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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 12879

29 January 2022
Contents Publication in full By article 16 / 28
INSTITUTIONAL / Transparency
European Ombudsman criticises Commission for refusing to publish text messages from Ms von der Leyen concerning purchase of Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine
Brussels, 28/01/2022 (Agence Europe)

The European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, criticised the European Commission, on Friday 28 January, for refusing to give information to the press about text messages exchanged between its President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, about the purchase of anti-Covid-19 vaccines.

Ms O’Reilly asked that Ms von der Leyen’s office conduct a more thorough search for these messages and reveal their content, in accordance with the transparency rules applicable to EU...

Contents

SECTORAL POLICIES
MIGRATION: no agreement in EU Council on exceptional measures for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which Warsaw still considers insufficient
MIGRATION: EU Member States open to a step-by-step approach to take forward Pact on Migration and Asylum, but still cautious on substantive elements
INTERNAL MARKET/INDUSTRY: EU Ministers to discuss strategic autonomy and security of supply for Europe
INTERNAL MARKET: Agnès Pannier-Runacher wants to make IPCEI more effective
ENERGY: EU and US pledge to intensify cooperation to ensure Europe’s energy security
ENERGY: a study by Fraunhofer Institute points out limitations of hydrogen blending in European gas grid
BIODIVERSITY: European Commission publishes guidelines and criteria for designation and management of additional protected nature areas
AGRICULTURE: pig meat, Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture calls on Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski to act
ENVIRONMENT: imported deforestation, over 190 organisations call on EU to protect indigenous peoples’ land and human rights
ENVIRONMENT: Zero Waste Europe study reveals contamination of food and vegetation near incinerators in EU
EXTERNAL ACTION
KENYA: EU and Nairobi launch strategic dialogue to deepen their partnership
HUMANITARIAN AID: EU announces €21 million in aid for vulnerable populations in Philippines and Nepal
TRADE: revision of EU action plan on trade and sustainable development will only be published in summer, says Valdis Dombrovskis
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
DEMOCRACY: European Parliament special committee calls on EU to take action against foreign interference and disinformation
RULE OF LAW: European Public Prosecutor’s Office alarmed by ongoing reform of Slovenian penal code
INSTITUTIONAL
TRANSPARENCY: European Ombudsman criticises Commission for refusing to publish text messages from Ms von der Leyen concerning purchase of Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine
BUDGET: European Commission revises 2022 budget upwards by €12 billion
NEWS BRIEFS
CHINA: EU extends anti-dumping duty on Chinese acesulfame potassium
EDUCATION: European political leaders and young citizens discuss learning about sustainable development
ENERGY: European Commission announces publication of more detailed energy statistics in 2022
INDUSTRY: Greens/EFA MEPs concerned about lack of ambition in future strategy for sustainable textiles
MIGRATION: number of asylum applications in November 2021 was highest since 2016
DIGITAL: European Publishers Council urges action to tackle anti-competitive data processing
WTO: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hopes for agreement on Covid-19 vaccine patents by end February
FISHERIES: EU Council endorses regulations on fish catch limits in 2022
REGIONS: European Committee of the Regions awards Paweł Adamowicz Prize for first time
HEALTH: Paxlovid, first orally administered antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 authorised by European Commission
CORRIGENDUM
UKRAINE: US ambassador to Moscow is John Sullivan