María José Garde presents an update on work of Code of Conduct Group
COMPETITION: European Commission suspects operators of having formed a cartel to manipulate price of car starter batteries
STATE AID: for European Commission, AMCO’s involvement in rescue of Ferrarini does not constitute State aid
ECB: ECB selects rivers, birds and European culture most popular with public for euro banknotes
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: MEPs want to know whether European Commission intends to give greater prominence to social criteria in public procurement
EDUCATION - YOUTH - CULTURE - SPORT
YOUTH: with budget of over €4 billion in 2022, Erasmus+ focused on inclusiveness, strengthening European identity and green and digital transitions
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
MIGRATION: EU Court of Justice clarifies obligations of Member States in event of asylum application being lodged in several EU countries
NEWS BRIEFS
AGRICULTURE: Lennart Nilsson is new Cogeca President
HUMANITARIAN AID: EU mobilises €3.5 million in emergency aid for Horn of Africa flooding
STATE AID: European Commission authorises €500 million French aid scheme to support investment in agricultural sector
BELARUS: EU denounces new wave of persecution against pro-democracy forces
ECONOMY: inflation estimated at 2.4% in November in euro area
ENERGY: European Commission confirms list of islands and archipelagos under ‘30 renewable islands for 2030’ initiative
ENERGY: energy consumption in agricultural and forestry sectors stable in 2021
DIGITAL: CCIA calls on future Belgian EU Council Presidency to close digital files “responsibly [and] not rush”
REGIONS: European Committee of Regions calls on EU to strengthen cross-border cooperation in Mediterranean
SOCIAL: BusinessEurope accepts share of responsibility for failure of negotiations on agreement on teleworking and right to disconnect
TRANSPORT: European Commission bans Fly Baghdad from European skies