COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Sunday, 01 December 2024

● European Council   01/12/2024 15:34 | Statements and remarks | Remarks of President António Costa at the joint press conference with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv   First of all let me thank you for your hospitality. On our very first day in office, I am here in Kyiv, together with the High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas and the new Commissioner in charge of Enlargement Marta Kos.  Our presence here today, the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence referendum, demonstrates the European Union’s unwavering support to the Ukrainian people and its courageous struggle for a just and lasting peace. International law must prevail against the unprovoked, immoral and illegal war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine. Peace must prevail and the invasion must be defeated.  To be here in Ukraine, on this particular day, has a very special meaning for me. On the first of December, for almost 400 years, every single year, my own country celebrates its independence day: our national sovereignty, the right to of self-determination, the right of territorial integrity and respect for its borders. Ukraine, like my country, like all countries in the world, has the same right under the UN Charter.  Ukrainian sovereignty, the integrity of its territory, its own borders must be respected. Rewarding the aggressor would be a threat to the entire international community. And we must be clear that the use of nuclear threats is unacceptable. This can never be put into question.  Russia’s reckless and deliberate attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and energy systems are inhumane. In fact, such actions are targeting people, children, families, depriving them of electricity, heat, water.  This is why, we come here to say directly to the Ukrainian people: we have  stood with you since the very first day of this war of aggression and you can count on us to continue to stand with you. These are not just words. We will continue giving humanitarian, economic, diplomatic, military and energy assistance.  On energy, we have financed the repair of 1/3 of the existing electricity generation capacity and more will come. This month, the European Union will provide Ukraine with an additional 4,2 billion euros to support the Ukrainian budget.  On top of this, starting next month, we plan to provide, for a full year, every month, 1,5 billion euros of assistance. This money comes from the proceeds of Russia’s frozen assets and can also be used for military purposes.  We will also increase the pressure on the Russian economy and further weaken Russia’s ability to wage war. We are preparing a 15th sanctions package against Putin’s regime. In these dark times, it is very difficult to look ahead. But let me talk about the future, about the future we are building together. You are part of the European family. We look forward to welcome you as a member of our Union. Your progress so far has been impressive. Ukrainians are writing a new playbook on how to undertake deep reforms while fighting a war for national survival.  Together, the European Union and Ukraine will work to open at least two clusters of your accession negotiations during the first semester of next year. Already, gradual integration is starting in different policy areas, such as roaming, and a number of products across of next year could be trade as if Ukraine is already in the Single Market . To conclude, I want to repeat: we stand with you as long as necessary and whatever it takes. We stand firmly on the side of your right to self-defence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we will do our utmost to see you in the European Union as a free European nation as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing you in Brussels at the next European Council in two weeks.

Weekly Presidency Newsletter - 1 December 2024 01/12/2024 | Article Weekly Presidency Newsletter - 1 December 2024 Welcome to the first issue of Weekly Presidency Newsletter in December, the weekly newsletter of the Hungarian presidency, in which we take a look at the events of the last week. This week the focus was on the meeting of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Ministers, the EU-CLASI meeting and the opening of the 25th European Diplomatic Programme. ● Council of the EU   02/12/2024 11:38 | Press release | EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime: listings renewed for an additional year   The Council today decided to prolong and update the list of individuals, entities, and bodies subject to restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses, for a further year until 8 December 2025. With the latest updates, the restrictive measures currently apply to 116 persons and 33 entities. Those designated are subject to an asset freeze and EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds, financial assets or economic resources available to them. In addition, a travel ban to the EU applies to the natural persons listed. Today's decision confirms the EU's commitment to denounce human rights violations and abuses wherever they occur, making use of all instruments while reasserting that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. Background The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, established on 7 December 2020, enables the EU to target individuals, entities and bodies – including state and non-state actors – responsible for, involved in or associated with serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide. On 4 December 2023, the Council prolonged the framework for restrictive measures under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime for three years, until 8 December 2026. The listings under the regime expire and are reviewed every 12 months. The EU follows the developments in this domain closely and, as a result, ensures that the listings are kept under constant review. Consolidated text: Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1999 of 7 December 2020 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses, including a list of sanctioned individuals and entities to 22 July 2024 Sanctions against human rights violations (background information) Timeline – Human rights (background information) EU Global Human Rights Regime: restrictive measures prolonged (press release, 4 December 2023) Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime: Council adds four persons and one entity to EU sanctions list (press release, 29 January 2024)

● Council of the EU

02/12/2024 10:20 | Press release | Cybersecurity package: Council adopts new laws to strengthen cybersecurity capacities in the EU   To strengthen EU’s solidarity and capacities to detect, prepare for and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents, today the Council adopted two new laws part of the cyber security legislative ‘package’, namely the so-called ‘cyber solidarity act’, and a targeted amendment to the cybersecurity act (CSA).  Main elements of the cyber solidarity act The new law establishes EU capabilities to make Europe more resilient in front of cyber threats, while strengthening cooperation mechanisms. It establishes inter alia a ‘cyber security alert system’, 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. The cyber hubs will use state-of-the-art technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data analytics, to detect and share timely warnings on cyber threats and incidents across borders. They will strengthen the existing European framework and, in turn, authorities and relevant entities will be able to respond more efficiently and effectively to cybersecurity 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 technical mutual assistance Finally, the new law establishes an incident 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 the so-called ‘managed security services’. The new law recognises the increasing importance of managed security services in the prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cybersecurity incidents. These services can consist of, for example, incident handling, penetration testing, security audits, and consulting related to technical support. Awaiting the results of the evaluation of the CSA, this targeted amendment will enable the establishment of European certification schemes for these 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. ● Council of the EU   02/12/2024 10:09 | Press release | Global Gateway: Council endorses flagship project list for 2025   The Council of the EU has endorsed 46 Global Gateway flagship projects for 2025. The projects identified as flagships by EU member states’ ambassadors are prominent examples of Global Gateway deliverables in the areas of digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research. This selection of key initiatives helps to showcase the comprehensive support the EU and its member states offer to partners across the globe in terms of the sectors of activities, as well as the countries and regions concerned. The flagship projects contribute to strengthening our strategic partnerships and the promotion of our joint interests. Each project is scheduled to achieve a tangible deliverable and milestone during 2025. Flagship projects are identified on a yearly basis and integrated in a Global Gateway flagships list which includes 218 initiatives from previous years, in this case 2023 and 2024. The flagship list is not exhaustive in relation to all projects and activities under Global Gateway, but aims to serve as a tool for the EU and its member states for strategic communication and visibility during the year 2025 in the EU’s engagement with its partners. Flagship projects showcase concrete transformative projects and emphasise their tangible impact and benefits to local communities. The inclusion of projects from member states in the list does not guarantee EU financing for those projects. ● Council of the EU   02/12/2024 12:58 | Press release | Tackling labour and skills shortages in the EU: Council approves conclusions   Tackling labour and skills shortages is one of the key challenges of our time, with implications for the EU’s competitiveness, sustainable and inclusive growth, capacity for innovation, social cohesion, and green and digital transitions. In conclusions approved today, the Council calls on member states to address these shortages by boosting support for training and education, particularly for people who are currently underrepresented in the labour market. “The EU needs to tackle labour and skills shortages if we are to remain at the vanguard of competitiveness, innovation and sustainable growth. The measures proposed in today’s conclusions will not only help address these shortages, they will also enable underrepresented groups access the labour market and increase their economic autonomy.” — Márton Nagy, Hungarian Minister for National Economy Labour and skills shortages are increasing in all EU countries, driven by demographic change, demand for new skillsets, and poor working conditions in certain sectors. On the other hand, many people of working age in Europe are economically inactive or underemployed. This is the case particularly for women, low-skilled workers, older workers, young people, people from ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities. The Council invites EU countries to help these underrepresented groups access employment in shortage areas, including by: providing up- and reskilling opportunities in areas of identified labour market needs addressing individual and structural barriers to labour market participation tackling the gender pay gap and combatting gender stereotypes promoting fair, decent and stable working conditions in cooperation with the Commission, improving labour and skill forecasting Background On 20 March 2024, the European Commission published an action plan on labour and skills shortages in the EU. This plan, which was drafted in cooperation with the social partners, is considered a key deliverable of the European Year of Skills and follows up on the Val Duchesse Social Partners Summit that took place on 31 January 2024. Employment and social affairs ministers discussed labour and skills shortages at the EPSCO Council in July 2024, as part of a policy debate that took place in the context of the European Semester. Labour and skills shortages in the EU: Mobilising untapped labour potential in the European Union (Council conclusions) Labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan ● Council of the EU   02/12/2024 14:08 | Press release | Council calls for greater support to help persons with disabilities access the labour market   Better access to high-quality, sustainable jobs can help persons with disabilities achieve financial independence and greater social inclusion. In conclusions approved today on fostering the social inclusion of persons with disabilities through employment, reasonable accommodation and rehabilitation, the Council calls on EU countries to help persons with disabilities (re)join the labour market. “The EU has made considerable progress in the last few years when it comes to promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, as attested by the recently adopted directives on the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities. Today’s conclusions build on that momentum, focusing on the right of persons with disabilities to access employment as a route to economic autonomy and social inclusion.” — Ádám Kósa, Hungarian Minister of State for Disability The EU Disability Strategy recognises the importance of quality jobs in ensuring that persons with disabilities are independent and can maintain a decent quality of life. Moreover, employers also benefit from employing persons with disabilities, as diverse workplaces can have a positive impact on employee performance and productivity. Nevertheless, in 2021 only around half of persons aged 20-64 with a disability were in employment, compared to nearly three quarters of those without a disability, with women with disabilities being particularly affected. Moreover, both women and men with disabilities earn less money on average than those without disabilities. The Council invites member states to foster the social inclusion of persons with disabilities by: Adopting measures, including setting national employment targets, to improve employment rates for persons with disabilities promoting a non-discriminatory approach in policies that takes into account individual needs strengthening and promoting access to social and support services promoting employment in the open labour market, including through fostering equal treatment and supporting flexible working arrangements strengthening, where necessary, the national frameworks on reasonable accommodation developing and improving rehabilitation services improving data collection and exchange of best practices The Council also calls on the Commission to prepare a report on the progress of implementation of the EU Disability Strategy, as well as to monitor the employment status of persons with disabilities. Background EU action on disability is based on the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 (‘EU Disability Strategy’), which recognises that fostering access to quality, sustainable jobs is key to the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. The strategy calls on Member States to set, by 2024, a target for increasing the employment rate of persons with disabilities and reduce the gap between the employment rates of persons with and without disabilities. It supports the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which the EU and its member states are parties. The directive establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities, as well as the directive extending it to non-EU citizens legally residing in a member state, were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 14 November 2024. Fostering social inclusion of persons with disabilities through employment, reasonable accommodation and rehabilitation (Council conclusions) Disability in the EU (background information)