COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION interesting latest news

 

Meetings Wednesday 11 May 2022

● Council of the EU   11/05/2022 13:22 | MEETING | Supporting the future of Syria and the region - Brussels VI Conference, 10 May 2022   Chairs' statement (including details on pledges) Council of the EU Supporting the future of Syria and the region - Brussels VI Conference, 10 May 2022 Main results Ministerial meeting The European Union chaired the sixth Brussels Conference on "Supporting the future of Syria and the region", which took place on 9 and 10 May 2022. The high level ministerial segment of the conference on 10 May gathered EU institutions and representatives of 55 countries including EU member states, as well as 22 international organisations, including the United Nations. Syria and the suffering of its people might not be in centre of the news anymore, but remain on our minds: 90% of Syrians living in Syria live in poverty; 60% suffer food insecurity and often do not know where their next meal is coming from. Millions remain displaced within the country, millions live as refugees in neighbouring countries and beyond. Even after 11 years of bloody and destructive conflict, we want and need to make sure that this situation remains high on the international agenda.Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy The conference, which is the main pledging event for Syria and the region in 2022, succeeded in mobilising aid to Syrians inside the country and in the neighbouring countries, through pledges totalling €6.4 billion for 2022 and beyond. This year's total pledges are even higher than those of 2021, when pledges totalled €5.3 billion. From 2011 to date, the European Union and its member states have been the largest donors of humanitarian and resilience assistance to Syria and the region with €27.4 billion. Brussels VI was an opportunity to gather all relevant actors to effectively address the current situation In Syria, offer continued support to UN efforts for a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian conflict, mobilise necessary financial support to meet the needs of Syrian refugees and their host communities in neighbouring countries, as well as pursuing and deepening dialogue with civil society.Chairs' statement (including details on pledges) Brussels VI Conference – Supporting the future of Syria and the region (EEAS) Meeting information Meeting n°SYRIACONF052022 Brussels 10 May 2022 Preparatory documentsBackground brief List of participants

Press material Wednesday 11 May 2022

● Council of the EU   11/05/2022 12:14 | Press release | Digital finance: Provisional agreement reached on DORA   Given the ever-increasing risks of cyber attacks, the EU is strengthening the IT security of financial entities such as banks, insurance companies and investment firms. Yesterday evening the Council presidency and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which will make sure the financial sector in Europe is able to maintain resilient operations through a severe operational disruption. DORA sets uniform requirements for the security of network and information systems of companies and organisations operating in the financial sector as well as critical third parties which provide ICT (Information Communication Technologies)-related services to them, such as cloud platforms or data analytics services. DORA creates a regulatory framework on digital operational resilience whereby all firms need to make sure they can withstand, respond to and recover from all types of ICT-related disruptions and threats. These requirements are homogenous across all EU member states. The core aim is to prevent and mitigate cyber threats. Under the provisional agreement, the new rules will constitute a very robust framework that boosts the IT security of the financial sector. The efforts asked from financial entities will be proportional to the potential risks. Almost all financial entities will be subject to the new rules. Under the provisional agreement, auditors will not be subject to DORA but will be part of a future review of the regulation, where a possible revision of the rules may be explored. Critical third-country ICT service providers to financial entities in the EU will be required to establish a subsidiary within the EU so that oversight can be properly implemented. As regards the oversight framework, the co-legislators agreed to opt for an additional joint oversight network which will strengthen the coordination between the European supervisory authorities on this cross-sectoral topic. Under the provisional agreement, penetration tests shall be carried out in functioning mode, and it will be possible to include several member states’ authorities in the test procedures. The use of internal auditors will be possible only in a number of strictly limited circumstances, subject to safeguard conditions. As regards the interaction of DORA with the Network and Information Security (NIS) directive, under the provisional agreement financial entities will have full clarity on the different rules on digital operational resilience they need to comply with, in particular for those financial entities holding several authorisations and operating in different markets within the EU. The NIS directive continues to apply. DORA builds on the NIS directive and addresses possible overlaps via a lex specialis exemption. The provisional agreement reached yesterday evening is subject to approval by the Council and the European Parliament before going through the formal adoption procedure. Once the DORA proposal is formally adopted, it will be passed into law by each EU member state. The relevant European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), such as the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), will then develop technical standards for all financial services institutions to abide by, from banking to insurance to asset management. The respective national competent authorities will take the role of compliance oversight and enforce the regulation as necessary. Background The Commission came forward with the DORA proposal on 24 September 2020. It is part of the larger digital finance package, which aims to develop a European approach that fosters technological development and ensures financial stability and consumer protection. In addition to the DORA proposal, the package contains a digital finance strategy, a proposal on markets in crypto-assets (MiCA) and a proposal on distributed ledger technology (DLT). This package bridges a gap in existing EU legislation by ensuring that the current legal framework does not pose obstacles to the use of new digital financial instruments and, at the same time, ensures that such new technologies and products fall within the scope of financial regulation and operational risk management arrangements of firms active in the EU. Thus, the package aims to support innovation and the uptake of new financial technologies while providing for an appropriate level of consumer and investor protection. The Council adopted its negotiating mandate on DORA on 24 November 2021. Trilogues between the co-legislators started on 25 January 2022 and ended in the provisional agreement reached yesterday. Digital finance package: Council reaches agreement on MiCA and DORA (press release, 24 November 2021) Commission proposal for a Regulation on Digital Operational Resilience Digital finance (background information)

Meetings Thursday 12 May 2022

● Council of the EU   12/05/2022 09:44 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - Foreign Affairs Council, 16 May 2022   The Foreign Affairs Council will be informed about current affairs and exchange views on the Western Balkans and the Russian aggression against Ukraine.  Council of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, 16 May 2022 Live streaming Live streaming 16 May 2022TBC Arrivals TBC Press conference Estimated schedule Agenda highlights Infographic - EU sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of UkraineSee full infographic The Council will hold an exchange of views on the Western Balkans. Over lunch, they will informally exchange views with the Western Balkans foreign affairs ministers.Western Balkans (EEAS) Foreign affairs ministers will also review the latest developments in the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and hold an informal exchange on the subject with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly.EU relations with Ukraine (background information) EU response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine (background information) Ministers will then discuss current affairs, including High Representative, Josep Borrell's recent visit to Chile and Panama, and EU financial support to Palestine.Delegation of the EU to Chile The European Union and Panama Press briefing: Friday 13 May at 14.00Foreign Affairs Council, 11 April 2022 Meeting information Meeting n°3869-1 Brussels 16 May 2022 11:00 Preparatory documentsProvisional agenda Provisional list of A items