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European Commission defends judicial independence, taking aim at Poland’s ‘muzzle law’
By Catherine Feore Today (31 March), the European Commission took further action to stem the erosion of judicial independence in Poland. Frustration has been mounting in the European Parliament and among Polish civil society organizations at the increasing stranglehold the PiS (Law and Justice) party has over the judicial system. “The law on judicial powers […]
Dutch data protection authority fines Booking.com €475,000
By EU Reporter Correspondent Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has imposed a fine of €475,000 on Booking.com for a data breach where criminals accessed the personal data of more than 4,000 customers, including obtaining the credit card details of nearly 300 users of the popular travel site. The criminals extracted login details to the accounts […]
President Tokayev speaks on behalf of landlocked countries at high-level meeting on international debt architecture and liquidity
By Astana Times Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (pictured) addressed the High-Level Meeting on International Debt Architecture and Liquidity that focused on financing for development amid the coronavirus pandemic, where he spoke on behalf of landlocked countries as chair of the group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), writes Assel Satubaldina. The meeting was convened by the […]
EU to receive 107 million COVID doses by end of March, 30 million from AstraZeneca
By Reuters European Union states are expected to receive 107 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of March, an EU Commission spokeswoman said today (31 March), hitting an earlier target but far below initial plans, writes Francesco Guarascio. Under contracts signed with drugmakers, the bloc had expected to receive 120 million doses by […]
Agriculture: Short-term outlook report favourable for EU agricultural sectors
By EU Reporter Correspondent The Commission has published the latest short-term outlook report for EU agricultural markets. This regular publication presents a general and sector-by-sector overview of the latest tendencies and further prospects for agri-food markets. The first 2021 edition concludes that the EU agricultural sector has shown resilience throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The sector […]
Migration management: Commission awards funding for new reception centres in Lesvos and Chios
By EU Reporter Correspondent On 29 March, the Commission awarded a grant of €155 million to the Greek authorities to build new reception centres on the Greek islands of Lesvos and Chios. This award comes on top of €121 million awarded in November 2020 for the construction of reception centres on the islands of Samos, […]
SURE: Commission proposes additional €3.7 billion to six member states to protect jobs and incomes
By EU Reporter Correspondent The Commission has proposed to the Council to grant an additional €3.7 billion of financial assistance to six member states under SURE, the €100bn instrument designed to protect jobs and incomes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposals follow formal requests for additional financial assistance under SURE submitted by Belgium, Cyprus, […]
China formalizes sweeping electoral shake-up for Hong Kong and demands loyalty
By Reuters China finalized a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system on Tuesday (30 March), drastically curbing democratic representation in the city as authorities seek to ensure “patriotsâ€� rule the global financial hub, write Yew Lun Tian and Clare Jim. The measures are part of Beijing’s efforts to consolidate its increasingly authoritarian grip over […]
What you need to know about the coronavirus right now
By Reuters Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now, writes Linda Noakes. Asian countries scramble for vaccine supplies Several Asian countries scrambled to find alternative sources for COVID-19 inoculations on Tuesday (30 March) after export restrictions by manufacturer India left a World Health Organization-backed global vaccine-sharing programme short of supplies. South […]
European Green Deal: Commission launches public consultation on decarbonizing the EU gas market
By EU Reporter Correspondent The Commission has launched a public consultation on the revision of the Gas Directive and Gas Regulation. This legislation is being revised to align it to the ambition of the European Green Deal to decarbonize the EU gas sector on the path to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. All stakeholders are […]
