COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION latest news

Press material Thursday 8 June 2023

● Council of the EU   08/06/2023 12:49 | Press release | Council vows better civil protection preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats   The Council today approved conclusions on strengthening whole-of-society resilience in the context of civil protection, including preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. "The threat landscape in Europe has changed and become more complex. The preparedness of European societies in light of the various risks we are facing is essential and there is a key role to play for civil protection to enhance our resilience. I welcome that the ministers today approved conclusions on strengthening whole-of-society resilience in the context of civil protection." Gunnar Strömmer, Swedish minister for justice In light of the increasing number of complex, long-lasting crises that Europe is facing – from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and earthquakes to COVID-19 and wildfires – it is necessary to boost the EU’s resilience. This requires a collective, whole-of-society approach and must involve civil society actors, citizens and the private sector. Due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the threat landscape in Europe has changed. There is a heightened risk of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents. Member states actions The Council invites member states to: support prevention and preparedness actions by promoting the implementation of the (non-binding) Disaster Resilience Goals consider the further development of public-private cooperation practices that enhance civil protection activities in prevention, preparedness and response actively participate in new awareness and preparedness initiatives at EU level that focus on the preparedness of individuals for crises and disasters offer and register further CBRN-relevant capacities into the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP) enhance cooperation in the Council to support coordination on communication and information actions both in preparedness for and response to possible CBRN incidents EU-level actions In order to mitigate the CBRN-threats the EU is facing, member states are asking the Commission to: enhance the capability of CBRN early warning, to ensure an effective and timely response explore possibilities to facilitate member states’ procurement of CBRN equipment and identify ways to further reduce capacity deployment times in the event of CBRN incidents increase market access to different kinds of CBRN-relevant equipment, supplies and material by providing long-term purchase predictability arrange more regular civil protection CBRN trainings and exercises

Press material Thursday 8 June 2023

● Council of the EU   08/06/2023 12:56 | Press release | European Peace Facility: Council adopts two assistance measures to support the Nigerien Armed Forces   The Council today adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility worth €4.7 million to support the Nigerien Armed Forces with military equipment designed to deliver lethal force in full respect of relevant international law. The assistance measure will strengthen the operational capacities of the Nigerien Armed Forces by facilitating the mobility, presence and security of the land forces in the most insecure areas of Niger through a more effective air force support. This will enhance Niger’s ability to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty and to better protect the civilian population against the mounting terrorist threat. The Council also adopted another assistance measure worth €297,000 to finance additional activities that complement the provision of military equipment to the Nigerien Armed Forces by ensuring its adequate use, maintenance, storage and monitoring. Through these assistance measures, the EU continues to deliver on its commitments within the framework of the EU’s Integrated Strategy in the Sahel, the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel (P3S), as well as the Roadmap of the International Coalition for Sahel. They complement the EPF support of €65 million benefitting the Nigerien Armed Forces already adopted in July 2022 and March 2023 and the newly established EU military partnership mission with Niger (EUMPM). These assistance measures further consolidate the EU-Niger defence partnership and show the EU’s clear commitment to support Niger and its people in their efforts to achieve peace and stability in Niger and across the Sahel.

 

Press material Thursday 8 June 2023

● Council of the EU   08/06/2023 14:17 | Press release | Council and Parliament strike a deal on the roll-out of intelligent transport systems   With a view to accelerating digital transition and smarter mobility in the EU, the Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on the revision of the 2010 directive on the deployment of intelligent transport systems (ITS). "Intelligent transport systems are vital to increase road safety and tackle Europe's growing emission and congestion problems. Today’s deal will boost our Union’s evolution towards a smarter, safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mobility." Andreas Carlson, Swedish minister for infrastructure and housing The revised directive aims to take account of technological developments, such as connected and automated mobility, on-demand mobility applications, and multimodal transport. It also aims to accelerate the availability and enhance the interoperability of digital data that feed these services. The proposal therefore represents an important step towards creating the common European mobility data space. Today’s provisional agreement preserves the ambition to move forward in the systematic and harmonised deployment of intelligent transport systems but in a gradual manner to take full account of the cost-benefit relation and of administrative capacity. The agreement retains the structure of the Commission’s proposal, which builds on the framework character of the ITS directive and the various technical interventions by way of implementing and delegated acts. The necessary types of data, including access conditions for tunnels and bridges, speed limits, traffic circulation plans, permanent access restrictions, road closures, roadworks, temporary traffic management measures, as well as the critical services, such as road safety-related traffic information services, to be made available across the Union, are set out in the annexes to the directive. The new directive therefore contains an implementation programme covering at least the next 5 years and a precise geographical scope of road network. By way of delegated acts, the Commission may further complement certain aspects of this implementation programme. Finally, the text of the political agreement clarifies and specifies several provisions of the proposal, in particular the provisional treatment of emergency situations, the protection of personal data, the priority areas for the deployment and use of specifications and standards and the principles applying to the development of EU-level technical specifications. Next steps The provisional agreement must now be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision. From the Council’s side, the Swedish presidency intends to submit the text to member states’ representatives (Coreper) for endorsement as soon as possible. Background The Commission adopted in December 2020 the communication on a sustainable and smart mobility strategy that proposes a fundamental transformation of the European transport system to achieve the objective of sustainable, smart, and resilient mobility. Digitalisation is an indispensable driver of this transformation and will make the entire transport system seamless and more efficient. It will also further increase levels of safety, security, reliability, and comfort. The strategy identifies the deployment of intelligent transport systems (ITS) as a key action in building a connected and automated multimodal mobility system. ITS integrate telecommunications and information technologies with transport engineering in order to plan, design, operate, maintain and manage transport systems. Directive 2010/40/EU (the ITS directive) was designed to be the framework for accelerating and coordinating the deployment and use of ITS applied to road transport and its interfaces with other transport modes. Due to key technological developments since then, a radical reform of the legislative framework is now necessary. To this end, on 15 December 2021, the Commission submitted a proposal for the revision of the directive. The proposal is part of a package of legislative initiatives aimed at contributing to the goals of decarbonisation, digitalisation and greater resilience in transport infrastructure. Council’s general approach, 2 June 2022 Commission’s proposal, 15 December 2021 Sustainable and smart mobility strategy, Commission, 11 December 2020 Digital Europe, Council’s policy page A Europe fit for the digital age, Commission’s policy page

Press material Thursday 8 June 2023

● Council of the EU   08/06/2023 09:29 | Press release | Legal migration: Council settles on negotiating position for review of Single Permit Directive   The Council has agreed its position on an update of an EU law that deals with legal migration to the EU labour market. The updated rules streamline the application procedure and make it more effective. Thanks to this international recruitment of talent should get a boost. More rights for third-country workers and their equal treatment compared to EU workers should reduce labour exploitation. "When labour shortages slow down our companies and prevent them from growing and innovating they should be able to more easily hire foreign professionals. A predictable and smooth application process is paramount and this is what the single permit law we agreed on today guarantees." Maria Malmer Stenergard, Swedish minister for migration The single permit directive deals with the admission of third-country nationals to reside and work in the EU. It sets out the application process for EU countries to issue this single permit and establishes common rights for these workers. Member states keep the final say about which and how many third-country workers they want to admit to their labour market. Application procedure According to the Council's position, a foreign worker can make an application from the territory of a third-country or from within the EU. When a member state decides to issue the single permit this decision will serve both as residence and as work permit. Duration The decision to issue a single permit should be made within four months after receipt of the complete application. This period also covers – according to the Council position – the time needed to check the labour market situation before a decision on the single permit is adopted. Change of employer With the aim to further improve the protection of third-country workers, the Council foresees the possibility for a single permit holder to change employer, subject to a notification or an application to the competent authorities. In case of loss of employment, third-country workers are allowed to remain in the territory of the member state if the total period of unemployment does not exceed two months during the validity of the single permit. Meetings Thursday 8 June 2023   ● Council of the EU   08/06/2023 10:03 | MEETING | Agenda highlights - Supporting the future of Syria and the region - Brussels seventh Conference, 15 June 2023   The EU is organising the seventh Brussels conference on "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" on 14-15 June 2023. Press material Wednesday 7 June 2023   ● Council of the EU   07/06/2023 15:51 | Press release | European Green Deal: Council agrees for industrial installations to provide better data on their environmental emissions   Today, the Council agreed on its negotiating mandate on a proposal for a regulation on the reporting of environmental data from industrial installations and establishing an Industrial Emissions Portal. The proposal aims to upgrade the existing European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) in order to establish a more comprehensive and integrated industrial emissions portal. The main objective of the revision is to make progress towards the Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition by providing the public with access to a more integrated and coherent dataset on key environmental emissions generated by industrial installations. The negotiating mandate will serve as a basis for the Council to negotiate the final shape of the legislation with the European Parliament. Press material Wednesday 7 June 2023   ● Council of the EU   07/06/2023 14:58 | Press release | Single Market Emergency Instrument: Council adopts its negotiating position   Today, the Council adopted its negotiating position on the proposed Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). The SMEI is intended to anticipate, prepare for and respond to the impacts of crises. It builds on lessons learnt from recent emergencies by continuously monitoring potential future crises, by entering vigilance or emergency modes whenever a threat becomes clear and by putting in place a governance architecture that enables member states to coordinate decision-making.

08/06/2023 00:00 | Event Justice and Home Affairs Council On 8–9 June, the EU ministers for justice and home affairs will meet in Luxembourg for the second formal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Items on the agenda include asylum and migration, the overall state of the Schengen area, internal security/law enforcement, media freedom, measures to combat violence against women, the fight against organised crime and legislation to criminalize violation of restrictive measures. Press material Wednesday 7 June 2023   ● Council of the EU   07/06/2023 13:44 | Press release | Court of Justice of the European Union: judge reappointed   The representatives of the governments of the member states today reappointed Mr Marko Ilešič as judge to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The appointment is for a term of office ending on 6 October 2027. It was made as part of the partial renewal of the composition of the Court of Justice in 2021. Mr Ilešič is a judge at the Court of Justice since 2004. Background The Court of Justice of the European Union consists of two courts: the Court of Justice and the General Court. The judges and advocates-general are appointed by common accord of the governments of the member states after consultation of a panel responsible for giving an opinion on prospective candidates' suitability to perform the duties concerned. They are chosen from among individuals whose independence is beyond doubt. For appointment to the Court of Justice, candidates must possess the qualifications required for appointment, in their respective countries, to the highest judicial offices, or be jurisconsults of recognised competence.