Rights and values programme: Council presidency and European Parliament reach provisional agreement
The presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on the rights and values programme for the period 2021-2027. Funding through this programme aims at protecting rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties in order to sustain open, democratic and inclusive societies. It will have a substantial overall budget of maximum €1.55 billion.
In recent years, extremism, radicalism and division have grown in our societies while the space for independent civil society is shrinking. It is therefore more important than ever to promote the values that bring us together and to defend the equal rights of all our citizens. This programme will support civil society initiatives across the EU. We strengthen our democracies and the rule of law.
Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument: Coreper endorses provisional agreement with the European Parliament
The European Union will soon have a unified instrument that will make the financing of EU external action more coherent, transparent and flexible, and will allow the EU to effectively uphold and promote its values and interests worldwide.
EU member states ambassadors today endorsed the provisional agreement reached on 15 December between the Council Presidency and European Parliament s representatives on a regulation setting up the
Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), in the context of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF).
Today s landmark agreement on the EU s new global instrument delivers once again on a key goal of our Presidency: At a time of global crisis, the European Union shows its ability to act globally and strengthen Europe s role as an anchor of stability in the world. ND
The EU is revising its
road charging rules (
greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, congestion and road infrastructure financing.
The member states ambassadors today agreed on a negotiating mandate for the reform, which will include a new system of
varying charges for heavy-duty vehicles based on CO
2 emissions. The new scheme will promote the entry into the market of vehicles with lower emissions and help combat climate change in line with the European Green Deal.
With today s mandate, the Council has shown its ambition in terms of reaching the sustainability and environmental targets in road transport. This revision of road pricing will cover not just air and noise pollution but also CO2 emissions, which will incentivise cleaner and more efficient transport operations. This will help to bring down transport emissions and effectively address global warming.
Justice programme: Council presidency and European Parliament reach provisional agreement
The Council presidency and the European Parliament today reached a provisional agreement on the justice programme, which sets out the funding in this area for the period 2021-2027. This programme aims at supporting the development of an European area of justice, based on the rule of law and mutual recognition and trust, in particular by facilitating access to justice, promoting judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters and the effectiveness of national justice systems.
A well functioning EU justice area, without obstacles to cross-border access to justice, is essential to ensure economic growth and the full potential of the internal market. Much of this cooperation relies on mutual trust and the justice programme has a key role to play in strengthening it. It does this by providing the necessary support to training and exchanges between the judiciary and to the development of ind
Road charging reform – Council agrees its stance
The EU is revising its
road charging rules (
greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, congestion and road infrastructure financing.
The member states ambassadors today agreed on a negotiating mandate for the reform, which will include a new system of
varying charges for heavy-duty vehicles based on CO
2 emissions. The new scheme will promote the entry into the market of vehicles with lower emissions and help combat climate change in line with the European Green Deal.
With today s mandate, the Council has shown its ambition in terms of reaching the sustainability and environmental targets in road transport. This revision of road pricing will cover not just air and noise pollution but also CO2 emissions, which will incentivise cleaner and more efficient transport operations. This will help to bring down transport emissions and effectively address global warming.