Search

The European Council consists of the 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, who are voting members, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, who have no vote (Article 15(2) Treaty on European Union). The chart shows the current members, the national office they hold, their most recent European political affiliation, and the year their membership began.

Since the Taliban regime overtook the country in mid-August 2021, Afghanistan's record on women's rights has been one of the worst, if not the worst, in the world. Despite promises to 'uphold women's rights in line with Sharia law', the Taliban have suppressed the rights of their citizens, with women the main target of restrictions. As well as prohibiting women and girls from travelling without a male relative, the Taliban have denied them post-primary education, banned them from numerous public ...

On 13 June 2024, as part of efforts to build a strong European health union, the EU adopted a regulation that updates and expands EU legislation on blood, tissues and cells. The new rules establish high standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin (SoHOs) intended for human application, improve the protection of donors, recipients, and offspring born from medically assisted reproduction, reinforce the principle of voluntary and unpaid donation in the EU, and strengthen the national ...

Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (the 'Whistle-blower Directive') entered into force in December 2019. Member States had 2 years to transpose the directive into their domestic legal systems. Before the directive entered into force, the legal framework was fragmented at national level and limited to specific sectors at EU level (i.e. financial services and transport safety). Transposition did not prove easy, and the European Commission was obliged ...

Money laundering is how criminals convert the proceeds of crime into what appear to be legitimate earnings. Criminals are employing ever-more sophisticated methods, including digital and emerging crypto-currencies, to disguise the source of their money. The impact on society of criminality is difficult to understate. It has a significantly negative effect across the socio economic spectrum. Likewise, money laundering – a vital cog in criminal enterprise – has the potential to impact on the stability ...

In July 2021, the European Commission tabled a proposal to establish a new EU authority to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism (AMLA). This was part of a legislative package aimed at implementing the 2020 action plan for a comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The AMLA would be the centre of an integrated system composed of the authority itself and the Member States' national authorities with an AML/CFT supervisory mandate. It ...

In the European Union (EU), over two thirds of the population reside in urban areas (cities), generating more than 85 % of the EU's gross domestic product (GDP). In some EU Member States, the proportion of the urban population is likely to continue growing, posing additional challenges for cities. These challenges include ensuring affordable housing and job opportunities, as well as providing adequate infrastructure and transportation services. One solution to these challenges is the Urban Agenda ...

The arrival of refugees and irregular migrants in the EU in unprecedented numbers in 2015 exposed a number of deficiencies in the EU's external border, asylum and migration policy, and sparked EU action through various legal and policy instruments. Today, even though the EU has been relatively successful in securing its external borders, curbing irregular migrant arrivals and increasing cooperation with third countries, Member States are still reluctant to show solidarity and do more to share responsibility ...

Good health and well-being is a key indicator and a precondition for sustainable development, allowing people to enjoy fulfilling lives, receive education and be productive members of society. In contrast, the burden of disease has high economic, social and individual costs. Therefore, achieving the highest attainable level of health is of interest for all. However, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing crises, progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 3 ('ensure healthy ...

The European Union's objectives in the field of external border protection are to safeguard freedom of movement within the Schengen area (an area without internal borders) and to ensure efficient monitoring of people who cross the Union's external borders. To strengthen its external borders and prevent irregular migrants from reaching its territory, the European Union (EU) has turned its focus to extending its partnerships with third countries and to reinforcing its border agencies, providing them ...