European Union

The EU will not be bullied into compromising on its principles, Norbert Roettgen, an ally of chancellor Angela Merkel and chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag has warned British prime minister Boris Johnson. "Neither boastful speeches nor bullying will succeed in making us give up EU principles and unity," he tweeted Thursday, after Johnson threatened a no-deal Brexit if the EU does not renegotiate the divorce deal.

After a Europe-wide heat wave which has already put everyone into summer (suffering) mode, there are a couple of things to bear in mind to gather strength for before you disappear to your vacation destination.

The European Commission criticised Germany for its excess nitrate levels in groundwater. If Germany's environment and agriculture ministries fail to put proposals on the table quickly, high fines could be imposed. But this is not the only warning from Brussels. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The second leg of the Turkish Stream pipeline will go through Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday (26 July).

The ECB's key interest rate remains at zero and is expected to be at that rate at least until summer 2020. However, ECB chief Mario Draghi is suggesting that a decisive fiscal policy is far more important for the eurozone, especially for Germany and Italy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Eyeing a quick trade deal with the United States after Brexit, UK's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tried to revive discussions over Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

It’s been a very busy first half of this European election year and most of us are heading for a well-deserved break this summer. Meanwhile, if you do fire up your browser, here you can catch up on some of the stories that already made waves in 2019.

Written by Rafał Mańko (1st edition),

© Yanukit / Fotolia

On 31 May 2018, the Commission proposed a proposal for a new regulation on taking of evidence in civil proceedings. It takes stock of the existing regulation (from 2001), but provides for a number of changes to remove legal uncertainty and to promote electronic communications. Parliament adopted its legislative resolution on the proposal on 13 February 2019. The main points of Parliament’s position include modifying the definition of the term ‘court’, to mean any authority in a Member State that is competent under the laws of that Member State to take evidence according to this regulation (i.e. not only judicial bodies). Parliament also considers that any decentralised information technology (IT) system for cross-border communication of evidence must be based on e-CODEX, and that the use of videoconferencing or any other appropriate distance communication technology should be subject to the consent of the person to be heard. Any electronic systems used to take evidence must also ensure that professional secrecy and legal professional privilege (lawyers’ secrets) are duly protected. The discussion in Council is ongoing, thus trilogue negotiations on the proposal have not yet been able to commence.

Versions

• May 2019:  ‘Revising the Taking of Evidence Regulation‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001 on cooperation between the courts of the Member States in the taking of evidence in civil or commercial matter Committee responsible: Legal Affairs (JURI) COM(2018) 378, 31.5.2018. Rapporteur: Emil Radev (EPP, Bulgaria) 2018/0203(COD) Shadow rapporteurs: Sergio Gaetano Cofferati (S&D, Italy)
Angel Dzhambazki (ECR, Bulgaria)
Kostas Chrysogonos (GUE/NGL, Greece) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Launch of trilogue negotiations

In Spain the formation of a left-wing government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has once again failed after the Socialists and Podemos were unable to agree on the distribution of ministerial posts. In the end Sánchez failed to secure the votes he needed because Podemos abstained. Commentators explain why the coalition talks failed - and what the options are now.

In view of the bleak economic outlook and weak inflation, the ECB has decided to maintain the benchmark interest rate at the record low of zero percent at least until mid-2020. It also said it would consider buying bonds again if the inflation prospects worsen. Is this the right monetary policy for the times?