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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13345

8 February 2024
Contents Publication in full By article 16 / 42
SECTORAL POLICIES / Competitiveness
Provisional agreement on ‘STEP’ platform between European Parliament and EU Council
Brussels, 07/02/2024 (Agence Europe)

This week saw a succession of agreements reached in inter-institutional negotiations (‘trilogues’): in the early hours of Wednesday 7 February, negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Council reached agreement on the ‘STEP’ regulation, which introduces the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform. It will encourage investment in certain technologies to make the EU more competitive in strategic sectors. The text is indirectly linked to that on the Net-Zero Industry Act...

Contents

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY
AGRICULTURE: quarrels and few proposals in European Parliament on how to help farmers out of crisis
AGRICULTURE: European Parliament ratifies its position on\ rules governing new genomic techniques
ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE: water resilience, MEPs eagerly awaiting European strategy
FUTURE OF EU: Romania must become full member of Schengen area “as soon as possible”, says Klaus Iohannis
DEMOCRACY: in case of Tatjana Ždanoka, MEPs are preparing to call for an investigation to be opened “without delay” to determine “appropriate criminal proceedings”
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: Margarítis Schinás urges European Parliament to make civic commitment in EU against acts of hatred, antisemitism and Islamophobia
RULE OF LAW: European Parliament deplores deterioration of fundamental rights in Greece, particularly as regards media freedom
FINANCE: European Parliament ratifies introduction of instant credit transfers in euro
ANGOLA: European Parliament gives green light to ratification of Investment Facilitation Agreement with Luanda
VENEZUELA: EU calls for “full” implementation of Barbados Agreement
SEAS: MEPs criticise Norway’s decision to start mining Arctic seabed
TRANSPORT: European Parliament authorises France to negotiate with United Kingdom on Cross-Channel Tunnel
SOCIAL: European Parliament approves new occupational exposure limit values for lead and diisocyanates
HOME AFFAIRS: Regarding online child pornography content, MEPs can begin negotiations with Council of EU on derogation from e-Privacy Directive
FISHERIES: European Parliament ratifies management and control measures in Atlantic and Mediterranean
SECTORAL POLICIES
COMPETITIVENESS: provisional agreement on ‘STEP’ platform between European Parliament and EU Council
COMPETITIVENESS: Belgian Presidency of EU Council wants to make recommendations to next Commission for robust Single market
HOME AFFAIRS: reform of Schengen Borders Code – European Parliament and EU Council agree on a better framework for internal border controls
CLIMATE: 2040 climate target, CAN Europe says aiming for a 90% reduction is not enough
CLIMATE/ENERGY: decisions on biomass management in Europe are urgently needed if EU’s climate objectives are to be met, says European Environment Agency
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: European Parliament/EU Council agreement on revision of Multiannual Financial Framework
EP2024: French Reconquête! party joins family of European conservatives
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: digital platform workers, despite absence of revised mandate, Belgian Presidency of EU Council will seek solutions with European Parliament on 8 February
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
FINANCE: EU Council and European Parliament reach an agreement on revision of ‘EMIR’
ECONOMY: uncertainty over ability of European Parliament and EU Council to finalise reform of Stability Pact
TAXATION: fight against harmful tax practices is intensifying, according to OECD
COMPETITION: European Commission suspects Greek electricity supplier PPC of predatory practices
SECURITY - DEFENCE
NATO: according to Jens Stoltenberg, there is no imminent threat against a NATO ally
EXTERNAL ACTION
WESTERN BALKANS: Court of Auditors considers that conditions for disbursement under growth plan for Balkans are “not ambitious enough”
TURKEY: European Commission signs €400 million agreement with Turkey to support recovery following 2023 earthquakes
Russian invasion of Ukraine
UKRAINE: Ukrainian leaders call on EU to do more to deliver ammunition to their country
CSDP: EUAM Ukraine trains members of Ukrainian National Police and Guard
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
STATE AID: EU General Court once again annuls €3.4 billion in aid to KLM
BREACHES OF EU LAW
ENVIRONMENT: six Member States referred to EU Court of Justice for failure to finalise revision of their water plans
BIODIVERSITY: nature conservation, European Commission refers Portugal for second time to CJEU for failure to comply with previous Court judgment
JUSTICE: European Commission takes Belgium and Luxembourg to EU Court of Justice for incomplete transposition of right of access to lawyer upon arrest
RULE OF LAW: European Commission opens infringement proceedings against Hungarian law on defence of national sovereignty
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: EU Agency for Fundamental Rights highlights diversity of national systems and calls for greater child protection collaboration
NEWS BRIEFS
COMPETITION: European Commission defends its antitrust approach
ENERGY: in 2023, wind energy generated more electricity than gas in EU for first time, according to Ember analysis
RESEARCH: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, calls for proposals will be worth over €1.23 billion in 2024
SERBIA: despite irregularities observed during vote and demands for independent enquiry, members of new Serbian Parliament are sworn in