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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13350

15 February 2024
Contents Publication in full By article 1 / 40
EXTERNAL ACTION
MIDDLE EAST: Spanish and Irish leaders ask Commission to verify whether Israel respects human rights in Gaza
Brussels, 14/02/2024 (Agence Europe)

On Wednesday 14 February, the President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, asked the European Commission to investigate Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations.

“Against the background of the risk of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe posed by the imminent threat of Israeli military operations in Rafah, and given what has occurred and continues to occur in Gaza since October 2023, including widespread concern about possible...

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