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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13312

13 December 2023
Contents Publication in full By article 12 / 40
SECTORAL POLICIES / Justice
Criminalising breaches of EU sanctions, European Parliament and EU Council reach provisional agreement
Brussels, 12/12/2023 (Agence Europe)

On Tuesday 12 December, negotiators from the European Union institutions reached a provisional political agreement on the directive defining the criminal offences and penalties applicable to breaches of EU restrictive measures. 

This proposal, presented in December 2022 (see EUROPE B13072A24) in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, introduces a common definition of offences and minimum penalties to ensure that they are punished as criminal offences throughout the...

Contents

EXTERNAL ACTION
ENLARGEMENT: European Affairs Ministers defer decision-making on accession process to European leaders
WESTERN BALKANS: EU accession, EU27 leaders welcome their counterparts from Western Balkans to encourage them to focus on reforms and alignment
NEIGHBOURHOOD: European Commission finalises negotiations for Association Agreement with Andorra and San Marino
Russian invasion of Ukraine
RUSSIA: European Commission proposes a framework for confiscating profits generated by frozen Russian state assets
TRANSPORT: Adina Vălean welcomes end of blockade of Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing on Polish-Ukrainian border
SECTORAL POLICIES
FISHERIES: EU countries reach political agreement on fishing opportunities in 2024 in Atlantic and Mediterranean
AGRICULTURE: Member States give mixed review of implementation of CAP national strategic plans in 2023
AGRICULTURE: European Parliament Committee on Agriculture calls for easing of traceability measures for new genomic techniques
CLIMATE: COP28, negotiations prolonged due to issue of phasing out fossil fuels
HEALTH: European Commission publishes EU’s first list of critical medicines
HOME AFFAIRS: negotiators from European Parliament and Spanish Presidency of EU Council agree on terms of directive on freezing and confiscation of assets
JUSTICE: criminalising breaches of EU sanctions, European Parliament and EU Council reach provisional agreement
DIGITAL: MEPs call on European Commission to draw up guidelines on virtual worlds
RESEARCH: European Commission adopts EIC 2024 work programme, opening funding opportunities worth over €1.2 billion
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
DEMOCRACY: defence of democracy, European Commission announces legislative package to strengthen transparency and civic engagement
RULE OF LAW: EU Council satisfied with functioning and results of annual dialogue mechanism on rule of law, with exception of Hungary and Poland
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: European Parliament/EU Council agreement on review of national bodies for protection of equal treatment
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: digital platform workers, new European Parliament/EU Council negotiating session potentially conclusive 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY
HUMAN RIGHTS: individuals representing Jina Mahsa Amini and ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in Iran receive 2023 Sakharov Prize
EP2024: European Parliament wants “a clear and credible link” between results of European elections and election of Commission President
FOREIGN AFFAIRS/DEVELOPMENT: for European Parliament, no question of reducing budget for NDICI-Global Europe financial instrument
COMPETITIVENESS: MEPs approve text of provisional agreement on Critical Raw Materials Act
ENERGY: nuclear, European Parliament supports development of small modular reactors in EU
TRANSPORT: European Parliament adopts its position on revision of rules governing occasional passenger transport sector
DIGITAL: MEPs call on European Commission to propose new legislation to combat addictive techniques on digital platforms
AGRICULTURE: European Parliament calls for origin of honey to be clearly labelled
ACP: Samoa Agreement, European Parliament decides to set up four interparliamentary delegations
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
COMPANIES: EU Council and European Parliament seek compromise on directive governing corporate due diligence
ECONOMY: reform of Stability and Growth Pact, MEPs ready to negotiate with EU Council
COMPETITION: European Commission authorises, subject to conditions, merger of biotechnology companies Novozymes A/S and Christian Hansen A/S
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET/RULE OF LAW: thawing of €10 billion in EU funds for Hungary still under consideration
EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS: EU Council appoints two new European auditors
SECURITY - DEFENCE
CSDP: EU Council underlines added value of civilian CSDP missions
NEWS BRIEFS
DEMOGRAPHY: EU Council approves Commission’s strategy for tackling consequences of demographic ageing
ENERGY: European Commission announces inauguration of Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector
KENYA: economic agreement with Nairobi ratified by EU Council
EASTERN PARTNERSHIP: European and Partnership ministers pledge to intensify efforts to implement Eastern Partnership resilience and reform programme
PHILIPPINES: EU “concerned” by provocative actions in South China Sea
POLAND: primacy of European law, recent decision of Polish Constitutional Tribunal only confirms concerns of European Commission
CSDP: EU strengthens its civilian CSDP mission in Armenia