Press release – Hearings of new Commissioners-designate

MEPs will examine whether they are qualified to be Members of the College of Commissioners, to carry out their assigned duties and to deliver on the programme that President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented to MEPs in July.

The exact timing is as follows:

Olivér Várhelyi (Hungary), Commissioner-designate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

Committee on Foreign Affairs

8.00-11.00 Room: JAN 4Q2 (listening room: JAN 6Q2)

Followed by a press point by David McAllister (EPP, DE), Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Follow the hearing live here and here

Viktor ALMQVIST
(+32) 470 88 29 42
EP_ForeignAff

Snjezana KOBESCAK SMODIS
(+32) 2 28 32547
EP_ForeignAff

Paolo SARACA VOLPINI

(+32) 470 88 13 42

Audiovisual Press Officer

Adina-Ioana Vălean (Romania), Commissioner-designate for Transport

Committee on Transport

13.00-16.00 Room: JAN 4Q2 (listening room: JAN 4Q1)

Followed by a press point by Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, FR), Chair of the Committee on Transport

Follow the hearing live here and here

Jaan SOONE
(+32) 498 98 33 29
EP_Transport

Isabelle ZERROUK

Audiovisual Press Officer

(+32) 470 88 02 62

Thierry Breton (France), Commissioner-designate for Internal Market

Committees on Internal Market and Consumer Protection and on Industry, Research and Energy

13.00-16.00 Room: JAN 2Q2 (listening room: JAN 6Q2)

Followed by a press point by Petra de Sutter (Greens/EFA, BE), Chair of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, PL), acting Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Follow the hearing live here and here

Isabel TEIXEIRA NADKARNI
(+32) 498 98 33 36
EP_SingleMarket

Baptiste CHATAIN

(+32) 498 98 13 37

EP_Industry

Isabelle ZERROUK

Audiovisual Press Officer

(+32) 470 88 02 62

ECB appoints Imène Rahmouni-Rousseau as Director General Market Operations

PRESS RELEASE

13 November 2019

Imène Rahmouni-Rousseau to start on 1 February 2020
She will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who has become Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments

The Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed Imène Rahmouni-Rousseau to the position of Director General Market Operations (DG-M). Ms Rahmouni-Rousseau will replace Ulrich Bindseil, who took up his new role as Director General Market Infrastructure and Payments on 1 November 2019.

Ms Rahmouni-Rousseau, 43, is currently Director of Markets at the Banque de France, a post she has held since 2014. She started her career at the Banque de France in 1999 as an economist in the same directorate after working as an emerging markets equity analyst at Schroders Investment Management. She moved to the ECB to work as an economist in DG-M between 2001 and 2004 before returning to the Banque de France as Head of the Financial Stability and Markets Research Division. Ms Rahmouni-Rousseau joined the Secretariat of the Financial Stability Board in Basel in 2009 and returned to the Banque de France in 2014.

Ms Rahmouni-Rousseau holds a Master’s degree in economics from École Centrale Paris and a Master’s degree in economics and finance from Sciences Po in Paris.

Ms Rahmouni-Rousseau will take up her new position on 1 February 2020.

For media queries, please contact Eva Taylor, tel.: +49 69 1344 7162.

Notes

The Directorate General Market Operations is responsible for implementing monetary policy (Eurosystem credit operations, collateral and counterparty framework, outright purchase programmes, etc.) and for the management of the ECB’s foreign reserves and investment portfolios.

Media contacts

Poultry welfare at slaughter: hazards identified, measures proposed

EFSA has proposed measures to address the animal welfare hazards most commonly observed during the slaughter of poultry for food production and disease control.

A comprehensive overview published today covers the entire slaughter process from arrival and unloading of birds through stunning to bleeding and killing. It identifies a number of hazards that give rise to welfare issues – such as pain, thirst, hunger or restricted movement – and proposes preventive and corrective measures where possible.

Most of the hazards are the result of staff failings e.g. lack of training and skilled personnel. EFSA’s advice highlights the importance of staff being adequately trained in the different phases of slaughter and for clear identification of roles and responsibilities.

The new scientific opinions are the first in a series of updates on welfare of animals at slaughter requested by the European Commission. EFSA will publish further opinions in 2020 on pigs (March), cattle (June), and other species (December).

They are all based on the latest available scientific knowledge and are being developed in consultation with animal welfare experts from EU Member States.

The findings will be used by the European Commission in discussions with the World Organisation on Animal Health (OIE) aimed at aligning approaches to animal welfare at slaughter.

Eurojust and Serbia

Joint press release with Serbia

Belgrade, 12 November 2019

The potential for enhanced operational and strategic judicial cooperation and the sharing of information and evidence between Eurojust and Serbia have been made possible today by the signing of a cooperation agreement.

The signing ceremony took place in Belgrade. The Minister of Justice of Serbia, Nela Kuburović, and the President of Eurojust, Ladislav Hamran, signed the agreement, which will enter into force after all requirements have been fulfilled.

Mr Hamran said: ‘I am very pleased to conclude this cooperation agreement with one of our key partners in the Western Balkans. Closer ties will help to make Europe safer. Serbia can benefit from our practical cooperation tools in the prosecution of serious cross-border crime cases. Cooperation and mutual trust can lead to a more successful fight against crime in the region.’

Ms Kuburović said: ‘The Republic of Serbia has significantly strengthened its capacities in combatting transnational organised crime by signing a Cooperation Agreement with Eurojust, particularly bearing in mind that crime and criminals do not respect or recognise national borders. Therefore, close cross-border cooperation and effective exchange of information between competent Serbian authorities and our esteemed European partners are vital and essential elements for determined action against this form of crime.

On the other hand, by adopting the new Law on Personal Data Protection, as a prerequisite for concluding the Cooperation Agreement, the Republic of Serbia has fully aligned its legislation with corresponding European Union regulations and directives, hence taking a step forward towards the European membership within the EU accession process.’

Eurojust has already signed cooperation agreements with three States in the Western Balkans: North Macedonia (2008), Montenegro (2016) and Albania (2018). The cooperation agreement with Albania entered into force at the beginning of this month. (Click on image to enlarge).

In the period from January 2015 through the end of October 2019:

Serbia and Eurojust worked together on 143 cases involving serious organised crime, with offences ranging from money laundering, drug trafficking, swindling and fraud, to crimes against life, limb and personal freedom;
Serbia attended 23 Eurojust coordination meetings; and
Serbia participated in six joint investigation teams, most of which involved drug trafficking cases.

Number of Eurojust cases involving Serbia:

Cases involving Serbia

Most frequent crime types in cases involving Serbia, 2015-2019 (Jan-Oct):

Cases involving Serbia

With today’s agreement, Serbia will be able to share personal data and evidence with prosecutors and investigators from all over Europe. The agreement also creates the possibility to appoint a Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust in the near future to improve cooperation.

Eurojust now has cooperation agreements with 12 countries. (Click on image to enlarge).

Press release – Brexit: Citizens' rights remain a key priority for MEPs

The focus of this meeting with the LIBE, EMPL, JURI, PETI and AFCO committees was on the implementation in the UK and in the EU-27 of the citizens’ rights provisions contained within part II of the Withdrawal Agreement.

As regards the UK, the following six aspects of the UK’s EU Settlement Scheme were highlighted during the meeting:

Attribution of pre-settled and settled status
The independence of the Independent Monitoring Authority
Possible consequences for EU citizens who fail to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before the application deadline
Absence of a physical document
Measures to address the situation of vulnerable citizens
The applicability of settled status rights to all EU citizens who have not also sought British citizenship.

The Brexit Steering Group will continue to examine these issues with the new UK government and pursue its work in liaison with civil society organisations representing EU citizens living in the UK.

As regard the EU-27, it was also agreed that, in liaison with civil society organisations representing UK citizens in the EU-27, the application of the Withdrawal Agreement in the 27 Member States should be examined.

Brexit Steering Group composition