September 25, 2020 Learning

EUIPO’s Academy Tuesday webinars: October 2020

The Academy is pleased to announce the Tuesday Webinar live broadcasts scheduled for October 2020.

You can consult the Learning Portal Calendar for additional and updated information. Please note that one day after the broadcast, the recorded webinars will be available at the same link.

Do you have any comments on the Tuesday Webinar programme? Please sharethem with us Academy@euipo.europa.eu.

Are you a young graduate interested in international relations? Are you curious to learn more about work of a diplomatic mission and how the EU Delegation represents EU interests and values in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein?

What we offer?

Two traineeships of 6 months each within the Trade and Economic Section of the EU Delegation to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, starting in November 30 2020, subject to respect to the local legislation as well as the national legislation of the candidate(s) if non-resident.

Main tasks:

• Assist in the preparation of and follow-up to meetings with Member States and representatives from the host country or the EU
• Contribute to notes for Headquarters
• Monitor political developments in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (e.g. parliamentary sessions, popular initiatives, elections);
• Participate in meetings and conferences;
• Assess and follow implementation of bilateral EU-Swiss agreements by the Swiss authorities;
• Provide support to the organization of public diplomacy events and visits of EU officials in Switzerland and Liechtenstein;
• Contribute to the press and social media monitoring

Qualifications or special requirements:

• In assessing the applications received, account will need to be taken of the COVID-19 situation and its possible effects on access possibilities to Country and thus candidates currently residing in Country might be preferred (to be modified by HQ)
• Solid academic background in economics and/or business administration;
• Excellent knowledge of English, French and German (working languages of the Delegation);
• Good knowledge of the Swiss political and economic system, as well as of European institutions;
• A master’s degree.

How to apply?

Please send the following documents to the e-mail address DELEGATION-BERN-APPLICATIONS@eeas.europa.eu:

• A detailed Europass curriculum vitae (CV)
• a cover letter describing why you want to participate in a EU traineeship
• and an application form

Please mention in the subject of your e-mail: Funded Traineeship – Trade and Economic Section

Important information

Before applying you are requested to examine the dedicated website as well as the general eligibility criteria for a paid traineeship (Article 8 of the Decision ADMIN(2017)28 – Paid traineeship)

Each selected trainee will receive a monthly grant to cover living expenses. All costs related to travel inside the country of residence, visa, insurance, accommodation must be borne by the trainee.

Applications from non-eligible candidates will not be considered. After the evaluation of all applications, shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for an interview. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified by email. In case the selected candidate is not able to present the required documents, his/her candidacy will be rejected.

Non-resident candidates must provide proof that they will be covered against the risk of a pandemic and the costs of repatriation.

The Delegation informs that even if our Headquarters confirm the eligibility of the selected application, traineeships could be postponed, suspended or even cancelled considering the very evolving context of the COVID-19 outbreak in the host country as well as in the country of origin.

The European Union (EU) and the Kyrgyz Republic held their tenth round of the annual Human Rights Dialogue on 24 September via video conference.

An open and constructive discussion covered a broad range of issues. The parties discussed developments in the human rights situation in the Kyrgyz Republic and in the EU since the last Dialogue and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU expressed concern as regards restrictions on the freedom of peaceful assembly and information, as well as the high increase of gender-based- and domestic violence during the peak of the pandemic.

The EU reiterated its concern over controversial legislative initiatives, namely on Trade Unions; Non-Commercial Organisations; Manipulation of information; revision of the Criminal Procedure code, which would contravene Kyrgyzstan’s obligations under the relevant international conventions. Individual cases were also discussed, including the ongoing investigation as regards the death in prison of the human rights defender, Azimjan Askarov.

The EU welcomed the important work carried out by the national human rights institutions, in particular the Ombudsman and the National Preventive Mechanism. The EU reiterated the need to ensure the uninterrupted work of these institutions, particularly in times of the coronavirus crisis. The EU and the Kyrgyz Republic also elaborated on the progress in measures and mechanisms to prevent the use of torture and ill-treatment.

The EU and Kyrgyzstan discussed the freedom of expression, including freedom of the media. The EU called on the Kyrgyz authorities to maintain and protect an open media environment as an important enabler for free, competitive and transparent parliamentary elections on 4 October. The parties addressed cooperation with civil society, as well as issues of good governance, including the rights of the members of minority groups and the fight against corruption.

The Kyrgyz Republic has been member of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, the GSP+, since January 2016. The parties reviewed the monitoring process related to the implementation of 27 GSP+ relevant international conventions on sustainable development and discussed areas where EU assistance would be needed for the Kyrgyz Republic to fully benefit from the scheme.

The parties reviewed their cooperation in the relevant multilateral fora, in particular within the UN system, as well as bilateral cooperation programmes funded by the Development Cooperation Instrument of the EU and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.

The Kyrgyz Republic delegation was led by Mr Azizbek Madmarov, First Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs. The EU delegation was led by Mr Boris Iarochevitch, Head of the Central Asia Division in the European External Action Service. The next round of the EU-Kyrgyz Republic Human Rights Dialogue will be held in Brussels in 2021.

MEPs also insist on the abolition of all rebates.

What benefits would the own resources reform create?

These new revenue sources would pay off the joint debt taken by EU countries to finance the Covid-19 recovery fund. Without new own resources, the borrowed recovery money would have to be paid back through further reductions to EU programmes and/or higher GNI-based contributions from EU countries. Parliament wants to ensure that the burden is not on the taxpayer, but on the tech giants, tax dodgers, big foreign polluters and others who do not currently pay their fair share.

The proposed own resources would also ensure that the EU’s priorities – such as the Green Deal and the digital transformation – are better reflected in the financing of its budget. Additionally, they would support the functioning of the single market and reduce reliance on GNI-based national contributions.

How are EU revenue sources decided?

Following consultation with the Parliament, the system of EU own resources is adopted by unanimity in the Council and must be ratified by all EU countries. Parliament approved its position on own resources in a vote on 16 September 2020.

Negotiations between the Parliament and Council on the 2021-2027 budget got underway in late August. Parliament will not give its consent to the new EU budget if there is no agreement on the reform of EU revenue sources. MEPs insist that the first new own resources enter into force as of 1 January 2021 and be complemented thereafter following a binding calendar.

The CP contains ESMA’s proposals for possible amendments to the transaction reporting and reference data regime based on its experience in implementing the MiFIR reporting regimes since January 2018.

ESMA’s objectives for this review are to simplify the current reporting regimes and enhance the quality of the data reported by ensuring consistency among various reporting and transparency requirements.

The CP addresses a wide range of issues, including:

• A possible revision of the ToTV (Traded on a trading venue) concept 
• A revision of the scope of indices subject to the reporting obligation considering the more recent Benchmark Regulation
• Proposals to remove, replace or further clarify specific data elements that should be reported under the transaction reporting obligation
• Proposals to ensure further alignment between EMIR and MiFIR reporting regimes considering the EMIR Refit review.

The consultation paper proposals are particularly relevant for trading venues, systematic internalisers, investment firms, data reporting services providers, and asset management companies.

Next Steps

ESMA invites all stakeholders involved in EU financial markets to respond to this consultation by 20 November 2020 and intends to submit its final review report to the European Commission in Q1 2021.