Dokumenti - Think Tank - Eiropas Parlaments

Briefing - Roadmap for women's rights: Next steps for EU action on gender equality - 20-03-2025

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

On 7 March 2025, the European Commission published a roadmap for women's rights, to reaffirm the EU's commitment to gender equality, speed up progress in this area, and counteract political movements that contest EU gender equality policies. The roadmap outlines the challenges and benefits of gender equality today, emphasising its political and economic importance. In an annex, a declaration of eight principles for a gender-equal society, inspired by and phrased in the language of human rights, takes a women's rights-centric approach. The roadmap expresses the Commission's commitment to women's rights and invites other EU institutions to adhere to it. The roadmap will serve to guide future EU action and particularly for the new gender equality strategy from 2026, as well as EU external action. To a significant extent, the objectives outlined in the declaration are covered already by EU legislation or non-legislative measures, depending on the extent of the EU's own competences. Since, in some areas, the EU only has limited competences to support and coordinate the action of Member States (such as on health and education), the roadmap emphasises the importance of involving the Member States. �Ϸ��վ held a first debate in plenary on the roadmap on 11 March. In various previous resolutions, the �Ϸ��վ has expressed support for women's rights and has called on the EU to act against any regression and contestation of gender equality both internally and externally. Various civil society organisations have welcomed the Commission's initiative and called for a recognition of sexual and reproductive rights, as well as an emphasis on intersectional discrimination and vulnerable women, such as disabled women or women with children. The roadmap addresses sexual and reproductive rights, but more as a health issue than a women's rights issue, probably taking into account the EU's limited competences in the area.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2025 - EP

Briefing - Understanding EU action on Roma inclusion - 19-03-2025

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:32:03 GMT

The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority. Out of an estimated total of 10-12 million Roma in Europe as a whole, some 6 million live in the European Union (EU) and most of them are citizens of an EU Member State. A significant number of Roma people live in very poor socio-economic conditions. The social exclusion, discrimination and segregation they face are mutually reinforcing. Their restricted access to education and difficulties entering the labour market result in low income and poor health compared with non-Roma people. Since the mid-1990s, the EU has been stressing the need for better Roma inclusion. In 2011, a key EU initiative was launched with the adoption of an EU framework for national Roma integration strategies up to 2020. The aim was to tackle the socio-economic exclusion of and discrimination against the Roma. When the framework came to an end, in early October 2020 the European Commission adopted a new strategy for 2021 to 2030. In March 2021, the Council adopted a recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation, encouraging Member States to adopt strategic frameworks for the inclusion of Roma communities. The European Council conclusions on measures to ensure equal access for Roma to adequate and desegregated housing, and to address segregated settlements, adopted on 9 October 2023, are another key follow-up to the 2020-2030 EU Roma strategy. The EU also supports Member States in their duty to improve the lives of all vulnerable people, including the Roma, through the EU structural and investment funds and other funding instruments. Issues relating to the promotion of democratic values and practices, as well as economic, social and cultural rights for Roma people have received particular attention from civil society organisations. �Ϸ��վ has been advocating for Roma inclusion since the 1990s. This is an update of a briefing published in April 2024.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2025 - EP

Briefing - Community sponsorship schemes under the new pact on migration and asylum: A common EU approach? - 13-02-2025

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The number of people in the world who have been forcibly displaced inside or outside their home country has risen significantly in recent years, as reflected in the unprecedented numbers of refugees and irregular migrants arriving in the EU since 2015. This highlights an urgent need to ensure organised, legal and safe pathways to protect migrants who embark on dangerous journeys and attempt to enter countries of destination irregularly, or find themselves in protracted refugee situations. A potential solution is the community sponsorship scheme, understood as encompassing several different approaches for refugee admission to third countries other than countries of origin or transit. The concept includes a shared responsibility between civil society and the state when engaging in refugee admission efforts, by providing financial, emotional, social and/or settlement support to help newly arrived refugees integrate in a third country. Community sponsorship for integration is particularly important in the EU, where local and national governments, alongside civil society, have been pondering how best to support newcomers and ease integration and social cohesion. Since 2015, the concept has been piloted and launched in several EU countries, including through the active input of regions and cities. The pact on migration and asylum, which entered into force in June 2024, affirmed the EU's commitment to supporting national sponsorship schemes and expressed its desire to do more to promote an EU approach to community sponsorship, building on the experience of Member States.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2025 - EP

Briefing - EU digital travel application - 30-01-2025

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

This briefing provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's impact assessment (IA) accompanying the proposal to establish an application for the electronic submission of travel data ('EU digital travel application') and amending Regulations (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2018/1726 and (EC) No 2252/2004 as regards the use of digital travel credentials, and the proposal on the issuance of and technical standards for digital travel credentials based on identity cards. The proposals were referred to the European �Ϸ��վ's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2025 - EP

Briefing - Internet governance: Keeping the internet open, free and unfragmented - 29-11-2024

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 11:08:54 GMT

The governance of the internet has been a topic of debate since its creation. The internet is not governed by a centralised entity, but rather by a decentralised patchwork of stakeholders, including national governments, the private sector, the technical community and civil society. They work together in various internet governance bodies, such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Several United Nations specialised agencies, in particular the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), also participate in internet governance. The ITU manages resources that are critical for wireless services worldwide, for example. It has long been debated whether governments should have a central role in internet governance or whether various stakeholders should be equally responsible for formulating principles, rules and procedures for the internet. The EU is a strong supporter of the multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance. This approach incorporates the views of a variety of stakeholders, including governments, businesses, technical communities and civil society on an equal footing. Not all actors share this view, however. China and Russia in particular believe that states should have a greater role in deciding on the content, operations and norms of the internet within their borders. China has also proposed to change the internet's protocol design. The EU is a strong defender of an open, free and unfragmented internet that remains a singular, decentralised network of networks. This vision contrasts with the more controlled approaches of some non-EU states that limit their citizens' access to certain internet content and monitor citizens' online activities. Private companies can also be an obstacle to the openness and unity of the internet when they develop their own physical infrastructure and protocols.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2024 - EP

Pārskats - Outcome of the Summit of the Future: Transforming global governance to build peace, promote human rights and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals - 01-10-2024

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:31:13 GMT

On 22-23 September 2024, world leaders, including �Ϸ��վ's President Roberta Metsola, convened at the United Nations for a 'Summit of the Future'. The UN Secretary-General presented the summit as a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to revive multilateral cooperation to address current and future global challenges. �Ϸ��վ's ad-hoc delegation welcomed the 'Pact for the Future' endorsed at the summit. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) is due to report back to Members in a plenary statement on the outcome of the summit.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2024 - EP

Briefing - European cross-border associations - 27-05-2024

Sun, 26 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

�Ϸ��վ has consistently advocated for the creation of an EU-wide legal framework for non-profit and not-for-profit entities operating within the EU. In 2013, it called for the adoption of common EU rules for mutual societies, and made a similar call in 2018 for social and solidarity-based enterprises. In February 2022, it adopted a resolution on cross-border associations and non profit organisations, urging the European Commission to propose a regulation establishing a statute for a European association. This statute would outline the conditions and procedures for the establishment, governance, registration and regulation of legal entities in the form of a European association. The resolution also called for a directive that would simplify the process for non-profit organisations in the EU to exercise their rights in the internal market. In response to the �Ϸ��վ's resolution, the Commission presented a proposal for a directive on European cross-border associations on 5 September 2023. The proposed directive aims to coordinate the conditions for establishing and operating 'European cross-border associations' (ECBAs) in order to help non-profit associations exercise their rights in relation to the freedom of establishment, free movement of capital, freedom to provide and receive services and free movement of goods in the internal market. During its plenary session of 13 March 2024, �Ϸ��վ adopted a legislative resolution on the proposal at first reading, using the report drawn up by the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) as the basis for its position. The resolution was adopted ahead of any trilogues. The Council of the EU has not yet started examining the proposal. First edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2024 - EP

Padziļināta analīze - Rules on 'revolving doors' in the EU: Post-mandate restrictions on members of EU institutions and parliamentarians in Member States - 24-04-2024

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:02:42 GMT

The 'revolving doors' phenomenon has frequently caught media and public attention in recent years. This publication offers an overview of how the post term activities of members of the EU institutions –Commissioners and Members of the European �Ϸ��վ, as opposed to staff members – are regulated by the EU institutions. The European Ombudsman has looked into the issue of revolving doors in the context of several individual cases; on a few occasions this has ended in an unsatisfactory outcome for the institution or body under investigation and prompted the European Ombudsman to make specific recommendations to avoid a repeat of maladministration in future cases. At EU level, almost all institutions place some restrictions on post-term activities, while a comparative overview of EU Member States shows that just a small number of them legislate for this aspect of the post-term activity of parliamentarians.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2024 - EP

Padziļināta analīze - Briefing for the FEMM delegation to UN CSW 68 (18 – 22 March 2024) - 23-04-2024

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

This briefing contains background materials for the FEMM Committee mission to the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 68), which focuses on the priority theme ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective’. The briefing has been prepared by the European �Ϸ��վ’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the FEMM Committee.

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Pētījums - Implementation mechanisms of the Human Rights Clause. Case studies on Ethiopia, Tunisia and Vietnam - 22-04-2024

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

On 14 February 2024, a workshop was organised on behalf of the Subcommittee on Human Rights on the effective implementation of the human rights clauses found in the EU’s international agreements. The workshop, firstly, examined best practices available, such as benchmarking and impact assessments as well as monitoring, evaluation and enforcement, highlighting possible improvements for the human rights clause implementation. Representative examples from the existing agreements were given to pinpoint best practices that could guide future reforms. Secondly, academic and civil society experts analysed the effectiveness of human rights clauses through the case studies covering the EU’s agreements with Ethiopia, Tunisia and Vietnam.

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Pārskats - New procedural rules to strengthen GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases - 08-04-2024

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:55:35 GMT

Ever since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became applicable in 2018, the European �Ϸ��վ and civil society organisations have been flagging shortcomings regarding enforcement procedures in cases of cross-border processing of personal data. The European Commission has therefore proposed new rules to address the disparate procedural approaches followed by the different national data protection authorities. �Ϸ��վ is due to vote on its position during the April I plenary session.

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Briefing - An analysis of the newly proposed rules to strengthen GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases - 08-04-2024

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

After years of pressure from civil society organisations and the European �Ϸ��վ, in 2023 the European Commission tabled a proposal to improve the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) cross-border enforcement procedure. The proposal lays out detailed and innovative rules that would promote harmonisation, yet this analysis shows that more could be done to deliver on the promise of strong and timely enforcement. It follows from the nature of the Commission's targeted approach that the scope of the envisaged regulation is limited and therefore some GDPR enforcement issues would remain outside its boundaries. It is much less apparent whether the proposed rules would achieve their desired effect. Building on two related EPRS briefings that explain the proposal's logic, context and reception, this analysis uncovers a host of shortcomings. Contrary to political announcements, the proposal may actually slow down cross-border enforcement and deepen discord among supervisory authorities, not least by introducing additional procedural steps and ambiguous terms and by weakening the role of the supervisory authorities concerned and that of the European Data Protection Board.

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Briefing - A visual presentation of the newly proposed rules to strengthen GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases - 08-04-2024

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

After years of pressure from civil society organisations and the European �Ϸ��վ, in July 2023 the Commission tabled a proposal to improve the GDPR cross-border enforcement procedure. The proposal consists of rules that are detailed and innovative, yet also quite complex, especially when dealing with the various phases of the GDPR cooperation and consistency mechanism. To help convey an in-depth understanding and facilitate a critical discussion, this briefing tabulates the envisaged procedure. In doing so, it shows that a granular approach to promoting harmonisation is possible and that the Commission's approach is worth considering. Nevertheless, the briefing also highlights various shortcomings of the proposal. These and other aspects are analysed more extensively in two other EPRS publications: an analysis of the newly proposed rules to strengthen GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases, and a legislative briefing on the Commission proposal laying out these rules.

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Pārskats - EU–UK civil society cooperation - 22-06-2023

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Cross-border civil society links were integral to the UK's membership of the EU and continue to be an important aspect of the EU–UK relationship. In July 2023, members of the UK and European �Ϸ��վs will discuss ways to support civil society cooperation, including town twinning.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2023 - EP

Pētījums - Research for REGI Committee:Cooperation between EU cities and regions with their Ukrainian partners - 10-03-2023

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 23:00:00 GMT

The development of territorial cooperation between European and Ukrainian local and regional authorities is an important step toward Ukraine’s membership in the EU. This study presents the benefits of and barriers to the collaboration between European and Ukrainian cities and regions and shows the role of the EU programmes and instruments in supporting territorial cooperation. It suggests solutions that can promote cooperation between cities and regions and describes their potential to strengthen the capacities of self-governments and to support civil society in Ukraine.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2023 - EP

Briefing - Regional and local participation in the EU project: How the European �Ϸ��վ is responding to citizens' expectations - 13-07-2022

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) has now concluded its work. Originally conceived in May 2019 from an idea France's President Emmanuel Macron put forward in his 'letter to the citizens of Europe', the CoFoE was intended to 'propose all the changes our political project needs, with an open mind, even to amending the Treaties', particularly on the basis of citizens' proposals. Citizens 'should play a leading and active part in setting our priorities and our level of ambition', as stated in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's political guidelines. From September 2021 to February 2022, eight hundred randomly selected citizens coming from all Member States met to debate and brainstorm about the future of the European project. In addition, citizens and organisations submitted their ideas and contributions to the broader discussion on the multilingual digital platform, where they also publicised events, seminars and conferences taking place around Europe. Over 17 000 ideas and 21 000 comments were submitted on the platform, and more than 6 000 events organised throughout Europe. The result of this unprecedented, colossal exercise in direct democracy involving EU citizens is a set of many (more than 170), sometimes ambitious, citizens' recommendations. This is the sixth briefing in a series looking at citizens' expectations in the context of the CoFoE.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2022 - EP

Briefing - New EU scheme of generalised preferences - 04-07-2022

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

On 21 September 2021, the Commission published its proposal for a new EU scheme of generalised preferences (GSP). Two of the current scheme's three components are due to expire at the end of 2023, which would deprive developing countries of a vital opportunity to trade under preferential terms with the EU. Therefore, renewing the scheme appears to be both a necessity and an opportunity to strengthen its conditionality in the light of lessons learned and the increased urgency for dealing with the climate. The Commission considers that the scheme has delivered on its objectives, and proposes some 'fine-tuning'. To ensure that its benefits remain broadly shared, it proposes changes to the economic vulnerability criteria for the special incentive strand of the scheme GSP+ and to the product graduation threshold for Standard GSP. Taking on board proposals from civil society, but also from the �Ϸ��վ, the Commission proposes to extend negative conditionality to environmental and good governance conventions, and to improve monitoring and stakeholders' involvement overall. Civil society organisations and other stakeholders have put forward some more ambitious proposals, such as making the monitoring fully transparent and rewarding countries that fulfil jointly agreed benchmarks related to the conventions under the GSP with additional preferences. Second edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2022 - EP

Pārskats - The shrinking space for civil society in Europe - 02-03-2022

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 23:00:00 GMT

During its first March 2022 plenary session, �Ϸ��վ is due to vote on an own-initiative report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), advocating new measures to protect and boost civil society organisations' participation in the democratic life of the European Union. Acknowledging the contribution civil society organisations (CSOs) make to promoting the EU values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and in particular fundamental rights, the report recognises the challenges CSOs are facing, not least in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2022 - EP

Briefing - Media environment in Belarus - 10-02-2022

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

The media situation in Belarus has never been easy. With Aliaksandr Lukashenka being elected president of the country for the first time in 1994, the necessary reforms to provide media freedom have never materialised. Instead, over the years various laws have lessened the rights of independent journalists and imposed limits on both traditional and electronic media. Following the August 2020 presidential election, which ignited a brutal crackdown against the democratic opposition, the situation has worsened. Harassment, a hijacking, and politically motivated jail terms, both short and long, intimidate Belarusians who want to exchange ideas, report wrongdoing or fight for freedom of expression and freedom for the country. In January 2022, the Belarusian Association of Journalists confirmed the presence of at least 32 journalists in Belarusian jails. On the positive side, new electronic media cannot be banned effectively and absolutely. While the regime slowly expands its presence on the internet, Belarusians trust independent media more and use it more eagerly. However, society’s distancing of itself from traditional state-controlled media is increasingly met with an angry reaction from the state apparatus, which in turn further tightens related laws. The European Union, and the European �Ϸ��վ in particular, actively support independent media and civil society in Belarus, and the Council of the EU and the �Ϸ��վ both address the challenges to media freedom in the country. Financial help is also provided to Belarus and was even increased at the end of 2021, with priority areas of support including ‘systematically repressed’ independent media.

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Briefing - Sustainability provisions in EU free trade agreements: Review of the European Commission action plan - 19-11-2021

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Sustainability-related provisions are a key part of international trade negotiations. Since the free trade agreement (FTA) signed with South Korea in 2009, EU trade deals each include dedicated trade and sustainable development (TSD) chapters encompassing issues such as environment, labour rights, climate change and responsible business conduct. In an effort to step up implementation and enforcement of these chapters, in 2018 the Commission published a non-paper setting out a 15-point action plan. In the new trade strategy, the 2021 Trade Policy Review, the Commission signalled the early launch of a review of the action plan and held an exchange of views with the European �Ϸ��վ in July 2021. �Ϸ��վ has long been an advocate for stronger enforcement and implementation of TSD commitments. In the three years since the action plan's launch, the Commission – in cooperation with Member States, EU institutions, stakeholders and international organisations – has advanced on many of the proposed actions. For instance, EU funding was mobilised to support civil society engagement and responsible business conduct. Assertive enforcement of TSD commitments materialised in the form of a concluded dispute with South Korea on labour issues. The establishment of the EU chief trade enforcement officer has strengthened the Commission's enforcement capabilities. Provisions on climate change, including a reference to the Paris Agreement, and widened labour provisions are all part of recent trade negotiations. However, the action suggesting extending the scope of civil society input beyond the TSD chapters to trade agreements as a whole has so far mainly only been reflected in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU und the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the objective of early ratification of the fundamental International Labour Organization conventions continues to be challenging with many partner countries.

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Briefing - Corruption and human rights in third countries: developments in EU external action since 2017 - 02-09-2021

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 22:00:00 GMT

In 2017, the European �Ϸ��վ adopted a Resolution on corruption and human rights in third countries (hereinafter ‘EP 2017 Resolution’) which included a set of practical recommendations on corruption and human rights in EU external relations. This briefing analyses the progress made by EU actors in implementing those recommendations. It focuses on development and human rights tools addressed in the EP 2017 Resolution, including EU funded projects and programmes, technical cooperation, EU human rights dialogues and public diplomacy, as well as support for whistle-blowers and civil society organisations exposing corruption. It concludes that, while action has been taken on various fronts to support anti-corruption efforts in third countries following the recommendations, a more systematic approach to corruption and human rights could be taken in some areas. Cooperation between EU actors and enhanced capacity building on corruption and human rights are also key elements for a successful anti-corruption strategy in EU external action.

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Briefing - New EU strategic priorities for the Sahel: Addressing regional challenges through better governance - 09-07-2021

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 22:00:00 GMT

Recent events have shown that the Sahel region remains highly politically unstable. The military takeover of the Chadian government following President Idriss Déby's sudden death in April 2021 and the repercussions of the August 2020 and May 2021 military coups in Mali are worrying signs of weak democratic governance structures. Burkina Faso's transitional democracy has also been severely destabilised by the activities of extremist groups and internal conflicts. This political fragility and the lack of government legitimacy have made the responses to the Sahel's security and humanitarian issues all the more challenging. The continued threat posed by terrorist armed groups and rising intercommunal violence over land and resources have led to both internal and cross-border displacements in Sahel countries. Meanwhile, the inadequacy of governance mechanisms for managing this displacement, compounded by environmental degradation, resource scarcity and population growth, has created a severe humanitarian crisis. Since 2011, the European Union (EU) strategy for the Sahel has focused on both security and development to address these numerous and interconnected challenges. However, EU efforts have remained dominated by a military approach to tackle rising terrorist activity, achieving concrete results but ultimately falling short of long-term regional stability. The new EU integrated strategy in the Sahel aims to strengthen action at the political level, focusing on governance mechanisms, human rights, and collaboration with civil society and local authorities, while maintaining security cooperation with states in the region.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2021 - EP

Briefing - The integration of the European Development Funds into the MFF 2021 - 2027 - 18-06-2021

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 22:00:00 GMT

This briefing presents detail on the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 that marks a turning point, in that it brings together all the EU’s different funds for development cooperation in a single instrument, in order to ensure consistency between different fields of external action.

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Pētījums - The Use of SLAPPs to Silence Journalists, NGOs and Civil Society - 14-06-2021

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 22:00:00 GMT

This study, commissioned by the European �Ϸ��վ’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, analyses legal definitions of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and assesses the compatibility of anti-SLAPP legislation with EU law. It is recommended that an anti-SLAPP Directive should be adopted, and that the Brussels Ia Regulation and Rome II Regulation should be recast to limit the incidence of SLAPPs.

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Pārskats - Albania: No closer to joining the EU - 07-06-2021

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 22:00:00 GMT

Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and has been an EU candidate country since June 2014. After having made some progress in meeting the political criteria and the objectives related to the five key priorities for opening its EU accession negotiations on 26 March 2020, Albania has been advancing towards EU membership at a very slow pace. The main remaining obstacles include flaws in the functioning of its judiciary, in the fight against corruption and in the safeguarding of media freedoms and minority rights.

Avots : © Eiropas Savienība, 2021 - EP