European Union

Weekly schedule of President Donald Tusk 22 June - 1 July 2018

The Council found Romania to have failed to take effective action and called for budgetary deviations in Hungary and Romania to be corrected.

The Council closed the excessive deficit procedure for France, confirming that it has reduced its deficit below the EU's 3% of GDP reference value.

The Council approved its 2018 draft country-specific recommendations and opinions on the member states' economic and fiscal policies.

The Council adopted its negotiating mandate for the future agreement between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries

The Council reached agreement on measures to strengthen administrative cooperation in order to better prevent VAT fraud.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

The Council adopted a directive making the 15% minimum standard rate a permanent feature of the new VAT system

The Council approved an agreement with Norway on VAT cooperation, the prevention of VAT fraud and the recovery of VAT claims.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, pubic sessions and press opportunities.

Remarks by President Centeno following the Eurogroup meeting of 21 June, including on Greece and preparations of the Euro Summit of 29 June 2018.

The Venice Commission, a body of constitutional law experts, on Friday said Hungary should repeal its so-called 'Stop Soros' legislation on illegal migration which threatens jail for people and organisations helping migrants. The law, adopted on Wednesday, seriously impairs legitimate NGO work, unfairly criminalises activities not directly related to illegal migration, and constitutes illegitimate interference with freedom of expression, the experts said in their report for the Council of Europe.

US president Donald Trump on Friday threatened to put a 20 percent tariff on imported cars from the EU. Trump said in a tweet that unless the EU removes "tariffs and trade barriers" he will introduce the new levy. The warning comes as the EU's retaliatory measures to counter new US steel and aluminium tariffs kick in on Friday with 25 percent duties on some €2.8bn-worth of US imports.

The Brexit poll was billed by David Cameron as the once-in-a-generation opportunity to resolve Britain’s tortured relationship with the EU. It hasn’t worked out that way. Instead, it appears to have condemned Britain to a tortured conversation with itself.

EU leaders will try to tackle key migration issues and help save Merkel from a full-blown government crisis at one and half EU summits this week.

If European leaders won't agree on a working intra-European solidarity mechanism, Europe's free movement zone will be at risk and many more children will lose their lives trying to reach safety and shelter in Europe, writes Karen Mets.

The possibility of the German chancellor's fall or lasting weakening is 'the elephant in the room' in all current EU discussions.

There is not a single European company among the world's top 10 computer hardware companies. Within the EU, Germany and Sweden rank among world leaders, but Bulgaria and Slovakia among the worst-performing developed nations.

Poland’s bid to scupper the EU’s recently-updated Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) was thrown out by the bloc’s highest court, which ruled on Thursday (21 June) that the advantages of the new system far outweigh the disadvantages.

European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans insisted on the need to implement full transparency about lobbying in all European institutions, including the Parliament and the Council, at a conference on Thursday (21 June).