(Susceptible de modifications en cours de semaine)

Déplacements et visites

Lundi 16 septembre 2019

General Affairs Council

President Jean-Claude Juncker receives Mr Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, for a working lunch, in Luxembourg.

President Jean-Claude Juncker receives Mr Joseph Daul, President of the European People’s Party (EPP) and Mr Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. 

Ms Federica Mogherini chairs the high-level meeting on ‘The Role of Women in Conflicts and Transitions’, in Brussels.

Ms Federica Mogherini receives Mr Bujar Osmani, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia.

Mr Johannes Hahn in Tbilissi, Georgia: attends the official launch ceremony of the European school; and meets with political authorities of the country.

M. Pierre Moscovici à Paris, France : est auditionné par le Haut Conseil des Finances Publiques (HCFP) de la Cour des Comptes.

Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska in Luxembourg, Luxembourg: meets with Jean Asselborn, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Mr Tibor Navracsics in Budapest, Hungary: delivers a speech at the 47th European Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference; and participates in the kick-off meeting of Alliance for Common Fine Arts Curriculum (EU4Art Alliance), one of 17 alliances selected to form the first European Universities.

Ms Margrethe Vestager in Berlin, Germany: participates in a debate at ‘Frauenpower für Europa’ organised by the Green party.

Mardi 17 septembre 2019

College Meeting

President Jean-Claude Juncker meets Mr David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament.

Mr Frans Timmermans in Strasbourg, Strasbourg: meets Mr Stef Blok, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.  

Mercredi 18 septembre 2019

President Jean-Claude Juncker addresses the Plenary of the European Parliament on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Mr Pierre Moscovici rencontre M. Loïg Chesnais-Girard, Président du Conseil Régional de Bretagne.

M. Pierre Moscovici à Paris, France : rencontre M. Yann Algan, doyen de l’École d’Affaires Publiques, professeur d’économie à Sciences Po, et membre du Conseil d’Analyse Économique et du Conseil National du Numérique.  

Mr Phil Hogan in Strasbourg, France: meets with Mr Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations for Scotland; and receives Mr Loig Chesnais-Girard, President of the Regional Council of Bretagne, in Brussels.

Mr Carlos Moedas in Lisbon, Portugal: delivers a presentation at the second edition of NOVA Science Day 2019 at the Rectorate of NOVA University.

Jeudi 19 Septembre 2019

President Jean-Claude Juncker, together with Mr Neven Mimica, receives Mr Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ms Cecilia Malmström receives the Presidents from ‘les Conseils départementaux’ of the Cantal,Corrèze and Aveyron Regions (France), in Brussels.

Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis in Paris, France : visits l’Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA).

Mr Miguel Arias Cañete receives Mr Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency.

Mr Phil Hogan in Copenhagen, Denmark: delivers a speech at the North American-EU agricultural Policy Congress.

Mr Julian King in Ispra, Italy: participates in an official visit to the Joint Research Centre.

Vendredi 20 septembre 2019

President Jean-Claude Juncker

Mr Frans Timmermans gives the closing speech at the Commission’s Circular Plastics Alliance high-level event.

Ms Cecilia Malmström delivers a keynote address at a Businesseurope event to mark the 2^nd anniversary of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), in Brussels.

Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis in Valencia, Spain: participates in a citizens’ dialogue; and meets the representatives of the agricultural sector from the region.

M. Pierre Moscovici à Paris, France : rencontre Mme Amélie de Montchalin, Secrétaire d’Etat chargée des Affaires Européennes.

Mr Phil Hogan receives Mr Andrew McDowell, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.

Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska delivers the keynote speech at the Circular Plastics Alliance High-level event, in Brussels.

Mr Tibor Navracsics in Veszprém, Hungary: participates in the workshop on ‘EU Capitals of Culture and Future perspectives of Creative Industries’.

Mr Julian King in London, United Kingdom: delivers a speech at the UK Finance roundtable.

Ms Mariya Gabriel in Karlovo, Bulgaria: speaks at the award ceremony of the Young digital leaders project.

Samedi 21 Septembre 2019

Mr Vytenis Andriukaitis in New York, the United States (until 22/09): participates in the United Nations Summit on Universal Health Coverage. 

Dimanche 22 Septembre 2019

Ms Federica Mogherini, together with Mr Frans Timmermans, in New York City, the United States: meets Mr Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, ahead of the ministerial week of the 74^th United Nations General Assembly.

Mr Miguel Arias Cañete in New York, the United States: participates in the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Mr Christos Stylianides in New York City, the United States: meets Ms Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ahead of the ministerial week of the 74^th United Nations General Assembly.

Prévisions du mois de septembre 2019 :

24/09 Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Energy)

26-27/09 Competitiveness Council

Permanence DG COMM le WE du 21 et 22 septembre 2019 :

Johannes BAHRKE – tél : +32 (0) 460 75 86 15

Service Audiovisuel, planning studio – tél. : +32 (0)2/295 21 23

At the third EU-Western Balkans Media Days taking place from 12-13 September in Podgorica, Montenegro, the European Commission confirmed its support to the region with new initiatives focusing on media accountability, literacy and governance, judicial expertise on freedom of expression and promotion of reconciliation and regional cooperation. This is part of the EU’s firm support to media freedom and independence of journalism in the Western Balkans and underpins the ongoing regional programmes worth €20 million.

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, commented: “Freedom of expression and media freedom are part of the very foundation on which our Union is built; they are also key political indicators in the EU accession process. In view of the worrying developments across the region, from undue political interference to the spread of disinformation, this year’s Media Days shed the spotlight on the relation between media and politics, and paved the way towards identifying concrete actions and opportunities to improve the current situation.”

The third edition of the EU-Western Balkans Media Days gathered some 350 representatives of media and civil society organisations as well as policymakers from the Western Balkans and the EU. For the first time, political representatives from the region also joined the discussions on the crucial role of media in the accession process, aimed at developing forward-looking proposals and actions to improve the situation of journalists and strengthen independent media. 

EU support to media in the Western Balkans

The European Union pursues a long-term strategic approach to support media freedom in the Western Balkans. Ongoing EU assistance includes a number of programmes and initiatives focussed on economic sustainability, media accountability and regional networks that foster regional cooperation and reconciliation.

The ongoing support amounts to over €20 million, including €11.5 million through 5 regional programmes and €8.2 million for initiatives in the six Western Balkan partners.

Regional programmes: 

• Reinforcing Judicial Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media (€2.5 million): implemented in partnership with the Council of Europe (CoE), the programme provides support to the judiciary in applying the European Court of Human Rights case-law system and offers training on ethical rules to media regulatory authorities. 

• Regional Training Programme to improve Quality and Professionalism of Journalism (€2 million): supports a regional network led by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) to enhance journalism education and to promote exchanges between journalists and academia from the EU and Western Balkans. The Regional EU Award Scheme for Investigative Journalism is financed within this framework.

• Building Trust in Media (€1.5 million): implemented in partnership with UNESCO, the programme supports media accountability, media internal governance and media information literacy.

• Direct grant to the European Endowment for Democracy (€4 million): Flexible re-granting scheme for media and pro-democracy support in fast changing environments.

• Technical Assistance Programme to support Public Service Media in the Western Balkans (€1.5 million): implemented by a consortium led by the International Federation of Journalists and the European Broadcasting Union. The project promotes sustainable models for funding, transparent election of governing bodies, integrated newsrooms, editorial guidelines, regional co-production of contents for youth and investigative reporting.

Among the €8.2 million support in the six Western Balkans we are currently implementing initiatives such as: Towards improved labour relations and professionalism in the Albanian media; Mapping human rights in media observing positions of citizens, vulnerable layers of society and media community in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Supporting Media and Independent Journalism with a Human Rights Perspective in Kosovo; Towards more professional and credible investigative journalism in Montenegro; News and digital literacy project: Where fake news fails (North Macedonia); Technical assistance contracts to two Public Broadcasters in Serbia.

For More Information

EU – Western Balkans Media Days

Factsheet – EU support to media in the Western Balkans

EU Enlargement package 2019 – Freedom of expression

Video message by Commissioner Hahn 

Opening remarks by Director-General Christian Danielsson

Directorate General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations

1. Payment Services Directive

What is the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2)?

The revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) aims to further modernise Europe’s payment services for the benefit of consumers and businesses. It promotes the development of innovative online and mobile payments, more secure payments and better consumer protection. At the same time, the directive aims to improve the level-playing field for payment service providers – including new players or FinTechs – and contribute to a more integrated and efficient European payments market. Overall, the updated rules will help to facilitate innovation, competition and efficiency in the EU online payments market. PSD2 also marks another step towards the completion of the digital single market in the EU andgives consumers more and better choices when it comes to retail payments

Many elements of the PSD2 already entered into application across the EU on 13 January 2018 and more improvements come into application on September 14.

PSD2 brings several major consumer benefits, such as:

• PSD2 tackles fraud in online payments: PSD2 introduces strong security requirements for electronic payments and for the protection of consumers’ financial data to ensure their privacy is respected by all market operators. These rules should boost consumer confidence when buying online (as of September 2019);

• PSD2 opens the EU payment market to competition:  PSD2 sets the stage for the future. With online financial services constantly evolving, the new rules will apply equally to traditional banks and to innovative payment services and new providers, such as FinTechs. These players, also called third party payment service providers (TPPs), will now be regulated under EU rules. They will be able to bring a wealth of consumer benefits. For instance, they can initiate payments on behalf of customers. They give assurance to retailers that the money is on its way, or give an overview of available accounts and balances to their customers (as of September 2019);

• PSD2 increases consumers’ rights in numerous areas. These include reducing consumers’ liability for unauthorised payments and introducing an unconditional (“no questions asked”) refund right for direct debits in euro (in application since January 2018);

• PSD2 prohibits surcharging, which is additional charges for payments with consumer credit or debit cards, both in shops or online. These rules are applicable since January 2018;

• PSD2 improves complaints procedure – PSD2 obliges Member States to designate competent authorities to handle complaints from payment service users and other interested parties, such as consumer associations, if they consider their rights established by the Directive have not been respected. Payment service providers should put in place a complaints procedure for consumers which can be used before seeking out-of-court redress or before launching court proceedings. Payment service providers are obliged to respond in written form to any complaint within 15 business days (since January 2018).

2. Fighting online fraud

What is strong customer authentication?

PSD2 introduces strict security requirements for the initiation and processing of electronic payments. PSD2 obliges payment service providers to apply so-called “strong customer authentication” (SCA) when a payer initiates an electronic payment transaction. Payment service providers include banks and other payment service providers.

SCA is an authentication process that validates the identity of the user of a payment service or of the payment transaction. More specifically, the SCA indicates whether the use of a payment instrument is authorised. Some EU Member States, such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, already use SCAs for electronic remote payment transactions, be it a card payment or a credit transfer from an online bank. In some other EU countries, some payment service providers apply SCA on a voluntary basis.

The requirements of strong customer authentication across the EU will help reduce the risk of fraud for online payments and online banking, and protect the confidentiality of the user’s financial data, including personal data. This means that European consumers will benefit from safer electronic payments. In terms of how it works in practice, customers will receive advice from their banks or payment providers. They will have to provide two or more of the following elements when making payments, which can be categorised as:

• Knowledge: something only the user knows, e.g. a password or a PIN code
• Possession: something only the user possesses, e.g. a mobile phone, and
• Inherence: something the user is, e.g. the use of a fingerprint or voice recognition.

Banks and other payment service providers will have to put in place the necessary infrastructure for SCA. They will also have to improve fraud management. Merchants will have to be equipped to be able to operate in a SCA environment.

Whenever a payer initiates an online transaction above €30, the SCA will be applicable, unless one of the nine exemptions apply (e.g. low value transactions, trusted beneficiaries, etc).

Will all accounts and all payments have to apply strong customer authentication? Are exemptions possible?

Strong customer authentication rulescover payment accounts in the scope of PSD2, i.e. all accounts where the holder can place and withdraw funds without any additional intervention or agreement of their payment service provider (such as a current account). As regards the types of payments, as a matter of principle, all electronic payments are subject to strong customer authentication.

Exemptions include low value payments for remote (online) transactions below €30, as well as contactless payments at point of sale – whereby the amount of a single transaction must not exceed €50 and the cumulative amount of previous contactless payments since the last time SCA was performed (e.g. by inputting the card PIN) does not exceed €150. Other categories of exemptions concern corporate payments (see the question below).

Further exemptions may apply, which are set in the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/389and take account of the risks involved, the value of transactions and the channels used for the payment. Payment service providers that wish to be exempted from SCA must first apply mechanisms for monitoring transactions to assess if the risk of fraud is low, and must report certain data on fraudulent transactions to competent authorities and to the EBA. All payment service providers will need to prove the implementation, testing and auditing of the security measures. In case of a fraudulent payment, consumers will be entitled to a full reimbursement. For online payments, security will be further enhanced by linking, via a one-time password, the online transaction to its amount and to the beneficiary of the payment. This practice ensures that in case of hacking, the information obtained by a potential fraudster cannot be re-used for initiating another transaction. This procedure is already in application in some Member States and has led to significant fraud reduction for online payments.

What about the security of corporate payments?

The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/389 also caters for the security of payments that are carried out in batches. This is the way most corporates make payments, rather than one by one. The new rules also take into account host-to-host machine communication, where for example the IT system of a company communicates with the IT system of a bank to send messages for paying invoices. Security mechanisms for these types of communication systems (corporate and host-to-host) can be as effective as strong customer authentication. Therefore, they can benefit from an exemption from the SCA, if this is approved by national supervisors.

When will strong customer authentication become mandatory?

The new SCA requirements are applicable as of 14 September 2019, and are being gradually introduced in line with migration plans designed under the authority of national and European supervisors. Some Member States are more advanced than others. We encourage all stakeholders to speed up their efforts to ensure that the new requirements are rapidly and fully in place across the whole EU.

The European banking authority (EBA) acknowledged the challenges experienced by some stakeholders to introduce SCA fully by 14 September. The EBA therefore adopted an Opinion on 21 June 2019 allowing national supervisors to enforce the new SCA rules on online payments by cards with a degree of flexibility, granting where necessary ‘limited additional time’ to migrate to compliant authentication methods. Consumers should continue to pay as normal in Member States that decide to avail of this flexibility. At the end of this period of time, consumers will be asked to perform the two-factor strong customer authentication, unless an exemption applies.

3. More choice in the EU payment market  

How does PSD2 change the payments markets? 

PSD2 also introduces more competition in the payments market by allowing non-bank companies to offer new innovative services to their customers. 

Since the adoption of PSD1 in 2007, new services emerged in the area of internet payments, where innovative players – known as FinTechs or ‘Third Party Providers (TTPs)’ – offer specific payment solutions or services to customers. Until now, these FinTech companies faced difficulties when entering new markets, as they were operating outside of the financial services legal framework. PSD2 requires that these FinTechs follow the same rules as the traditional payment service providers: registration, licensing and supervision by the competent authorities, and PSD2 ensures that they can offer their services across the EU.

Consumers who want to use such new services cannot be prevented by their banks from doing so. Any bank that offers online access to accounts must cooperate with FinTech companies or with other banks providing such services. Consumers and companies using these services will have to grant access to their payment data to third parties providing payments-related services (TPPs). These are, for example, payment initiation service providers (PISPs) and account information service providers (AISPs), or other banks. Consumers will be able to manage their personal finances more efficiently through applications that, for instance, aggregate information from their accounts held with different banks. In order to make that possible, banks must establish secure communication channels to transmit data and initiate payments. 

How will common and secure communication work?

The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/389 specifies the requirements for common and secure standards of communication between banks and FinTech companies. Customers will have to give their consent to the access, use and processing of their data. TPPs will not be able to access any other data from the payment account beyond those explicitly authorised by the customer. In other words, previous practices such as unregulated ‘screen scraping’ will no longer be allowed.  Banks will now have to put in place a communication channel that allows TPPs to access the data that they need. This communication channel will also enable banks and TPPs to ‘identify’ each other when accessing customer data and communicate through secure messaging at all times. Banks may establish this communication channel by adapting their customer online banking interface. They can also create a new dedicated interface that will include all necessary information for the payment service providers. The rules also specify the contingency safeguards that banks have to put in place when they decide to develop a dedicated interface (the so-called “fall back mechanisms”). The objective of such contingency measures is to ensure continuity of service as well as fair competition in this market. 

How is personal data protected?

In accordance with data protection rules under both PSD2 and the General Data Protection Regulation, account holders can exercise control over the transmission of their personal data under both PSD2 and no data processing can take place without the express agreement of the consumer.

In addition, payment service providers can only access and process the personal data necessary for the provision of the services the consumer has agreed to. PSD2 regulates the provision of new payment services which require access to the payment service user´s data. For instance, this could mean initiating a payment from the customer’s account or aggregating the information on one or multiple payment accounts held with one or more payment service providers for personal finance management. When a consumer seeks to benefit from these new payment services, she or he will have to explicitly request such services from the relevant provider. Payment service providers must inform their customers about how their data will be processed. They will also have to comply with other customers’ rights under data protection rules, such as the right of access or the right to be forgotten. All payment service providers (banks, payment institutions or new providers) must comply with the data protection rules when they process personal data for payment services.

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality Věra Jourová made the following statement regarding the third annual joint review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework:

“Senior officials from the United States Government, the European Commission, and EU data protection authorities gathered in Washington, DC on 12 and 13 September to conduct the third annual joint review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. The broad and senior level participation from both sides underscored the shared and longstanding commitment of the United States and the European Union to the Framework.  

The U.S. Department of Commerce hosted the two-day review, which covered all aspects of the functioning of the Privacy Shield Framework from its administration and enforcement to broader U.S. legal developments regarding matters related to commercial data protection and national security data access. The review benefited from input from Privacy Shield participants and civil society stakeholders. 

Privacy Shield ensures that participating companies and relevant government authorities provide a high level of protection for the personal data of EU individuals.  Since the Framework’s implementation on 1 August 2016, more than 5,000 companies have made public and legally enforceable pledges to protect data transferred from the EU in accordance with the Privacy Shield Principles.  The rapid and continued growth of the program demonstrates Privacy Shield’s vital role in protecting personal data and contributing to the $7.1 trillion economic relationship between the United States and Europe.

The EU and U.S. welcomed the appointment of several key U.S. officials with Privacy Shield responsibilities. The United States Senate confirmed two additional members to the independent, bipartisan U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, as well as Keith Krach, who in his Under Secretary role at the U.S. Department of State serves as the Privacy Shield Ombudsperson.

EU and U.S. officials both stressed the need for strong and credible enforcement of privacy rules to protect our citizens and ensure trust in the digital economy. As provided for in the Framework, the Department of Commerce will revoke the certification of companies that do not comply with Privacy Shield’s vigorous data protection requirements.

The European Commission will publish a report on the functioning of the Privacy Shield. This report will conclude this year’s review process.”

Background

Operational since 1 August 2016, the EU-US Privacy Shield protects personal data transferred from the EU to the U.S. for commercial purposes. It brings also legal clarity for businesses relying on the transmission of personal data across the Atlantic. By now, more than 5000 companies are certified under the Privacy Shield and thereby committing to comply with the data protection requirements.

As agreed at the time of its launch, the EU-US Privacy Shield is reviewed on a yearly basis, to assess that it continues to ensure an adequate level of protection of personal data. On 12 September 2019, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová, launched with the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross the discussions over the third annual review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The reports on the first and second review can be found here. The report of the third review will be made available at a later stage.

Tomorrow is the third anniversary of President Juncker’s 2016 State of the Union announcement to set up a European Solidarity Corps, offering young people the opportunity to take part in a wide range of solidarity activities across the EU.

Since then, more than 161,000 young people between 18 and 30 have signed up to join the Corps, and the initiative has made a difference in many people’s lives. Most of the activities funded offer opportunities to volunteer – individually or in teams. But young people can also benefit from traineeships and jobs. Moreover, young people themselves can set up solidarity projects where they initiate, develop and run activities to contribute to positive change in their community, while living abroad and gaining valuable skills.  

Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said: “We have achieved a lot in the last three years. In record time we put in place a new programme opening up opportunities for young people and organisations to support others, helping us build a more cohesive, caring society. I am proud to see so many young people eager to get involved and active in projects on the ground. Their enthusiasm is truly inspiring. This is why I have proposed to extend and strengthen the European Solidarity Corps after 2020.”

Inclusion is one of the most common topics tackled by European Solidarity Corps projects but not the only one. Other topics are youth work, climate change, community development, citizenship, education and culture. Tens of thousands more opportunities are expected to be created in the following months and years in these fields. Moreover, one in three of the activities funded by the European Solidarity Corps are reserved for participants with fewer opportunities who face obstacles such as disabilities, educational difficulties, or economic, social or geographical obstacles.

For instance, in Latvia, a project entitled “A special place for special people” promotes the integration of young people with disabilities into the labour market by employing them and involving them in all the activities of a social enterprise café in Riga. In Greece, volunteers help protect the forest of Xylokastro and Derveni by taking care of watering and planting trees, as well as cleaning the forest paths. And in Sweden, through the project “Climate Awareness”, volunteers learn about climate change and biodiversity by helping in the organic garden and ecovillage and participating in outreach activities. As an example of a project initiated by volunteers themselves, in Lithuania, five participants from a centre for disabled young people set up their own Solidarity Coffee project, enabling them to form new friendships and build personal connections with the wider community.

Background

In his State of the Union address of September 2016, President Juncker announced the creation of a European Solidarity Corps, providing opportunities for young Europeans to engage in solidarity activities and contribute to society as part of the Commission’s broader strategy to invest in young people. The Corps responds to a real interest among young people to engage in social projects. In a Eurobarometer survey published in spring 2019, more than half of the young respondents said they had participated in volunteering activities or local community projects. Three in four stated that they had been engaged in organised movements or volunteering.

A mere 3 months after President Juncker’s announcement, on 7 December 2016, the Solidarity Corps was launched, with the aim of having 100,000 young people taking part by the end of 2020. During an initial phase, eight different EU funding programmes were mobilised to offer volunteering, traineeship or job opportunities.

On 30 May 2017, the Commission put forward a proposal to equip the European Solidarity Corps with a single legal base, its own financing mechanism and a broader set of solidarity activities. The new Regulation came into force on 5 October 2018 and the Corps has its own budget of €375.6 million until 2020.

The first calls for proposals were launched in August and November 2018, creating some 20,000 new opportunities. Another call for proposals is currently open, with an application deadline of 1 October 2019, and is set to create another 7,000 opportunities. This call invites organisations with a quality label to apply for grants and set up projects for young people to volunteer, work or go on traineeships. Groups of young people can also apply to run a solidarity project themselves. Young people interested in taking part in a funded project can directly sign up on the European Solidarity Corps Portal.

On 11 June 2018, the Commission put forward its proposal for the European Solidarity Corps under the EU’s next long-term budget 2021-2027, allocating €1.26 billion to enable about 350,000 young people to go on a solidarity placement over seven years.

For more information

Factsheet 

European Solidarity Corps portal