European Union News - European Union

Cecilia Malmström, the Home Affairs Commissioner, inaugurates for managing large-scale EU information systems, a new EU Agency in Tallinn, Estonia. The Agency will ensure the Visa Information (VIS) and EURODAC systems operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

EU Finance Ministers decided at the Council meeting held on 13 of March to suspend €495,2 million in scheduled commitments for Hungary and they adopted a recommendation under the EU's excessive deficit procedure for this country. In addition, the Council adopted conclusions on the Commission's alert mechanism report for the early detection of macroeconomic imbalances, and discussed the proposed Directive aimed at establishing an EU-wide financial transaction tax.

The European Ombudsman has opened an inquiry into how the EU Agency Frontex implements its fundamental rights obligations. The investigation has been opened due to the number of civil society organisations that have questioned whether Frontex is doing enough to comply with the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

According to what it was agreed by the Council and after the assessment of the Eurogroup, the timely correction of the excessive deficit in Spain should be ensured by an additional frontloaded effort of the order of 0,5% of GDP, beyond what has already been announced by the Spanish authorities so far, and by an early adoption and strict implementation of the new mechanisms in the Budget Stability Law.

The European citizens that living and working in another Member State other than their own, around 8 million people of voting age, are still facing obstacles to vote or stand as a candidate in local elections in the EU country in which they live. In addition, only around 10% currently take advantage of this right.

The Commission has decided to start the second stage under EU infringement proceedings – to send Hungary two reasoned opinions, and two administrative letters, after which the matter may be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The Commission still has concerns about measures affecting the judiciary and the independence of the country’s data protection supervisor. In addition, the Commission requested in a recommendation a Council recommendation asking Hungary to take steps to correct its excessive deficit in a sustainable and credible manner by 2012.

COTER, the Committee of the Regions Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy, adopted four opinions on the structural funds regulations which aims to add flexibility, simplification, full involvement of regions and cities at shaping and implementing operational programmes and partnership contracts. The opinions will be voted by the CoR at the next CoR plenary session on 3-4 May.

Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of Regions calls for a major involvement of the regions on the elaboration of the National Reform Plans. In addition, the President also stressed the CoR intention of using more intensively its EU 2020 Monitoring platform.

The European leaders signed on 2 of March the new treaty aimed at strengthening fiscal discipline and convergence in the euro area. The treaty introduces a "balanced budget rule" which consists in a requirement for national budgets to be in balance or in surplus, a criterion that would be met if the annual structural government deficit does not exceed 0.5% of GDP at market prices.

The Eurogroup meeting held on 1 of March reached an agreement to authorise the provision by EFSF of a buy-back scheme for the eligibility of marketable instruments issued or guaranteed by the Greek Government. In addition, Herman Van Rompuy has been re-elected as president of the European Council and as president of the Euro Summits. On the other hand, the European Council granted the EU status of candidate country to Serbia.