EU foreign policy chief warns French energy giant on human rights violations

Josep Borrell said legislation going into effect in 2027 would require compensation to victims of abuses, after POLITICO revealed links between TotalEnergies and a massacre in Mozambique.

EUโ€™s three biggest countries push for bank deregulation

Request comes amid Macron’s warning that the EU “could die” if its economy falls behind global rivals.

Was gender equality made to take a backseat in the next European Commission? | Radio Schuman

The European Commission’s equality portfolio has been merged with the preparedness and crisis management portfolio, raising concerns among NGOs that it may be neglected in EU legislation.

Industryยดs vision for a competitive Europe [Promoted content]

To reboot Europe as an attractive location for industry, the EU needs to draw up a bold master plan to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. The motto should certainly be โ€œless regulation, more freedom for companiesโ€.

What just happened? A beginnerโ€™s guide to von der Leyenโ€™s European Commission

Confused by goings on in Brussels? We can explain.

The EU fiddles while Kyiv burns

Time is running out on Ukraineโ€™s finances, and none of the reasons behind the blocโ€™s inaction stand up to scrutiny.

EU farm chief drafts secret law on food security in last hurrah

Departing Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski breaks protocol by concocting his own food security law.

Brexit Britain creeps back into Brusselsโ€™ orbit under Labour

A bill which paves the way for closer regulatory alignment with the European Union almost slipped under the radar.

As riots rage back home, Keir Starmer is a smash hit with the French

But it will take more than a serenade to woo Paris.

Netting a better seal deal, balancing animal welfare with fishing rights [Advocacy Lab Content]

Animal welfare groups are hoping EU legislation protecting seals is kept above board, while Baltic fishermen are trying to salvage political nets in their fight to ensure adequate fish hauls.

The end of the Brexit dream

The Britain envisaged by the countryโ€™s Euroskeptic politicians looks further away than ever.

Journalists facing online threats: a growing risk to democracy [Promoted content]

Ensuring journalists’ safety is crucial for democracy, as threats lead to self-censorship and under-reporting. Despite Europe being relatively safe, online threats are rising, particularly against women and minorities. New EU legislation aims to enhanc…

Recent asylum case law of the CJEU: Distinction, Integration or Extension from ‘Mainstream’ EU law?

 Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London

Photo credit: Luxofluxo, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Introduction

While attention has been focussed
on the overhaul of EU law on asylum โ€“ which I have analysed in an upcoming
article…

Twitter Space: Upcoming EU mandate, what are the new agrifood priorities?

2024 marks the year of another significant change in the EUโ€™s political composition. Every five years, EU leaders collectively determine the EU’s political priorities, a process occurring in conjunction with the European Parliament elections and preced…

Protecting the conditional autonomy of governing bodies in sport from review โ€˜from a competition standpointโ€™: how the Court should decide its pending cases on the transfer system, the regulation of agents and club (re-)location.

 Stephen Weatherill

Jacques Delors Professor of
European Law (Emeritus), Faculty of Law and Somerville College, University of
Oxford

Photo: Lassana Diarra, by ะ ั‹ะฑะฐะบะพะฒะฐ ะ•ะปะตะฝะฐ, on Wikimedia Commons

 

In preparing this paper I have
bene…

Brussels slams Berlinโ€™s โ€˜ill-foundedโ€™ effort to delay EU satellite project

Germany’s Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck wants to suspend the IRIS2 satellite project; the EU isn’t giving way.

Strong intellectual property is critical to competitive edge

European intellectual property policies are weakening Europeโ€™s competitive edge at the very moment that EU leaders have recognized the importance of restoring the regionโ€™s status as a global economic superpower.

Access to documents: an important victory for transparency in ClientEarth v Council

 

Dimitrios Kyriazis (DPhil, Oxon),
Assistant Professor in EU Law at the Law School of the Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki.

Photo credit: Bela Geletneky, via Wikimedia
Commons

 

In ClientEarth
v Council (Joined Cases T-682…

EUโ€™s new tech laws are working โ€“ small browsers gain market share

Reuters exclusively reported that Independent browser companies in the European Union are seeing a spike in users in the first [โ€ฆ]

The post EUโ€™s new tech laws are working โ€“ small browsers gain market share appeared first on Reuters News Agency.

Rolling out EV charging points โ€“ learning from Germany

As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) surges across Europe, attention is being drawn to the readiness of multifamily buildings and the persistent challenges consumers face in installing EV charging within them to accommodate this shift. This raises…

Bundestag adopts its DSA implementation law with one-month delay

Germanyโ€™s federal parliament, the Bundestag, adopted on Thursday (21 March) a law implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA), an EU legislation regulating how online platforms should handle illegal and harmful content.

AI Act voted in Strasbourg, military security issues omitted

On the latest episode of Euractivโ€™s Today in the EU, weโ€™re looking into the AI Act vote in Strasbourg – and why the lack of reference to how AI will be used in the defence sector is causing some concern.

Ghosts of EUโ€™s rightward future haunt nature law fightย 

Europeโ€™s conservatives lost their battle against an environmental bill. But after the EU elections, they may win the war.ย 

Government eyes City as conduit for philanthropy

SNEAK PEEK โ€• Government wants City firms to encourage wealthy clients to give money to charities. โ€• Market-based finance causing headaches for the Bank of England. โ€• Hunt warned not to cut taxes without spending review. Good morning! I hope you all survived the arctic-like weather yesterday and are sufficiently warm enough to read todayโ€™s [โ€ฆ]

How the French helped Britain keep euro-clearing in Brexit surprise

Some in Brussels thought Brexit was a chance to reroute financial ‘plumbing’ away from London but the banks still had eyes for the U.K.

Foreign policy sanctions and criminal law harmonisation

 Professor Steve Peers, Royal
Holloway University of London

Photo credit: Pierre
Blachรฉ, via Wikicommons

*This blog post draws upon and
updates research for the 5th edition of EU
Justice and Home Affairs Law (OUP,
2023)

The New EU Asylum Laws, part 3: the Resettlement Regulation

 

Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway University of London*

Photo credit: Voice of
America, via Wikimedia
Commons *Sentences with an asterisk have been updated since the original post in light of later developments. Most recent update: 14 May …

Deaths from toxic air on the rise as EU battles to tackle pollution

EU capitals are struggling to respect Europe’s air quality standards and are pushing back against setting stricter rules.

Agile regulatory rules vital to foster future innovation

Medicines, diagnostics and AI can combine to save lives โ€” hereโ€™s how to ensure new products reach patients without compromising on safety.

Four reasons the EU needs to rethink its approach to biofuels

Europeโ€™s newly revised Renewable Energy Directive confirms the sustainability of biofuels such as renewable ethanol, but other EU legislation continues to ignore their strategic importance. Itโ€™s time for a new approach.

Welcome back, Donald: EU sighs in relief over Poland election results

With Donald Tusk’s party looking set to lead Poland, EU leaders are happy to have them back in the fold.

German Liberals slam Brusselsโ€™ red tape, call for EU โ€˜regulatory pauseโ€™

Germanyโ€™s liberal FDP, a member of the countryโ€™s three-way coalition government, is calling for an immediate yet temporary halt to EU legislation that would impose additional red tape on businesses, such as the European Green Deal.

Berlin sends new agriculture envoy to help Western Balkans with EU accession

As part of its efforts to secure EU accession for the Western Balkans, the German government is sending for the first time an agricultural attachรฉ to the region to help it implement the often highly technical EU legislation in the field.

Mounting discontent augurs badly for EU Green Deal

Recent climate regulations are triggering an unintended backlash that risks undermining Europe’s very own climate agenda from within.

Press release – Press seminar: European Media Freedom Act and Digital Services Act

Journalists are invited to a seminar with lead MEPs Sabine Verheyen and Christel Schaldemose on the protection of media content online in the context of recent EU legislation. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2023 – EP

Knowledge gaps for perishable liquid food packs threaten Green Deal

Analysis of food packaging studies reveals significant evidence gaps for policymakers deliberating on packaging reuse targets in proposed EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

EU connectivity law: The business model of tower companies

This week’s Euractivโ€™s Tech Brief Podcast looks at the specific business model of tower companies and their potential regulation under a new EU legislation: the Gigabit Infrastructure Act.

EU to rethink conservation status of wolves after numbers surge

Ursula Von der Leyen calls for action as attacks on livestock prompt rise in complaints from farmersThe EU is to review the conservation status of wolves on the continent after a remarkable comeback of the carnivore species raised protests from farmers…

9 ways Dutch political paralysis hits the EU

Political limbo likely to hold back the Netherlands’ influence on key files in Brussels.

5 real-life impacts of the EUโ€™s foot-dragging on chemicals law reboot

Shortcomings in the current rules leave Europeans exposed to harmful chemicals.

Sustainable smartphones calling? The eco-friendly new design rules to extend the life of your handset

EU legislation will herald greener devices, with greater longevity for software and access to user-replaceable parts The current status quo of smartphone design, repair and longevity could finally be upended in favour of users โ€“ and the planet. That i…

Healthworkersโ€™ mental well-being needs more attention, MEPs say

The European Commission’s communication on mental health neglected the issue of intensive care professionalsโ€™ mental health, EU lawmakers and healthcare workers have said in a declaration, demanding that the issue be addressed in all EU legislation.ย ย 

EU conservativesโ€™ anti-Green Deal push falls short

Manfred Weberโ€™s right-wing alliance still wants to block other climate and environmental laws.

EU auditors court slams lacklustre EU soil protection efforts

The European Commission and EU member states are not being ambitious enough with their protections for EU soil, nearly 70% of which was found to be unhealthy, the European Court of Auditors said.

Just Say No? The new โ€˜Stormont Brakeโ€™ in the Windsor Framework (part 2 of the analysis of the framework)

 

 

Professor
Steve Peers,
University of Essex

 

Photo
credit: Dom0803, via Wikimedia
Commons 

 

Introduction

 

The
first
part of this analysis looked as a whole at the new Windsor
Framework, which amends th…

The Windsor Framework: limiting the scope of EU law in Northern Ireland in practice, though not in theory (part 1)

 

 

Professor
Steve Peers,
University of Essex

 

Photo by David Iliff – License:
CC BY-SA 3.0

 

Introduction

 

After
many months of on-off negotiations and three Prime Ministers on the UK side,
the UK and EU have …

Does the Court of Justice of the European Union Respect the Limits of EU Competence?

 

 

Vilija
Vฤ—lyvytฤ—, British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow, Somerville College, University
of Oxford

 

Photo credit: civarmy,
by wikipedia

 

My new book, โ€˜Judicial
Authority in EU Internal Market Law: Implications for the Bala…

EU foreign policy sanctions: extending and using EU criminal law powers to enforce them

 

Professor Steve Peers,
University of Essex

Photo credit: Pierre Blachรฉ, via Wikicommons

*This blog post draws upon
research for the forthcoming 5th edition of EU Justice and Home Affairs Law (OUP, 2023)

On Monday this week, the EU Council
ad…

Provisional Agreement on the recast Reception Conditions Directive: Preventing โ€˜Asylum Shoppingโ€™ and โ€˜Secondary Movementsโ€™ as the Ultimate Goal?

 

Vasiliki Apatzidou, legal
practitioner in the field of EU Asylum Law and PhD Student, Queen Mary
University of London.

Photo credit: Rebecca
Harms, via wikicommons

The current
instruments of the Common
European Asylum System (CEAS), which inc…