Politics
EU ethics body, Commission’s proposal “unsatisfactory”, MEPs say
In a resolution adopted with 365 votes in favour, 270 against, and 20 abstentions, Parliament calls the ethics body draft agreement “unsatisfactory and not ambitious enough, falling short of a genuine, ethics body” as envisaged by Parliament already two years ago.
Contentious points
It also regrets that the Commission has proposed that only five independent experts will be part of the body (one per EU institution) and only as observers, rather than the nine-person body composed of independent ethics experts that Parliament had previously asked for. MEPs insist that the ethics body should be able to investigate alleged breaches of ethical rules, and also have the power to request administrative documents (respecting MEPs’ immunity and freedom of mandate). It should have the authority to investigate alleged breaches of ethics rules on its own initiative and deal with individual cases if a participating institution or any of its members request it, they underline. MEPs also stress that the body should be able to issue recommendations for sanctions, which should be made public together with the decision taken by the respective institution or after a deadline.
Other key points raised in the resolution include the need for independent experts dealing with individual cases to work together with the member of the body representing the institution concerned, the body’s ability to receive and assess declarations of interest and assets, and its awareness-raising and guidance role.
MEPs also regret that the proposal does not cover the staff of the institutions, who are subject to common obligations already, and stresses the need for the body to protect whistleblowers, in particular European public officials.
Revision of Parliament’s rules
As for Parliament’s own efforts towards more transparency, integrity, and accountability, MEPs underline that Parliament is currently reviewing its framework with a view to strengthening procedures on how to deal with breaches of its rules (in particular the Code of Conduct), to better define its sanctions mechanism, and structurally reform the relevant advisory committee. They emphasise that in recent corruption allegations, NGOs appear to have been used as vectors of foreign interference, and call for an urgent review of existing regulations with the aim of making NGOs more transparent and accountable. Comprehensive financial pre-screening should be required for entities to be listed in the EU Transparency Register, ‘revolving doors’ incidents involving NGOs should be studied further in terms of conflicts of interest, and the future members of the ethics body must recuse themselves from files that pertain to work of NGOs from which they have received remuneration, MEPs emphasise.
Next steps
Parliament will participate in the negotiations with Council and Commission with President Roberta Metsola in the lead, aiming to conclude them by the end of 2023, and using its 2021 resolution as the basis of Parliament’s negotiating stance.
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EYE2025 (European Youth Event) will be opened by Parliament Vice-president Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) on Friday 13 June at 10:00 in the EYE village. Vice-president Nicolae Ştefănuță (Greens/EFA, RO) will take part in a session dedicated to the next long-term budget, on Saturday at 15:00. The closing session, with Vice-president Pina Picierno (S&D, IT), will take place on Saturday at 16:45.
Over the two days, there will be panel discussions with MEPs and other EU decision-makers, as well as with experts, activists and content creators. Debates between MEPs and the young participants will cover climate justice, skills for the future, the EU’s next long-term budget, and freedom of speech and media, among many other topics.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef will lead a Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday at 11:00, and take part in a panel discussion on young people’s mental health that afternoon. Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen will join in a conversation on how technology can strengthen democracy, on Friday at 15:00.
Other guest speakers are democracy activist Daria Navalnya, the Kayapo Amazonian tribal leader Chief Tau Metuktire and the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian.
The programme also includes workshops on a wide range of issues that concern young people, from disinformation to housing and migration. Quizzes, tours, artistic performances, storytelling workshops and concerts are other options among more than 450 activities organised for the sixth edition of EYE.
All sessions in the hemicycle will be streamed live on the EYE2025 Facebook page and via Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. More details about the schedule, speakers and activities are available on the European Youth Event website.
Press briefing
On Friday 13 June at 16:30, there will be a press briefing with Vice-president Verheyen on media freedom in the EU, in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room. You can follow it live here.
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Politics
Galician healthcare system receives nearly €510 million in EU support for its modernisation
The European Commission supports the development of the new A Coruña university hospital complex (CHUAC) in the city of A Coruña, located in the Spanish region of Galicia. The grant of nearly €60 million awarded under the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF), as part of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), complements a loan of €450 million provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Xunta de Galicia’s own resources, bringing the total investment to €600 million.
This social infrastructure project of regional interest aims to expand and modernise the existing hospital complex in A Coruña. It is one of Xunta de Galicia’s major actions to strengthen its public healthcare system. The new hospital complex will include state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities to provide comprehensive and high-quality healthcare and medical services for patients.
The resulting modern and sustainable healthcare infrastructure will improve the provision of health services and the quality of life of the citizens of Galicia, which in turn will enhance regional convergence with a significant impact on the local economy and employment.
Thanks to this project, around 564 000 people are expected to benefit from more efficient, accessible and quality health services in A Coruña and the surrounding areas. The project is also expected to create an estimated 6 140 direct and indirect jobs related to health infrastructure, representing approximately 1.3% of the employed population in A Coruña. With its energy efficiency measures, bioclimatic architecture, as well as sustainable and smart resources management, the project can substantially contribute to climate change mitigation.
This investment therefore plays a crucial role in mitigating the long-term socioeconomic consequences of the coal-fired plants closures in the region, while promoting a sustainable and an inclusive recovery for Galicia in the context of the region’s ageing demographic and green transitions.
Emma Toledano Laredo, Director at the European Commission (DG REGIO), said:
The European Commission, together with CINEA and the EIB, is very proud to bring the new A Coruña university hospital complex to life thanks to the Public Sector Loan Facility. This green, innovative and people-first project will enhance the provision of healthcare to Galicians, while bringing jobs to the region. This is yet another example of how a just and green transition can bring improvement in all sectors of a regional economy and its people.
Paloma Aba Garrote, Director of CINEA, added:
The new A Coruña university hospital complex is an excellent example of how the Public Sector Loan Facility can support European regions in their transition towards climate neutrality and improve people’s lives. Together with our partners, we are proud to invest in a sustainable and modern healthcare infrastructure, which will provide high-quality and accessible services for Galicians while fostering social cohesion, regional convergence and sustainability.
A spokesperson for the Xunta de Galicia regional government stated:
This project aiming to modernise and expand the A Coruña university hospital complex is a fundamental investment to develop the Galician healthcare infrastructure. Galicia is the first Spanish region to receive support from the Public Sector Loan Facility. Moreover, the new CHUAC project has been awarded the biggest PSLF grant so far, amounting to €59.3 million.
About PSLF
The Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF) is the third pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) – a key tool of the European Green Deal Investment Plan to make sure that no one and no region is left behind in the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
The PSLF combines loans from the European Investment Bank (up to around €6-8 billion) with grants from the European Commission (up to €1.3 billion). The combined support is designed to mobilise additional investments for public sector entities in the regions most affected by the green transition as identified in the Territorial Just Transition Plans, to meet their development needs as they move towards a climate-neutral economy. Each Member State creates these plans to identify the challenges faced by just transition regions, along with their development needs and targets for 2030.
The combination of the European Investment Bank loan and the EU grant will help fund projects that do not generate enough revenues to cover their costs.
PSLF is managed by DG REGIO and implemented by CINEA.
About DG REGIO
The Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) is the department of the European Commission responsible for EU policies on regions and cities. It develops and carries out the Commission’s policies on regional and urban policy. It assists the economic and social development of the developed and less developed regions across the European Union.
About CINEA
The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) is an Executive Agency established by the European Commission to implement parts of EU funding programmes for transport, energy, climate action, environment and maritime fisheries and aquaculture. CINEA aims to assist its beneficiaries, establish strong partnerships, deliver high-quality programme and project management, foster effective knowledge sharing and create synergies between programmes – to support a sustainable, connected, and decarbonised Europe.
About the EIB
The European Investment Bank (EIB), whose shareholders are the 27 Member States of the European Union, is the EU’s long-term financing institution. The EIB provides loans to the public and private sectors to support high-quality investments contributing to the achievement of the EU headline targets.
Visit the PSLF webpage on CINEA website to find out more about the Facility and the projects it funds.
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