Tag: European Commission

The press release issued by the European Commission on 9 November 2022.

Following the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022, the Commission has today proposed an unprecedented support package for Ukraine of up to €18 billion for 2023. This will come in the form of highly concessional loans, disbursed in regular instalments as of 2023.

This stable, regular and predictable financial assistance – averaging €1.5 billion per month – will help cover a significant part of Ukraine’s short-term funding needs for 2023, which the Ukrainian authorities and the International Monetary Fund estimate at €3 to €4 billion per month. The support put forward by the EU would need to be matched by similar efforts by other major donors in order to cover all of Ukraine’s funding needs for 2023.

Thanks to this package, Ukraine will be able to keep on paying wages and pensions and maintain essential public services running, such as hospitals, schools, and housing for relocated people. It will also allow Ukraine to ensure macroeconomic stability, and restore critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia in its war of aggression, such as energy infrastructure, water systems, transport networks, roads and bridges.

Support under the instrument will be accompanied by reforms, to further enhance the rule of law, good governance, anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures in Ukraine. Therefore, while taking into account the evolution on the ground, financial support will be framed by policy conditions, geared towards strengthening Ukraine’s institutions and preparing the ground for a successful reconstruction effort, as well as supporting Ukraine on its European path.

How will this package work?

Building on previous Macro-Financial Assistance packages, this Macro-Financial Assistance+ (MFA+) instrument offers high flexibility and very favourable terms for Ukraine, catering to the country’s current situation and ensuring swift action to support the Ukrainian people.

The funds will be provided through highly concessional loans, to be repaid in the course of maximum 35 years, starting in 2033. In a further expression of solidarity, the EU also proposes to cover Ukraine’s interest rate costs, through additional targeted payments by Member States into the EU budget. EU Member States and third countries will also be able to add more funds to the instrument, to be used as grants, should they wish to do so. The funds will then be channelled through the EU budget, allowing Ukraine to receive the support in a coordinated manner.

The MFA+ instrument will be accompanied by reforms to help Ukraine advance on its path to becoming a member of the EU. This means that the Ukrainian government will have to complement the financial support with sectoral and institutional reforms, including anti-corruption and judicial reforms, respect of the rule of law, good governance, and modernisation of the national and local institutions. We will check that these reforms have been effectively put in place when paying out the instalments.

How will the package be financed?

To secure the funds for the loans, the Commission proposes to borrow on capital markets using the diversified funding strategy. This would enable the Commission to use the full portfolio of funding instruments to secure market funding on the most advantageous terms, when these are needed.

To guarantee this borrowing for Ukraine, the Commission proposes to use the headroom of the 2021-2027 EU budget in a targeted manner for Ukraine, limited in time. The headroom is the difference between the own resources ceiling (i.e. the maximum amount of resources that the Commission can ask Member States to contribute in a given year) and the funds that it actually needs to cover the expenses foreseen by the budget. The headroom, which is already used to guarantee the borrowing for financial assistance programmes to Member States, will guarantee bond investors that the amounts lent to the EU to finance Ukrainian loans borrowing will be repaid under all circumstances.

Next steps

To ensure a smooth delivery of the package, the Commission is putting forward three legislative proposals. These will need approval by the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council before entering into force.

As always, the Commission will be working hand in hand with all EU institutions concerned for a swift adoption.

Background

Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine has inflicted horrific human pain and mass-scale destruction of towns and communities. The European Union and its Member States have shown unwavering solidarity with people fleeing the war. The Union has immediately mobilised support to the Ukrainian government to keep its essential functions going, on top of the emergency and humanitarian assistance, and military aid provided to Ukraine.

Since the start of the war, Team Europe has mobilised €19.7 billion to support Ukraine, a large part of which comes in the form of macro-financial assistance (MFA). We have already disbursed €4.2 billion in MFA and will disburse further €2.5 billion by the end of the month as second disbursement of EUR 5 billion emergency MFA. Another €620 million in grants as budget support has also been disbursed to help Ukraine cover urgent needs on the ground.

In addition, Member States have shown unprecedented solidarity by welcoming millions of people fleeing the war in Ukraine. To support these efforts, the EU has activated the Temporary Protection Directive, granting access to jobs, housing, education and healthcare across the EU to over 4 million people fleeing the war.

The Commission is also coordinating its largest ever operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for a wide array of support measures for Ukrainian citizens, including in the health, energy, food and agriculture sectors, and providing shelters, machinery as well as vital medical and energy equipment and evacuations.

Furthermore, the Commission, together with the Member States and the Energy Community, has been providing support for the Ukrainian energy system since this spring, and stepped up its efforts following the targeted shelling of vital energy infrastructure. The EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism has facilitated the shipment of generators, transformers and cables, among others. Under the Ukraine Energy Support Fund established by the Energy Community at the request of the European Commission, €25.5 million have been made available to cover the immediate needs in the energy sector. The Commission also delivered more than €40 million worth Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threat countermeasures and equipment from the EU reserves and allocated €13 million for the restoration of laboratories damaged by the Russian occupiers at Chornobyl.

To support Ukraine, the Commission has also put forward measures to facilitate trade, notably the suspension of import duties on Ukrainian exports, and to establish solidarity lanes to help Ukraine export agricultural goods.

In addition, military assistance measures amounting to €3.1 billion have been provided under the European Peace Facility. This will be used to reimburse Member States for their in-kind military support to Ukraine.

The EU’s efforts to support Ukraine come on top of the comprehensive set of actions put forward to tackle the dramatic consequences of Russia’s war of aggression. The invasion has led to the ramping up of energy prices and of the overall cost of living for citizens in the EU. In this context, both the EU and Member States have been taking concrete measures to support businesses and households, especially vulnerable ones, in their ability to pay their energy bills and to ensure access to energy supplies.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 7 November 2022.

Today, the Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation to enhance transparency in the field of short-term accommodation rentals and help public authorities ensure their balanced development as part of a sustainable tourism sector.

While short-term accommodation bookings offer benefits for hosts and tourists, they can create concerns for certain local communities struggling, for instance, with a lack of affordable housing. The new rules will improve the collection and sharing of data from hosts and online platforms. This will, in turn, inform effective and proportionate local policies to address the challenges and opportunities related to the short-term rental sector.

The new proposed rules will help to improve transparency on the identification and activity of short-term accommodation hosts, and on the rules they have to comply with, and will facilitate the registration of hosts. They will also tackle the current fragmentation in how online platforms share data and, ultimately, help prevent illegal listings. Overall, this will contribute to a more sustainable tourism ecosystem and support its digital transition.

New requirements for data sharing for short-term rentals

The new proposed framework will:

•  Harmonise registration requirements for hosts and their short-term rental properties when introduced by national authorities: registration schemes will have to be fully on-line and user-friendly.  A similar set of relevant information on the hosts and their properties, namely the “who”, “what” and “where”, should be required. When completing registration, hosts should receive a unique registration number.

•  Clarify rules to ensure registration numbers are displayed and checked: online platforms will have to facilitate hosts to display registration numbers on their platforms. They will also have to randomly check whether hosts register and display the correct numbers. Public authorities will be able to suspend registration numbers and ask platforms to delist non-compliant hosts.

•  Streamline data sharing between online platforms and public authorities: online platforms will have to share data about the number of rented nights and of guests with public authorities, once a month, in an automated way. Lighter reporting possibilities are foreseen for small and micro platforms. Public authorities will be able to receive this data through national ‘single digital entry points’. This will support well-targeted policy making.

•  Allow the reuse of data, in aggregate form: the data generated under this proposal will, in aggregate form, contribute to tourism statistics produced by Eurostat and feed into the upcoming European data space for tourism. This information will support the development of innovative, tourism-related services.

• Establish an effective framework of implementation: Member States will monitor the implementation of this transparency framework and put in place the relevant penalties for non-compliance with the obligations of this Regulation.

Next Steps

The Commission’s proposal will be discussed in view of adoption by the European Parliament and the Council.

After its adoption and entry into force, Member States will have a two-year period to establish the necessary mechanisms for data exchanges.

Background

Short-term rentals are developing fast in the EU, largely boosted by the platform economy. They represent about one quarter of all tourist accommodation in the EU and their number is increasing significantly across the EU. This trend was confirmed during the COVID crisis: the number of short-term rental bookings during the summers of 2020 and 2021 were above the equivalent 2018 levels. In addition, the number of bookings over the first half of 2022, has increased by 138% compared with the same period in 2021. Short-term rentals have become critical for the EU tourism ecosystem, including guests and hosts, and for many communities, creating both opportunities and challenges.

The proposal for a Regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services is a key action of the tourism transition pathway, published in February 2022. The proposal was announced in the Commission’s SME Strategy of March 2020 with a view to promoting the balanced and responsible development of the collaborative economy across the Single Market, in full respect of public interests.

It will also complement existing instruments, in particular the Digital Services Act which regulates online platforms, and the rules of the Directive on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (DAC7).

The press release issued by the European Commission on 6 November 2022.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke today with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The main focus of the conversation was on ensuring financial support for Ukraine in the months ahead. President von der Leyen informed President Zelenskyy that she would this week propose a substantial financial package from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 billion a month, totalling up to EUR 18 billion, which would contribute significantly to cover Ukraine’s financing needs for 2023. Both leaders recognised the importance of ensuring predictable and regular funding of essential state functions. The support in the form of highly concessional long-term loans, with coverage of the interest costs, would also work to support Ukraine’s reforms and its path towards EU membership. The EU financial package would need to be matched by similar support from other major donors. President von der Leyen confirmed ongoing work by the EU to continue to provide immediate humanitarian support to Ukraine, particularly over the winter. President von der Leyen reiterated that the EU is in it for the long haul in its support for Ukraine.

The leaders also discussed the importance of ensuring Ukraine’s agricultural exports can reach the world. In addition to full support for the UN’s efforts to reach agreement with Russia on the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the leaders also discussed plans to expand the capacities of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, which have so far been used to transport the great majority of Ukrainian agricultural and non-agricultural exports since the start of the Russian war.

Finally, the leaders discussed strengthening sanctions, as well as the negative role played by Iran’s support for Russia’s aggression and how to respond.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 1 November 2022.

Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson visited Ukraine on 1 November to discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Minister of Energy German Galushchenko and international partners the immediate concrete support for its battered energy sector. Russia’s persistent and deliberate targeting of Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the past weeks and months has affected more than 30% of the country’s energy system.

The EU has, together with the Member States and private companies, delivered millions of euros worth of emergency energy equipment to Ukraine, but the level of support needs to be ramped up in light of Russia’s escalating attacks. In addition to the necessary equipment, €25.5 million has been made available to cover the most urgent needs via the Ukraine Energy Support Fund that the Commission has set up with the Energy Community. A dedicated campaign to mobilise further support from the private sector will be launched in the coming days jointly by the Commission, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the Energy Community.

This visit comes just ahead of the winter season and less than a week after the European Commission and the G7 Presidency called for an international ‘Marshall plan for Ukraine’, which would pave the way for the country’s immediate and sustainable reconstruction.

In Kyiv, Commissioner Simson met President Zelenskyy, to discuss the latest developments and how the EU can lead the international effort to repair and rebuild the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. She also participated in the first meeting of the International Energy Advisory Council for Ukraine (IEAC4U), a new forum announced by Minister Galushchenko at the EU energy ministers’ meeting in Prague in mid-October. The IEAC4U will help coordinate the efforts of all participating countries and will provide technical assistance in matching Ukrainian needs with potential donations.

The visit was also an opportunity for Commissioner Simson to co-chair the EU-Ukraine High-Level Energy Dialogue together with the Minister of Energy, where the immediate needs of the Ukrainian energy system and the security of supply situation, as well as the reconstruction and decarbonisation of its energy system were discussed. At the meeting, the Commissioner announced that 13 million euros have been allocated for the restoration of laboratories damaged by the Russian occupiers at the nuclear site of Chornobyl and that the EU intends to channel through the International Atomic Energy Agency a further €3.5 million as support for Ukraine in this sector.

The Commissioner also met with the members of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and had discussions with Ukrenergo and other Ukrainian energy companies.

Background

Since the outbreak of Russia’s unjustified war, the EU has been supporting the Ukrainian energy sector via different channels and means. With ENTSO-E, it has enabled the emergency synchronisation of the Ukrainian and Moldovan electricity grids with the Continental one to ensure stability of the electricity system. To tackle the most immediate needs of reparation, the Commission has promoted the establishment of the Ukraine Energy Support Fund with the Energy Community Secretariat.

Under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission has facilitated numerous shipments of vital energy equipment, from generators to transformers and cables, through its Emergency Response Coordination Centre. In addition, more than 40 million euros worth chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat countermeasures and equipment have been delivered from the EU reserves. The Commission has also supported with €7.7 million the State Scientific Technical Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 1 November 2022.

Ahead of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, High Representative Josep Borrell and Vice-President Věra Jourová issued the following statement:

“Journalists are our eyes and ears reporting from conflict zones. They put their lives in danger to provide accounts of what is happening on the ground. Their accurate, impartial media reports serve a fundamental public interest: accounts, images and news from the ground can have a decisive impact on the development and outcome of armed conflicts.

Consequently, journalistic work is often deliberately obstructed in armed conflicts. Media professionals face access denial, censorship, and harassment, as well as arbitrary detention and brutal attacks. In Ukraine, several journalists and media workers have been killed or injured, sometimes deliberately targeted, while documenting the truth about the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Their work is essential, as the Russian regime wages a global disinformation campaign on the realities of their war.

Intentionally directing attacks against journalists, as civilians, constitutes a war crime.

War zones are however not the only places where journalists come under attack. Across the world, journalists face increasing threats in their work. They are victims of hate crimes, harassed online, targeted by spyware, and even murdered.

We must put an end to impunity for these crimes and uphold human rights and the rule of law by providing justice to the victims. Over the past 10 years, 80% of journalists’ murders worldwide have not been held to account.

The EU supports networks of at-risk journalists and reinforcing journalists’ ability to operate in hostile environments across the world. This includes provision of protective equipment and assistance. Under the new Global Europe programme for Human Rights and Democracy, we are establishing an Observatory on the Fight Against Impunity to contribute to collect and use evidence and knowledge for advocacy and accountability at global, regional and national levels.

Also within the European Union journalists can face difficult conditions. Member States are expected to comply with the Commission Recommendation on the safety of journalists adopted in 2021. Candidate countries and those in its neighbourhood are also expected to adopt these standards.

The new Media Freedom Act aims to safeguard the independence and the pluralism of the media and to support journalists, enabling them to hold those in power to account without fear or favour. The Commission also took action to fight strategic lawsuits against public participation which put pressure on journalists and silence them.

These legislative proposals should be adopted as soon as possible to improve the environment in which journalists and media are working.

States must investigate and prosecute all criminal acts committed against journalists in an impartial, independent, effective, transparent, and timely manner.

Impunity for crimes against journalists must end.

Justice must be served.”

The press release issued by the European Commission on 28 October 2022.

Today, the European Commission has decided to prolong and amend the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework in order to address the evolving needs of Member States to support the economy in the context of the continued invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Russia’s continued unjustified war against Ukraine and its weaponisation of energy resources has serious effects on Europe’s economy. All European households and companies face extraordinary increases of energy costs. In this context, the Temporary Crisis Framework provides a horizontal tool enabling Member States to support those that need it, using the full flexibility of State aid rules, while preserving a level playing field in the Single Market.

The Temporary Crisis Framework has been designed with a number of objectives in mind. First, we need to enable Member States to support companies that are seriously affected by the current energy prices today. This support must be geared for addressing the current needs and allow a transition to a situation of more stable energy prices in the future – even if likely at higher levels than in the past. Second, we need to ensure that there are clear incentives to reduce energy consumption, as without more energy efficiency, we will increase scarcity, driving prices even higher. Third, we need to continue working on the root causes of the current energy crisis and invest into a future where we are less dependent on fossil fuels. And fourth, we need to protect the level playing field. We must overcome this crisis together and prevent support to companies that don’t need it or that otherwise risks fragmenting the Single Market.

The amendment of the Temporary Crisis Framework adopted today by the Commission is in line with this logic: it gives Member States more flexibility to set up support schemes tailored to the needs of their economy, continuing to incentivise the green transition, while maintaining safeguards to ensure that aid remains targeted and proportionate. At the same time, it also maintains market incentives for those same companies to further reduce energy consumption, since they will have to shoulder also parts of the higher prices. Furthermore, the amendment expands the tools for Member States to accelerate the roll-out of renewables and industrial decarbonisation efforts. Overall, we have prolonged the application of the Framework until end of 2023 in view of the continued crisis, giving Member States more predictability and time to implement support schemes and providing a stable legal framework for companies.

Today’s changes have been discussed intensely with Member States in three rounds of consultations, involving a survey on Member States’ needs and two subsequent consultations on specific drafting proposals. We will continue to work closely with Member States and coordinate our action to make sure our Framework serves all European consumers and continues to support the Commission’s policy initiatives in the field of energy.”

The press release issued by the European Commission on 28 October 2022.

The European Commission welcomes the agreement reached last night by the European Parliament and Council ensuring all new cars and vans registered in Europe will be zero-emission by 2035. As an intermediary step towards zero emissions, the new CO2 standards will also require average emissions of new cars to come down by 55% by 2030, and new vans by 50% by 2030. This agreement marks the first step in the adoption of the ‘Fit for 55′ legislative proposals tabled by the Commission in July 2021, and demonstrates ahead of COP27 the EU’s domestic implementation of its international climate commitments.

Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said: “The agreement sends a strong signal to industry and consumers: Europe is embracing the shift to zero-emission mobility. European carmakers are already proving they are ready to step up to the plate, with increasing and increasingly affordable electric cars coming to the market. The speed at which this change has happened over the past few years is remarkable. It is no wonder that this file is the first one in the entire Fit for 55 package where Member States and the European Parliament have come to a final deal.”

This clear signal to manufacturers and citizens will accelerate the production and sale of low- and zero-emission vehicles and put road transport on a firm path to climate neutrality by 2050. This new legislation will make the EU’s transport system more sustainable, provide cleaner air for Europeans and marks an important step in delivering the European Green Deal. It clearly shows the commitment of the EU to reach its climate goals and shows that Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is not slowing our clean energy transition but rather accelerating our work and making us progress faster to become the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050.

Next steps

Today’s provisional agreement now requires formal adoption by the Parliament and the Council. Once this process is completed, the new legislation will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and enter into force.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 28 October 2022.

The EU will provide €1 million to support the work of the Envoy on Technology of the UN’s Secretary-General over the next two years. This contributes to the financing of the Office’s work as well as the Envoy’s outreach activities.

This will be done under a cooperation agreement signed between the Commission ant the Office of the Envoy on Technology.

This agreement reflects the commitment by the EU and its Member States to support the UN Envoy on Technology in implementing the digital aspects of the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Our Common Agenda’, notably the development of a Global Digital Compact and the promotion of the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance. EU Member States will also offer their support to the Office of the Envoy on Technology in a Team Europe spirit.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said: “The European Union is committed to contribute to an Open Internet, and to a global digital transition firmly grounded in human rights and freedoms. All this in line with Sustainable Development Goals. This is at the heart of our digital ambition, and of the cooperation agreement we signed with the UN. I am looking forward to working with the new UN Tech envoy on ensuring that many more people benefit from the digital transformation.”

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “Every day, we see a battle of narratives and values. This battle is waged using and misusing all the advances of technologies and digital space. Digital issues are not just technical matters, they affect every single aspect of our lives. So it is crucial that we build a set of shared principles for an open, free and secure digital future for all: a Global Digital Compact. This is the task of the UN Tech Envoy, and the EU will be supporting very closely this work as part of our digital diplomacy.”

The Office of the Envoy on Technology aims to play an advocacy role in the global debate on digital transitions, helping advance a digital transformation in line with Sustainable Development Goals, while putting the emphasis on the open internet and human rights as cornerstones of digitalisation.

The EU and its Member States advocate for a global multi-stakeholder effort to close the digital divides across the world. The free, open, secure and un-fragmented internet, underpinned by a concern for Human Rights, should be at the very centre of the digital transition, upholding the right to privacy, free speech and data protection, addressing arbitrary and mass surveillance while actively combatting internet shutdowns, online censorship, hate speech online, disinformation and cybercrime.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 26 October 2022.

Executive Vice-President Timmermans

Onto our proposals to tackle pollution, to have less people die prematurely, and with which billions of euros can be saved.

The European Green Deal aims for an environment that’s free of harmful pollution by 2050. Because getting to climate neutrality is about more than pushing down greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why we call it climate neutrality and not just carbon neutrality.

To have a zero-pollution environment in 2050, we need to step up action today.

We have ample reason to do so.

Each year about 300.000 Europeans die prematurely as a result of air pollution. Many more suffer from lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers. So, this is also completely in line with our strategy to attack cancer and to make sure that we have a European policy on cancer. This is very dear as you know to our President.

Day in, day out, we get new information about the degree to which public health is directly endangered by pollution. Babies now have microplastics in their blood. And there’s PFAS in self-caught fish and homegrown vegetables.

The directives we are revising now are outdated, one even 30 years old. Scientific knowledge and technology have advanced, and we need to bring our legislation up to par.

Moreover, we pay for pollution.

With taxes, health, and human lives – we pay.

And the longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the costs to society.

Today’s proposals tackle pollution at both sides: first we prevent, and when pollution does occur, those who created it should pay for cleaning up.

Let me give you a little more detail on each of the three proposals.

First, we need to bring our air pollution norms in line with the new WHO standards. Already now, this will take well over a decade to achieve. We will set stricter norms for fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5 – cutting the maximum allowed level by more than half by 2030. Air pollution standards to date have not been easily enforceable, so we’re also tackling this and ensuring there will be easier access to justice for those affected by poor air quality.

We also need to update our frameworks for water pollution and urban wastewater. The massive death of fish this summer in the Oder river shows how the combination of climate extremes and pollution can create tipping points for biodiversity.

In our proposals today, we add 25 new substances to the directive on integrated water management. They all have carefully calibrated limit values which stipulate maximum levels for substances that pollute our waters. These norms will also take into account combination effects, reflecting scientific progress.

On urban wastewater, we start to monitor microplastics release and create the European framework to routinely monitor pathogens like covid-19. This is something we have learned during the pandemic: wastewaters were a great indicator and a great way of pinpointing where we needed to be active to combat these pathogens.

So, we will provide rules to stimulate the recovery of crucial minerals and nutrients from sludge and make wastewater treatment plants a source of renewable energy. It is a good business model.

And we introduce the polluter pays principle. Right now, residues from pharmaceutical products and cosmetics cause 73% of pollution in urban wastewater. The costs of removing these are borne by water companies and ultimately of course by taxpayers.

Let me finish by emphasizing that a toxic-free environment demands that all related policies maintain and deliver the required level of ambition. A healthy, zero-pollution future is possible if we say goodbye to fossil fuels, move to clean mobility, sustainable agriculture, healthy diets, etcetera.

In the end, this is about protecting our health and that of the environment, against costs that are already borne by society.

And if we learned one thing from the pandemic, our citizens want us to do this. That is why the Commission today is delivering on this.

—–

Commmissioner Sinkevičius

Good afternoon everyone.

Today we took another big step forward for citizens’ health, health of our environment, sustainable development of our economy and for the European Green Deal.

As you know, this Commission has a zero pollution ambition, as part of the deal. We have already delivered half of actions foreseen in the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

But if we want to see pollution come down to levels that no longer harm human health or the environment, there is still a huge amount of work to do.

What we are presenting today has three major components, one to improve air quality, one to address freshwater quality, and one to modernise wastewater treatment.

Let’s start with the air.

This is an area where we have already seen major improvements thanks to EU policies. Nevertheless air pollution is still the largest environmental threat to our health and a serious challenge to our economies.

The impacts are worst for the most vulnerable ones, notably children, the elderly, people with certain medical conditions and the economically disadvantaged. It’s clear that we need to do more here, and that we need to act with determination.

What we propose is to set interim 2030 targets, to align EU air quality standards more closely with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation. At the same time, we are setting the EU on a trajectory to achieve zero pollution for air at the latest by 2050, through regular reviews of those standards to take into account scientific and technological progress.

When you add this revision to existing policies, the result will be at least 70% less premature deaths from bad air quality in the next ten years.

Nearly 300,000 Europeans die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution, so this is a huge number of lives we aim to save.

These new rules will be easier to enforce, and – very importantly – will provide citizens with strong tools to claim justice.

Because fresh air should not be something luxurious. It must be taken as a basic human right.

Thus we want to give citizens a collective right to claim compensation when their health has suffered as a result of laws not being enforced, for air and waste water.

At the same time we’re harmonising the rules for competent authorities, so that they can impose more dissuasive penalties against polluters who breach air quality measures at the national or local level.

We are also proposing to strengthen the rules for monitoring and modelling air quality, and improve the framework for air quality plans. And we are strengthening the way Member States need to cooperate in tackling cross-border cases.

As I said, this is good for human health and the environment.

And it will also relieve the economy of the cost burden from illness, lower productivity, loss of crop yields and damages to materials and ecosystems. The benefits are at least 7 times greater than the costs.

 

The second proposal is for freshwater.

Indeed, the incident in Oder river is a good example what can happen if you fail to protect a river from pollution in times of drought. Reducing pollution means making rivers more resilient.

Today it’s still a case that pharmaceuticals, pesticides and PFAS, the ‘forever chemicals’ can be found in Europe’s freshwaters, at levels that endanger the aquatic environment.

So we’re raising the standards for rivers, lakes and groundwaters, as part of our drive towards zero pollution.

Key changes include tackling new pollution threats by bringing their concentrations down to safe levels, introducing an early warning mechanism for water pollution, increasing the availability and transparency of pollution data and requiring Member States to alert each other about pollution events, avoiding situations like we saw with the Oder.

The benefits will be significant, for water, soil, and human health.

 

The third proposal is for a revision of a major piece of legislation, which has already brought enormous benefits to European citizens – the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

What we propose will save energy and produce renewable energy, including “green” biogas, and reduce the sector’s emissions by almost fifty percent by 2040.

As a matter of fact, our goal is energy neutrality for the sector by 2040.

We’re also bringing in new rules to reduce micropollutant emissions, in line with the ones identified in the freshwater proposal.

And I want to stress what Frans already said – for two categories which typically reach freshwaters from waste water treatment plants – pharmaceuticals and personal care products – producers will be required to contribute to the cost of cleaning waste water.

That way we avoid taxpayers having to pay those costs in full.

High standards for air and water quality are wonderful. But on their own, they’re not enough. We have to make sure that they are implemented effectively on the ground.

So all three of these proposals share one common feature.

And that is, they all come with suggestions for improving their enforcement.

The result should be laws that are more effective, with what actually amounts to a reduction in the administrative burden for Member States.

Delivering zero pollution is not getting any easier in the geo-political context of today. But we cannot afford to be distracted. If we did start to deviate from our long-term path to zero pollution, the consequences would be very serious and very real.

Europe needs these improvements. Our citizens and science ask for them and so I’m very proud to put this proposal forward.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 26 October 2022.

The European Commission has approved a €1.25 billion Hungarian loan and guarantee scheme to support small and medium enterprises (‘SMEs’) and large companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022 and amended on 20 July 2022, based on Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’), recognising that the EU economy is experiencing a serious disturbance.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “This €1.25 billion scheme will enable Hungary to provide them with liquidity support necessary for the continuation of their activities. We continue to stand with Ukraine and its people. At the same time, we continue working closely with Member States to ensure that national support measures can be put in place in a timely, coordinated and effective way, while protecting the level playing field in the Single Market.”

The Hungarian measure

Hungary notified to the Commission, under the Temporary Crisis Framework, a €1.25 billion loan and guarantee scheme to provide liquidity support to SMEs as well as to large companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Under this measure, the aid will take the form of (i) loans with subsidised interest rates; and (ii) guarantees on loans granted by the Export-Import Bank Private Limited Company Eximbank (“Eximbank”), the State-owned export credit agency.

The measure will be open to companies active across sectors affected by the current geopolitical crisis, with the exception of financial institutions.

The Commission found that the Hungarian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Crisis Framework. In particular, when it comes to aid in the form of guarantees: (i) the maturity of the guarantees cannot exceed six years; (ii) the maximum coverage cannot exceed 90% of the underlying loan; and (iii) the guarantee premiums respect the minimum levels set out in the Temporary Crisis Framework. When it comes to aid in the form of loans: (i) the maturity of the loans cannot exceed eight years; and (ii) the interest rates on the loans respect the minimum levels (modulated by an increase reflecting the duration of the guaranteed loans) set out in the Temporary Crisis Framework; and (iii) for indirect loans, the financial intermediary will pass on the advantage to the beneficiary to the largest extent possible. Finally, the loans and guarantees will be granted no later than 31 December 2022.

The Commission concluded that the Hungarian scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Crisis Framework.

On this basis, the Commission approved the aid measure under EU State aid rules.