DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 23 February 2024
EU adopts 13th package of sanctions against Russia after two years of its war of aggression against Ukraine
The Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of a 13th package of sanctions against Russia. Two years since Russia brutally invaded Ukraine, EU's support for Ukraine and its people remains undiminished. Europe is united and determined to continue defending its values and its founding principles.
This package focuses on further limiting Russia's access to military technology, such as for drones, and on listing additional companies and individuals involved in Russia's war effort. With this new package the number of listings has reached over 2000, dealing a huge blow to Russia's military and defence.
Every single euro that Russia is not getting hold of, is a gain. Therefore, there is no room for complacency. The Commission will continue supporting Member States, to ensure effective enforcement of the measures, and to working closely with third countries to tackle possible circumvention attempts.
The 13th package has these key elements:
ADDITIONAL LISTINGS
This is an unprecedented package of 194 individual designations, including 106 individuals and 88 entities). With it, the EU exceeds the overall threshold of 2000 listings in support of Ukraine. In particular:
TRADE MEASURES
This package confirms the EU's determination to stop Russia from acquiring Western sensitive technology for its military. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have been central to the war in Ukraine. This package lists companies procuring Russia with key drone components and introduces some sectoral sanctions to close loopholes and make drone warfare more complicated.
Based on hard evidence from various sources, supported by trade and customs data, the package adds 27 new Russian and third country companies to the list of entities associated to Russia's military-industrial complex (Annex IV). These companies are under tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods and technology, as well as goods and technology which might contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia's defence and security sector. In particular:
MEASURES TO ENHANCE AIR DEFENCE
On top of listing specific firms selling drone parts to Russia, this package introduces additional export bans on drone components. In particular:
MEASURES TO FOSTER INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The new package extends the list of partner countries for the indirect iron and steel import ban to include the United Kingdom. These partner countries apply a set of restrictive measures on imports of iron and steel and a set of import control measures that are substantially equivalent to those in the EU Regulation (EU) No 833/2014.
Background
Two years after Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, Europe is united and determined to continue defending its values and its founding principles. The EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people, and will continue to strongly support Ukraine's economy, society, armed forces, and future reconstruction, for as long as it takes.
To drain the Russian war machine of its revenue sources, the EU has adopted 13 sanctions packages against Russia. Sanctions have impacted Russia's revenues and the value of the rouble. EU sanctions have also introduced constraints in Russia's supply chains and limited its access to western technologies in important industrial sectors. The Oil Price Cap, agreed with the G7 partners, has led to reducing the Russian government oil revenues. Sanctions will show their effects over time.
As Russia tries to find ways around our sanctions, the Commission constantly looks at the measures in place, assessing how they are applied and detecting any potential loopholes. The focus now is on enforcement, in particular against circumvention of EU sanctions via third countries.
EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan continues his outreach to key third countries to combat circumvention. Tangible results are already visible. Systems are being put in place in some countries for monitoring, controlling, and blocking re-exports. Working with like-minded partners, we have also agreed a list of Common High Priority sanctioned goods to which businesses should apply particular due diligence and which third countries must not re-export to Russia. In addition, within the EU, we have also drawn up a list of sanctioned goods that are economically critical and on which businesses and third countries should be especially vigilant.
For More Information
Link to Official Journal (will be available soon)
Factsheet on the impact of sanctions
More information on sanctions
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Third generation of EU-supported Journalism Partnerships ready to help the news sector
The Commission continues to support the resilience of the news media sector with eight new Journalism Partnerships granted almost €12 million in total.
Following a call for proposals under the Creative Europe programme in 2023, 8 Journalism Partnerships have been selected, which will roll out their activities for two years. This call for proposals aimed to support two sets of projects: collaborations between media to stimulate innovation in business and editorial models; and projects that offer funding schemes to support media that are of particular relevance to democracy and civic participation, to enhance pluralism.
The yearly calls for proposals for Journalism Partnerships have been attracting increasing interest among the news media community. The 2021 call resulted in 7 projects selected among 32 proposals. The 2022 call resulted in 12 projects selected among 64 proposals. The third call attracted 74 proposals, out of which 8 projects have been selected. The fourth call is currently under evaluation, applicants will be contacted in autumn 2024 and results published early 2025.
Keep reading for an overview of the selected projects. More details for each of them can be found at the bottom of this page for ‘Collaboration’ grants and this page for ‘Pluralism’ grants.
Selected projects under ‘Collaboration’
This topic focused on the same priorities as the two previous editions: to foster cross-border collaboration among news media organisations in Europe to work on business model transformation and/or journalistic projects. Almost €5 million have been allocated to 4 projects altogether. Projects are co-funded at a rate of 80%.
‘MIE’ - Media Innovation Europe: Independence Through Sustainability
This project aims to build up support infrastructure for media innovation through an accelerator for media, an incubator for promising start-ups, advice to media on their transition, dissemination of best practices, grants for audience-engaging journalism, a mentorship programme and several events (media business and editorial hackathons, networking events etc).
· Partners: International Press Institute (Austria), Thomson Foundation (Germany), the Media Development Foundation (Ukraine) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
· EU support: €1.756.298.
· More information here.
‘EthProMedE’ - Ethical and Professional Media Environment for Central and Eastern Europe
This project aims to enhance the capacity and viability of independent professional journalism in Eastern and Central Europe. It will strengthen the skills and tools of journalists, editors and other media professionals. It will also stimulate regional collaboration and the co-creation of media content that reflects, analyses and investigates issues of common interest.
· Partners: Latvijas Mediji (Latvia), Fortuna (Georgia), Ustav nezavisle zurnalistiky (Czechia), Fundacja Osrodek Kontroli Obywatelskiej Oko (Poland), Upgrade Media Agnieszka Dolezych (Poland), Association of Hungarian Journalists (Hungary).
· EU support: €800.423.
· More information expected soon.
‘Do-Jo’ - Integrated Collaborative Donation Solution for Journalism
Do-Jo aims to create a new revenue-sharing stream for European public-interest news media and independent journalists through innovative mechanisms (e.g. gamification features) to generate payments on a per-article basis. The project will be complemented by a European market study about the current state of the labour market for journalists and the state of reader donations.
· Partners: WorldCrunch (France), Pod Tepeto (Bulgary), Athens Technology Center Anonymi Viomichaniki Emporiki Kai Techniki Etaireia Efarmogon Ypsilis Technologias (Greece), MásPúblico, S.Coop. (Spain), Publishing house LB Ltd (Ukraine), Mensagem da Brasileira (Portugal), Ransitions Sdruzeni (Czechia), WAN-IFRA (France).
· EU support: €1.100.832.
‘SoJo Europe’ - Constructive News: Fostering Solutions Journalism across Europe
This project aims to stimulate the production of cross-border, solutions-oriented reporting across Europe. It will train and mentor 18 European newsrooms to combine investigative and solutions journalism in climate reporting. The project will disseminate the supported stories across Europe and will share its takeaways among the journalistic community.
· Partners: Transitions Sdruzeni (Czechia), JournalismFund.Eu (Belgium), Rrjeti Te Evropes Juglindore Per Pro Fesionalizimin Medias (Albania), Constructive Journalism Institute (Denmark).
· EU support: €1.300.367.
Selected projects under ‘Pluralism’
This year, almost €7 million has been allocated to organisations offering support and grants to media of particular relevance to democracy and civic participation, such as local and regional media, independent and investigative journalism, and organisations delivering public interest news/public service journalism, which in turn enhances media pluralism. Projects are co-funded at a rate of 90%.
‘IJ4EU’ – Investigative Journalism 4 EU
IJ4EU supports cross-border investigative projects. Along with grants, the project offers training, mentoring, digital tools for remote collaboration and legal support, and presentations at various fora.
· Partners: International Press Institute (Austria), Stichting European Journalism Centre (Netherlands), Europaisches Zentrum Fur Presse- Und Medienfreiheit Sce Mbh (Germany), Arena For Journalism In Europe (Netherlands).
· EU support: €2.996.542.
‘PluPro’ -Pluralism Prodemos
Pluralism Prodemos provides grants to cross-border investigative projects (both local and international), promotes the supported stories, and organises training and knowledge-sharing activities for professionals.
· Partners: JournalismFund.Eu (Belgium), Transitions Sdruzeni (Czechia).
· EU support: €2.998.031.
‘S-INFO’ - Sustainable Information
S-INFO will support civil society organisations active in the media sector and help associations defending journalists. The project will run a funding scheme to upskill professionals in the digital environment. The project will also enable journalists and media professionals to enhance their skills through a range of training courses, for example around investigations.
· Partners: Tele Radio City scs onlus (Italy), Asociatia Jurnalistilor De Investigatii Context (Romania), Repubblika (MT), Sustainable Communication AISBL (Belgium).
· EU support: €492.989.
‘Balkan Watchers’ - Balkan Watchers Media Program for Journalists
Through this project, the Balkan Watchers Media Development Fund will financially support the completion of 3 journalistic films and 3 podcast projects and will offer trainings for journalists to expand their ways of storytelling. The projects will be selected following an open call and after the shortlisted have been trained.
· Partners: The Balkan Documentary Center (Bulgaria).
· EU support: €501.058.
European Citizens' Panel to discuss Energy Efficiency
Today, 23 February, a new European Citizens' Panel kicks off in Brussels. 150 randomly selected citizens from all 27 Member States will discuss the benefits and challenges of increasing energy efficiency, and how households, businesses, and communities should act. Energy savings have played a key role in tackling the energy crisis and are an important component of the European Green Deal and our plan to reach climate neutrality by 2050. Over the course of three weekends, citizens will formulate recommendations that will influence future EU policies and feed into a Commission Recommendation on the “Energy Efficiency First” Principle to be addressed to the Member States.
The panel will be complemented by a new Citizens' Engagement Platform, an easily accessible online platform that enables all EU citizens to join the debate and take a seat at the table. It will provide a forum for all EU citizens to share their ideas and exchange with others on topics of EU importance, in all 24 official EU languages. The plenary sessions of the European Citizens' Panel will be web-streamed on 23 and 25 February on the platform. Other Citizens' Panels will follow in 2024.
The European Citizens' Panel and the new online Citizens' Engagement Platform deliver upon calls for stronger citizen involvement in EU policymaking that were made during the Conference on the Future of Europe. Following President Ursula von der Leyen's priority to build a European Democracy Fit for the Future, the European Citizens' Panels and online citizens' engagement tools have been embedded as regular feature of democratic life in the EU.
European Citizens' Panels allow participants to work together in groups of 12 and in plenaries. A facilitation team provides support, alongside a committee of experts who provide additional input. Participants in European Citizens' Panels are recruited through random selection with recruiters using tools to generate valid mobile and fixed line telephone numbers at random. To ensure that Panels reflect Europe's socio-demographic composition, the process ensures that recruitment is representative of EU diversity. A quota system ensures a gender-balanced panel and specifies that young people aged 16-25 must represent a third of the panel. Other socio-demographic characteristics relate to education level, geographic location, and occupation.
The Citizens' Engagement Platform is a key part of a new ecosystem of citizen engagement, which takes the online form of the revamped “Have Your Say” portal, delivering upon a commitment of the follow-up communication to the Conference on the Future of Europe.
For more information
Citizens' Engagement Platform
European Citizens' Panels
European Citizens' Panel on Energy Efficiency
Webstreaming Links for European Citizens' Panel on Energy Efficiency
23.02.2024 (from 14h30 CET) https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/european-citizens-panel-on-energy-efficiency-plenary-2024-02-23
25.02.2024 (from 09h30 CET) https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/european-citizens-panel-on-energy-efficiency-plenary-2024-02-25
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Energy efficiency first principle
Infographic on energy efficiency and savings
Energy efficiency – the different aspects
Quote(s)
Citizens asked, and we delivered. By embedding European Citizens’ Panels in the regular rhythm of European policymaking, and introducing the Citizens’ Engagement Platform, the Commission is taking important steps to build a European democracy fit for the future and improve the quality of our policies. Democracy thrives on the ability of citizens to contribute and participate in their democracy at all levels of governance.
Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President for Democracy and Demography
With the energy crisis, we have all learnt to be more mindful of our energy consumption. European citizens and companies have been of huge help to ensure security of supply and calm the markets by saving energy voluntarily. I look forward to the contributions and feedback of our citizens and wish them fruitful discussions on this crucial topic.
Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy
Commission welcomes the signature of the working arrangement between Frontex and the United Kingdom
The Commission welcomes the signature of the working arrangement between Frontex and the United Kingdom, that takes place today in London. The working arrangement will be signed by the Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens and his counterpart, the Director General of the Border Force, Phil Douglas, and witnessed by the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Home Secretary James Cleverly. The conclusion of this working arrangement follows the announcement by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Sunak on 16 May 2023 in Reykjavik, in the margins of the Council of Europe Summit.
Frontex is the EU's Border and Coast Guard Agency tasked with supporting Member States in managing and securing the EU's external borders. This support is further reinforced through cooperation with other Agencies and partner countries.
This working arrangement provides a long-term framework for close cooperation between Frontex and the UK authorities to tackle illegal migration and cross-border crime, in full compliance with the EU and UK's international human rights obligations.
It establishes a framework for mutually beneficial cooperation and delivers across a range of operational areas in the area of border management, including situational awareness and risk analysis, information exchange, training, capacity-building and expertise sharing in the area of return and border management, as well as technical and operational cooperation (including the possibility to deploy staff on both sides for observation, coordination or advisory purposes). Additionally, cooperation on research and innovation projects will facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge knowledge to support the Agency's activities. The working arrangement also provides for the opportunity to exchange liaison officers, further boosting the effectiveness of this cooperation between the EU and the UK.
Cooperation in the short term could include working together on areas such as developing situational awareness of migration routes or cooperating on combatting document fraud, with a view to expanding the work of Frontex and UK agencies in the longer term.
Following the signature of the working arrangement Frontex and the UK will hold further discussions to agree on detailed cooperation and operational plans that will provide for a wide range of joint activities over the coming months and beyond.
Managing Europe’s borders requires working with partners outside the EU. This arrangement will allow the EU and the UK to exchange expertise and cooperate in certain border management activities.
Vice-President Margaritis Schinas
Working arrangements are an extremely useful tool for cooperation between Frontex and authorities of partner countries in areas of key interest related to fighting irregular migration and cross border crimes including migrant smuggling. I am pleased that a new such arrangement is being concluded with the UK ensuring an integrated border management which is efficient, sustainable and in line with international standards and EU values. I am looking forward to witnessing the signing of the working arrangement.
Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs
The European Commission presents options for simplification to reduce the burden for EU farmers
Today, the European Commission sent a paper to the Belgian Presidency outlining first possible actions to help reduce the administrative burden weighing on farmers' shoulders. The document, which will be discussed with Member States in the agricultural Council of 26 February, lists a range of short- and mid-term actions that can be taken to achieve simplification. This will serve as the basis for discussions and joint action with EU countries.
The actions listed in the paper take into account the contributions by national administrations, major EU farming organisations and the European Parliament's agricultural committee. The simplification paper delivers on President von der Leyen's commitment made at the European Council on 1 February 2024.
The delivery model of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), based on CAP Strategic Plans decided and implemented at national level, already represents a step forward in terms of simplification and subsidiarity compared with the previous period. Member States play a key role in keeping the administrative burden for farmers limited and proportionate to achieve the objectives of EU legislation. This is why any successful simplification exercise must be carried out in close cooperation with the national administrations and farmers themselves.
In light of this, the Commission will launch in March an online survey directly addressed to farmers. This targeted consultation will help to identify their main sources of concern, and understand the sources of administrative burden and complexity stemming from CAP rules as well as other EU rules for food and agriculture in the EU, and their application at national level. This survey will provide already by the summer a clearer picture of the main administrative obstacles perceived and faced by farmers. Its results will be included in a more detailed analysis to be published in Autumn 2024.
Beyond this necessary gathering of evidence, the Commission proposes short and mid-term measures that could bring some relief to both farmers but also to national administrations, which represent the first point of contact for farmers and are responsible for managing and paying EU funds.
First, the Commission proposes to simplify some of the conditionality requirements with which EU farmers need to comply. The set of basic standards- referred to as GAECs (good agricultural and environmental conditions)- that all farmers must comply with to receive their CAP support has proven challenging to implement in certain circumstances.
The Commission has already acted by granting for 2024 a partial exemption on rules on land lying fallow, the so-called GAEC 8. The Commission now proposes to change the rules on the first standard (GAEC 1), which imposes a requirement to keep areas of permanent grassland in the EU stable since reference year 2018. Under this requirement, former livestock farmers with large grassland forced to shift to arable crops production because of market disturbances in the meat and dairy sector could be asked to reconvert their arable land into permanent grassland. This obligation could lead to loss of income for the farmers concerned. The Commission proposes to amend these rules by mid-March to ensure that structural changes caused by market reorientation and reduction in livestock are taken into account, ensuring that farmers are not penalised in their work, and helping to reduce burden since fewer areas would have to be reconverted into permanent grassland.
The Commission will also review which agricultural practices may be possible during sensitive periods when fulfilling the obligation to cover soils under GAEC 6. The Commission is also encouraging all stakeholders to share their view on the administrative burden that may be linked to the Nitrates Directive. This can be done via the online public consultation open until 8 March 2024.
Second, the Commission proposes to simplify the methodology for certain checks, aiming to reduce the number of on-farm visits by national administrations by up to 50%. This measure directly responds to requests from Member States. The Commission proposes to streamline and clarify how to assess the quality of the Area Monitoring System. The latter is a system based on automated analysis of satellite imagery from Copernicus, meant to reduce inspections on farms, help farmers to avoid errors and incur penalties, as well as facilitate reporting. With fewer visits from the administration to manage, farmers will have more time to dedicate to their core work.
Third, the Commission proposes to clarify the use of the concept of force majeure and exceptional circumstances. This legal concept permits that farmers who cannot fulfil all their CAP requirements due to exceptional and unforeseeable events outside their control (such as in cases of severe droughts or floods) do not have penalties imposed on them. This clarification will support national administrations in the application of this provision and ensure its uniform application across the Union. This will also improve the certainty of getting CAP support for farmers impacted by such unfortunate events. More generally, the Commission will work with Member States to determine possible ways of rationalising controls.
In its paper, the Commission also mentions additional mid-term measures that may ease burdens for farmers, especially smaller farmers, and may consider proposing changes to that effect to the CAP basic Regulations agreed upon by the European Parliament and the Council in 2021.
One proposal put forward may be to exempt small farms of under 10 hectares from controls related to compliance with conditionality requirements (GAECs). This exemption would significantly simplify the daily work of small farmers who represent 65% of CAP beneficiaries, while maintaining the CAP's environmental ambitions since small farms cover only 9,6% of the areas receiving CAP support. Additionally, should the basic Regulations be changed in the mid-term, GAEC 8 on land lying fallow, GAEC 7 on crop rotation and GAEC 6 on soil cover could be reviewed to further reduce burden for farmers.
In parallel, the Commission will facilitate the exchange of best simplification practices by Member States across the different relevant bodies of cooperation (i.e., expert groups, committees and others).
When considering simplification proposals, the Commission took into account the effects of these proposals on the environmental objectives and ambition of the Common Agricultural Policy. They also ensure the continuation of a stable and predictable legislative framework for EU farmers, based on the current CAP that entered into force on 1 January 2023. To further respond to the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector, the Commission is also working on actions to improve the position of farmers in the food chain and protect them against unfair trading practices, which will be presented shortly. Given that farmers are often the most vulnerable link in the food value chain, these actions may cover issues such as market transparency, trading practices in the value chain, costs of production, or more homogeneous control of existing rules on imported agricultural products.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said:
“The Commission remains fully committed to delivering solutions to ease the pressure currently felt by our hard-working farming women and men. We are easing the administrative burden on our farmers to help them guarantee food security for European citizens. Simplification of our agriculture policies is a constant priority, at both EU and national level. With this range of actions, we are delivering on the pledge we made to our farmers to accelerate this discussion. I look forward to hearing the views of our Member States.”
Example of short-term measures presented for discussions to Member States
Measure
Impact
Timeline
Changing rules of the calculation of permanent grassland to cater for cases of structural changes in farming
Farmers with reduced livestock will not have to reconvert arable areas to pasture
Delegated act to be adopted in March
Reviewing possible agricultural practices to cover soils
Farmers can have more flexibility in how they fulfil this conditionality
Clarification to be presented and discussed with Member States in March
Revising the EU methodology to assess the quality of the Area Monitoring System
Farmers will receive up to 50% fewer on-farm visits; this will also free up resources in national administrations
Finalisation and presentation of the new methodology in March
Clarifying the concept of force majeure
Impacted farmers will have more certainty regarding the receipt of their CAP payments and national administrations will benefit from a clearer interpretation at EU level, preventing budgetary errors
Presentation of the clarification to Member States in March
Facilitating exchanges of best practices and amendments to CAP Strategic Plans
National administrations can identify with more ease areas of possible simplification and implement them faster to the benefit of farmers
Ongoing process
Identifying the main administrative burden weighing on farmers
Online public consultation on the evaluation of the Nitrates Directive
Open until 8 March 2024
EU online survey for farmers
From March to May with results expected at the beginning of Summer 2024
Detailed analysis of the complexity for farmers stemming from the EU regulatory framework and national rules
Results expected in Autumn 2024
European farmers exempted from rules on land lying fallow
The Commission remains fully committed to delivering solutions to ease the pressure currently felt by our hard-working farming women and men. We are easing the administrative burden on our farmers to help them guarantee food security for European citizens. Simplification of our agriculture policies is a constant priority, at both EU and national level. With this range of actions, we are delivering on the pledge we made to our farmers to accelerate this discussion. I look forward to hearing the views of our Member States.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
The message from farmers is clear: they want to be working in their fields, not stuck behind files. In response, the Commission has identified a range of EU-level actions that could help to ease the administrative burden on farmers over the coming months and years. I welcome this renewed acceleration towards simplification and I commit to working with Member States and stakeholders on these actions and every initiative that will enable farmers to spend their working hours on what matters – supporting their families and producing our essential goods.
Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture
Agriculture and Rural Development
Simplification proposals to reduce administrative burdens
56.852, kB - PDF
Olof GILL
+32 2 296 59 66
Olof.GILL@ec.europa.eu
Myrto-Amaryllis LAPPA
+32 2 299 70 98
myrto-amaryllis.lappa@ext.ec.europa.eu
Commission welcomes the selection of Frankfurt as the seat for the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism
The Commission welcomes today's agreement between the European Parliament and the Council that the seat of the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) should be in Frankfurt. This is the first time that the co-legislators jointly agree on the location of a seat of a decentralised agency. The Parliament and the Council representatives have voted together with the same number of votes in an inter-institutional meeting at the Council premises.
Co-legislators had the choice between applications from nine Member States to host AMLA: Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Frankfurt), Ireland (Dublin), Spain (Madrid), France (Paris), Italy (Rome), Latvia (Riga), Lithuania (Vilnius) and Austria (Vienna). The Commission prepared a neutral and factual assessment of these applications and all nine applicants presented their application in joint hearings that took place in the European Parliament on 30 January 2024.
The agreement on the location of the seat was the last element needed to conclude the negotiations on the Commission's ambitious package of four legislative proposals to strengthen the EU's anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing (AML/CFT) rules. On 18 January 2024, the Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on the proposals for the first AML/CFT regulation and the sixth AML/CFT directive. Previously, in December 2023, the co-legislators had agreed on the AMLA Regulation. In June 2022, they agreed on a revised Regulation on traceability of funds and crypto-asset transfers. These texts set a single anti-money laundering rulebook and serve as foundation for coordinating the work between the new AMLA and national competent authorities.
Next steps
The location of the seat resulting from the process will be included in the AMLA Regulation and formally adopted by co-legislators as part of the text.
The Commission will also be responsible for ensuring the procedural steps relating to the establishment and initial operations of the Authority until the date on which the Authority becomes operational.
On 20 July 2021, the Commission adopted a legislative package in the area of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). This package includes a proposal for a Regulation establishing an Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA Regulation). The provision regarding AMLA's seat in Article 4 was left blank at that time.
The seats of decentralised agencies have in the past been determined in most cases by Member States, with varying procedures having been followed over time. The judgments of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) of 14 July 2022 clarified that the competence to determine the location of the seat of an EU agency does not lie with the Member States pursuant to Article 341 TFEU, but should be decided by the EU legislature. In this case, this means that the European Parliament and the Council should decide in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.
AMLA is the first case where this case law is applied. Following an agreement by the co-legislators on the criteria for the seat selection of AMLA and the practicalities surrounding the call for applications, a join call for applications was launched on 28 September 2023.
Member States had until 10 November 2023 to apply. The applications received were made available on a website hosted by the Commission. The Commission has carried out a neutral and factual assessment of the applications. The assessment was transmitted to the co-legislators on 10 January 2024 and published on the Commission website.
Joint public hearings of all applicants for hosting AMLA took place on 30 January 2024 in the European Parliament. In order to find agreement on the location of AMLA's seat, co-legislators voted together in an informal inter-institutional meeting on 22 February 2024 with the same number of votes attributed to each co-legislator. As a result of this joint vote Frankfurt was selected. The location of the seat will be reflected in the legislative text and formally adopted as part of this text in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.
Selection of the seat of the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) - European Commission (europa.eu)
Political agreement on the first Anti-Money Laundering Regulation and new Anti-Money Laundering Directive
Political agreement on the Regulation to establish the new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA)
Political agreement reached on transparency of crypto asset transfers
Today’s political agreement on where the new EU Anti-money laundering Authority (AMLA) will be based concludes the negotiations on the ambitious Anti-Money Laundering legislative package proposed by the Commission in July 2021. For the first time, all Member States will be bound by the same AML rules and AMLA will play a key role in ensuring that those rules are consistently applied. The new authority will monitor risks and threats within and outside the EU, coordinate national supervisors and financial intelligence units, and directly supervise specific financial institutions depending on their risk level. I very much welcome the agreement reached by the co-legislators on an important aspect of the financial services sector. The Commission will now accelerate the preparatory work for the establishment of the Authority, with a view to ensuring it is operational to a significant extent already in 2025.
Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union
Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis leads EU delegation at 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Abu Dhabi
Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski and Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius are headed to the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), taking place in Abu Dhabi from 26-29 February. The Ministerial of the 164-member WTO aims to achieve important outcomes on WTO reform, fisheries subsidies, trade and agriculture, digital trade, and sustainability.
The Ministerial Conference comes at a time of increasing weaponisation of global trade and erosion of global trade rules. In this context, there is an ever-growing need for a strong and reinvigorated WTO, as the cornerstone of global rules-based trade. The EU is determined to champion the continued reform of the WTO to keep it fit to tackle the challenges of today.
Engagement on global trade issues begins already on Sunday 25 February, when the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate will convene to discuss how trade policy can help further drive global climate action. The same day, the EU will host an event with like-minded partners to mark our solidarity with Ukraine, two years on from the start of Russia's unlawful military aggression. Russia's invasion is not only a blatant violation of international law, Russia's blockade and bombardments of Ukrainian grain ports also puts global trade and food security for the most vulnerable at risk. The event will therefore be an opportunity to demonstrate appreciation for Ukraine's successful efforts to provide freedom of navigation for shipping through the Black Sea, delivering a global public good for food trade, especially for crucial supplies to Africa and the Middle East.
EU Trade Ministers will also meet at an informal Trade Council to discuss priorities for MC13.
(For more information: Olof Gill – Tel.: +32 2 296 59 66; Sophie Dirven – Tel.: +32 2 296 72 28)
Commissioner Sinkevičius to represent the EU at the United Nations Environment Assembly to achieve agreements on circular economy, water resilience and ocean protection
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 6) will take place from 26 February to 1 March 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, focusing on multilateral action to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The EU has proposed three resolutions: on promoting the transition to circular economies domestically, regionally and globally; on strengthening water policies for sustainable development; and developing a global agenda for ocean protection.
Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “At UNEA 6, we need to demonstrate the unity and leadership the world needs to address the triple planetary emergency. Biodiversity loss is weakening our economies and undermining the well-being of billions of people. Pollution is now taking nine million lives every year. And for entire nations, the rising sea levels, droughts and floods are becoming an existential risk. We need a radical change in our relationship with the planet. The EU will be working for ambitious outcomes on circular economy, water resilience and ocean protection, and cooperating with partners around the world.”
As part of UNEA-6, Commissioner Sinkevičius will co-host with the Belgian Council Presidency a ministerial breakfast where he will highlight the potential economic, social and environmental benefits of a circular and sustainable bioeconomy, stressing its importance for contributing to global sustainable development and the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. He will also take part in two Leadership Dialogues on the need for public and private finance to tackle climate change, nature loss and pollution, and on whether environmental multilateralism is delivering fast enough.
You can find more information online.
(For more information: Adalbert Jahnz – Tel.: + 32 2 295 31 56; Maëlys Dreux – Tel.: +32 2 295 46 73)
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