📌EU budget 2019: talks between EP & EC suspended due to disagreement on research funding 💸🛑😞
📌 Whistleblowers: EU started the process to implement coherent legal protection 😗🇪🇺👮
📌 #EYE2018 hearings: young people bringing their ideas forward to MEPs 🧒👂🔮
EU budget 2019: talks between EP & EC suspended due to disagreement on research funding 💸🛑😞
➡️Both parties acknowledged that there was no deal to be struck on the 2019 EU Budget before the end of the conciliation period. According to the EP, this was because of the Council's reservation on the possibility of reallocating unused research funds from 2017 to complement the Horizon 2020 research programme for 2019. The Council was however concerned that this would create a precedent, with unknown consequences for the future. Prior to negotiation talks, MEPs refused to accept the cuts to the research and infrastructure programmes proposed by the Council.
🔜The Commission announced that it would table a new draft budget at the end of November. Negotiations will then continue with a view of finding an agreement before the end of the year.
Whistleblowers: EU started the process to implement coherent legal protection 😗🇪🇺👮
➡️ A draft law to set up a protection system for whistleblowers has been approved by the Legal Affairs Committee. The proposal lays down common standards for protection at EU level, calls for establishing adequate reporting channels in the public and private sectors and sets safeguards for those persons in danger of facing retaliation. Whistleblower protection is fragmented or only partial across member states, with only 10 EU countries (France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden and UK) providing comprehensive legal protection. The process was started by the European Commission’s legislative proposal. This follows on from the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on Protection of Whistleblowers and the European Parliament’s resolution on Legitimate measures to protect whistleblowers.
#EYE2018 hearings: young people bringing their ideas forward to MEPs 🧒👂🔮
➡️ Following the European Youth Event (EYE2018), three different committees heard the most impactful ideas of young people, this week. While reporting on the discussion in Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) committee is still very low as of this point, the hearing in the committee for Transport and Tourism, sparked lively discussions between the young people and the MEPs. Ideas discussed where to decarbonise the transport sector by including it in the EU ETS, have smart bikes replace polluting car, to offer free public transport in EU cities, to extend public transport in local areas to improve rural tourism, and to focus on sustainable and eco-tourism.
🔜 Next up are the hearings in Constitutional Affairs (AFCO), and Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) in 27 November, as well as Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 23 January. Afterwards, it is up to (young) voters to keep the politicians to the promises made.
🔥 If you want to be updated, too, we suggest the European Parliament's press service http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room and the European Commission's news room https://europa.eu/newsroom/home_en