The publicly circulated information that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has been invited to the European Parliament for a debate on the rule of law in Bulgaria is categorically untrue.

Neither the prime minister, nor any member of the cabinet has been invited to attend the meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of European Parliament on 10 September, the government press service has announced. What is more, the rules at the planned hearing of European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism do not allow for the expression of any opinion by the Bulgarian government, the announcement reads. 

… EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. The European Union … EU headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. The European Union … BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is warning Britain that … an international agreement on EU-British relations, it …

EU leaders will ask the European Commission later this month to develop an EU-wide public electronic identification system (e-ID) to access cross-border digital services, according to the draft summit conclusions seen by EURACTIV.com

Strengthening Europe’s autonomy and sovereignty in the aftermath of the pandemic will be the main topic of the European Council to be held on 24 and 25 September in Brussels and digital initiatives will feature prominently.

As part of their plans, the 27 Heads of State and Government want to have a robust and functional digital ecosystem across the Union for citizens.

To that end, EU leaders will call for the development of an “EU-wide secure public electronic identification (e-ID) to provide people with control over their online identity and data as well as to enable access to cross-border digital services,” the draft document reads.

They will ask the Commission to put forward a proposal for a ‘European Digital Identification’ initiative by mid-2021, and member states hope that an EU-wide e-ID will be especially for cross-border digital services, a market expected to grow in the digital economy.

There has been some progress on this front over the past years at the technical level to guarantee the interoperability of national e-ID. Thanks to that, since September 2018, EU rules allow citizens to use their national e-ID also to access public services across borders in other member states.

In this context, the Commission has recently sought to update the rules on electronic identification operations in the EU, as part of the eIDAS regulation, in a bid to develop a more harmonized and resilient market for electronic identification systems on the bloc.

On the launch of the Commission’s public consultation on the plans in the summer, Commission Vice-President for Digital Margarethe Vestager said that the revision of the 2018 eIDAS regulation “aims to improve its effectiveness, extend its benefits to the private sector and promote trusted digital identities for all Europeans and create a secure and interoperable European Digital Identity which gives citizens control.”

The consultation is open until October 2, and further details on the EU’s bid to extend the electronic identification framework are set to be outlined in the Digital Services Act, to be unveiled by the Commission at the end of the year.

Recovery fund revisions

Moreover, in Europe’s future rebound from the economic aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic, EU leaders at the end of this month will also call for dedicating a “significant part” of the recovery fund, in particular of the €672 billion allocated to the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to the digital sector.

Priority areas are supercomputers and quantum computing, blockchain, and human-centered artificial intelligence; microprocessors, cybersecurity, digital education, and 5G. The draft conclusions urge member states to submit their national plans to roll-out the infrastructure by the end of the year as planned.

The ongoing development of 5G infrastructure in Europe has been beset by a series of delays related to the trade dispute between the US and China as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Current goals in the field include a launch of 5G services in all EU member states by the end of 2020 at the latest, as well as a ‘rapid build-up’ that will ensure “uninterrupted 5G coverage in urban areas and along main transport paths by 2025,” as outlined in the 5G Action Plan for Europe.

Competition review 

The EU leaders will also focus on the importance of the review the EU competition rules to better compete with the US and China. It is a sensitive debate between those who want a major overhaul of the rules, especially France and Germany, and other governments arguing for minor tweaks.

The draft conclusions call for “adapting the European competition framework to ensure that it meets the challenges of the green transition, digital transformation as well as the global context, and provides legal certainty for economic operators and supports innovation, including in the digital sector”.

The Commission will publish the first results of their ongoing review of the competition rules next year, to better reflect the new features of the digital economy and the ‘green’ goals. 

The leaders are also expected to support the Commission’s work to address the systemic role that some online platforms play (the so-called ‘gatekeepers’).

On the industrial front, leaders will ask the Commission to identify strategic dependencies and to propose measures to reduce them, including by diversifying production and supply chains. 

The draft text also calls for developing a new Important Project of Common European Interest which combines EU funds and member states resources. The bloc has launched such projects for batteries, the Internet of Things, and hydrogen.

The post-pandemic industrial strategy also should develop new industrial alliances, support SMEs, and bolster the Space and Defence areas.

EU leaders will also discuss foreign affairs during their meeting in Brussels. They will hold a “strategic discussion” on Turkey and will discuss the EU-China relations, following the EU-China video-summit on 14 September, among other potential issues.

Edited by Samuel Stolton

SANA’A – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a EUR 45 million contribution from the European Union (EU) to provide vital food assistance to families in Yemen facing acute food shortages as conflict, economic collapse and now the coronavirus pushes millions of people to the brink.
The EU funds will provide Yemeni families with life-saving assistance, allowing them to meet their basic food needs. With the EU’s support, WFP is already providing food, vouchers and cash to millions of food insecure Yemenis.

WFP is making cash assistance available in areas where market conditions allow so that people can purchase food and other items locally. Cash can help strengthen local markets, encouraging smallholders to be more productive and build national capacity.

“With different crises converging to threaten the lives of people in Yemen, the humanitarian situation is more alarming than ever. The EU recently increased its support to enable partners such as WFP to continue providing life-saving assistance amid funding shortfalls,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič. “Yemen cannot wait. Impartial aid organisations must be given the means and unimpeded access to reach the millions of Yemenis who urgently need help.”

The EU’s support comes at a crucial moment as WFP works to maintain the current level of assistance in Yemen – the agency’s largest operation in the world – to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating. An upsurge in fighting since the start of the year, coupled with a rapid deterioration in the economic situation and the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic, is undermining previous improvements in the food security situation and is set to push many more people into severe levels of hunger.

“Yemen is on a knife’s edge. Millions are sliding toward starvation at a time when resources are severely stretched,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “But the European Union has been a strong, consistent supporter of WFP’s work in Yemen, ensuring we have the resources to deliver emergency food assistance to the most vulnerable children, women and men.”

WFP’s food assistance throughout Yemen’s five-year civil war has saved millions from starvation. Since 2015, WFP has massively expanded its operation in the country from feeding around 1 million people at the start of the conflict to nearly 13 million now. The EU has been a strong supporter of WFP during that period, contributing a total of EUR 216.8 million while always emphasising emphasised the need for independent targeting and beneficiary registration to guarantee the transparency, accountability and efficiency of aid delivery.

Responding to the acute humanitarian crisis in Yemen requires the support and action of many partners. Resources remain stretched and WFP may have to reduce its operations if additional funding is not secured soon. Without WFP food assistance, even more Yemeni people would face crippling levels of hunger. WFP needs $703 million (around EUR 594 million) to maintain this vital safety net for the next six months.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Contact

For more information please contact (email address: [email protected]):

Annabel Symington, WFP/Yemen,
Mob. +44 7746397099

Martin Penner, WFP/ Rome,
Mob. +39 345 6142074

Elisabeth Byrs, WFP/Geneva
Mob. +41 79 842 8057

Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo,
Mob. +201 0666 3435 2

Aneta Szczyglowska, WFP/Brussels,
Mob. +32 491 395 420