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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13624
Contents Publication in full By article 13 / 24
SECTORAL POLICIES / Environment

Piotr Serafin assures European Commission has not taken advantage of grants awarded to NGOs to push them to influence MEPs

“The Commission did not instruct [or] require non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to lobby Members of the European Parliament”, European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin declared on Monday, 14 April, in response to a question sent by Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (Renew Europe, Dutch) two months prior.

However, Piotr Serafin had pointed out back in December the problematic presence of “prescriptive obligations” in certain funding contracts...

Contents

Time off: Easter
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED STATES: Donald Trump “100%” sure there will be deal with EU on tariffs
MERCOSUR: EU/Mercosur trade agreement unlikely to reduce emissions, according to study commissioned by CAN Europe
WESTERN BALKANS: on visit to Sofia, Marta Kos stresses “crucial” importance of enlargement for “security and competitiveness” of EU
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: David McAllister calls for closer relationship with UAE
DEVELOPMENT: more than half of EU countries reduced their international aid budgets in 2024, according to OECD
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
ECB: faced with “exceptional uncertainty” linked to US customs tariffs, monetary institute cuts key rates again
FINANCE/CLIMATE: European Commission publishes standardised templates for disclosures for green bonds
TAXATION: OECD policymakers must weigh up pros and cons of increasing tax burden on businesses, according to Tax Foundation
BANKS: gender pay gap in financial sector remains high
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: thirty-nine MEPs call on European Commission to propose digital tax as new own resource
SECTORAL POLICIES
ENERGY: LNG imports will have to increase by 20% compared with summer of 2024 to replenish gas stocks, according to ACER
ENVIRONMENT: Piotr Serafin assures European Commission has not taken advantage of grants awarded to NGOs to push them to influence MEPs
CLIMATE: Bruegel think tank sounds alarm about risks posed by global warming to sovereign debt sustainability
HEALTH: Cardiovascular Health Group in European Parliament launched
AGRICULTURE : Copa-Cogeca opposed to dismantling CAP’s two-pillar structure
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
GENDER EQUALITY: progress towards a balance in political representation and decision-making is slow, according to European Institute for Gender Equality
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS/YOUTH : European Disability Forum welcomes “encouraging” discussions with Glenn Micallef
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
SOCIAL/EMPLOYMENT: quality jobs, BusinessEurope publishes its expectations for European Commission’s next ‘Roadmap’
SOCIAL/EMPLOYMENT: administrative simplification, French social security institutions warn of potentially counter-productive effects of certain initiatives
NEWS BRIEFS
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Europeans and Americans consult on Ukraine, Middle East and Iran
DEFENCE: Italy to spend 2% of its GDP on defence this year
ENLARGEMENT: EU launches second edition of its Diplomatic Programme for the Enlargement Region
ZAMBIA: EU celebrates 50 years of partnership with Lusaka with renewed strategic approach