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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13328

16 January 2024
Contents Publication in full By article 13 / 28
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS / Economy
Second pre-financing payment to Hungarian recovery plan
Brussels, 15/01/2024 (Agence Europe)

On Monday 15 January, the European Commission paid Hungary the sum of €140.1 million, corresponding to the balance of the pre-financing to which Budapest is entitled under the ‘REPowerEU’ chapter of its post-Covid-19 national recovery plan.

This package is in addition to an initial payment, at the end of 2023, of €779.5 million to finance reforms and investments aimed at accelerating the reduction of the European Union’s dependence on Russian hydrocarbons (see EUROPE...

Contents

SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: limited revision of social security coordination regulations, Member States invited by Belgian Presidency of EU Council to express their views on two scenarios
SECTORAL POLICIES
CLIMATE: EU Environment Ministers begin talks on reducing emissions by more than 90% by 2040
CLIMATE: fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances – European Parliament prepares to validate provisional political agreements 
ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE: Belgian Presidency of EU Council launches a ministerial brainstorming session on climate adaptation for European resilience
DIGITAL: European Commission announces extension of its adequacy decisions for transfer of data with 11 third countries
DIGITAL: Commission consults to review Member States’ application of GDPR rules
COMPETITIVENESS: timetable for interinstitutional negotiations on ‘STEP’ platform is suspended pending outcome of European Summit on 1 February
AGRICULTURE: EU Member States call for strategic dialogue on challenges facing agriculture
REGIONS: EU Cohesion Policy supports employment of millions of people and improves energy efficiency
ENERGY: 2022 saw lowest level of nuclear electricity generated since 1990
TRANSPORT: revised measures on weight and dimensions of heavy-duty vehicles “impracticable and ineffective”, according to European rail industry representatives
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
ECOFIN: mobilisation of frozen Russian assets and Belgian Presidency of EU Council’s priorities on agenda of EU countries
ECONOMY: second pre-financing payment to Hungarian recovery plan
STATE AID: European Commission approves Italian scheme worth €120 million for new passenger transport routes to and from Calabria
Russian invasion of Ukraine
ENLARGEMENT: several Member States “surprised” at delay in launching screening process for Ukraine and Moldova
UKRAINE: EU reiterates its support for Kyiv during latest meeting on peace formula
TRADE: Polish government reluctant to extend EU’s special trade policy towards Ukraine
HEALTH: more than 3,000 Ukrainian patients transferred to European hospitals since start of war
EXTERNAL ACTION
MIDDLE EAST: EU welcomes UN resolution condemning Houthi attacks in Red Sea
SERBIA/KOSOVO: European Commission pressing Pristina for final report on investigation into attack on Kosovar police officers last September
TAIWAN: EU welcomes holding of elections, but remains concerned by growing tensions in Taiwan Strait
GUATEMALA: Josep Borrell offers EU’s support to new president Bernardo Arévalo
MERCOSUR: more than twenty European industrial groups call for rapid finalisation of EU-Mercosur trade agreement
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
RULE OF LAW: vote against Hungary on risk of violating European values, petition launched in European Parliament collected 120 signatures
NEWS BRIEFS
ECONOMY: Eurogroup validates a contractionary aggregate fiscal stance for 2024
ECONOMY: Eurogroup adopts work programme for first half of 2024
HAITI: EU sanctions four gang leaders, transposing UN measures
SERBIA: President of Serbian Parliament, Vladimir Orlić, promises new national parliament will be formed “in the coming weeks”