On 27 March 2020, the Council adopted Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/458[1].

The Council decided that the restrictive measures concerning three persons should be extended for a further period of 6 months, until 2 October 2020.

The Candidate Countries Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania[2], the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this Council Decision.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

[1] Published on 30.03.2020 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 97, p. 13.

[2] The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

“Now is the time to be courageous and ambitious with the actions backed by the EU budget. Parliament must be a key player in this process together with other institutions, so it can contribute to making it the best possible tool to help the European economy and its citizens. It is urgent to find an agreement on the recovery plan and the next multiannual budget.

Members had set very ambitious targets before the current crisis. Now is not the time to lower our ambitions and settle for a plan and a budget that would not be up to the challenges ahead.

The recovery package must be sizeable and add value, and must be embedded in a strong MFF. We must not lose sight of our long-term investments and strategic objectives. The crisis increased the imbalance between European regions and the recovery plan should help fill this gap.

Means have to be available now for our Members States, companies and affected workers. Time is of the essence.

As budgetary authority, the Parliament must be associated to the design of the recovery plan. We will also have a critical look at the MFF revised proposal and we reiterate the request for a contingency plan.

Parliamentarians need to have full say on where the money is invested since they represent citizens and the common good. As it has demonstrated since the beginning of its mandate, the Parliament is not a mailbox.

The increase of the own resources, announced by the Commission, is positive, but it should be permanent and be accompanied by new types of own resources, which remains a prerequisite to any agreement on the MFF.

All of Europe is affected by the current crisis. We, as European leaders, must rise to the challenge. We must protect the most vulnerable among us. More than ever, Europe needs to be strong and work for all Europeans, who look to us now in this moment of crisis.”

Note to editors

The European Parliament will adopt next week in plenary a resolution on the Recovery Plan.

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the years 2021-2027 will be at the core of this resolution and the EP will insist on safeguarding Parliament’s role. This is to provide democratic scrutiny, transparency, and accountability.

The Parliament will vote next week on a legislative initiative report proposing a Contingency Plan.

Once the Commission presents its new proposals, the Parliament will be ready to react quickly and define Parliament’s negotiation mandate in the June plenary.

In an exchange of views with Wojciech Wiewiórowski, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and Andrea Jelinek, the Chair of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), the Civil Liberties MEPs will discuss current developments in the EU on the use of personal data in the fight against COVID-19 that subsequently raise issues around data protection.

MEPs will focus particularly on the tools being developed and already in use in some member states to counter the spread of the pandemic based on individuals’ mobile phone data. This includes smartphone apps designed to track individuals who are infected or at risk of contracting the virus.

In a plenary resolution adopted on 17 April, the Parliament stressed, regarding contact-tracing apps, that “national and EU authorities must fully comply with data protection and privacy legislation” and that “mobile location data can only be processed in compliance with the ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR”.

When: Thursday, 7 May, from 17.35 to 18.30

Where: European Parliament in Brussels, room 4Q2, Antall building, and via videoconference.

You can follow the meeting live.

The use of contact tracing apps in the fight against COVID-19 will also be discussed in plenary on 14 May.

Several National Competent Authorities (NCAs) have recently noticed a significant increase in retail clients’ trading activity. The financial market turmoil following the COVID-19 pandemic has led to high market volatility and an increase in market, credit and liquidity risks. ESMA today highlights the risks to retail investors when trading under these unprecedented market circumstances.

In the current environment, ESMA believes that firms have even greater duties when providing investment or ancillary services to investors, especially when these investors  are new to the market, or have limited investment knowledge or experience. ESMA therefore reminds firms of their obligation to act in accordance with the best interests of their clients, and points to the most relevant conduct of business obligations under MiFID II, namely product governance, information disclosure, suitability and appropriateness.

ESMA, in coordination with NCAs, will continue to monitor retail clients’ involvement in the financial markets, and firms’ compliance with the conduct of business requirements. ESMA remains prepared to use its powers to ensure financial stability, orderly functioning of EU markets and investor protection