EC work programme 2016 - EUbusiness Week newsletter 722 - EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 722 top stories: Car makers win reprieve on EU pollution testing; Atlantic free-trade talks advance with 2016 deal eyed; Euro-Parliament throws out GMO compromise law; MEPs end mobile roaming charges; EU, Kosovo ink deal opening possible membership route; Saudi blogger wins Sakharov rights prize

Publisher’s Note

This is no time for business as usual, said Mr Juncker’s right-hand man Frans Timmermans this week as he presented to MEPs the Juncker Commission’s 2016 Work Programme. Key initiatives planned for the next twelve months cover the refugee crisis, jobs and growth and tax fairness, as well as economic, social and environmental sustainability.

A year ago, Mr Juncker promised his Commission would focus on ‘big things’ where the EU could make a difference. This year, Mr Timmermans relected equal drive: citizens, he said, “will judge the EU on whether it delivers results on the major challenges facing our societies today.”
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Car makers win reprieve on EU pollution testing

The EU offered Europe’s reeling car industry a reprieve on Wednesday, agreeing to ease pollution limits for diesel cars despite the fallout from the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal.
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France slams EU delay in tougher car pollution tests
EU was warned of vehicle emissions rigging in 2013: report

2. Atlantic free-trade talks advance with 2016 deal eyed

Negotiators for the TTIP transatlantic free trade pact said they were aiming to conclude a deal next year, after making “substantial progress” at talks in Miami.
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Tech spats spark fears of ‘digital protectionism’

3. Euro-Parliament throws out GMO compromise law

Euro-MPs have rejected by a huge majority a hard-won compromise which would have allowed Member States to decide for themselves whether or not to import Genetically Modified Organisms for use in food and animal feed.
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4. MEPs end mobile roaming charges

European Parliament Members on Tuesday approved an end to loathed mobile phone roaming charges in the EU by 2017 and adopted rules to ensure open internet access.
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5. EU, Kosovo ink deal opening possible membership route

The EU has signed a long-awaited accord with Kosovo that will lead to closer ties and could open the way to EU membership for the small Balkan country.
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6. Saudi blogger wins Sakharov rights prize

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Islam, has been awarded the EU Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov human rights prize.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Malware: authorities in five European countries have staged a coordinated swoop on suspected users of spy malware that gives remote access to other people’s smartphones.
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Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Belarus: the EU suspended most sanctions against Belarus Thursday, citing “improving relations” after authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko released all remaining political prisoners.
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EU, Balkan leaders struggle to defuse tensions over migrants
Cameron warns against Norway-EU model for UK
Mogherini urges Netanyahu, Abbas to meet Quartet ‘in days’
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Commission Watch

Migrants: some 100,000 places in reception centres will be provided along the Balkans migrant route starting in Greece to help the EU cope better with the historic influx, says Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
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EU, New Zealand launch free trade talks
Greece faces ‘tough’ decisions by year’s end: Moscovici
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Parliament Watch

Mass surveillance: US intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden has hailed a Parliament vote urging Member States to take him in and offer protection as an “extraordinary” gesture of support.
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MEPs seek funding ban for fighting bulls
Also at this week’s plenary, MEPs adopted a report on the safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones; endorsed plans for more ambitious national caps on emissions of six key pollutants, including NOx, particulates and sulphur dioxide; approved plans to make it easier to get ‘novel foods’ approved; and agreed to postpone a vote on reform of European electoral law.
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EU diary

3-4 Nov: Environmental footprint pilot phase conference
4 Nov: Intelligent Transport System (ITS) workshop
5-6 Nov: 2016-17 Horizon 2020 work programmes info days
6 Nov: Smart policies for smart islands
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary