COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday 6 March 2024

● Council of the EU   06/03/2024 05:58 | Press release | Single sky reform: Council and Parliament strike a deal to improve efficiency of air space management in the EU   The Council presidency and the European Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the reform of the Single European Sky. The aim of the reform is to improve the performance, organisation and management of European airspace and the provision of the air navigation services to increase capacity, lower costs and increase the system’s adaptability, while also trying to reduce aviation’s impact on environment and climate. The legislative package consists of an amended proposal for the recast of the Single European Sky regulation (SES 2+) and a proposal for a regulation amending the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) basic regulation. "I am delighted with this result, concluded under our presidency, which will enable major progress to be made in reducing CO² emissions from the aviation sector, and will also give member states more tools to limit the nuisance generated by aeronautical activity. Although much remains to be done to help the sector achieve carbon neutrality, and we will continue to work towards this, the efforts made by all parties to bring this new legal framework for Europe's skies to a successful conclusion are to be applauded." Georges Gilkinet, Belgian minister for mobility Main objectives of the reform The provisional agreement retains the key objectives of the Single European Sky: the reform must respond to capacity needs, and help cut climate and environmental footprint, while being cost-effective. It should also contribute to the regulation of drones. The new rules open the way to improving the climate and environmental performance of airspace management, notably through the extension of binding targets for terminal services in the environmental and climate area and the modulation of charges to incentivise the improvement of environmental performance by airspace users. An independent, permanent and professional Performance Review Board is set up, to advise the Commission on the implementation of the Performance and Charging Schemes. Key elements of the provisional agreement The main elements of the provisional agreement between the co-legislators can be summarised as follows: A national supervisory authority is designated by the member state to assess compliance of air navigation service providers with economic requirements, such as financial sustainability and organisational structure, in cooperation with the national competent authority in charge of the certification of air navigation service providers. The air navigation service providers and the national supervisory authority can be part of the same organisation provided they are functionally separated and meet independence requirements. It will also be possible for member states to merge economic and safety oversight functions in the same administrative entity. This solution cuts red tape and adapts to existing organisational models. Member states may decide to authorise the opening of certain air navigation services to market conditions. National supervisory authorities and the Commission will together assess the performance of air navigation services, in accordance with the subsidiarity and proportionality principles. The Commission is assisted in this process by a performance review board (PRB), which has an advisory role. The PRB is established as a stable and permanent entity and will be funded by the EU budget. Mandatory modulation of en route charges will be introduced to encourage airspace users to support improvements in climate and environmental performance, such as the use of the most fuel-efficient available routing or increased use of alternative clean propulsion technologies, after a cost-benefit analysis determines that such a modulation is feasible and presents an added value. The provisional agreement also strengthens the network perspective by adding new network functions and by giving the current network manager, Eurocontrol, additional, clearly delineated tasks so that it can better contribute to the sustainable and efficient use of the airspace. Next steps The provisional agreement is now subject to approval by the Council and the European Parliament. On the Council’s side, the Belgian presidency intends to submit the text to the member states’ representatives (Coreper) for endorsement as soon as possible. Once approved, the draft legislative acts will be submitted to a legal/linguistic review before being formally adopted by the co-legislators, published in the EU’s official journal, and entering into force 20 days after their publication. Background The Commission launched the Single European Sky (SES) initiative in 1999 to improve the performance of air traffic management and air navigation services through better integration of European airspace. The last major legislative initiative within the SES framework, SES 2, was concluded in 2009. An interim update of the SES rules, called SES 2+, was proposed by the Commission in 2013 but was never concluded. The Commission presented in September 2020 an update to its 2013 proposal on SES 2+ with two legislative proposals: an amended SES 2+ proposal (recast) defining the overall Single European Sky system and the proposal to amend EASA basic regulation entrusting EASA with the role of Performance Review Body. Amended proposal for a regulation on the implementation of the Single European Sky (recast), Council’s general approach, 4 June 2021 Regulation amending regulation 2018/1139 on the capacity of EASA to act as performance review body of the SES, Council’s general approach, 4 June 2021 Single European Sky (SESII+) package, Council report, 27 May 2021 Single European Sky, European Commission (background information) Functional air blocks, Commission background information

Press material Wednesday 6 March 2024

● Council of the EU   06/03/2024 01:32 | Press release | Cyber solidarity package: Council and Parliament strike deals to strengthen cyber security capacities in the EU   To strengthen EU’s solidarity and capacities to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents and enhance its cyber resilience, the Council presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the so-called ‘cyber solidarity act’, as well as on a targeted amendment to the cybersecurity act (CSA). "Today’s agreements set new milestones for Europe’s cyber resilience. These rules will strengthen the EU’s and member states’ capabilities to prepare, prevent, respond, and recover from large-scale cyber threats or incidents. Moreover, creating the possibility for the certification of managed security services will help to ensure a high common level of these cybersecurity services across the EU by facilitating their cross-border provision to the benefit of our citizens and businesses." Mathieu Michel, Belgian Secretary of State for digitisation, administrative simplification, privacy protection and the building regulation Main elements of the cyber solidarity act The new regulation establishes EU capabilities to make Europe more resilient and reactive in front of cyber threats, while strengthening cooperation mechanisms. It mainly aims to: support detection and awareness of significant or large-scale cybersecurity threats and incidents bolster preparedness and protect critical entities and essential services, such as hospital and public utilities strengthen solidarity at EU level, concerted crisis management and response capabilities across member states contribute to ensuring a safe and secure digital landscape for citizens and businesses To detect major cyber threats quickly and effectively, the new regulation establishes a ‘cyber security alert system’, which is a pan-European infrastructure composed of national and cross-border cyber hubs across the EU. These are entities in charge of sharing information and tasked with detecting and acting on cyber threats. They will strengthen the existing European framework and in turn, authorities and relevant entities will be able to respond more efficiently and effectively to major incidents. The new regulation also provides for the creation of a cybersecurity emergency mechanism to increase preparedness and enhance incident response capabilities in the EU. It will support: preparedness actions, including testing entities in highly critical sectors (healthcare, transport, energy, etc.) for potential vulnerabilities, based on common risk scenarios and methodologies a new EU cybersecurity reserve consisting of incident response services from the private sector ready to intervene at the request of a member state or EU institutions, bodies, and agencies as well as associated third countries in case of a significant or large-scale cybersecurity incident mutual assistance in financial terms Finally, the new regulation establishes an evaluation and review mechanism to assess, amongst others, the effectiveness of the actions under the cyber emergency mechanism and the use of the cyber security reserve, as well as the contribution of this regulation to strengthening the competitive position of the industry and service sectors. The targeted amendment to the cybersecurity act of 2019 This targeted amendment aims to enhance EU’s cyber resilience by enabling the future adoption of European certification schemes for ‘managed security services’. Managed security services, provided to customers by specialised companies, are crucial for the prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cybersecurity incidents. They can consist of, for example, incident handling, penetration testing, security audits, and consulting related to technical support. The amendment will enable the establishment of European certification schemes for managed security services. It will help to increase their quality and comparability, foster the emergence of trusted cybersecurity service providers, and avoid fragmentation of the internal market given that some member states have already started the adoption of national certification schemes for managed security services. Awaiting the regular review of the CSA, due by 28 June 2024, the provisional agreement: clarifies the definition of ‘managed security services’ and ensures alignment with the revised network information systems (‘NIS 2’) directive aligns the security objectives of these certification schemes with the security objectives of other schemes under the current CSA regulation includes modifications in the annex to the CSA, which contains a list of requirements to be met by conformity assessment bodies specifies that ENISA’s consultation of all relevant actors should be carried in a timely manner and provides a possibility for quarterly briefings by ENISA or by the Commission to the co-legislators on the functioning of the certification schemes.

Υλικό τύπου Τρίτη 5 Μαρτίου 2024

● Συμβούλιο της Ε.Ε   05/03/2024 19:29 | Δελτίο τύπου | Φυτοϋγειονομικός νόμος: Συμβούλιο και Κοινοβούλιο καταλήγουν σε συμφωνία για την απλοποίηση και την ενίσχυση των ισχυόντων κανόνων   Σήμερα, η Προεδρία του Συμβουλίου και οι εκπρόσωποι του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου κατέληξαν σε προσωρινή συμφωνία για στοχευμένη αναθεώρηση του κανονισμού (ΕΕ) 2016/2031, γνωστός και ως φυτοϋγειονομικός νόμος. Αυτή η αναθεώρηση αποσκοπεί στη βελτίωση και τον εξορθολογισμό της εφαρμογής και επιβολής του κανονισμού. "Αυτή η στοχευμένη βελτίωση των υφιστάμενων φυτοϋγειονομικών κανόνων μας θα διασφαλίσει ότι θα συνεχίσουμε να είμαστε καλά εξοπλισμένοι για να αντιμετωπίζουμε φυτοϋγειονομικές απειλές, ενώ θα απλοποιήσουμε την επιβολή των κανόνων μας. Αυτό με τη σειρά του θα μειώσει τη γραφειοκρατία και θα μειώσει το διοικητικό φόρτο τόσο για τους φορείς εκμετάλλευσης όσο και για τις εθνικές αρχές ." David Clarinval, Αντιπρόεδρος της Κυβέρνησης του Βελγίου και Υπουργός για τους Αυτοαπασχολούμενους, τις ΜΜΕ και τη Γεωργία, τις Θεσμικές Μεταρρυθμίσεις και τη Δημοκρατική Ανανέωση Κύρια στοιχεία της προσωρινής συμφωνίας Το προσωρινά συμφωνηθέν κείμενο αντικατοπτρίζει τους γενικούς στόχους της πρότασης της Επιτροπής. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, ο αναθεωρημένος κανονισμός στοχεύει: βελτίωση των διαδικασιών για τον εντοπισμό και την καταχώριση φυτών υψηλού κινδύνου, καθώς και για την υποβολή και εξέταση αιτημάτων για προσωρινές παρεκκλίσεις από τις υποχρεώσεις εισαγωγής που προέρχονται από χώρες εκτός ΕΕ αποσαφήνιση μέτρων για παράσιτα που χαρακτηρίζονται ως παράσιτα καραντίνας, αλλά δεν έχουν ακόμη αξιολογηθεί πλήρως εξορθολογισμός και απλούστευση των υποχρεώσεων υποβολής εκθέσεων , χάρη στην αυξημένη ψηφιοποίηση . Αυτό θα βοηθήσει στη μείωση της γραφειοκρατίας για τις αρμόδιες αρχές, καθώς και για τους φορείς εκμετάλλευσης Ομάδα έκτακτης ανάγκης για την υγεία των φυτών Οι δύο συννομοθέτες βελτίωσαν περαιτέρω την πρόταση της Επιτροπής προβλέποντας τη δημιουργία μιας ενωσιακής φυτοϋγειονομικής ομάδας έκτακτης ανάγκης . Η ομάδα θα αποτελείται από εμπειρογνώμονες που θα διορίζονται από την Επιτροπή, βάσει προτάσεων των κρατών μελών. Αυτοί οι εμπειρογνώμονες θα έχουν διαφορετικές ειδικότητες στον τομέα της φυτοϋγειονομικής περίθαλψης και θα μπορούν να βοηθούν σε περίπτωση νέων εστιών παρασίτων στην ΕΕ. Επιπλέον, θα μπορούσαν να παράσχουν επείγουσα βοήθεια και τεχνογνωσία στις συνοριακές τρίτες χώρες σε περίπτωση εστιών που θα μπορούσαν να επηρεάσουν την ΕΕ, εάν αυτό ζητηθεί από ένα ή περισσότερα κράτη μέλη. Πολυετή προγράμματα ερευνών Προκειμένου να εξορθολογιστούν οι υποχρεώσεις υποβολής εκθέσεων, οι συννομοθέτες συμφώνησαν να αυξήσουν τη διάρκεια των πολυετών προγραμμάτων ερευνών , τα οποία θα πρέπει τώρα να θεσπιστούν για περίοδο πέντε έως δέκα ετών , αντί για την τρέχουσα περίοδο πέντε έως επτά ετών. Αυτό θα συμβάλει στη μείωση του διοικητικού φόρτου για τις αρμόδιες αρχές. Για να εξασφαλιστεί η έγκαιρη ανίχνευση των παρασίτων, τα προγράμματα αυτά πρέπει να επανεξεταστούν και να επικαιροποιηθούν ανάλογα με τη φυτοϋγειονομική κατάσταση. Φυτικά διαβατήρια Σύμφωνα με το προσωρινά συμφωνηθέν κείμενο, η Επιτροπή μπορεί να αποφασίσει μέσω εκτελεστικών πράξεων ποια φυτά, φυτικά προϊόντα ή άλλα αντικείμενα μπορούν να ταξιδεύουν χωρίς φυτικό διαβατήριο φυσικώς προσαρτημένο σε αυτά επειδή, για παράδειγμα, το μέγεθος ή το σχήμα τους, που θα καθιστούσαν αδύνατη την προσκόλληση ή πολύ δύσκολο. Αυτά τα φυτά ή τα φυτικά προϊόντα θα έχουν αντί αυτού το φυτικό διαβατήριο συσχετισμένο μαζί τους με τρόπο διαφορετικό από αυτόν της φυσικής προσκόλλησης. Αυτή η αλλαγή στους ισχύοντες κανόνες βασίζεται στην εμπειρία που έχουν αποκτήσει μέχρι στιγμής οι φορείς εκμετάλλευσης στην εφαρμογή της φυτοϋγειονομικής νομοθεσίας. Επόμενα βήματα Η προσωρινή συμφωνία θα πρέπει τώρα να εγκριθεί από το Συμβούλιο και το Κοινοβούλιο. Στη συνέχεια θα εγκριθεί επίσημα και από τα δύο θεσμικά όργανα μετά από νομογλωσσική αναθεώρηση. Ιστορικό Ο κανονισμός (ΕΕ) 2016/2031 είναι επί του παρόντος το βασικό νομικό πλαίσιο για τη φυτοϋγειονομική πολιτική της ΕΕ . Αποσκοπεί στην πρόληψη της εισόδου και της εξάπλωσης νέων φυτικών παρασίτων (τα λεγόμενα «Ενωσιακά παράσιτα καραντίνας») και στην καταπολέμηση των παρασίτων που υπάρχουν ήδη στην ΕΕ («ρυθμιζόμενα παράσιτα που δεν είναι καραντίνα»). Τέθηκε σε εφαρμογή στις 14 Δεκεμβρίου 2019. Κατά τις διοργανικές διαπραγματεύσεις για την τρέχουσα αναθεώρηση, το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινοβούλιο εκπροσωπήθηκε από την εισηγήτρια Clara Aguilera (S&D, ES). διαπραγματευτική εντολή του Συμβουλίου πρόταση της Επιτροπής

Press material Tuesday 5 March 2024

● Council of the EU   05/03/2024 19:29 | Press release | Plant health law: Council and Parliament strike deal to simplify and strengthen current rules   Today, the Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on a targeted revision of regulation (EU) 2016/2031, also known as the plant health law. This revision aims to improve and streamline the regulation's application and enforcement. "This targeted improvement of our existing plant health rules will ensure we continue to be well-equipped to face phytosanitary threats, while simplifying the enforcement of our rules. This in turn will cut red tape and reduce the administrative burden for operators and national authorities alike." David Clarinval, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Self-Employed, SMEs and Agriculture, Institutional Reforms and Democratic Renewal Main elements of the provisional agreement The provisionally agreed text reflects the overall goals of the Commission's proposal. More specifically, the revised regulation aims to: improve procedures for identifying and listing high-risk plants, and for submitting and examining requests for temporary derogations from import obligations coming from non-EU countries clarify measures for pests that qualify as quarantine pests, but which have not yet been fully assessed rationalise and simplify reporting obligations, thanks to increased digitalisation; this will help cut red tape for the competent authorities, as well as for operators Plant health emergency team The two co-legislators further improved the Commission's proposal by providing for the creation of a Union plant health emergency team. The team would be made up of experts appointed by the Commission, based on proposals from member states. These experts would have different specialities in the field of plant health and would be able to assist in the event of new outbreaks of pests in the EU. Additionally, they could provide bordering third countries with urgent assistance and expertise in the case of outbreaks that could affect the EU, if this is requested by one or more member states. Multiannual survey programmes In order to streamline reporting obligations, the co-legislators agreed to increase the duration of multiannual survey programmes, which would now have to be established for a period of five to ten years, instead of the current period of five to seven years. This will help reduce the administrative burden for the competent authorities. To ensure the timely detection of pests, these programmes are to be reviewed and updated depending on the phytosanitary situation. Plant passports According to the provisionally agreed text, the Commission can decide via implementing acts which plants, plant products or other objects can travel without a plant passport physically attached to them because, for instance, of their size or their shape, which would make the attachment impossible or very difficult. These plants or plant products would instead have the plant passport associated with them in a way other than that of a physical attachment. This change to the current rules is based on the experience gained so far by operators in the implementation of the plant health law. Next steps The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision. Background Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 is currently the basic legal framework for the EU's plant health policy. It aims to prevent the entry and spread of new plant pests (so-called 'Union quarantine pests') and fight against pests already present in the EU ('regulated non-quarantine pests'). It entered into application on 14 December 2019. During the interinstitutional negotiations for the current revision, the European Parliament was represented by rapporteur Clara Aguilera (S&D, ES). Council negotiating mandate Commission proposal

Meetings Tuesday 5 March 2024

● Council of the EU   05/03/2024 18:39 | MEETING | Main results - Justice and Home Affairs Council, 4-5 March 2024   Justice ministers convened in Brussels to discuss a draft law on migrant smuggling and to exchange views with the Ukrainian prosecutor general on the fight against impunity regarding crimes committed in connection with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Press material Wednesday 6 March 2024

● Council of the EU   06/03/2024 15:19 | Press release | Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans: Council agrees its negotiating mandate   Member states' EU ambassadors today agreed on the Council's negotiating mandate on the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans. The proposed facility is the centrepiece of the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, presented by the Commission in November 2023. It will support the EU's Western Balkan partners in undertaking a comprehensive set of socio-economic and fundamentals reforms, including on the rule of law and fundamental rights, support the enlargement process and accelerate the partners' economic convergence with the EU. Covering the period from 2024 to 2027, the facility is expected to provide up to €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans to the EU's Western Balkan partners. Payments will be subject to strict conditions in terms of achievement of reforms set out in each partner's agreed Reform Agenda. Main elements of the Council's mandate The Council's negotiating mandate builds on the Commission proposal for establishing the facility, further clarifying and developing some of its elements, including the general and specific objectives of the facility and the preconditions for EU support. One of the key changes concerns the strengthening of the Council's role in the governance of the facility, in particular in the adoption and amendment of the Reform Agendas, the monitoring of the fulfilment of the preconditions for EU support and the assessment of the fulfilment of payment conditions. In its mandate, the Council also puts a stronger focus on partners' alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Next steps Today's agreement will allow the Council presidency to start negotiations on the final text for the facility with the European Parliament as soon as the Parliament has voted on its mandate. Background On 8 November 2023, the European Commission presented a new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, together with its annual enlargement package. The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans is based on four pillars, aimed at enhancing the Western Balkan partners' economic integration with the EU's single market, boosting economic integration within the region through the Common Regional Market, accelerating fundamental reforms, and increasing financial assistance to support the reforms through a Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans. To fund the new Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, €2 billion of additional support was allocated to the Western Balkans as part of the mid-term revision of the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. Council’s negotiating mandate on the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (European Commission)