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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13144

18 March 2023
Contents Publication in full By article 4 / 29
SECTORAL POLICIES / Environment
Revision of Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, EU Member States want clarification and more realistic deadlines
Brussels, 17/03/2023 (Agence Europe)

EU environment ministers welcome the October 2022 proposal to revise Directive 91/271/EEC on urban waste water treatment (see EUROPE B13051A2). However, their political debate at the Environment Council on Thursday 16 March showed that they are still struggling to agree on this text of the Zero Pollution Package, which is considered extremely demanding, with unrealistic timetables and considerable costs.

They thus confirmed the difficulties identified so far by the Swedish Presidency of...

Contents

BEACONS
Beacons: Germany’s not-so-sincere cooperation
SECTORAL POLICIES
ENERGY: negotiations continue in EU Council to find a compromise on ‘gas’ package
ENERGY: Norway will maintain its enhanced level of gas deliveries over next five years
ENVIRONMENT: revision of Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, EU Member States want clarification and more realistic deadlines
GMOs: new generation GMOs – Austria, supported by eight countries, calls for application of precautionary principle
FOOD SAFETY: imposing pesticide reduction targets without agronomic solutions “would affect food safety”, says Clara Aguilera
FOOD SAFETY: pesticides, CoR calls for creation of pest management fund
AGRICULTURE: call for applications to join future EU Fertilisers Market Observatory
FISHERIES: EU fishermen’s coalition attacks European Commission for ‘unlawful inaction’ on electrofishing
COHESION: Cohesion Alliance consults European regions on future of cohesion policy post-2027
DIGITAL/HOME AFFAIRS: forty MEPs call on French Parliament to stop its plan to allow AI-enabled mass surveillance at 2024 Olympics
EXTERNAL ACTION
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: foreign affairs ministers to discuss Ukraine, Tunisia, Iran and ‘Strategic Compass’ on Monday 20 March
NORTH MACEDONIA: EU calls on Skopje to continue reforms
HUMANITARIAN AID: EU announces €75 million in emergency aid for Venezuelan refugees and their host communities
INSTITUTIONAL
DEMOCRACY: European political parties, revised mandate for Swedish Presidency of EU Council
GENERAL AFFAIRS: preparation of European Council, relations with UK and dialogue on rule of law on agenda of EU countries
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
STATE AID: European Commission partially withdraws its decision on Italian illegal aid to airlines in Sardinia
STATE AID: European Commission gives green light to revised rules for fisheries and aquaculture sector
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT: Member States confirm agreement with European Parliament on European Year of Skills
NEWS BRIEFS
AGRICULTURE: Copa-Cogeca criticises EU Council’s position on industrial emissions directive
AGRICULTURE: European Commission registers Bulgarian product as ‘Traditional Speciality Guaranteed’
BANKS: European Banking Authority handbook to facilitate benchmarking of risk exposures of certain European banks
BUDGET: European Commission proposes slight correction to 2023 EU budget
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: after conviction of a safe abortion campaigner in Poland, two MEPs call on EU to act
ECONOMY: euro area inflation confirmed at 8.5% in February
ECONOMY: stakeholders invited to comment on implementation of Recovery and Resilience Facility
ENERGY: seven Member States urge European Commission not to include low-carbon hydrogen in renewable energy targets
ENERGY: more than 40 NGOs denounce application of about 150 hydrogen projects to be recognised as ‘Projects of Common Interest’
RESEARCH: strong participation in EIC call offering European support to innovative, high-risk projects