When I started writing about EU politics for Table.Media, I was surprised. In 2022, when photos of all-male groups in decision-making positions had long since reaped huge shitstorms, I attended events and panel discussions where only men spoke on stage. The only distinguishing feature between them was the various color variations of their ties.“Well, with […]
The German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu), together with 23 German cities, one region and the Bertelsmann Foundation, has launched a participatory study to support municipalities in finding strategies for the circular economy. The project “Circular City – Opportunities for Local and Regional Resilience & Value Creation” aims to help municipalities develop their own strategies […]
For three weeks, the various bodies of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) met in Jamaica’s capital Kingston to answer a complex question: Should the ISA approve the mining of raw materials in the deep sea in the future? After failing to meet the deadline for a corresponding set of rules, the authority now wants to […]
The EU Commission has drawn up guidelines for near-natural forest management. A working document to this effect was submitted to the Council on July 28. In it, the Commission presents methods to strengthen the biodiversity, adaptability and resilience of forests to climate change. The guidelines are intended to support the relevant authorities and key stakeholders.The […]
The Battery Regulation was officially published in the EU Official Journal last Friday. Accordingly, with some exceptions, the new requirements will apply from Feb. 18, 2024. The waste management requirements in the regulation, which include the extended producer responsibility system and battery collection, will not apply until Aug. 18, 2025. The obligation to make portable […]
The Spanish Council Presidency is working on a new compromise proposal on the EU Packaging Regulation by Sept. 15. By the beginning of this week, it had collected comments from member states on a working paper outlining some new paths to a possible agreement. The paper, published by French media platform Contexte, has already been […]
A “new phase of cooperation” was launched by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila on Monday. The EU and the Philippines want to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement. These had begun in 2015, but were put on hold two years later – the concerns about […]
The Spanish Council Presidency wants to drive forward the EU consumer agenda and complete three important legislative projects by the end of the year. At the informal “competitiveness” ministerial meeting in Bilbao, the delegations of the EU member states gave a positive assessment of the progress made so far.One of the aims was to evaluate […]
On Thursday, the Council gave the Commission a mandate to negotiate a Critical Minerals Agreement (CMA) with the US. The agreement aims to strengthen supply chains for critical raw materials and mitigate some of the negative impacts of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the EU industry.“The Critical Minerals Agreement will play a key […]
The Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) adopted their respective opinions on the Packaging Regulation this week.The ITRE and AGRI reports are similar in this regard: both delete most of the proposed reuse targets, especially in the […]