Tag: Press Release

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

Russia continues to bring death and devastation to Ukraine. It is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winter.

We stand by Ukraine and we are making Russia pay for its cruelty.

The eight packages of sanctions we introduced so far are already biting hard.

And today, we are stepping up the pressure on Russia, with a ninth package of sanctions.

First, we are proposing to add almost 200 additional individuals and entities to our sanctions list. This includes the Russian armed forces, as well as individual officers and defence industrial companies, members of the State Duma and Federation Council, ministers, governors and political parties, among others. This list covers key figures in Russia’s brutal and deliberate missile strikes against civilians, in the kidnapping  of Ukrainian children to Russia, and in the theft of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Second, we propose to introduce sanctions against three additional Russian banks, including a full transaction ban on the Russian Regional Development Bank to further paralyse Putin’s cash machines.

Third, we also want to impose new export controls and restrictions, particularly for dual-use goods. This includes key chemicals, nerve agents, electronics and IT components that could be used by the Russian war machine.

Fourth, we will cut Russia’s access to all sorts of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. We propose to ban the direct exports of drone engines to Russia and the export to any third countries, such as Iran, which could supply drones to Russia.

We will also target the Russian propaganda machine by taking four additional channels off the air and all other distribution platforms.

And we propose further economic measures against the Russian energy and mining sector, including a ban on new mining investments in Russia.

This package comes on top of the full EU import ban on Russian seaborne oil that came into force this week. As well as the global oil price cap agreed between the G7.

The international cooperation against Russia’s war has never been stronger.

We stand united and firm.

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

Today starts the United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP15 meeting in Montréal. From 7 to 19 December, countries will aim to reach a global agreement for the protection of nature and the planet with long-term goals by 2050 and milestones for 2030. The Commission, representing the EU, will work with all Parties to conclude an ambitious global agreement to protect, restore, sustainably use and invest in biodiversity and ecosystems. At the High-Level Segment from 14 to 17 December, Commissioner Sinkevičius will represent the Commission and lead the EU negotiating team.

After more than two years of negotiating, the Commission wants to turn COP15 into a ‘Paris moment’ for biodiversity, referring to the landmark climate summit where the world agreed to limit climate change to 1.5°C. High ambition is also needed to address the dual crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss and if we want to maintain our planet’s capacity to sustain 8 and soon 10 billion people, fight climate change and protect our livelihoods. As a first step, it will be essential to leave the world’s nature in a better shape in 2030 than it was in 2020.

EU at COP15: priorities for a global biodiversity framework

The Commission together with EU Member States will work towards the adoption of an ambitious, comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework. An agreement at COP15 should include:

• A target to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030, especially those areas that are most valuable for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Protected areas would need to be well-connected and effectively managed.
• A target to restore 3 billion hectares of degraded land and freshwater ecosystems and 3 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems. By restoring those areas, they can be more productive than today and more resilient to droughts, floods and pests.
• Targets to address the direct drivers of biodiversity loss, including pollution.
• Commitments  to promote sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems, in particular through agro-ecology approaches, reducing pesticide use, stopping deforestation and by mainstreaming nature-based solutions into our economy. Sustainable use of biodiversity can meet people’s needs, for example for food, fibre, fuel, medicine or tourism, while supporting conservation.
• Solid monitoring framework with a set of headline indicators and a robust mechanism for the review of national targets in support of the implementation of the framework making sure that the agreement is fully implemented.

Mobilising biodiversity finance

The required ambition will need the mobilisation of substantial financial resources for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. As President von der Leyen announced in her State of the Union address, the European Union is doubling its global biodiversity financing to EUR 7 billion over the period 2021-2027, especially for the most vulnerable countries, and is encouraging all international donors to live up to the same level of ambition. In Montréal, the Commission will also support a strong package to mobilise resources from all sources, domestic and international, public and private.

As a priority, existing resources need to be used more effectively, including by aligning all financial flows with nature-positive objectives and by addressing harmful subsidies. Businesses play a major role in that. This starts with monitoring, assessing and disclosing their impacts and dependencies on nature. The EU supports the global business coalition calling for mandatory reporting by companies and financial institutions.

A key negotiating issue is the access to and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources (Digital Sequence Information, or DSI). The Commission urges that any solution should be practical and easily implementable. It should ensure legal certainty and clarity, and generate more benefits than costs. In particular, open access to this information should be guaranteed, and scientific research cannot be hampered.

As we cannot manage what we cannot measure, the Commission will also advocate for the strengthening of capacity building and development, and is committed to develop a Global Knowledge Support Service for Biodiversity to support our partner countries in the implementation of the future global agreement.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 3 December 2022.

The international Price Cap Coalition has finalised its work on implementing an oil price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil. EU Member States in the Council have also just approved in parallel its implementation within the EU.

The cap has been set at a maximum price of 60 USD per barrel for crude oil and is adjustable in the future in order to respond to market developments. This cap will be implemented by all members of the Price Cap Coalition through their respective domestic legal processes.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said, “The G7 and all EU Member States have taken a decision that will hit Russia’s revenues even harder and reduce its ability to wage war in Ukraine. It will also help us to stabilise global energy prices, benefitting countries across the world who are currently confronted with high oil prices.”

While the EU’s ban on importing Russian seaborne crude oil and petroleum products remains fully in place, the price cap will allow European operators to transport Russian oil to third countries, provided its price remains strictly below the cap.

The price cap has been specifically designed to reduce further Russia’s revenues, while keeping global energy markets stable through continued supplies. It will therefore also help address inflation and keep energy costs stable at a time when high costs – particularly elevated fuel prices – are a great concern in the EU and across the globe.

The price cap will take effect after 5 December 2022 for crude and 5 February 2023 for refined petroleum products [the price for refined products will be finalised in due course]. It will enter into force simultaneously across all Price Cap Coalition jurisdictions. The price cap also provides for a smooth transition – it will not apply to oil purchased above the price cap, which is loaded onto vessels prior to 5 December and unloaded before 19 January 2023.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 2 December 2022.

The European Commission is today putting forward a proposal to harmonise criminal offences and penalties for the violation of EU restrictive measures. While the Russian aggression on Ukraine is ongoing, it is paramount that EU restrictive measures are fully implemented and the violation of those measures does not pay off. The Commission proposal sets out common EU rules, which will make it easier to investigate, prosecute and punish violations of restrictive measures in all Member States alike.

Violating EU sanctions is a serious criminal offence

The implementation of EU restrictive measures following the Russian attack on Ukraine shows the complexity of identifying assets owned by oligarchs, who hide them across different jurisdictions through elaborate legal and financial structures. The proposed Directive will establish the same level of penalties in all Member States. Thereby it will close existing legal loopholes and increase the deterrent effect of violating EU sanctions in the first place. The main elements of the proposal include:

• A list of criminal offences, which violate EU sanctions, such as:

• making funds or economic resources available to, or for the benefit of, a designated person, entity or body;
• failing to freeze these funds;
• enabling the entry of designated people into the territory of a Member State or their transit through the territory of a Member State;
• entering into transactions with third countries, which are prohibited or restricted by EU restrictive measures;
• trading in goods or services whose import, export, sale, purchase, transfer, transit or transport is prohibited or restricted;
• providing financial activities which are prohibited or restricted; or
• providing other services which are prohibited or restricted, such as legal advisory services, trust services and tax consulting services.

• Offences will cover circumventing an EU restrictive measure: this means bypassing or attempting to bypass restrictive measures by concealing funds  or concealing the fact that a person is the ultimate owner of funds.
• Common basic standards for penalties: depending on the offence, the individual person could be liable to a maximum penalty of at least five years in prison; companies could be liable to penalties of no less than 5% of the total worldwide turnover of the legal person (company) in the business year preceding the fining decision.

Next steps

The proposal will now be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council as part of the ordinary co-legislative procedure.

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

The European Parliament, Council and Commission will tomorrow organise a feedback event as a follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The event will be an opportunity for the three institutions to explain how they are following up on the proposals stemming from the Conference and to exchange with those citizens who participated in the European Citizens’ Panels, as well as representatives of National Citizens’ Panels and events.

Since the closing of the Conference, the three institutions have worked to fulfil their commitment to act on the Conference’s proposals. They have started the implementation and follow-up process in accordance with their respective competences under the Treaties of the EU. The Conference’s 49 proposals include more than 300 measures on how to achieve them, across nine themes, based on the recommendations from the European and National Citizens’ Panels, as well as input from national events, the Multilingual Digital Platform and discussions within nine thematic working groups and the Plenary.

The Commission’s follow-up

The Commission will tomorrow provide feedback in line with its Communication on “Putting Vision into Concrete Action”, published in June 2022, one month after the end of the Conference.

Most notably, the Commission will explain how it is providing four different types of responses to the proposals stemming from the Conference, through:

• existing initiatives that address the proposals (e.g. the European Climate Law, the circular economy package, the EU global health strategy, the new European Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids, or the Youth Action Plan in EU External Action);
• initiatives already proposed by the Commission, where the European Parliament and the Council are called upon to adopt (e.g. the New Pact on Migration and the Media Freedom Act);
• planned actions which will deliver on the ideas directly stemming from the Conference (e.g. a revision of animal welfare legislation);
• new initiatives inspired by the proposals of the Conference, falling within the remit of the Commission (e.g. a future initiative on mental health).

The Commission’s Work Programme for 2023 is driven by the vision laid out in the conclusions of the Conference. On 14 September 2022, President von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech announced that participatory practices will be embedded in our policy-making toolbox through European citizens’ panels, which are being involved in certain key policy areas. For example, the new generation of citizens’ panels will deliberate on next year’s initiatives on food waste, learning mobility and virtual worlds.

The Commission is also developing a new online interactive tool for citizens’ engagement. This tool will integrate into a one-stop-shop portal all the channels available to citizens to contribute to policy-making: public consultations, European Citizens’ Initiative” and a new multilingual interactive space inspired by the Conference’s online deliberative space.

Members of the College said

Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President for Democracy and Demography said: “The Conference on the Future of Europe gave citizens a greater say about the Europe they want to live in. There is no doubt that we brought citizens to the very centre of EU policy-making. We have committed to ensure that they remain there. The Commission is moving ahead with its plans to respond to the Conference on the Future of Europe. No better time than now to improve our Union.”

The press release issued by the European Commission on 30 November 2022.

The Commission presented today different options to Member States to make sure that Russia is held accountable for the atrocities and crimes committed during the war in Ukraine. The Commission is proposing to create a new structure to manage frozen and immobilised public Russian assets, invest them and use the proceeds for Ukraine. The Commission, while continuing to support the work of the International Criminal Court, is ready to work with the international community on setting up an ad hoc international tribunal or a specialised ‘hybrid’ tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.

Accountability for international crimes

Ukraine as well as 14 Member States have already started investigations into international crimes committed by Russia. They are supported by Eurojust through joint investigative teams.

All EU Member States are parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the EU fully supports the ICC in its investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, Russia does not accept the jurisdiction of the ICC. This means that, as things stand, the crime of aggression, which is a crime committed by the highest political and military leadership, cannot be prosecuted by the ICC.

This is why the Commission is proposing alternative options to ensure that justice is served:

• A special independent international tribunal based on a multilateral treaty or
• A specialised court integrated in a national justice system with international judges – a hybrid court – could be put in place.

For both options, strong backing of the United Nations would be essential.

Paying for the damage done

Russia and its oligarchs must compensate Ukraine for the damage and destruction that is being caused.

In March 2022, the Commission set up the ‘Freeze and Seize’ Task Force to ensure EU-level coordination of Member States’ actions. With its help the EU Member States have frozen €19 billion of assets belonging to Russian oligarchs. Around €300 billion of the Russian Central Bank reserves are blocked in the EU and other G7 partners. To make the most out of this funds and start rebuilding Ukraine already now, the Commission is proposing, among others:

• In the short-term: set up a structure to manage the frozen public funds, invest them and use the proceeds in favour of Ukraine.
• In the long-term: once the sanctions are lifted, the Central Bank assets will need to be returned. This could be linked to a peace agreement, which compensates Ukraine for the damages it has suffered. The assets that would need to be returned, could be offset against this war reparation.

Next Steps

The options will now be presented by the Commission to the Member States for discussions and to decide on the next steps.

The press release issued by the European Commission on 30 November 2022.

Today, the Commission adopted a new EU Global Health Strategy to improve global health security and deliver better health for all in a changing world. With the Strategy, the EU deepens its leadership and reasserts its responsibility for tackling key global challenges and health inequalities head-on: the unfinished agenda in global health and combatting health threats in the age of pandemics.

The Strategy positions global health as an essential pillar of EU external policy, a critical sector geopolitically and central to EU strategic autonomy. It promotes sustainable, meaningful partnerships of equals drawing on the Global Gateway. As the external dimension of the European Health Union, the strategy is designed to guide EU action for ensuring better preparedness and response to health threats in a seamlessly way.

A new approach to tackling global challenges

The Strategy puts forward three key interrelated priorities in dealing with global health challenges:

• deliver better health and well-being of people across the life course;
• strengthen health systems and advance universal health coverage;
• prevent and combat health threats, including pandemics, applying a One Health approach.

The Strategy seeks to regain the ground lost to reach the universal health-related targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. To do so, the strategy refocuses our action on achieving universal health coverage, strengthening primary health care, and tackling the root causes of ill-health like poverty and social inequalities. The strategy stresses the importance of addressing important drivers of ill health such as climate change and environmental degradation, food security, conflict, and other humanitarian crises. Therefore, the Strategy introduces a robust “health-in-all-policies” approach to ensure that a wide variety of policies genuinely contribute to health goals. It identifies three key enablers for better health, namely digitalisation, research, and a skilled labour force with concrete actions to advance globally in these areas

The Strategy also seeks to improve global health security, thus protecting citizens from threats by stepping up prevention, preparedness and response, and early detection. These threats can be chemical, biological, or nuclear — or pandemics, including the silent killer that is antimicrobial resistance. The Strategy suggests a wide variety of actions to address these threats:

• a more equitable access to vaccines and medical treatments by strengthening local pharmaceutical systems and manufacturing capacity
• robust, binding international rules on pandemics
• stronger surveillance and detection of pathogens
• an overall approach that tackles all the links between the environment, animal/plant health and human health (“One Health approach”)

As a new global health order is emerging, the Strategy sets the way for the EU to contribute to shaping it through a more strategic, assertive, and effective engagement by:

• Backing the new kind of robust global governance, the world needs in a complex geopolitical environment. This includes a stronger, more effective, and accountable as well as sustainably financed WHO at the core of the multilateral system, with deepened cooperation through G7, G20, and with other global, regional, and bilateral partners.
• Expanding the EU’s international partnerships on health as part of the Global Gateway, based on co-ownership and co-responsibility from our partners. Improving their health sovereignty will ensure more resilience and autonomy and allow us to focus on those most in need and where our impact will be the greatest. Partnerships with advanced economies will also be pursued.
• Leveraging the Team Europe approach with a genuinely single and powerful voice, ensuring close coordination with Member States so that political action and financial means are closely tied to the new priorities.
• More effective funding by promoting innovative finance, pooling of resources internationally, and co-investing by partner countries and other actors, such as the private sector. Together, the EU and its Member States are amongst the largest funders of global health in the world, the Strategy will make this important financial contribution to global health even more impactful by closer mapping and monitoring of impact.