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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13547

18 December 2024
Contents Publication in full By article 1 / 37
EXTERNAL ACTION
WESTERN BALKANS: leaders’ summit will provide opportunity to take stock of region’s rapprochement with EU
Brussels, 17/12/2024 (Agence Europe)

The leaders of the Western Balkan countries - Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia - are meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 18 December for a summit chaired by António Costa, his first summit since taking office as President of the European Council.

The institutions insist that this summit is not directly concerned with the enlargement process, but is an opportunity to reaffirm Europe’s position towards the Western Balkans, particularly in view...

Contents

EXTERNAL ACTION
WESTERN BALKANS: leaders’ summit will provide opportunity to take stock of region’s rapprochement with EU
ENLARGEMENT: Albania and Montenegro make progress towards EU membership, while EU27 remain cautious about Serbia
SYRIA: Ursula von der Leyen calls for closer relations with HTS
TURKEY: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterates EU membership remains strategic objective for Ankara
SWITZERLAND: EU Member States’ European Affairs Ministers are counting on an agreement with Bern in next few days
UNITED KINGDOM: relaunching cooperation with London, EU countries want to set clear “limits” to what is “feasible and mutually beneficial”
SECTORAL POLICIES
ENVIRONMENT: EU Council adopts its position on regulation on prevention of plastic pellet losses to environment
ENVIRONMENT: End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation - Member States and European Commission share their expectations for political agreement at EU Council
ENVIRONMENT: several Member States insist on urgent need to revise REACH regulation, urging European Commission to publish its proposal
CLIMATE: European Climate Ministers call for rapid adoption of 2040 climate target
CLIMATE: price alignment, electrification and public support, levers for European Union’s green transition
ENERGY: ACER warns energy ministers of rising electricity system costs, which are undermining EU’s competitiveness
MIGRATION: new partnerships, Turkey, ‘Asylum Pact’ and law on returns, Ursula von der Leyen reiterates new Commission’s priorities
MIGRATION: Ursula von der Leyen announces additional €1 billion for Turkey to continue supporting reception of Syrian refugees
DIGITAL: following irregularities in Romanian elections, EU opens formal proceedings against TikTok for potential breach of DSA
TOURISM/CONSUMERS: revision of ‘Package Travel’ Directive, EU Member States prepare to adopt negotiating position
TRANSPORT: Member States renew request to European Commission to support automotive sector
TRANSPORT: European Commission issues recommendations to help seaports make ecological transition
COHESION: EU co-legislators seal agreement on development of cross-border regions
COHESION: Germany advocates reform of cohesion policy after 2027
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY
HUMAN RIGHTS: European Parliament presents 2024 Sakharov Prize to Venezuelan political opposition figures
SYRIA: MEPs call on EU to invest in Syria
GEORGIA: Georgian President, Salomé Zourabichvili, to address European Parliament on Wednesday 18 December
EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN: Portugal’s Teresa Anjinho elected European Ombudsman
REGIONS: European Parliament endorses Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction which should benefit Mayotte
ENVIRONMENT: European Parliament postpones Deforestation Regulation by one year, as negotiated with EU Council
ECONOMY - FINANCE
ECONOMY: EU Council ready to negotiate with the European Parliament on macrofinancial assistance to Moldova for 2025-2027 period
STATE AID: European Commission approves Italian aid worth €9.7 billion for renewable energies
MONEY LAUNDERING: coordination colleges have become more effective, but there is still room for improvement, says EBA
FINANCE: financial data sharing, Finance Watch calls for strict safeguards in ‘FiDA’ Regulation
INSTITUTIONAL
BETTER REGULATION: European Court of Auditors points to slow processing of infringement procedures
NEWS BRIEFS
FUTURE OF EU: António Costa unveils European leaders’ agenda for 2025
TRADE: European Commission to assess effectiveness of its steel safeguard measure
DEMOCRACY: António Costa wants European Council President to be covered by European Ethics Body
GENDER EQUALITY: three out of four EU citizens believe it benefits men, but stereotypes persists
GUATEMALA: extension of sanctions against five senior Guatemalan officials until January 2026
LIBYA: EU welcomes UN proposal to relaunch political process