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The confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate before the European Parliament's committees play a vital role in informing Parliament before it decides on the proposed composition of the College of Commissioners. Ahead of the autumn 2024 hearings, Parliament has adapted the rules for the process, which will apply for the members of the second von der Leyen College. First, the Legal Affairs Committee scrutinises the declaration of interests of each Commissioner-designate. Second, each Commissioner-designate ...

The Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) took place in Beijing from 15 to 18 July 2024. Previous third plenums, especially the one in 1978, played central roles in the promotion of economic policies and reforms. Economic data published by China's Bureau of Statistics very shortly before the start of the Plenum paint a very sobering picture of the state of China's economy. While exports in June performed well, imports decreased in year-on-year terms, likely ...

The European Parliament has come a long way since its inception in 1951. Initially a consultative body composed of delegations of national parliaments, it has become a directly elected institution, has obtained budgetary and legislative powers, and now exercises influence over most aspects of EU affairs. Together with representatives of national governments, who sit in the Council, Parliament co-decides on European legislation, in what could be seen as a bicameral legislature at EU level. This publication ...

Transparency and ethical rules are essential to preserve citizens' confidence in public institutions. Corruption, defined by Transparency International as 'the abuse of entrusted power for private gain', is a threat for every country – and for the European Union (EU) institutions. According to a 2023 Eurobarometer survey, 70 % of the Europeans interviewed believed that corruption was widespread, and almost 75 % thought that there was corruption in the public institutions in their own country. At ...

The European Parliament's powers and influence have evolved significantly since its establishment. Starting out as a Common Assembly – a consultative body made up of delegations from the national parliaments of the EU Member States – in 1979 the European Parliament became a directly elected institution with both budgetary and legislative powers. Today, it is a fully fledged legislative body with competences in a broad range of EU policy areas, and considerable influence over the majority of EU affairs ...

With a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population of 22 million, Sri Lanka is a country strategically located in South Asia at the crossroads of major shipping routes in the Indo-Pacific region. This lower middle-income country has undergone a severe economic crisis, whose consequences have been exacerbated by its economic and monetary policies, not to mention the 2019 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Sri Lanka defaulted, and widespread popular protests prompted the resignation ...

Citizenship by investment (CBI) and residence by investment (RBI) schemes allow third-country nationals to obtain residence or citizenship in a host country in exchange for a financial contribution. In the European Union (EU), these schemes erode the principles of sincere cooperation, fairness and non-discrimination. They commodify EU citizenship and residence rights and weaken vetting and due diligence systems, thereby posing risks of corruption, money laundering, security threats and tax avoidance ...

The European Parliament's new Rules of Procedure entered into force on 16 July 2024 – the first day of Parliament's 10th term. The 'Parliament 2024' reforms sought primarily to streamline legislative procedures, enhance budgetary control and improve scrutiny of the Commission. The reforms have tackled conflicts of committee competences to expedite the attribution of files to committees. To address cases of cross-cutting issues falling within the competence of more than three committees, the Conference ...

Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July, and will stay in office until 31 December 2024. This is the second time Hungary has played this role, following its first-ever presidency in 2011. Hungary is the last member of the presidency trio made up together with Spain (in the second half of 2023) and Belgium (in the first half of 2024). It will hand the baton over to Poland.

Road transport is a major contributor to climate change. CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) have grown steadily and account for over a quarter of road transport CO2 emissions. On 14 February 2023, the European Commission tabled a legislative proposal to revise Regulation (EU) 2019/1242 setting CO2 emission standards for new HDVs in the EU. The proposed revision would expand the scope of the regulation to include urban buses, coaches, trailers and additional types of lorries. The average ...