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Last week, Frost told UK lawmakers that the teething problems in implementing the new trade accord and the row over the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines were the result of the EU “still adjusting somewhat…to the existence of a genuinely independent actor in their neighbourhood.”

Johnson drafts in trade chief as Brexit enforcer

By: EBR | Thursday, February 18, 2021

Boris Johnson on Wednesday (17 February) drafted his chief Brexit negotiator David Frost as a senior minister in his cabinet with a portfolio as Brexit enforcer

"For decades, the EU defence integration process has been plagued by the issue of sovereignty, with countless examples of differing strategic positions from member states and of EU inter-institutional turf wars; one need only look at the politics of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to spot the disagreements."

New EU defence initiatives for old political problems

By: EBR | Thursday, February 18, 2021

In security and defence, let-downs garner more attention than successes. The EU Global Strategy is a perfect example

According to the Eurobarometer conducted in December 2019, more than 70% of European citizens over the age of 15 said that they had come across false information several times a month or even more often.

A disinformation disaster: how regulation, fact-checking and education can help

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Regulation alone will not solve the huge disinformation problem Europe faces, but the incoming Digital Services Act can certainly help

"The European Commission has already been in trouble in the past over links between its members and fossil fuel firms."

Brussels ties with fossil fuel industry revealed

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Three top officials in Ursula von der Leyen’s green-oriented European Commission – Josep Borrell, Stella Kyriakides and Adina Valean?– have until recently had ties with the fossil fuel industry

"The Europeans should do so in close consultation with Washington, but not at the latter’s behest. Europe can’t hide, and it has little time to lose."

Where’s Europe on the Iran Nuclear Deal?

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 17, 2021

The Europeans need to ditch their passive attitude toward trying to restart talks between the United States and Iran. Time is of the essence: Tehran may be just four months away from amassing enough fissile material for an atomic bomb

“I hear that investors are concerned about the speed of the implementation of the recovery and resilience plans and facility.”

Investors ‘concerned’ about EU recovery fund rollout, warns ESM chief

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Money from the EU’s €750 billion coronavirus recovery fund could start flowing to member states before summer

"The French government has just called on the EU and its other member states to consider a coordinated withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) due to the political stalemate after three rounds of negotiations for the modernisation of the ECT."

The EU should maintain the Energy Charter Treaty

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 16, 2021

There are fundamental good reasons to continue protecting the investments covered by the Energy Charter Treaty as private investment will be crucial for the vast infrastructure overhauls needed to shift towards renewable energy

"The onset of next-generation Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in Europe presents new regulatory challenges with respect to technologies deemed to present risks to the existing legal framework, rights, and ethics."

The future for next-generation AI in the EU

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Artificial Intelligence technologies in the EU are set to come under the scope of new legislation that the European Commission aims to put forward in April

"Ensuring the respect of the commitments agreed with other trade partners is a key priority of this Commission. The EU is therefore increasing the focus on enforcing its partners’ commitments in multilateral, regional and bilateral trade agreements. In so doing the Union will rely on a suite of instruments."

Strong EU trade enforcement rules enter into force

By: EBR | Monday, February 15, 2021

Robust new trade enforcement rules have entered into force that will further strengthen the EU’s toolbox in defending its interests

“The current approach to the Guidance would not properly reflect the agreement hardly achieved after long negotiations on Article 17 of the Copyright Directive.”

Commission and Parliament in ‘secret talks’ on EU copyright directive

By: EBR | Friday, February 12, 2021

Documents reveal that a cross-section of MEPs, predominantly from the two biggest groups, the European People’s Party and the Socialists, are not satisfied with the Commission’s advice issued on the transposition of Article 17 of the directive

"Increase of ten percentage points in the number of citizens who expressed a positive view of the EU (50%) compared to autumn 2019."

EU is right place to tackle pandemic, but reform is needed, latest survey finds

By: EBR | Friday, February 12, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened citizens’ beliefs that the European Union is the right place to develop effective solutions to tackle its effects

"The yearly Eurobarometer survey of the European Parliament was conducted by the data consultancy Kantar between November and December 2020, thus taking into account the first impact of the pandemic on public perceptions."

Social inequalities overtake climate change in EU citizens’ concerns – poll

By: EBR | Friday, February 12, 2021

Reducing poverty and social inequality has become the main policy priority for EU citizens after the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey commissioned by the European Parliament has shown

"With the violent and comprehensive repressions by Belarusian security forces—and additionally with the wintry weather—the size of the protests has dwindled, but the protest spirit is being kept alive through ever new small-scale actions, particularly in local neighborhoods in Minsk and other cities."

The Political Awakening of Belarusian Society

By: EBR | Friday, February 12, 2021

A new survey shows that Belarusian society has become much more politicized since the beginning of protests in August 2020. Western actors must seize on this opportunity to engage with ordinary Belarusians

"In record time, we managed to update complex, but extremely strategic rules for the air sector, which has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. We struck a careful balance between injecting some competition into the airport slots market and the need to protect a sector that is in pain".

COVID-19: MEPs extend relief measures for the transport sector

By: EBR | Thursday, February 11, 2021

To support the transport sector during the pandemic, MEPs revamped rules for the use of airport slots to prevent ghost flights, and extended the validity of some licences

"Parliament has recently also spoken out against the deterioration of fundamental rights, the worrying state of media freedom in the EU, and online disinformation campaigns by foreign and domestic actors."

Regulate social media platforms to defend democracy, MEPs say

By: EBR | Thursday, February 11, 2021

On Wednesday, MEPs called for democratic oversight of tech giants to safeguard freedom of expression

"The legislative framework on minimum working conditions must be enforced for all workers as another important element of the fight against in-work poverty, MEPs underline."

MEPs: Minimum wage is a remedy for inequality and in-work poverty

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 10, 2021

To fight inequality and in-work poverty, MEPs call for a minimum wage, equal labour conditions for platform workers and a better work-life balance

“Increased interoperability has the potential to facilitate the development of a more open, pluralistic digital environment, as well as to create new opportunities for the development of innovative digital services.”

Prohibit targeted advertising in Digital Services Act, EU data watchdog says

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 10, 2021

The European Union should prohibit targeted advertising as part of new rules against Big Tech platforms in the bloc’s Digital Services Act

"The visit by the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, to Moscow on February 4–6 confirmed this miserable state of European foreign policy. Miserable because it lacks strategy and direction."

Why the European Union Cannot Do Foreign Policy

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Josep Borrell’s trip to Moscow confirmed the miserable state of European foreign policy, which lacks strategy and direction. Starting with Germany, member states need to think beyond their own national interests

"In some countries, quarantine is required for seven days. In some ten. In some countries, another test must be done within a few days. Some countries can only be entered by representatives of limited categories, others only by their own citizens. Europe has not seen such a mess of rules for decades."

The slow death of Schengen

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 9, 2021

The continuing spread of the Coronavirus in Europe has led to a situation where there is no longer any point to talk about the free movement of people in the Schengen area

‘As commission-president I have tried for a long time to conclude this agreement, both with the Chinese President and with the Chinese Prime-Minister.’

Juncker rebukes EU investment deal with China

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, February 8, 2021

There is no compromise with China on the Uighurs, stated Jean-Claude Juncker, predecessor of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission, during a virtual conference organised by the German State Baden-Wurttemberg