Cercare

Under current EU law, EU Member States are free to set their minimum national voting age for European elections. This age is set at 16 in Austria, Germany and Malta, 17 in Greece, and 18 in the remaining Member States. In Belgium, EU citizens can, following a recent change, request to vote in European elections from the age of 16.

The European Electoral Act of 1976 allows the EU Member States to set the minimum age for standing as a candidate in European elections. While in May 2022 Parliament proposed a uniform minimum age of 18, the next round of elections – in 2024 – will be governed by the existing rules. The minimum age therefore varies among the Member States, ranging from 18 (in the majority of countries) to 25 (Italy and Greece).

Following recent episodes of stress in the banking sector in the US and Switzerland, the ECB’s role in safeguarding financial stability is under scrutiny. The ECB has claimed that no trade-off exists between its primary mandate on maintaining price stability and safeguarding financial stability. Furthermore, the 2021 monetary policy strategy review confirmed that financial stability is a pre-condition for financial stability, and vice-versa. Yet, further interest rate hikes may still give lead to ...

As the civil war in Syria enters its 13th year, and amidst ongoing political instability and armed clashes, the humanitarian and economic situation in the country continues to deteriorate. Half of the country's 22.1 million population is internally or externally displaced and 15.3 million people – nearly 70 % of Syrians – are in need of humanitarian assistance. Following the deadly earthquake in early February 2023, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated further. Since the beginning of the conflict ...

The digital transformation is making the EU institutions and administration more vulnerable to cyber-threats and incidents. Their number has surged dramatically in recent years: there were as many incidents during the first half of 2021 as in the whole of 2020, for instance. Yet an analysis of 20 Union institutions, bodies and agencies showed that their governance, preparedness, cybersecurity capability and maturity vary substantially, weakening the system. This proposal for a regulation would establish ...

Although the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) pursues a range of aims, the two main ones are the lowering of inflation by removing purchasing power from the US economy, and to provide the United State's contribution to fighting climate change. Unlike similar EU measures, most of its climate support is done via tax subsidies. Although hailed in the EU for heralding a new era in US climate policy, the IRA is being criticised for its outright 'Buy American' provisions. Amongst others, it is feared that ...

The 49th G7 Summit, bringing together the leaders of the United States (US), Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), took place on 19 21 May 2023 under the Japanese Presidency in Hiroshima, a city with worldwide symbolic importance for war, nuclear devastation and peace. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine dominated the leaders' summit once again, with Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending in person. The other main issue was ...

Access to safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. The fifth World Food Safety Day will be celebrated on 7 June 2023, to draw attention to the need to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks, and to inspire action in this regard. The globalisation of the food trade, a growing world population, climate change and rapidly changing food systems all have an impact on food safety. World Health Organization (WHO) data reveal that unsafe food containing harmful bacteria ...

This briefing paper was prepared ahead of the Monetary Dialogue between the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the European Central Bank (ECB) President on Monday, 5 June. It provides a summary of key monetary policy developments and decisions taken by the ECB’s Governing Council.

Among the key moments of the May II plenary session were debates on breaches of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary and frozen EU funds, and on the threat to democracy and the rule of law in Poland, in particular through the creation of an investigative committee. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, made a statement on the 10-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh. Another debate addressed the social and economic costs of climate change in light ...