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Wednesday 7 June 2023 Dublin: 9°C

# EU

This week
4th June 2023 - 7th June 2023
THE MORNING LEAD
Countdown starts on EU election as MEPs race to finish new laws
A report by
Lauren Boland
One year out from voting, the pressure is on to get through legislation before MEPs’ focus starts to ‘wander’ back to their constituencies.
Last week
28th May 2023 - 3rd June 2023
# Biodiversity
Rewilding row: Green minister warns of ‘horrible conservative scaremongering’ on EU nature law
Ossian Smyth said he was ‘not happy’ that Fine Gael’s EU party, the EPP had walked out of talks on the issue.
Reader Q&A: What do you want to know about Irish neutrality?
Our reporters will put your questions to experts in the field, for a comprehensive and thorough look at what neutrality means for Ireland, and how we would be affected by any possible change to the policy.
# underwater cables
Ireland to consider joining EU or Nato programme to protect undersea cables
Varadkar said that he didn’t believe Ireland was capable of defending cables off its coast without international support.
# Brexit
EU-UK relations seen as improved in months since Boris Johnson departure
Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly has described the former British prime minister as a “buffoon who didn’t take anything seriously”.
# North Kosovo
Kosovo tensions high after violent clashes as EU calls for calm across the Balkans
Violence sparked by disputed municipal elections left 30 soldiers from a NATO-led peacekeeping force injured on Monday after clashes with ethnic Serbs protesters.
# People Power
Lack of transparency harming Ireland’s vital election observer role
Crunching years of data and speaking to experts, Noteworthy scrutinises how our observer system stacks up internationally.
# Wildfires
EU doubles firefighting aircraft fleet ahead of hot and dry summer
The aircraft are stationed in 10 member states while over 400 firefighters will be pre-positioned in Greece, France and Portugal.
# People Power
Ireland an outlier in decision to halt election observer role during Covid
Other Western European countries continued to send observers to monitor elections during the pandemic.
Last month
May 2023
# Twitter
Twitter to quit EU disinformation code, European sources say
The voluntary pact contains over three dozen pledges such as better cooperation with fact-checkers and not promoting actors distributing disinformation.
# apple tax row
EU commission's appeal against €14.3 billion Apple and Ireland tax ruling to be heard today
Successive Irish Governments and Apple have argued that the company does not owe the State the allegedly unpaid tax.
THE MORNING LEAD
Green MEPs 'very' concerned by opposition to plan for restoring nature and rewetting Irish bogs
A report by
Lauren Boland
Two Green MEPs from Ireland and Germany gave an in-depth interview to The Journal on the proposed Nature Restoration Law.
# MEP
European elections to be held between 6 and 9 June next year
Each country can choose which day to hold their own elections within that time frame.
# Eurovision
Campaigners who raised ire of right-wing press insist they're not 'plotting to hijack Eurovision'
Members from the Liverpool for Europe group plan to hand out 75,000 EU flags at this week’s Eurovision in Liverpool.
Northern Ireland secretary says ‘deadlines are deadly’ amid calls to restore Stormont
Chris Heaton-Harris said his focus is on ensuring the executive is in place for the long-term when it returns.
# Mediterranean deaths
Over 1,000 dead this year, the world's most dangerous migration route is getting more deadly
The total number of people reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean this year now stands at 1,053.
# EU case
State yet to protect natural sites such as Killarney Park and Burren despite Europe court case
Killarney National Park is thought of as one of Ireland’s “jewels in the crown” in terms of flora and fauna.
April
April 2023
# Social Media
Twitter, TikTok and Instagram to face much stricter content rules in EU
19 digital companies with tens of millions of users will have to up their regulation efforts in Europe from August.
# Measles
Ireland has one of the lowest rates of measles immunisation in Europe
Measles rates in Europe went down during the pandemic, but it is possible that cases were underreported during that time.
# Data privacy
Germany launches data protection inquiry over ChatGPT
The chatbot can only function if it is trained on vast datasets, raising concerns about where OpenAI gets its data and how that information is handled.
# factcheck
FactCheck: Does Ireland collect more corporate tax per person than almost any other EU country?
Ireland collects much of its taxes from companies, but how much compared to the rest of the EU?
# Aidan O'Hara
Irish diplomat was attacked in Sudan during robbery by 'armed men wearing military fatigues'
A European Commission spokesperson was unable to confirm if Monday’s incident was a targeted attack.
# fit for 55
EU approves €86 billion plan to help people impacted by climate transition
The EU Parliament passed a series of votes on climate legislation today that have been long in the works.
# Europe
15 EU countries to take legal action over Hungary's anti-LGBTQ+ laws
Ireland is one of the countries, and the European Parliament has also joined the suit.
March
March 2023
# LGBT Rights
EU condemns Italian violation of same-sex parents' rights
The far-right government has ordered the city of Milan to stop registering children of same-sex couples.
# ireland and the eu
Ireland to launch bid to be home of EU's new Anti-Money Laundering Authority HQ
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said he believes Ireland would be a “great location” for the new authority’s HQ.
# wir leben autos
EU moves closer to banning new fossil-fuel cars after striking deal with Germany
Germany, one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world, had previously vetoed the ban.
# clocks changing
Whatever happened to the EU plan to abolish daylight savings time?
With the clocks about to change this weekend, EU plans to abolish daylight savings time have fizzled out
# Agri Business
Govt transfers €150m in Brexit funding to post-Covid fund, to be spent in part on retrofitting
The Taoiseach said the Government “would have liked” to spend the money on businesses and the agricultural sector, but that it faced obstacles in doing so.
# Northern Ireland
Taoiseach is 'disappointed' with DUP's decision not to return to Stormont
Varadkar is in Brussels today for a meeting of EU leaders where the Windsor Framework will be discussed.
THE MORNING LEAD
Undersea cables like those off Irish coast could have beefed up security under new EU naval plan
A report by
Niall O'Connor
The strategy document, titled “An enhanced EU Maritime Security Strategy for evolving maritime threats, was released last week.
The strategy document, titled "An enhanced EU Maritime Security Strategy for evolving maritime threats, was released last week.
Sources have said that the strategy could benefit Ireland in funding and other support.
The Government has repeatedly stated that Ireland is not joining any military alliances.
# climate action
MEPs vote for Europe to decarbonise buildings and help nature to trap carbon
EU politicians backed new policies for buildings to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.
# transatlantic ties
Biden and von der Leyen united in support for Ukraine, but tensions swirl over trade dispute
Meeting today at the White House, the two leaders also discussed a trade dispute that is raising tensions.
# Georgia
Thousands protest in Georgia against 'foreign agents' bill after police clamp down
Last night, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters.
# car insurance
Ireland could have the highest level of uninsured vehicles in the EU
The number of insured vehicles increased by 13,626 in a year to 188,000, which is 1 in every 12 private vehicles on Irish roads.
# Roberta Metsola
EU parliament president urges Ukraine membership talks during visit to the country
‘I am hopeful that accession negotiations can begin already this year,’ Roberta Metsola said in the Ukrainian city of Lviv.
# Climate Change
UN talks on agreement to protect the high seas continue into the early morning
The high seas comprise more than 60% of the world’s oceans and nearly half the planet’s surface.
# driving for change
Physical driving licence could become 'history' as EU proposes digital option
This digital licence is expected to allow drivers to replace, renew or exchange a licence easier.
February
February 2023
# Final Countdown
D-Day for Protocol talks as von der Leyen visits Sunak to tackle 'complex challenges'
The two leaders will hold a joint press conference if a revised deal is signed-off.
The visit of von der Leyen to London is seen as a measure of how close the sides are to agreeing a deal.
Sunak is planning to brief his Cabinet before potentially announcing the details of deal.
Former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has said he does not believe Sunak has done enough to convince the DUP to re-enter into power-sharing.
# Endgame
NI Protocol: Von der Leyen to visit Sunak tomorrow to discuss 'complex challenges'
A new system for custom checks may be adopted as negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol appear to be near a resolution.