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Mrs. O’ Reilly took up her duties as European Ombudsman in October 2013. She was the first female Ombudsman and Information Commissioner in Ireland. She is an award-winning political editor, journalist and writer.

European Ombudsman: Juncker Commission has improved transparency

By: EBR | Thursday, February 22, 2018

The role and contribution of the European Ombudsman in promoting democratic accountability and transparency in European institutions was highlighted by the Head of the organization, Emily O'Reilly, in an exclusive interview with European Business Review

Budget Committee MEPs want the EU budget to reflect a political project and long-term strategy for a stronger and more sustainable Europe. They demand that the current 1%-ceiling for the EU’s expenditure be increased to 1.3% of the GNI, in order to be able to continue to support existing policy areas, like agriculture and cohesion policies, as well as provide sufficient funding to deal with new challenges such as security, defence or migration.

Post-2020 EU budget reform must match EU’s future ambitions

By: EBR | Thursday, February 22, 2018

-Post-2020 expenditure (MFF) ceiling should rise to 1.3% of the EU’s GNI -Multi-annual budget period should aligned with 5 year parliamentary mandate -Abolish all rebates and corrections

In any event, the majority of member states and MEPs want to see a rapid resolution of this conflict which has been lingering for 40 years. Many in the European Parliament and member states think that the autonomy proposal presented by Morocco is serious and plausible.”

Will ECJ blow EU-Morocco fisheries deal?

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Senior French MEP Gilles Pargneaux has thrown his weight behind the European Commission which says it wants negotiations on renewing a fisheries agreement with Morocco to start immediately “to ensure continuity and legal security for fishermen and industry.”

Whether it will do so timidly or in a blaze of political courage remains to be seen. In the coming weeks it is due to unveil its ideas for a ’European Labour Authority’, a powerful new instrument that isn’t specifically about migrant labour although its goals clearly include speeding the resettlement of immigrants and helping to find them jobs.

Brussels must bite the bullet on a common EU migration policy

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The EU Commission is soon to re-enter the fray over immigration.

On 27 February, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will rule on a legal opinion that seeks to invalidate the existing EU-Morocco Fishery agreement.

EU commission study concludes that future EU-Morocco fisheries agreement is ”vitally important”

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 13, 2018

A recent study commissioned by the EU underlines the ‘vital importance’ of the bloc signing a new fisheries agreement with Morocco

Commissioner for Home Affairs, Migration and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: ”Security remains a key challenge for Europe and a number one priority for the EU, as reflected in the EU Institutions’ Joint Declaration for 2018-19. We must continue to make use of this strong momentum and deliver concrete results for our security, collectively.

Security Union: Commission follows up on terrorist radicalisation

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 6, 2018

The European Commission reports on progress made towards an effective and genuine Security Union, including priorities like countering radicalisation, enhancing cybersecurity and protecting public spaces

Populist parties – led by the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement and the anti-migrant, anti-euro Northern League – have been gaining ground since at least 2012, and today enjoy popular support of between 40% and 50% in most polls.

Europe is no antidote to Italy’s populism problem

By: EBR | Monday, February 5, 2018

While the tide of support for western European populist parties appears to be subsiding, Italy’s anti-establishment and Eurosceptic sentiment is in full swing

Blockchain technologies, which store blocks of information that are distributed across the network, are seen as a major breakthrough, as they bring about high levels of traceability and security in economic transactions online. They are expected to impact digital services and transform business models in a wide range of areas, such as healthcare, insurance, finance, energy, logistics, intellectual property rights management or government services.

European Commission launches the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum

By: EBR | Friday, February 2, 2018

The Commission launched today the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum with the support of the European Parliament, represented by Jakob von Weizsäcker responsible for the recent report on virtual currencies

Almost 190,000 refugees came to Germany last year. This is a dramatic reduction compared to previous years – 700,000 less than in the crisis year of 2015 and 100,000 fewer than in 2016.

Germany’s Refugee Inflow: All Under Control Now?

By: EBR | Friday, February 2, 2018

If immigration remains at the level of recent years, about 20% of the populations of France, England and Germany will be Muslim in the foreseeable future

Europe’s success story has been built on ’70 years of lasting peace’. That rings hollow with a generation that takes peace for granted. Baby boomers have pushed Erasmus or free-roaming in an attempt to sound down with the kids. How about those who cannot even afford university or the chance to travel?

How to save the generation Europe left behind

By: EBR | Tuesday, January 30, 2018

“A Dream Deferred.” That’s the title of a blog post by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde’s published this week, sounding the alarm on rising youth poverty and generational inequality in Europe

The EEAS has now firmly established itself on the international scene, yet still the EU lacks a recognisable foreign policy. Federica Mogherini, the present High Representative for foreign and security policy, could more accurately be described as the ’Co-ordinator’ of EU member states’ competing foreign policies.

Let’s end our pygmy politics so we can have a proper EU foreign policy

By: EBR | Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Prematurely or not, speculation is becoming rife about the likely successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission. That's important, but arguably no more important than the identity of the EU's next foreign policy chief

Anastasiades — who is seeking a second and final five-year term in the European Union’s most easterly member — has pledged to restart talks promptly with the Turkish-backed north after they collapsed last year in acrimony. Malas, a former health minister who lost out to Anastasiades in 2013, is firmly in favour of a deal to reunite the country and has criticised the president for not going far enough.

Anastasiades faces tight run-off against communist-backed candidate

By: EBR | Monday, January 29, 2018

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades faces a tense run-off against Communist AKEL-backed Stavros Malas after he failed to win a majority at a vote Sunday (28 January) despite finishing first

But by “turning a blind eye” to this, he warned the European Union risks encouraging other countries in the region to follow Romania’s example, using the “fight against corruption” as a smokescreen to weaken democratic standards. It is an environment that provides the perfect breeding ground for the type of creeping authoritarianism we are seeing in Hungary and Poland, Clarke said.

EU concerned about rights abuses in Romania

By: EBR | Thursday, January 25, 2018

A respected human rights organisation has voiced “real concern” about what it says is deteriorating judicial oversight in Romania

The European Parliament should shrink from 751 to 705 MEPs when the UK leaves the EU, to make room for EU-wide electoral lists, say Constitutional Affairs MEPs.

EU elections 2019: MEPs pave way for pan-European constituency post Brexit

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

MEP numbers to be cut from 751 to 705 after Brexit. 46 of the 73 UK seats freed up by Brexit to be held in reserve for possible pan-European lists and EU enlargement. Remaining 27 UK seats to be shared out among 14 remaining EU countries

After the fact-finding mission in June 2016 produced particularly bad results, the representatives of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Reporters without Borders (RSF) did find a slightly more positive situation at the beginning of 2018.

International media freedom delegation in Croatia: some improvements, old and new issues

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 24, 2018

This was the second such visit in two years

Loefven said the main threat came from Russia, but he added that ”we cannot rule out that there may be others” who would try to influence the Swedish vote on 9 September. He also indicated that he had specific information on efforts being made to meddle in the electoral process.

Sweden raises alarm on election meddling

By: EBR | Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Sweden aims to create a new government agency to protect its upcoming election from Russian and other propaganda

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb explosion on October 16, a few meters away from her home. Her death raised concerns not only about protection of critical journalists but also about the rule of law and corruption in Malta.

Council of Europe’s Partner Organisations on Media Freedom Raise Alarm after Grim Record in 2017 and Urge Close International Scrutiny over the investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Murder

By: EBR | Monday, January 22, 2018

The undersigned organisations, partners of the Council of Europe Platform for the Promotion of Journalism and the Protection of Journalists, are deeply concerned over the lack of progress in the investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

After all-night talks, leaders of chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU/CSU and the center-left SPD agreed outlines of a program to continue their current coalition for another four-year term.

Interpreting Germany’s New Grand Coalition Deal: A First Assessment

By: EBR | Monday, January 15, 2018

Germany will continue to gradually slip from the top to the upper middle ranks of the growth league of major European countries. Its current golden decade will end in the 2020s

Macron, the end of a myth

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Sunday September 30, the front-page headline of Le Monde, the French quality newspaper says: ‘Facing the difficulties, Macron changes his way of working’

It’s now or never. By the end of this year, Juncker will be a lame duck president, and his Commission’s drive and authority will be ebbing away. This is therefore the time for the most difficult EU problems to be tackled. Not all of them fall exclusively under the Commission’s responsibility, but whether or not they are shared with other EU institutions or require the support of member governments, the Juncker Commission must urgently show greater strength and leadersh

’Last chance’ Juncker has only 2018 to deliver the goods

By: EBR | Tuesday, January 9, 2018

This is the year when Jean-Claude Juncker's ‘Last Chance’ Commission must chalk up worthwhile achievements and shake off the sense of inertia that already risks turning into full retreat

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EU Actually

Far-left and far-right gains throw French mainstream parties into a quandary

By: N. Peter Kramer

In many big towns and cities, Socialists and centre-right Republicans are tempted to make electoral pacts on their outside flanks to beat the opposition in next Sunday’s run off of the French mayoral elections.

Europe

Russia’s Imperial Retreat Is Europe’s Strategic Opportunity

The war in Ukraine is costing Russia its leverage overseas. Across the South Caucasus and Middle East, this presents an opportunity for Europe to pick up the pieces and claim its own sphere of influence.

Business

EU risks losing US soy imports under deforestation rules, Washington warns

The regulation would make the bloc less attractive for American exporters, a senior USDA official said