Today, President-elect Ursula von der Leyen presented her team and the new structure of the next European Commission.

The new Commission will reflect the priorities and ambitions set out in the Political Guidelines. The Commission is structured around the objectives President-elect von der Leyen was elected on by the European Parliament.

At the heart of our work is the need to address the changes in climate, technology and demography that are transforming our societies and way of life. Existing powers are going down new paths alone. New powers are emerging and consolidating. This has left a feeling of unease and anxiety in many communities across Europe. The EU must lead the transition to a healthy planet and a new digital world. But it can only do so by bringing people together and upgrading our unique social market economy to fit today’s new ambitions.

As we embark on this journey, we must make the most of all of our strengths, talent and potential. We must focus on equality and creating chances for all, whether for women or men, whether from East, West, South or North, whether young or old. We must defend our common values and uphold the rule of law. In the next 5 years all of the European institutions have to work together closely to allay fears and create opportunities.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “This team will shape the European Way: we will take bold action against climate change, build our partnership with the United States, define our relations with a more self-assertive China and be a reliable neighbour, for example to Africa. This team will have to stand up for our values and world-class standards. I want a Commission that is led with determination, that is clearly focused on the issues at hand and that provides answers. I want it to be a well-balanced, agile and modern Commission. This team will now have to gain the Parliament’s confidence. My Commission will be a geopolitical Commission committed to sustainable policies. And I want the European Union to be the guardian of multilateralism. Because we know that we are stronger by doing together what we cannot do alone.”

A new structure, tailored to what we want to achieve

The new College will have eight Vice-Presidents, including the High-Representative of the Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy (Josep Borrell). The Vice-Presidents are responsible for the top priorities in the Political Guidelines. They will steer our work on the most important overarching issues, such as the European Green Deal, a Europe fit for the digital age, an economy that works for people, protecting our European way of life, a stronger Europe in the world and a new push for European democracy. The Commissioners are at the centre of the structure of the new College. They will manage the expertise provided by the Directorates-General.

Three Executive Vice-Presidents will have a double function. They will be both Vice-President responsible for one of three core topics of the President-elect’s agenda and Commissioners.

Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans (Netherlands) will coordinate the work on the European Green Deal. He will also manage climate action policy, supported by the Directorate-General for Climate Action.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “I want the European Green Deal to become Europe’s hallmark. At the heart of it is our commitment to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent. It is also a long-term economic imperative: those who act first and fastest will be the ones who grasp the opportunities from the ecological transition. I want Europe to be the front-runner. I want Europe to be the exporter of knowledge, technologies and best practice.”

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager (Denmark) will coordinate our whole agenda on a Europe fit for the digital age and be the Commissioner for Competition, supported by the Directorate-General for Competition.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “Digitalisation has a huge impact on the way we live, work and communicate. In some fields, Europe has to catch up — like for business to consumers — while in others we are frontrunners — such as in business to business. We have to make our single market fit for the digital age, we need to make the most of artificial intelligence and big data, we have to improve on cybersecurity and we have to work hard for our technological sovereignty.”

Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis (Latvia) will coordinate the work on an Economy that Works for People and be the Commissioner for financial services, supported by the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “We have a unique social market economy. It is the source of our prosperity and social fairness. This is all the more important when we face a twin transition: climate and digital. Valdis Dombrovskis will lead our work to bring together the social and the market in our economy.”

The five other Vice-Presidents are:

Josep Borrell (Spain, current Spanish Foreign Minister): HR/VP-designate, A Stronger Europe in the World;

Věra Jourová (Czech Republic, Commissioner in the Juncker Commission): Values and Transparency;

Margaritis Schinas (Greece, former Member of the European Parliament, long-serving official of the European Commission): Protecting our European Way of Life;

Maroš Šefčovič (Slovakia, Vice-President in the Juncker Commission): Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight;

Dubravka Šuica (Croatia, Member of the European Parliament): Democracy and Demography.

Dubravka Šuica will also lead, from the Commission side, the work on the Conference on the Future of Europe.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “We want to bring new impetus to Europe’s democracy. This is our joint responsibility. Democracy is more than voting in elections every 5 years. It is about having your voice heard and being able to participate in the way society is built.”

President-elect von der Leyen wants to preside over a College that is committed, that understands Europe and that listens to what Europeans want.

• This is why all members of the College will visit every Member State in the first half of their mandate. They should not only get to know the capitals, but also visit the regions in which the people of Europe live and work.

• Just as Europe must become fit for the digital age, so must the Commission. College meetings will be paperless and digital.

• The goal of the new Commission is to make life easier for people and businesses. When the Commission creates new laws and regulations, it will apply the ‘One-in, one-out’ principle to cut red tape.

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen said: “This will be a Commission that walks the talk. We have a structure that focuses on tasks not hierarchies. We need to be able to deliver on the issues that matter the most rapidly and with determination.”

The other Commissioners-designate are as follows

Johannes Hahn (Austria) will be in charge of ‘Budget and Administration’, and will report directly to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. As a long-serving member of the College, he knows about the importance of nurturing a modern administration.

Didier Reynders (Belgium), who trained as a lawyer, is a highly experienced former national Finance Minister, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Minister of Defence. In the new Commission, he will be responsible for ‘Justice’ (including the topic of the rule of law).

Mariya Gabriel (Bulgaria) is a current European Commissioner. She worked with dedication and energy on the digital portfolio, and is now moving on to create new perspectives for the young generation (‘Innovation and Youth’ portfolio).

Stella Kyriakides (Cyprus) is a medical psychologist with many years of experience in the field of social affairs, health and cancer prevention. She will lead the ‘Health’ portfolio.

Kadri Simson (Estonia) is a long-serving member of the Estonian parliament and Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure. She will be in charge of the ‘Energy’ portfolio.

Jutta Urpilainen (Finland) was not only Finance Minister and a long-standing member of the Finnish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee; she has also worked as a special envoy in Ethiopia. She will take over responsibility for ‘International Partnerships’.

Sylvie Goulard (France), former Member of European Parliament, is a dedicated and convinced European. As the ‘Internal Market’ Commissioner, she will lead our work on industrial policy and promote the Digital Single Market. She will also be responsible for the new Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space.

László Trócsányi (Hungary) is the former Minister of Justice of Hungary. He will lead the ‘Neighbourhood and Enlargement’ portfolio.

Phil Hogan (Ireland), the incumbent Commissioner for Agriculture, will bring his experience to the new Commission in the ‘Trade’ portfolio.

Paolo Gentiloni (Italy), former Italian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be sharing his vast experience in the ‘Economy’ portfolio.

Virginijus Sinkevičius (Lithuania), Lithuanian Minister for Economy and Innovation, will be responsible for ‘Environment and Oceans’.

Nicolas Schmit (Luxembourg) is bringing his experience from the European Parliament and his service as national Minister for Employment and Labour, and will now be responsible for the ‘Jobs’ portfolio.

Helena Dalli (Malta) has dedicated her political life to equality, serving as Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, and also as a Minister for European Affairs and Equality. She will lead the ‘Equality’ portfolio.

Janusz Wojciechowski (Poland) was a long-serving Member of the European Parliament in the Agriculture Committee, and is currently a Member of the European Court of Auditors. He will be in charge of the portfolio ‘Agriculture’.

Elisa Ferreira (Portugal) is currently Vice-Governor of Banco de Portugal. She has been a Member of the European Parliament for many years, and was the Portuguese Minister for Planning and Minister for Environment. She will lead the ‘Cohesion and Reforms’ portfolio.

Rovana Plumb (Romania) is a Member of the European Parliament (Vice-President of the Social and Democrats Group), and is a former national Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister of Labour, Minister of European Funds, Minister of Education and Minister of Transport. She will be in charge of the ‘Transport’ portfolio.

Janez Lenarčič (Slovenia) is a Slovenian diplomat. He was Secretary of State for European Affairs, and worked closely for several years with the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union. He will be in charge of the ‘Crisis Management’ portfolio.

Ylva Johansson (Sweden) is national Minister for Employment but also a former Minister for Schools and Minister for Health and Elderly Care and member of Swedish Parliament. She is also a highly respected expert in the fields of employment, integration, health and welfare. She will lead the ‘Home Affairs’ portfolio.

Next steps

As a next step, the European Parliament has to give its consent to the entire College of Commissioners, including the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission.

This is preceded by hearings of the Commissioners-designate in the relevant Parliamentary committees, in line with Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

Once the European Parliament has given its consent, the European Council formally appoints the European Commission, in line with Article 17(7) TEU.

For more information: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/interim/commissioners-designate

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Kantar by Bain Capital Investors

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of Kantar of the UK by Bain Capital Investors of the US. Kantar provides data, research, consulting and analytics services, including market research, media measurement and marketing and communication services at global level. Bain Capital Investors is a global private investment firm. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, because the companies are not active in the same markets, nor in any related or complementary markets. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.9514. (For more information: Lucía Caudet – Tel. +32 229 56182; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)

Investors are facing very high market risk, as they navigate an environment of potentially inflated asset valuations, subdued economic growth prospects, and flattening yield curves. Changed monetary policy expectations may boost their risk appetite and reignite search-for-yield strategies, leaving investors vulnerable to volatility episodes and abrupt shifts in market sentiment.

Credit risk and liquidity risk remain high, with isolated events highlighting pockets of risk in the asset management industry. While the level of credit risk is stable, the deteriorating quality of outstanding corporate debt, the growth in leveraged loans and collateralised loan obligations should warrant the attention of public authorities. As a result, ESMA’s risk outlook for the asset management sector has deteriorated.

In this edition of the TRV, ESMA also looks in more detail at three vulnerabilities facing the financial markets:

–        Leveraged loans and collateralised loan obligations (CLOs): Simulations carried out by ESMA show that uncertainties can impact the credit ratings of CLOs, potentially triggering forced sales from some types of investors.  Considering the significant increase in the issuance of leveraged loans and CLOs in both the US and the EU, and the context of looser underwriting standards, higher indebtedness of borrowers and compressed credit spreads, this is a potential vulnerability in the market. In addition, ESMA has for the first time conducted a study of the exposure of investment funds to this market and finds that the exposure of the EU fund industry remains limited;

–        Performance and cost of active and passive EU equity UCITS:  Active equity funds have in past years underperformed, in net terms, both passive equity funds and equity ETFs, as well as their own benchmarks.  This is shown in an analysis of the cost and performance of EU equity UCITS funds, which distinguishes between active and passive investment management, and ETFs, and is due to the large impact of ongoing costs; and

–        Use of derivatives by UCITS equity funds: Using data collected under the EMIR framework, ESMA has conducted a study on the use of derivatives by UCITS equity funds. The tendency, and frequency, of these funds to trade derivatives is explained to a large extent by asset managers characteristics, such as fund family and fund family size. Over time, cash inflows as well as currency risk seem to have a significant influence, which suggests that derivatives are used for transaction costs or risk reduction purposes.

This report is split into two parts with the statistical annex published as a separate document. Also accompanying the report is the third Risk Dashboard for 2019.

During his first official visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica reconfirmed the EU’s commitment to working with the country’s government to support sustainable development, especially in rural areas. On this occasion, Commissioner Mimica also launched two new programmes on nutrition and sustainable growth.

Commissioner Mimica said: “These new programmes worth €55 million reaffirm our strong commitment as reliable and long-term partner for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. We will continue to support the Lao government in assisting the most vulnerable communities. Together, we are investing in a diversified and sustainable economy that protects our environment and tackles inequalities”.

The two new programmes are:

• The ASEAN Regional Integration Support-Lao PDR Trade-Related Assistance (Arise Plus) programme, especially addressed to smallholders and SMEs. The programme, worth €5 million, provides trade related assistance to promote more sustainable, broad-based and inclusive growth, which is also more resilient to climate change.
• EU Nutrition Budget Support programme to facilitate access to safe and nutritious food, worth €50 million.

During his visit, Commissioner Mimica will also take part in the official launch of the first Penal Code enacted in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic – confirming the EU’s support to the reform of the justice sector and good governance in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. He is also meeting with the Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Somdy Douangdy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith and the Minister of Planning and Investment Souphanh Keomixay. They will take stock of the progress made in EU-Lao cooperation, as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Status in 2024. Their discussions will also pave the way for a new strategy ahead of the 45-year partnership celebrations between the EU and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Background

This is the first-ever visit of a European Commissioner to the country since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the EU and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975. This visit will serve as a chance to further strengthen political relations, highlight the achievements of bilateral cooperation and lay the foundations for future EU support to the country.

Between 2014 and 2020, the EU substantially increased its contribution to the country, nearly tripling its investment (€203 million for 2014-2020).

The EU has consolidated its role as a leading development partner of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in the Education and Nutrition sectors. Today, the country’s three focal sectors are education, nutrition and governance. The EU also supports the promotion of civil society.

These important areas of reform have witnessed significant achievements, such as: increased access to primary and lower secondary education (99.1% and 83.1% respectively in 2019) and a reduction in stunting rates of children under-five years old (from 44% in 2011 to 33% in 2018).

After more than a decade of high growth with low inflation, Lao People’s Democratic Republic is solidifying its progress towards graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, expected in 2024.

In the area of trade, the EU works closely with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the framework of the EU-ASEAN Cooperation Agreement to ensure an effective environment for trade and investment relations. The EU is the fourth largest trading partner of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, which has been a member of the World Trade Organisation since 2013. As a least developed country, it benefits from the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ scheme, which grants unilateral duty free, quota free access for all exports, except arms and ammunition to the EU.

For More Information

EU-Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan

Formation of von der Leyen Commission advances

President-elect Ursula von der Leyen today gave her agreement to the draft list of Commissioners-designate provided to her by the Council of the European Union. This follows a series of formal interviews President-elect von der Leyen held, over the past weeks, with each of the persons suggested by the Member States as candidates for Commissioner. The full list is available in a press release.

Space: EU’s satellite navigation system Galileo reaches 1 billion smartphone users

Tomorrow, Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation system, will reach 1 billion smartphone users worldwide. This milestone coincides with the 15^th anniversary of the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA), the Commission’s key partner in operating Galileo. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said: “Space really matters. What happens up there has a big impact on our lives down here. In many areas we depend on the technology, data and services that space helps deliver, such as rescue searches, smart watches, farming or plane navigation. As space is becoming a new economic frontier, driving a profound modernisation of our economies, we need to strive for Europe’s global leadership and strategic autonomy. I am therefore proud that the Commission has proposed the budget of 16 billion EUR for space policy in 2021-2027.” Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska said: “Galileo is now providing high quality timing and navigation services to 1 billion smartphone users globally. This has been made possible by a truly European effort to build the most accurate navigation system in the world, with the support and dedication of the GSA. I am confident that our space industry will continue to thrive with more work, ideas and investment under the new EU Space Programme.” Today 95% of companies that produce smartphone chips for satellite navigation make chips that enable Galileo. The ‘1 billion users’ milestone is based on the number of smartphones using Galileo sold across the world. The actual number of Galileo users is larger. In Europe, all new car models approved for the market are equipped with the eCall system, which uses Galileo to communicate the vehicle’s location to emergency services. A press release is available here. Tomorrow Commissioner Bieńkowska will be in Prague, at the GSA’s headquarters, to open an event celebrating this milestone and the 15^th anniversary of the GSA; you can watch her speech live at 11:35 on EbS+. (For more information: Lucía Caudet – Tel.: +32 229 56182; Sophie Dupin de Saint-Cyr – Tel.: +32 229 56169)

Commission proposes €500 million of Macro-Financial Assistance to Jordan

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a new Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme to Jordan worth up to €500 million. The proposed financial assistance aims to provide support to the ambitious Jordanian reform agenda, promoting jobs, growth and investment for the benefit of the people of Jordan. The new programme would build on the two previous MFA programmes through which the EU has disbursed a total of €380 million to Jordan since 2011. MFA is one element of the support the EU provides to Jordan to assist it in mitigating the economic and social impact of the Syrian crisis. Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner in charge of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, said: “Today’s proposal demonstrates the EU’s sustained commitment to supporting Jordan in what remain challenging times. Jordan has made significant strides in its reform process; but addressing economic difficulties requires continued action. The Commission stands ready to work closely with the Jordanian authorities to deliver the vital economic reforms necessary to secure a stronger, more stable economy for the benefit of its people.” A full press release is available here. (For more information: Annika Breidthardt – Tel.: +32 229 56153; Annikky Lamp– Tel.: +32 229 56151)

Laos: l’UE soutient le développement inclusif et durable avec deux nouveaux programmes d’une valeur de 55 millions d’euros

Lors de sa première visite officielle en République démocratique populaire lao, le commissaire en charge de la coopération internationale et du développement, Neven Mimica, a réaffirmé la détermination de l’UE à coopérer avec le gouvernement laotien afin de soutenir son développement durable, en particulier dans les zones rurales. À cette occasion, le commissaire Mimica a lancé deux nouveaux programmes sur la nutrition et la croissance durable: le programme d’assistance liée au commerce de l’ASEAN pour le soutien à l’intégration régionale (pour un montant de cinq millions d’euros), spécialement destiné aux petits exploitants et aux PME, et le programme de l’UE de soutien budgétaire à la nutrition visant à faciliter l’accès à des aliments sains et nutritifs, à hauteur de 50 millions d’euros. Le Commissaire a déclaré à ce propos: « Ces nouveaux programmes, d’une valeur de 55 millions d’euros, réaffirment notre engagement ferme en tant que partenaire fiable et à long terme de la République démocratique populaire lao. Nous continuerons d’aider le gouvernement laotien à venir en aide aux communautés les plus vulnérables. Ensemble, nous investissons dans une économie diversifiée et durable qui protège notre environnement et s’attaque aux inégalités ». Au cours de sa visite, le commissaire Mimica participera également au lancement officiel du premier code pénal adopté en République démocratique populaire lao et rencontrera des membres du gouvernement. Le communiqué de presse complet est disponible ici. (Pour plus d’informations: Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela – Tél.: +32 229 65322; Christina Wunder – Tél.: +32 229 92256)

Connecting Europe Facility: Main tunnel completed on the Stuttgart – Ulm railway line

Drilling was completed on the Fildertunnel, the largest tunnel of the Stuttgart-Ulm railway project. The 9.5 kilometer-long tunnel will be the longest railway tunnel of its kind in Germany. This marks another milestone in the completion of the Stuttgart – Ulm railway line, which is expected to significantly reduce travel times between the two cities. Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc said: “We are bringing Europeans even closer. The new line will not only benefit the people in the region, but also long-distance travelers from Paris to Munich and beyond. The greater capacity and the shorter travel times will give a boost to high-speed trains as an alternative to air transport.” This section of the Rhine-Danube Core Network Corridor is an important segment of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). The Stuttgart-Ulm project is the biggest project supported by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) in Germany. The EU is supporting the project with a total sum of €1.27 billion. (For more information: Enrico Brivio – Tel.: +32 229 56172; Stephan Meder – Tel.: +32 229 13917) 

Festival du film de Venise : cinq prix récompensent les films soutenus par l’UE

Cinq films soutenus par le programme MEDIA – le programme de soutien de l’UE aux industries cinématographiques et audiovisuelles européennes – ont été primés lors de la 76ème Mostra de Venise. Le Lion d’argent du meilleur réalisateur a été attribué à Roy Andersson pour « About Endlessness » (Suède, Allemagne, Norvège). La « Coupe Volpi » du meilleur acteur a été attribuée à Luca Marinelli pour son rôle dans « Martin Eden » (Italie, France). Dans le cadre du concours « Orizzonti » consacré aux dernières tendances du cinéma international, les films soutenus par l’Union européenne ont été récompensés par deux prix: le prix Orizzonti du meilleur réalisateur a été attribué à Théo Court pour « Blanco en blanco » (Espagne, Chili, France, Allemagne) et Marta Nieto a reçu le prix de la meilleure actrice pour son rôle dans le film « Madre » (Espagne, France). Le prix Luigi de Laurentiis a été attribué à Amjad Abu Alala pour son premier film « You Will Die at 20 ». Douze films soutenus par l’UE ont été présentés cette année au Festival du film de Venise. Chaque année, le programme MEDIA soutient environ 2 000 projets européens, notamment pour le développement, la promotion et la distribution d’œuvres européennes. Le programme investit également dans la formation des producteurs, des distributeurs de films, des réalisateurs et des scénaristes. Plus d’informations sur les films soutenus par MEDIA au Festival du Film de Venise sont disponibles ici et sur le Forum du film européen organisé pendant le festival ici. Vous trouverez plus d’informations sur le programme MEDIA dans cette fiche d’informations. (Pour plus d’informations: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tél. +32 229 67 083; Johannes Bahrke – Tél.: +32 229 58 615; Inga Höglund – Tél.: +32 229 50 698 ; Marietta Grammenou – Tél. : +32 229 83 583)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Vaccination: Global Summit to promote the benefits of vaccines

On 12 September, the European Commission and the World Health Organisation (WHO) host a Global Vaccination Summit in Brussels to demonstrate EU leadership in the global support for vaccination, boost political commitment towards eliminating vaccine preventable diseases and engage political leaders, scientists, medics, industry and civil society in global action against the spread of vaccine disinformation. The Summit will promote the benefits of vaccination and send a clear message that, as one of the most successful public health measures, vaccines save millions of lives every year. The event brings together around 400 political leaders, high-level representatives from international organisations, health ministries, leading academics, scientists and health professionals, the private sector and non-governmental organisations. Keynote speakers and participants include Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO and Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians. Health and Food Safety Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis said: “Vaccination saves millions of lives every year. Yet, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy have had an extremely negative influence on the decrease of vaccination rates, which lead to almost eradicated diseases causing dozens of casualties in Europe. This is simply not acceptable. The Vaccination Summit is a call, in Europe and at global level, for safety and accessible vaccines and a commitment, from international organisations to health professionals, in ensuring that citizens are confident and safe”. A Q&A is available here.The Summit will be broadcast live via this link. (For more information: Anca Paduraru – Tel.: +32 229 91269; Aikaterini Apostola – Tel.: +32 229 87624)

Commissioner Stylianides participates in the Roundtable on Global Refugee Education in Jordan*

Today, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides addressed the Amman Summit ‘Meeting our Promises on Refugee Education’. During his speech, the Commissioner highlighted the EU commitment to education in emergencies: ‘During conflicts, education is a basic humanitarian need, as vital as food, water, shelter and healthcare. I am very proud that the European Union continues to keep its promises on education for children caught in violence and conflicts.‘ In 2019, ten percent of European humanitarian funding goes to education in emergencies, compared to one per cent five years ago. (For more information: Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela – Tel.: +32 229 65322; Daniel Puglisi – Tel.: +32 229 69140)

Commissioner Jourová in Finland to discuss democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights [mission was cancelled on 09/09/19]

On Tuesday 10 September, Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, will be in Helsinki, Finland, to attend the Conference  “How to ensure the resilience of our societies in a changing European landscape – the interaction between democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights”, where she will give a keynote speech. Organised by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the conference will include three working sessions on democracy, fundamental rights and rule of law, to discuss topical questions related to the values and principles on which the European Union is founded. Participants of the Conference include Member State experts, representatives of the EU institutions and agencies, civil society representatives, as well as participants from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries. The detailed agenda of the conference is available here. Commissioner Jourová‘s intervention will be made available here. (For more information: Christian Wigand – Tel.: +32 229 62253; Sara Soumillion – Tel .: +32 229 67094; Athina Reuter – Tel.: +32 229 82390)

African Swine Fever: Commissioner Andriukaitis in Sofia for a high-level meeting

On 10 September, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis will be in Sofia, Bulgaria to attend the high-level coordination and preparedness meeting on African Swine Fever (ASF) in South-East Europe. The meeting will take place in the context of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Standing Group of Experts on ASF in Europe and is expected to lead to further technical coordination in Europe by putting around the table the chief veterinary officers of ASF-affected countries. This meeting continues the discussions that took place this year in March (Prague) and in May (Paris) and will be attended by representatives of affected Member States, as well as Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and Moldova. Ahead of the event Commissioner Andriukaitis said: “I will urge ministers to take swift and coordinated action to minimise the chance of introduction – and possible further spread – in all the countries. We all know what the introduction of the disease means: a devastating impact on the production of pig meat with long lasting social consequences, affecting – in a dramatic way – our vulnerable rural territories.  For this reason we need to take any possible action to limit the spreading of the disease and to pave the way for its future long term eradication. It is essential that all countries ensure a high level of awareness, preparedness and biosecurity on commercial farms. Information campaigns, in different languages, on all the main highways in Europe is one practical tool that helps spread knowledge of the risks in the public domain.” Latest information on African Swine Fever is available here. (For more information: Anca Paduraru – Tel.: +32 229 91269; Aikaterini Apostola – Tel.: +32 229 87624)

 *[modified at 15:55 on 09/09/19]

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)