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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13570
Contents Publication in full By article 25 / 27
NEWS BRIEFS / Environment

PFAS victims ask Ursula von der Leyen to meet with them

31/01/25 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday, 30 January, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) announced that victims of persistent pollutants (PFAS) from France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands have asked President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for a meeting. These communities want to reveal to Mrs von der Leyen the “devastating consequences” that PFAS pollution has had on their health and their environment. They hope that their testimonies will convince her to take “immediate action on chemicals legislation”. According to the EEB, links have been established between persistent pollutants and cancer, infertility, thyroid disease, and obesity. The NGO added that PFAS victims had previously attempted to engage in a dialogue with the European Commission in October 2023 but that their request went unanswered. (FS)

Contents

SECURITY - DEFENCE
DEFENCE: European leaders to discuss future of defence
Russian invasion of Ukraine
JUSTICE: EU Member States intend to strengthen judicial responses to war crimes in Ukraine
SECTORAL POLICIES
JUSTICE/FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: Member States say that maintaining balance between judicial cooperation and guarantees of Rule of law must be based on practice
JUSTICE: future of justice - efficiency, independence, protection of vulnerable persons and digital technology guided European ministers’ discussions
ENVIRONMENT: European Parliament’s draft own-initiative report on water resilience calls for binding, cross-cutting and funded regulatory framework
CLIMATE: facing implementation and ambition gaps, G20 countries are not on track to meet Paris Agreement targets
AGRICULTURE: Christophe Hansen calls for EU measures to “guarantee agricultural production for decades to come”
DIGITAL/DEMOCRACY: twelve EU countries urge European Commission to accelerate investigations into electoral interference via social networks
DIGITAL: European digital regulators take aim at DeepSeek, Chinese artificial intelligence company
DIGITAL: European Union must impose a ‘third way’ in field of artificial intelligence, according to several organisations in sector
TRANSPORT/INDUSTRY: European Commission consults on future of automotive industry
ENERGY: ACER amends methodology for harmonising cross-zonal electricity balancing capacity allocation
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: EU will need to increase and restructure long-term budget to respond to crises, according to European Parliament’s draft own-initiative report
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS: two candidates standing for elections for presidency of European Committee of Regions on 20 February
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL: regulation on coordination of social security systems, new openings towards an agreement appear to have emerged among Member States
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
HOUSING: “we need to find common solutions” to EU housing crisis, says Irene Tinagli
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
FINANCE: central counterparties, equivalence of UK and EU rules extended until end of June 2028
STATE AID: European Commission approves €1.1 billion Italian State aid scheme to boost employment among young people and women
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNRWA: Hadja Lahbib calls on Israel to respect international law
PAKISTAN: with upcoming GSP+ assessment, EU encourages Pakistani authorities to continue human rights reforms
LAOS: Global Gateway, EU releases €45 million to support sustainable development and country’s economic recovery
NEWS BRIEFS
ENERGY: European Commission consults on candidate energy infrastructure projects for PCI/PMI list
COMPETITION: technology transfer agreements, public consultation and call for evidence on revision of EU rules
ENERGY: 31 January marks end of market correction mechanism for capping gas prices
ENVIRONMENT: PFAS victims ask Ursula von der Leyen to meet with them
ANIMAL HEALTH: EFSA tracks mutations in avian flu virus
FOOD SAFETY: EU commits to combating resistance of Aspergillus fungi to azole fungicides