COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Tuesday 23 January 2024

● Council of the EU   23/01/2024 22:23 | Press release | Fight against human trafficking: Council and European Parliament strike deal to strengthen rules   Today the Belgian presidency of the Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to add forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy as types of exploitation covered by the EU’s anti-trafficking law. The update of the directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings will also require EU countries to make sure that people knowingly using services provided by victims of trafficking can face sanctions. Other amendments concern the strengthening of victims' support and assistance as well as prevention measures. "Human trafficking is a criminal act that has a severe human toll. This much-needed update of the directive will better equip member states to fight this awful crime in all its forms." Paul Van Tigchelt, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea Forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy Council and European Parliament negotiators agreed to explicitly mention in the directive that the exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption are types of exploitation which fall under the scope of the definition of trafficking. The trafficking for the exploitation of surrogacy, which is when a woman agrees to deliver a child on behalf of another person or couple to become the child’s parent(s) after birth, will target those who coerce or deceive women into acting as surrogate mothers. Including these forms of trafficking in the EU anti-trafficking law will take into account the prevalence and the relevance of these forms of exploitation. Penalties and sanctions As is the case in the current directive, the new types of exploitation (forced marriage, illegal adoption and surrogacy) will be punishable by a maximum penalty of at least five years of imprisonment, or of at least ten years of imprisonment in case of aggravated offences. The Council and EU Parliament have also decided to include a new aggravating circumstance in the law to take into account the amplifying effect that information and communication technologies (ICT) can have as regards trafficking. This includes the fact that the perpetrator facilitated or committed the dissemination, by means of ICT, of images, videos or similar material of a sexual nature involving the victim. Sanctions on legal persons, such as companies, held accountable for trafficking offences will also be beefed up. They will from now on cover the exclusion from access to public funding, including tender procedures, grants, concessions and licences, and the withdrawal of permits and authorisations to pursue activities which have resulted in committing the offence. Using services provided by victims of trafficking The agreement between Council and European Parliament foresees that member states must make it a criminal offence if a person who uses the service provided by a trafficking victim knows that the person is a victim of trafficking. In such cases, member states need to ensure that this offence is punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties. Under the current law member states should only consider making the use of services of persons exploited by human traffickers a criminal offence. Next steps Today’s provisional agreement will be submitted to member state’s representatives in the Council (Coreper) for confirmation. It will also have to be formally adopted by both institutions. Background information In 2011, the EU adopted a directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting the victims of this crime. This is a key instrument in the fight against human trafficking as it sets minimum rules concerning the definition (at national level) of criminal offences and sanctions. It also includes EU-wide rules to strengthen prevention and protection of victims. According to European Commission data, sexual and labour exploitation are the main purposes of trafficking in human beings. However, begging or organ removal – already explicitly mentioned in the 2011 directive – and forced marriage and illegal adoption – which are not explicitly mentioned – now represent 11% of all victims in the EU in 2020. The EU’s fight against organised crime (background information)

Meetings Tuesday 23 January 2024

● Council of the EU   23/01/2024 20:36 | MEETING | Main results - Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 23 January 2024   During the first Agriculture and Fisheries Council held under the Belgian presidency, ministers discussed trade-related agricultural issues and held an exchange of views on a proposal for a forest monitoring framework. Additionally, based on information from the Commission, the Council discussed the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture.

Press material Tuesday 23 January 2024

● Council of the EU   23/01/2024 16:34 | Press release | 10th EU-Egypt Association Council meeting: Joint press statement by Egypt and the European Union   The tenth meeting of the Association Council between the European Union and Egypt took place in Brussels on 23 January 2024. The event marks the 20th anniversary since the Association Agreement entered into force in 2004 and confirmed the robust and multifaceted partnership between the two parties. The meeting was co-chaired by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. The Association Council took stock of the progress made on the joint Partnership Priorities adopted in June 2022 with a view to promoting joint interests. The EU and Egypt intend to pursue a cooperation that promotes multilateralism and the rules-based international order. They will continue working together to foster stability, peace and security in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Africa. In view of the importance they attach to their relationship, the EU and Egypt intend to elevate it to the level of a Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership. The EU and Egypt exchanged views over a number of regional crises and global challenges. The EU and Egypt shared their concern for the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza. They urged maximum restraint and the protection of civilians in accordance with the universal principles of International Humanitarian Law. Both sides reiterate the need to ensure the immediate, sustainable and unconditional delivery of humanitarian and medical aid. The EU and Egypt are committed to continue to work closely together to alleviate the human suffering of the people in Gaza, and affirmed their strong rejection of any form of individual or collective displacement, forced or otherwise, of Palestinians from any part of the occupied territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Egypt called for an immediate ceasefire; the EU stressed the urgency of humanitarian pauses. The parties shared concerns on the situation in the West Bank, where settler violence and settlement expansion have reached record levels, and many Palestinian communities have been forcibly evicted, as illegal measures under international law. The EU and Egypt reiterated that the only path to a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the conflict in the Middle East is the two-state solution that ends occupation and leads to the establishment of an independent, contiguous, sovereign and viable Palestinian State, on the lines of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with the State of Israel in peace, in accordance with international law and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The EU and Egypt underlined that peace, security and a multilateral, rules-based order lie at the heart of their longstanding partnership. Recalling United Nations General Assembly resolutions ES-11/1 and ES-11/2 on Ukraine, which they both voted in favour of, they reiterated their shared principles in line with the UN Charter of respect for international law, territorial integrity, national sovereignty, the need to refrain from the use of force, respect international humanitarian law and solve conflicts by peaceful means. They condemned all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights in conflict areas, and called for the strict respect of international humanitarian law. Recognizing Egypt’s heavy reliance on the Nile River in a context of its water scarcity, the EU reiterates its support to Egypt’s water security and the compliance with international law, while recalling that the ‘do no harm’ principle serves as a guiding principle in the European Green Deal. The EU and Egypt recognise the importance of preserving navigational rights and freedoms in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, in accordance with international law as reflected in 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The EU and Egypt remain committed to promoting democracy, fundamental freedoms and human rights, gender equality and equal opportunities as constitutional rights of all their citizens. In this regard, both sides agreed to continuing their dialogue and enhancing cooperation on human rights in a comprehensive approach. The EU and Egypt agreed that civil society and the private sector are important and potent contributors to the implementation of their partnership priorities and key actors in support of the sustainable development process underway in Egypt. Egypt appreciates the EU support to the COP27 Presidency. Building on the successes of COP27 hosted by Egypt in 2022 and COP28 held in the UAE in 2023, the EU and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment to work together on climate change mitigation, carbon market loss and damage, just transition and adaptation, including sustainable management of natural resources, the development of sustainable agriculture, the support to sustainable industry, and expansion of public transport networks. The diversification of energy sources and the green energy transition, including the expansion of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable finance, will be a central element in these efforts. Both sides also indicated their intention to continue working on other crucial areas such as biodiversity conservation, combating desertification and land degradation, and disaster risk management. Guided by the shared vision for a more sustainable management of water resources and tackling the challenges posed by water management in the context of a growing population, competing water demands, and a changing climate, Egypt and the EU agree on areas of cooperation on bilateral, regional, and international levels in the water domain in line with the Joint Declaration on an Egypt-EU Water partnership. The EU and Egypt will continue enhancing their cooperation and dialogue on all climate-related issues, including in particular their respective climate policies and measures, and the multilateral environmental and regional negotiations on climate change with a view to further strengthening their longstanding partnership. The EU and Egypt are important trading partners and will work together to further enhance bilateral trade relations and foster investments. They will continue strengthening their constructive trade dialogue to further foster the business and investment environment to attract more foreign direct investment. The EU and Egypt will work together to enhance the competitiveness of the economy and support the development of the private sector, namely Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises in Egypt. In this regard, Egypt and the EU highlighted the importance of the International Investment Conference to be held in Egypt, in May 2024. Its aim will be to further deepen Egypt-EU business exchanges in order to enhance the overall business environment and to encourage European public and private investments to benefit from the available investment potentials in Egypt, This includes the privileges provided by the Suez Canal as the most important Commercial and Maritime corridor connecting the East and the West of the globe which would, eventually, strengthen Egypt’s role in EU supply chains. The EU and Egypt confirmed the importance of cooperation in research and innovation in sectors such as energy, water, agro-food and health as well as in advancing digital technologies. Today’s signature of the Framework Protocol Agreement will pave the way for Egypt’s participation in EU programmes, thereby further promoting people-to-people exchanges. Combating terrorism and preventing violent extremism conducive to terrorism represent a common goal. The EU and Egypt welcomed their co-chairmanship of Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and reiterated their joint commitment to addressing the root causes of terrorism with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Both sides called for increased cooperation to tackle the numerous and multi-faceted manifestations of organised crime. The EU and Egypt agreed on the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to migration governance, creating regular migration pathways, tackling the root causes of irregular migration, combating migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, ensuring dignified and sustainable return of irregular migrants and reintegration. The EU and Egypt are committed to the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees. The EU and Egypt will continue to cooperate in order to support Egypt’s efforts in hosting refugees.

Press material Tuesday 23 January 2024

● Council of the EU   23/01/2024 10:35 | Press release | European Medicines Agency: Council gives final green light to the overhaul of its fee system   Today, the Council formally adopted a regulation to modernise and simplify the structure of fees paid to the European Medicines Agency. The new rules will ensure both adequate funding for the EMA and sufficient support for national competent authorities to undertake their scientific evaluation tasks. "During the last years, the European Medicines Agency and the national competent authorities have worked hard and ceaselessly to ensure safe vaccines and medicines for all EU citizens throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and in its aftermath. The new regulation and the new fee system will further support their operations and tasks." Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Cost-based fees and sustainable EMA operations The new regulation: establishes the transition from a flat-rate to a cost-based fee system ensures the sustainability of the European regulatory network formed by the EMA and national competent authorities, providing a sound financial basis to support their operations makes the system more flexible and adaptable to future needs, including provisions on updating fees or adapting fees to changing circumstances simplifies the existing legislation and merges the content of the two current regulations for pharmacovigilance and non-pharmacovigilance fees into one single legal instrument Background and next steps On 13 December 2022, the Commission published a proposal for a regulation revising the existing EMA fee system. After establishing their respective positions, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament launched negotiations on 5 September and reached a provisional agreement on the final shape of the regulation by the end of the month. The regulation will now be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU. It will enter into force on the first day following publication and become applicable on 1 January 2025, repealing the two previous regulations on the EMA fee system. European Medicines Agency: Council and Parliament strike deal on a sustainable and flexible fee system (press release, 25 September 2023) Key measures in health policy (background information)