In a joint vote on Thursday, MEPs and EU ambassadors chose Frankfurt to host the EUâs central enforcer in the fight against dirty money, the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA). Nine candidates in total applied to host AMLA and presented their candidacies in joint public hearings. In the vote, … Read more
In a resolution adopted with 330 votes in favour, 254 against, and 26 abstentions, MEPs express grave concerns about very serious threats to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in the country. Media freedom Regarding media pluralism and the safety of journalists, MEPs complain about the lack of progress in the investigation into … Read more
The informal agreement reached by Parliament and Council negotiators on Tuesday includes measures to prevent rape, tougher rules on cyber violence, and better support for victims. For the first time, there will be EU-wide rules on the criminalisation of certain forms of gender-based violence and better access to justice, protection and prevention. Member states will … Read more
Frances Fitzgerald (EPP, Ireland), Evin Incir (S&D, Sweden), Chair of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee Robert Biedroń (S&D, Poland) and Chair of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spain) will inform the media and answers journalists’ questions following the fifth inter-institutional meeting with the Commission and … Read more
The report, adopted with 63 votes for, two against and two abstentions, builds on the European Commission’s draft for an anti-corruption directive that would strengthen the existing legislative framework. A broader scope and a stricter approach MEPs amended the draft anti-corruption provisions to cover more persons of interest, including “any person entrusted with tasks of … Read more
On Wednesday, the Civil Liberties Committee endorsed a draft Parliament position on extending temporary rules to allow for the detection of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online in derogation of EU legislation on the respect of privacy online. This would prevent a legal vacuum when the derogation expires in August 2024. The draft position was … Read more
Belgium holds the Presidency of the Council until June 2024 included. Economic and Monetary Affairs Protecting taxpayers and their purchasing power while restoring citizens’ trust in financial institutions would be the overarching priority, Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem told MEPs on 22 January. He said the economic governance review, deepening the capital markets union, reaching … Read more
The informal agreement reached by Parliament and Council on Tuesday night will expand the scope of the current directive to include forced marriage, illegal adoption, exploitation of surrogacy and better support for victims. It will also: – make sure anti-trafficking and asylum authorities coordinate their activities so that victims of trafficking, who are also in … Read more
Reacting to the latest Commission’s annual rule of law report, MEPs are deeply concerned that democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights across the EU are eroding, in a draft report adopted with 42 votes in favour, ten against, two abstentions. They also criticise specific countries where major problems are identified. Institutions under threat … Read more
The Council should adopt a decision to include hate speech and hate crime among criminal offences within the meaning of Article 83(1) TFEU (so-called “EU crimes”) by the end of the current legislative term, Parliament says in the report adopted on Thursday with 397 votes in favour, 121 against, and 26 abstentions. These are crimes … Read more
