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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13350

15 February 2024
Contents Publication in full By article 20 / 40
SECURITY - DEFENCE / Nato
18 Allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defence in 2024, according to Jens Stoltenberg
Brussels, 14/02/2024 (Agence Europe)

The day before a meeting of NATO defence ministers, the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, announced that he expected “18 Allies to spend 2% of their GDP in defence” in 2024.

“That is another record number. And a six-fold increase from 2014, when only three Allies met the target”, the Secretary General was pleased to say. In 2014, the Allies committed to spending 2% of their GDP on defence by 2024.

Mr Stoltenberg also announced that, since 2014, the European Allies and...

Contents

EXTERNAL ACTION
MIDDLE EAST: Spanish and Irish leaders ask Commission to verify whether Israel respects human rights in Gaza
MIDDLE EAST: EU’s financial support for UNRWA is a political signal, according to Marta Lorenzo
WTO: WTO members should start a structured dialogue on industrial subsidies
Russian invasion of Ukraine
TRADE: Taras Kachka wants to reintroduce rationality into debate on Ukrainian agricultural exports to EU
SECTORAL POLICIES
COMPETITIVENESS: an efficient system, but still in need of improvement, Commission unveils its report on competitiveness of internal market
DIGITAL: Cyber Solidarity Act, Parliament/EU Council negotiations on information sharing between Member States continue, with hopes for agreement on 5 March
TRANSPORT: MEPs advocate increasing maximum weight and length of mega-trucks
TRANSPORT: MEPs adopt their position on European Cycling Declaration
CIRCULAR ECONOMY: revision of Waste Framework Directive, MEPs adopt their position on reducing food and textile waste
RESEARCH: ministers discuss future of European research framework programmes, interdisciplinarity and industrial decarbonisation
MIGRATION: MEPs approve political agreements reached with EU Council on ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’
HOME AFFAIRS: removal of terrorist content online, Member States have issued 349 removal orders to platforms since June 2022
ENERGY: head of IEA stresses need for cooperation between investors, industry and governments to drive transition to clean energy
CLIMATE: Wopke Hoekstra calls for no technological solution to be ruled out in pursuit of 2040 climate target
CLIMATE: Ottmar Edenhofer calls on EU countries to rapidly implement Fit for 55 package and remove fossil fuel subsidies
PLANTS: MEPs propose creation of EU Plant Health Emergency Team
AGRICULTURE: Ursula von der Leyen invited to attend Agriculture Council on 26 February
ENVIRONMENT: MEPs approve Parliament/Council provisional agreement to extend European environmental economic accounts
TOURISM: European professionals call for tourism to be put on political agenda
SECURITY - DEFENCE
NATO: 18 Allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defence in 2024, according to Jens Stoltenberg
NATO: Mircea Geoană supports development of European defence industry
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: European Parliament negotiators clarify their support for provisional agreement reached with EU Council on a revision of EU budget
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
PAYMENTS: MEPs call for greater protection for payment service users
EMU: draft ‘Berger’ report granting legal tender status to euro banknotes and coins is well received by European Parliament
EMU: Piero Cipollone highlights progress of ECB’s technical work on digital euro project
ECONOMY: GDP in euro area stable in fourth quarter of 2023
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: coordination of social security schemes, Frank Vandenbroucke criticised at European Parliament for lack of will from Belgian Presidency of EU Council
SOCIAL: European Works Councils, MEPs will continue to try to improve proposal put forward by European Commission
EDUCATION - YOUTH - CULTURE - SPORT
EDUCATION: Joanna Goodey and Pascale Falek call for a global response to antisemitism in Europe, focusing on education and protection of Jewish cultural heritage
NEWS BRIEFS
HOME AFFAIRS: reform of Schengen Borders Code, Member States give their assent to political agreement reached with European Parliament
AGRICULTURE: MEPs endorse compromise text on honey labelling
FUTURE OF EU: beEU 2024 citizen panel to make recommendations on future of artificial intelligence
COMPETITIVENESS: Member States approve provisional agreement on Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, ‘STEP’
CONSUMERS: EU Member States endorse provisional European Parliament/Council agreement on ‘Right to Repair Defective Products’ Directive
WOMEN’S RIGHTS: EU Member States confirm compromise on domestic violence and violence against women
ECONOMY: sequestration in EU of Central Bank of Russia’s assets and profits generated applicable from 15 February
MIGRATION: status of long-term residents in EU, negotiations are difficult between Member States and European Parliament
DIGITAL: European Pirate Party believes that Member States have been given too much leeway with regard to biometric surveillance under AI Act
DIGITAL: GDPR, CCIA believes that European Parliament’s position on new application procedures does not meet expectations and risks complicating its implementation
HEALTH: MEPs approve compromise on quality and safety standards for substances of human origin