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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13613
Contents Publication in full By article 36 / 39
NEWS BRIEFS / Youth

New call for applications to encourage young Europeans to travel by train under DiscoverEU

02/04/25 (Agence Europe) – As part of DiscoverEU, the European Union’s initiative to enable young Europeans to discover Europe by train, the European Commission launched a call on Wednesday 2 April for applications for almost 36,000 free rail passes. Applicants born between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007, who live in the EU or a country associated with the Erasmus+ programme, can apply until 16 April via the European Youth Portal. The passes allow you to visit Europe by train for 30 days between July 2025 and September 2026. The European Commission is proposing themed routes such as the Green Route and the new European Bauhaus. There is also assistance for young people with disabilities or those who live in isolated areas. See the call: https://aeur.eu/f/g8c (NP)

Contents

BEACONS
BEACONS: The European Union, an object of hatred
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED STATES: Donald Trump targets European products with a 20% tariff
GEORGIA: EU denounces adoption of new legislation “incompatible with EU values”
FOREIGN AFFAIRS/JUSTICE: EU “would deeply regret” Hungary’s withdrawal from International Criminal Court
SECURITY - DEFENCE
NATO: burden sharing, support for Ukraine and cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries on agenda for meeting of Allied foreign affairs ministers
DEFENCE/ECONOMY: positive initial discussions at EU Council on ‘SAFE’ instrument, which will provide Member States with loans to increase military spending
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY
BUDGET: European Parliament adopts priorities for 2026 EU budget after difficult negotiations with EPP within pro-European majority
INDUSTRY: MEPs welcome steel action plan and call for even more to be done
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: MEPs call for a “determined, disciplined and assertive” EU foreign policy
CSDP: European Parliament calls for better defence preparedness
HUMAN RIGHTS: EU must be ready to combat ever growing number of human rights violations, say MEPs
JUSTICE: European Parliament approves agreement strengthening cooperation on criminal justice matters between Eurojust and authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: ban on Gay Pride in Hungary is being debated in European Parliament
MEDIA: EU must support free and independent press if it is not to “lose information battle”, say MEPs
HOME AFFAIRS: MEPs forward their opinion to EU Council on strengthening identity cards and residence documents issued in EU
MERCOSUR: still no majority in European Parliament to clearly reject EU/Mercosur trade agreement
SEA: fishing, a contentious issue in European Parliament over scope of future ‘Oceans Pact’
FISHERIES: European Parliament approves conclusion of new fisheries agreement with Guinea-Bissau
SECTORAL POLICIES
ENVIRONMENT: European Commission wants to exclude SMEs from regulation on preventing plastic pellet losses
ENVIRONMENT: ECR Group campaigning for European Parliament committee of inquiry into EU funding of NGOs to be set up
AGRICULTURE: EU Council/European Parliament negotiations on new genomic techniques expected to begin early May
MIGRATION: draft Regulation on return of people residing illegally in EU looks set to be an arduous task for EU Council
MIGRATION: Europeans favour policies that offer irregular migrants paths to legal status, according to an EUI study
DIGITAL: Reporters Without Borders pulls out of European ‘AI Code of Practice’ negotiations
DIGITAL: several European digital lobbies warn of administrative burden that Code of Practice on AI could represent
TRANSPORT: European citizens would like to travel and book trips online more seamlessly, according to Eurobarometer survey
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT: EU talent pool - European Parliament to be called on 3 April to confirm parliamentary committee’s negotiating mandate
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
BANKS: regulatory simplification must not lead to deregulation, warns Dominique Laboureix
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
RUSSIA: Mr and Mrs Timchenko’s appeals against EU sanctions rejected again
RUSSIA: appeals by three members of Pumpyanskiy family upheld by General Court of EU
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
HEALTH: Council of Europe report analyses implementation of convention on counterfeit medical products in times of pandemics
NEWS BRIEFS
HUMANITARIAN AID: EU sets up air bridge to support victims of earthquake in Myanmar
ECONOMY: euro area inflation estimated at 2.2% in March
ECONOMY: payment to Ukrainian authorities of a €3.5 billion tranche of aid under ‘Ukraine Facility’
INDUSTRY: EU seeks input on business-to-business collaboration on critical raw materials
YOUTH: new call for applications to encourage young Europeans to travel by train under DiscoverEU
RESEARCH: EU investing €608.6 million to train more than 1,800 researchers
TRANSPORT: EU air traffic controllers warn of risk of closure of Bosnia-Herzegovina airspace
TRANSPORT: entries for 2025 ‘Excellence in Road Safety Awards’ now open