Comuniq.Eu

CDEIU‘s Comuniq.eu is the only Malta-based platform offering a one-stop shop for EU-affairs, from research to in-depth analysis of developments and the dissemination of news related to the European institutions and their activities.

Through its research arm, it constantly looks for the latest developments from across the EU institutions through various channels, whether contacts within the institutions themselves, international media agencies and portals, and local representatives and offices of the said institutions.

The team at Comuniq.eu looks beyond the news which makes the media headlines, understanding the stakes at play, the positions being taken, the likely scenarios and the potential impact on the Maltese economy and businesses.

After identifying how developments, such as proposed legislation or regulation can affect your business, we also support you in makign your voice heard should it be in your business’ interest to support or challenge such proposals. We also look at the positions being taken by international organisations and other countries thereby allowing our clients to strengthen their position where possible.

Over the past months, Comuniq.eu has extensively looked into all facets of Brexit, and is supporting local business in understanding the impact of this important change on their operations and supporting them in identifying the right channels to get their concerns across. Similarly, Comuniq.eu raises advance note of legislative and regulatory processes which are still in the pipeline at EU level, which would have barely made news portals, to allow businesses to react at an advanced stage to such developments.

Comuniq.eu also disseminates EU-related news, both sourced through its exclusive arrangements with interntational news agencies as well through its own research and networks. It also produces exclusive content on matters related to EU affairs.

EU states breached air pollution limits in 2020 despite COVID

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Most European Union countries broke at least one air pollution limit last year, even as COVID-19 lockdowns improved air quality in many regions, according to provisional European Environment Agency (EEA) data published on Tuesday. Excessive air pollution has landed around 10 EU countries in court in recent years, and while air quality has improved this decade it remains Eu...

EU plans to legislate for common phone charger despite Apple grumbles

BRUSSELS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The European Commission will on Thursday present a legislative proposal for a common charger for mobile phones, tablets and headphones, a person familiar with the matter said - a move likely to affect iPhone maker Apple more than its rivals. The European Union executive and EU lawmakers have been pushing for a common charger for over a decade, saying it would be b...

EU’s Breton says issues in transatlantic ties ‘much broader’ than submarine row

WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Strains in transatlantic ties have been building for years and cannot be reduced to just frustration over Australia scrapping a $40 billion submarine deal with France, the European Commission's industry commissioner Thierry Breton said on Tuesday. Breton said many politicians and citizens in Europe shared a "growing feeling ... that something is broken in ou...

EU hopes to solve Northern Ireland’s Brexit trade issues by year-end

BRUSSELS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The European Union hopes to resolve the trading difficulties of Northern Ireland by the end of the year, the EU's post-Brexit coordinator said on Tuesday, while warning London against unilaterally suspending the terms of the divorce deal. European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, who oversees EU relations with Britain, once again rejected a British demand...

EP concerned with human rights situation in Kenya, Cuba and the UAE

The European Parliament has adopted three resolutions on the human rights situation in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates and Cuba expressing concern on developments in these countries on three different continents. The situation in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya Parliament expressed its deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation and the reports of protracted violence within Keny...

EP says China should be engaged by EU on climate, health, human rights issues

The EU should continue talking to China about global challenges like climate change and health crises, while raising its concerns over systemic human rights violations. In a report adopted by 570 votes in favour, 61 against with 40 abstentions, the European Parliament outlined six pillars on which the EU should build a new strategy to engage with China: cooperation on global challenges, en...

Mediterranean and Black Seas: Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2022

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for fishing opportunities for 2022 in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. The proposal promotes the sustainable management of fish stocks in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas and delivers on the political commitments made in the MedFish4Ever and Sofia Declarations. It reflects the Commission's ambition for achieving sustainable fisheries in ...

EU not leading by example on green investing, auditors say

The European Union is not doing enough to steer its own spending away from polluting activities or to mobilise private funds for green investments, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said. The EU is revamping its financial regulations to help raise money for projects that support its climate change targets, including through its "taxonomy", a complex new rule book to tell investors which...

EU agenda

See the latest events in the European Parliament and Commission this week 21 September: A delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee will visit Denmark, Greenland and Iceland to discuss the various aspects of Arctic policy with, among others, ministers and MPs as well as researchers and scientists working on EU-funded projects 22 September: A Civil Liberties Committee delegation will trave...

Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan: a gamechanger for the country’s economic transformation

The European Commission has recently greenlighted Malta’s recovery and resilience plan, a crucial step in accessing more than €316m in funding made available under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Malta's recovery and resilience plan. It will play a crucial role as Malta seeks to emer...

European Commission approves €11 million Italian scheme to support transport in Italy

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €11 million Italian scheme to support freight transport by inland waterways in Italy. The scheme takes the form of direct grants to inland waterway transport companies. It consists of three measures. The first measure aims at better integrating the inland waterways network in the logistic chains and at increasing its competitivenes...

EU foreign ministers to discuss submarine dispute on Monday

European Union foreign ministers will on Monday discuss Australia's scrapping of a $40 billion submarine order with France, a move that has enraged Paris and cast a shadow over free trade talks between the EU and Australia. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York at 2200 GMT, a spokesperson for the European Commission told ...

Supply fears lead EU vaccine industry to seek home comforts

European companies playing key supporting roles in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing are working to move production and supply chains closer to their customers to guard against trade restrictions that have interrupted supplies during the pandemic. Germany's Merck KGaA, whose Life Science unit is one of the world's largest makers of bioreactor gear and supplies, told Reuters it is pushing to s...

Brussels mulls OneWeb stake to challenge Elon Musk’s Starlink

Brussels has opened the door to investing in OneWeb, the UK taxpayer-backed satellite broadband company, raising the prospect of a tie-up between Britain and the EU against Elon Musk’s Starlink system. The European Commission has asked industry players and individuals to weigh in on the merits of backing a non-EU satellite provider as the bloc seeks to avoid being left behind in a global ...

EU-Australia deal more complicated after sub dispute – EU lawmaker

Australia's scrapping of a submarine order with France has made a planned EU-Australia trade agreement more complicated, although negotiations should continue, the chair of the trade committee of the European Parliament said on Monday. "I guess this will not lead to stopping negotiations and talks with Australia, but they will be much more complicated," Bernd Lange told a briefing. Lang...

EU wants long-term solutions for post-Brexit trade, says diplomat

European Union ministers meeting on Tuesday will discuss how to ease tensions with London over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland but the bloc will not renegotiate provisions for the sensitive frontier agreed in the Brexit divorce deal, a senior EU diplomat said on Monday. The EU executive, which is negotiating with London on behalf of the bloc's 27 member countries, is expec...

Group of EU lawmakers seeks probe of Gazprom’s role in gas price surge

BRUSSELS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A group of European Parliament lawmakers has asked the European Commission to investigate Gazprom's role in soaring European gas prices, saying the company's behaviour had made them suspect market manipulation. Gas prices in Europe have surged in recent months, helping to drive European electricity costs to multi-year highs, with wholesale power prices not forecas...

EU priorities in Indo-Pacific shift to counter China

The European Union set out a formal strategy on Thursday to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China's rising power, although Australia's decision to cancel an arms contract with France may complicate cooperation. Here are the main focus areas of the EU's strategy: - TRADE: The EU will work to finalise trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand, seek a deal...

MEPs call for protection of vulnerable people in Afghanistan

The European Parliament has deplored the violent takeover of Afghanistan, calls for more humanitarian aid and a coordinated response to protect those most vulnerable. MEPs are appalled by reports of violations, including executions, of child soldiers being recruited, peaceful protest and expressions of dissent being repressed, and human rights being restricted, especially targeting women and ...

Tougher EU airport slot rules trigger Asia retaliation threat, risk industry trade war

Regulators in Asian hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong have threatened to retaliate against European Union plans to force airlines to start using take-off and landing slots frozen during the coronavirus pandemic, a move that could oblige Europe's carriers to fly empty seats for thousands of miles at a loss. Authorities controlling slots at major Asian airports are ready to slap similar 'use...

Euro zone inflation confirmed at 10-year high on energy surge

Euro zone inflation accelerated to a 10-year high in August, the European Union's statistics office confirmed on Friday, as a global recovery pushed energy prices even higher. Eurostat said consumer prices in the 19-nation bloc rose 3.0% in August year-on-year, after a 2.2% rise in July, confirming its earlier estimates released on Aug. 31. It was the highest rate since November 2011. Mont...

UPDATED: EU fails to confirm if women, young adults at higher clot risk from AstraZeneca shot

The European Union's drugs regulator could not confirm from available data if women and young adults were at a higher risk of rare blood clots with low platelets after vaccination with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot. Limitations in the way the data was collected meant that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) could not identify any specific risk factor that made the condition, thrombosis with ...

Taiwan calls for quick start to trade talks with EU

TAIPEI, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan's government called on the European Union to quickly begin trade talks after the bloc pledged to seek a trade deal with the tech-heavyweight island, something Taipei has long angled for. The EU included Taiwan on its list of trade partners for a potential bilateral investment agreement in 2015, the year before President Tsai Ing-wen first became Taiwan's ...

Change rape definition, stop restricting media, Europe tells Poland

Poland must change its legal definition of rape to protect women and stop restricting media, European institutions said on Thursday, in the latest challenges to the ruling nationalists over rights and democracy. nder the eurosceptic, socially conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, Poland has fought with the European Union on issues ranging from treatment of migrants to independence of j...

EU launches health crisis body to prepare for future pandemic

The European Commission launched a health crisis body that will coordinate EU spending of almost 30 billion euros ($35.3 billion) to prepare for a future pandemic. The new health emergency preparedness and response authority (HERA) will assess potential health threats, promote research, ensure the availability of critical production and help build stockpiles. If a new health crisis stru...

MEPs call for stronger ECDC mandate after Covid experience

MEPs voted to extend the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was adopted with 598 votes in favour, 84 against and 13 abstentions. EU member states, the EP said, should develop national preparedness and response plans, and provide timely, comparable and high quality data, MEPs say. They also want to ensure that the ECDC’s mandate is extended beyond comm...

Malta allocated €40m from Brexit Adjustment Fund

MEPs approved the €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve to help member states deal with the economic, social and territorial impact of the UK’s departure from the EU. The agreement to set up the special fund, reached by Parliament and Council negotiators in June, was adopted with 652 in favour, 32 against and 11 abstentions. €1.6 billion will be distributed in 2021. The remaining €3.4 billion ...

EU lawmakers to call for Lebanon sanctions if new government fails

BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The European Union should still consider imposing sanctions on Lebanese politicians who block the progress of the new government, the EU's parliament is set to say on Thursday, calling Lebanon's crisis a man-made disaster. This week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament that, while Lebanon's economic model was broken, the moment f...

Euro zone trade surplus slips in July as imports rise sharply

BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The euro zone's trade surplus with the rest of the world declined in July from a year earlier, data released by the European Union's statistics office showed on Thursday, as imports grew at a faster rate than exports. Eurostat said the euro zone's unadjusted trade surplus with the rest of the world fell to 20.7 billion euros ($24.4 billion)in July from 26.8 bi...

Court win for EU regulators in crackdown on $825 million Belgium tax scheme

LUXEMBOURG, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Belgium on Thursday lost its fight against an EU regulatory ruling that tax breaks granted to Magnetrol, BP and more than 30 other multinationals constituted an illegal aid scheme after Europe's top court backed competition enforcers. The ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) is a win for the European Commission, which to date has won three cases at the l...

After Australia arms deal flop, EU to launch Indo-Pacific plan

The European Union will set out a formal strategy on Thursday to boost its presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China's rising power, although Australia's decision to cancel an arms contract with France may complicate cooperation. Led by France, Germany and the Netherlands, which first set out ways to deepen ties with countries such as India, Japan and Australia, the 27-member bloc...

‘No journalist should die’: EU calls for better media safety

The European Union’s executive arm asked its member countries Thursday to better protect journalists amid a rise of physical attacks and online threats against media professionals. According to the European Commission, 908 journalists and media workers were attacked across the 27-nation bloc in 2020. A total of 23 journalists have been killed in the EU since 1992, with the majority of the ...

Euro zone production stronger than expected in July

Euro zone industrial production was stronger than expected in July, data showed on Wednesday, thanks to rising output of capital and non-durable consumer goods. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said industrial output in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 1.5% month-on-month in July for a 7.7% year-on-year rise. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 0.6% monthly ...

TikTok’s lead EU regulator opens two data privacy probes

TikTok's lead data privacy regulator in the European Union has opened two inquiries into the Chinese-owned short-video platform related to the processing of children's personal data and transfers of personal data to China. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which is lead EU regulator for many of the world's top internet firms due to the location of their regional headquarters in Ireland...

Slovenia’s PM urges EU to stand with Lithuania against Chinese pressure

The European Union must stand with Lithuania against Chinese pressure and not give in to trade threats, Slovenia's prime minister said in a letter to fellow EU leaders, according to a copy seen by Reuters. China's decision to withdraw its ambassador to Lithuania over a dispute about Taiwan was "reprehensible" and would hurt EU-China ties, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country...

SOTEU Speech: MEPs join Von der Leyen in calls for a stronger EU voice in trade, economy and defence

Thank you for following this live blog. The President put the focus of her speech on Europe’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis and on what the European Union needs to do for a lasting recovery delivering benefits to all - from health preparedness, to the social dimension, to technological leadership and a defence Union. President von der Leyen described how Europe can secure a last...

Watch Live – Debate on the State of the Union 2021

Today at 0900h (GMT+2), Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, which will be followed by a debate with MEPs. Ursula von der Leyen is expected to outline the impact of the Commission’s work in the past year, particularly in tackling the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. She will also share with MEPs her v...

Maltese MEPs say same-sex marriages and partnerships should be recognised across the EU

The EU should lift all obstacles facing LGBTIQ people when exercising their basic rights, MEPs said in a resolution. All Maltese MEPs, representing Labour and the PN, supported the resolution. In a resolution on the rights of LGBTIQ persons in the EU (adopted with 387 votes in favour, 161 against and 123 abstaining), the European Parliament emphasised that these citizens should be able to ...

UK still wants full negotiation with EU on N. Ireland trade

Full negotiations are needed with the European Union to resolve issues with the deal governing post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Tuesday. Last week, the EU rejected a British demand to renegotiate the Northern Ireland protocol, saying that to do so would only bring instability and uncertainty. Johnson's spokesman said there ha...

EU says it has no option but to talk to Taliban

The European Union has no option but to talk to the Taliban in Afghanistan, the bloc's top diplomat said on Tuesday, adding that Brussels would seek to coordinate with EU governments to organise a diplomatic presence in Kabul. "The Afghan crisis is not over," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. "To have any chance of influencing ...

EU hopes to solve Northern Ireland’s Brexit trade issues by year-end

Malta allocated €40m from Brexit Adjustment Fund

UK still wants full negotiation with EU on N. Ireland trade

EU rejects reworking N. Ireland deal, urges calmer tone

BELFAST, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The European Union rejected a British demand to renegotiate their deal governing the trading position of Northern Ireland, saying that to so would only bring instability and uncertainty. European Commission Vice-Presi...

EU Funds Encouraging Sustainable Waste Practices in Households and Beyond

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, climate change ranks among the biggest concerns of the Maltese population, with citizens asking for more action to protect the environment. Research shows ...

A new life to the Chadwick Lakes with EU funding

The mention of the term Chadwick Lakes is likely to take most Maltese readers on a trip down memory lane, with many sharing childhood memories of heading to the area particularly after rainy days eag...

Video – OurEU.mt – 17 years since Malta joined the EU

OUREU illustrates how initiatives funded through the EU Cohesion Policy have shaped and improved the daily life of citizens in Malta and Gozo – enabling employment initiatives, strengthening the prod...

EU Funds help return Red Tower to its ancient glory

As one approaches Għadira Bay on the way to the popular sandy beaches close by or before driving the last few miles on the road to catch the Gozo ferry, St. Agatha’s tower – or as better known locall...

Strengthening Cottonera’s communities through EU funding

The walled cities of the Cottonera regions is one of the most densely-rich area of the Maltese islands. Despite this immense cultural and historic heritage, following extensive wartime damage, the re...

Giving a new lease of life to Maltese history through EU funding

Our country is is bestowed with a millenial history, the fruit of years of colonialisation by different nations, empires and orders, from the Romans to the Greeks, the French and the English, as well...

Malta allocated €40m from Brexit Adjustment Fund

MEPs approved the €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve to help member states deal with the econ...

SOTEU Speech: MEPs join Von der Leyen in calls for a stronger EU voice in trade, economy and defence

Thank you for following this live blog. The President put the focus of her speech on Europe...

Von der Leyen expected to focus on economic recovery, rule of law and geopolitical challenges in State of the Union speech

A big day ahead tomorrow for the European Union as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wi...