This week gave us🇪🇺
📌 European Solidarity Corps: EP says yay to €375,6 million to support activities 👨🏫🤝👩🌾
📌 Copyright rules: EP calls tech giants must pay for work of artists and journalists which they use 🎵💰📰
📌 Future of Europe: Greek Prime Minister sees EP2019 as ‘battle of values’ 🗳️❤️🇪🇺
📌 State of EU-US relations: despite ‘America First’, further cooperation is needed 🇪🇺🤝🇺🇸
📌 Rule of law in Hungary: Parliament calls on EU to act 📣7️⃣🕵️
European Solidarity Corps: EP says yay to €375,6 million to support activities 👨🏫🤝👩🌾
➡️ The initiative now has a legal framework. Young people can participate in a wide range of solidarity-related activities such as education, health, protecting the environment, disaster prevention, provision of food and non-food items, reception and integration of migrants and asylum seekers. An overall 2018-2020 budget of €375.6 million was approved, 90% of which is allocated to volunteering and 10% of which goes to the occupational strand of the programme.
🔜 Interested volunteers and organisations can register here: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en
Copyright rules: EP calls tech giants must pay for work of artists and journalists which they use 🎵💰📰
➡️ MEPs aim to make sure that artists, news publishers and journalists are paid for their work when it is used by sharing platforms such as YouTube or Facebook. At the same time, in an attempt to encourage start-ups and innovation, the resolution exempts small and micro platforms from the directive. It also includes provisions to ensure that copyright law is observed online without unfairly hampering the freedom of expression that has come to define the internet.
🔜 this is the Parliament’s position for talks with member states to hammer out a final deal
Future of Europe: Greek Prime Minister sees EP2019 as ‘battle of values’ 🗳️❤️🇪🇺
➡️ Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras outlined the Greek government’s efforts on social protection and the efforts which have led Greece out of the economic crisis, alluding to the symbolism of the debate coinciding with the end of 8 years of fiscal support programmes. Listing many of the problems that the country had faced, such as soaring public debt and a brain drain, he pointed out the need for a new social framework to help cohesion, reform the asylum system and guarantee just burden-sharing. To hold successful European elections, Europe should put aside its differences to face the populist threat together.
🔜 next up to discuss the Future of Europe is Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas on October 3rd
State of EU-US relations: despite ‘America First’, further cooperation is needed 🇪🇺🤝🇺🇸
➡️MEPs stress that the EU-US relationship is the fundamental guarantor for global stability, but regret that the current US administration has chosen a one-sided “America first” policy, that harms the interests and undermines mutual trust. The resolution suggests enhancing the EU-US cooperation on cybersecurity; counter-terrorism, energy; culture and migration, amongst others, and setting up a Transatlantic Political Council, led by the EU diplomacy chief and the US Secretary of State, to regularly consult on foreign and security policy.
Rule of law in Hungary: Parliament calls on EU to act 📣7️⃣🕵️
➡️MEPs debated the rule of law in Hungary with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before deciding that the EU must act to counter the risk of a serious breach of EU founding values. Key concerns raised were the judicial independence, freedom of expression, corruption, rights of minorities, and the situation of migrants and refugees. Despite of the PM’s readiness to discuss the legality of any specific measure, he did not address the situation, “and many concerns remain”. MEPs stress that this is the preventive phase of the procedure, providing for a dialogue with Hungary, which is “intended to avoid possible sanctions”.
🔜 Council may address recommendations to Hungary to counter threat of possible sanctions.
🔥 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