A new push for European Democracy Flashcards
Priorities in political guidelines
1) A greater say for Europeans: citizens to have their say at Conference on the Future of Europe, to start in 2020 and run for two years. VDL commited to follow-up on COFE, even legislation or open up for treaty change
2) Special relationship with the European Parliament: Goal to strengthen partnership of EC and EP. Supports right of initiative for European Parliament. Commit to answer with legislative acts. Cssr. should brief EP at all stages of all international negotiations and be more present during trologue etc. (this will be a requirement in their mission letters). Also revive tradition of question hour in EP. FInally, goal of VDL to move away from unanimity for climate, energy, social, and taxation policies.
3) Improving the lead candidate system Commitment to revoew the way we appoint and elect leaders of EU institutions. In particular, to improve the lead candidate system.
4) More transparency and scrutiny Support creation of independent ethics body common to all EU institutions. Also improve transparency throughout legislative process.
5) Protecting our democracy Better protect EU from external interference. Also ensure that digital platforms are not used to destabilise European democracies - need for joint approach to tacke disinformation and online hate messages. EC to put forward a European democracy action plan, which will adress threats of externatl interventions in European elections.
Action Plan for Democracy
Dec. 2020
is designed to empower citizens and build more resilient democracies across the EU, setting out measures around three pillars:
1) promoting free and fair elections
2) strengthening media freedom
3) countering disinformation
Interesting figures (corruption perception,
- The 2023 Special Eurobarometer on Citizens’ Attitudes towards corruption in the EU shows, hat an increasing majority of citizens (70%) and businesses (65%) believe that corruption is widespread in their country. Low faith in national efforts to address corruption, with 67% thinking that high-level corruption cases are not pursued sufficiently.
Annual rule of law report
- Overview: The annual Rule of Law Report covers all Member States on the basis of the same objective and transparent methodology, while examining the same set of issues in each country.
It is centre of the annual rule of law cycle, which has a preventive function - it serves to promote the rule of law and aims to keep problems from emerging or deepening. The report is distinct from and does not replace the other elements of the EU’s rule of law toolbox.
- 2023 report:: While Rule of Law concerns remain in some EU Member States, the report has become a key driver for change and positive reforms. In fact, 65% of last year’s recommendations have been, fully or partially, addressed.
However, significant concerns remain in some Member States:
The report covers 4 pillars: national justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media pluralism and other institutional checks-and balances.
In 2023, EU has proposed anti-corruption package. In 2022, the Media freedom act to address concern in that area.
Rule of law toolbox
Backgruond: The European Commission, as recognised by the Court of Justice of the European Union, is responsible for guaranteeing the respect of the rule of law as a fundamental value enshrined in the EU’s Treaties, and for making sure that EU law, values and principles are respected.
Preventive measures and promotion of rule of law
* Annual rule of law cycle, with rule of law report at centre
* European Semester, to foster reforms inluding on justice systems, corruption etc. that foster growth
* EU Justice Scorebaord, to have comparable data about justice systems
* EU support for civil society, networks, and projects
* EU support for structural reforms
Response
* infringements
* Art. 7 TEU: Treaty instrument to address serious breaches to the
rule of law, with dialogue and possible sanctions
* Rule of law framework: early-warning tool adopted in 2014, ehich enables a structured dialogue with a MS to adress issues and prevent escalation
* General conditionality mechanism: in case of breaches that affect EU bugdet/financial management
* horizontal enabling condition of the charter of fundamental rights: tool to protect EU funds in cohesion policy
Rule of law framework
In case of systemic threat to rule of law alert
- Commission assessment
- Commission rule of law opinion (fed by Venice Commission, Fundamental Rights Agency, Judicial Networks)
- Comission Rule of law recommendations
- Monitoring of compliance with EC recommandations
- Launch of Art. 7 TEU (last resort)
- Preventive (Determining that a clear RISK of a serious breach of the values in Art. 2 TEU exists) or Sanctioning mechanism (determination of EXISTENCE of a serious and persistent breach of values in Art. 2 TEU)
Chain for sanctioning mechanism:
- Proposal for Art 7 TEU by 1/3 of MS or EC
- Observations submitted by concerned country
- Consent of EP (2/3th of votes cast)
- European Council eventually determines existence of serious and persistence breach (by unaminity - concernd country)
- Art 7 TEU: suspension of certain membership rights, including voting rights (QVM, 72% of MS, not included concerned country, 65% of EU pop)
EU strategy on combating antisemitism (2022)
- first-ever EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life
- nine out of ten Jews consider that antisemitism has increased in their country, with 85% considering it a serious problem.
- 38% of Jews have considered emigrating because they do not feel safe as Jews in the EU.
- Currently, one European in 20 has never heard of the Holocaust.
- December 2019, the fight against antisemitism became part of the portfolio of the Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, signalling the intention to address it as a crosscutting priority.
- Buils on previous legislation: Fundamental Rights Colloquium on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred (2015), European Parliament adopted a resolution on combating antisemitism.(2017), In December 2020, the Council adopted a further Declaration centered on mainstreaming the fight against antisemitism across policy areas.
3 Pillars:
Preventing and combating all forms of antisemitism:
* the Commission will mobilise EU funds and support Member States in designing and implementing their national strategies.
* The Commission will support the creation of a Europe-wide network of trusted flaggers and Jewish organisations to remove illegal online hate speech
* It will also support the development of narratives countering antisemitic content online.
Protecting and fostering Jewish Life in the EU
* To ensure that Jews feel safe and can participate fully in European life, the Commission will provide EU funding to better protect public spaces and places of worship
* The next call for proposals will be published in 2022, making available €24 million.
* To foster Jewish life, the Commission will take measures to safeguard Jewish heritage and raise awareness around Jewish life, culture and traditions.
Education, research and Holocaust remembrance
* To keep the memory alive, the Commission will support the creation of a network of places where the Holocaust happened, but which are not always known, for instance hiding places or shooting grounds.
* The Commission will also support a new network of Young European Ambassadors to promote remembrance of the Holocaust
* With EU funding, the Commission will support the creation of a European research hub on contemporary antisemitism and Jewish life, in cooperation with Member States and the research communi
Gender equality strategy
Background
* Although inequalities still exist, the EU has made significant progress in gender equality over the last decades. This is the result of: a) gender mainstreaming, integration of the gender perspective into all other policies b) specific measures for the advancement of women c) equal treatment legislation
* However, gender gaps remain and in the labour market women are still over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions.
* The Strategy presents policy objectives and actions to make significant progress by 2025 towards a gender-equal Europe
* While the Strategy focuses on actions within the EU, it is coherent with the EU’s external policy on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Target and approach
* The key objectives are 1) ending gender-based violence; 2) challenging gender stereotypes; 3) closing gender gaps in the labour market; 4) achieving equal participation across different sectors of the economy; 5) addressing the gender pay and pension gaps; 6) closing the gender care gap and 7) achieving gender balance in decision-making and in politics.
* The Strategy pursues a dual approach of gender mainstreaming combined with targeted actions, and intersectionality is a horizontal principle for its implementation
Actions
* the Commission proposed binding pay transparency measures on 4 March 2021.
* On 8 March 2022, the European Commission adopted a new EU-wide proposal for a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence.
* A milestone achievement is the Directive on gender balance in corporate boards, which seeks to improve the gender balance in corporate decision-making positions in the EU largest listed companies. Was adopted in November 2022
* The European Commission launched a campaign to challenge gender stereotypes, on 8 March 2023. This EU-wide campaign tackles gender stereotypes affecting both men and women in different spheres of life,
Gender Action Plan III: towards a gender-equal world
Overiew of actions on gender equality
Violence against women
The Commission is taking systemic action to fight violence against women offline and online
* DSA
* Hate crime and hate speech to become EU crime (Dec 2021)
* Strategy on trafficking human beings (2021)
* new EU-wide proposal for a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence.
Closing gaps in the labour market
* SME strategy (2020)
* New directive on minimum wages for workers (2020)
* New pay transparency rules (2021)
* New EU rules on work-life balance enter into force (2022)
* A European Care Strategy (2022)
Promoting women in decision-making
* New law on women in company boards
* Gender-equal College
* Target of 50% gender equality at all levels of Commission management
Investing in women and girls in the EU and around the world
* Gender equality is now key element of new EU bugdet, NGEU, and funding for EU’s external action
* Over 100 different actions under RRF
* EUR 1.55 billion over 2021 - 2027 under EU’s citizens, equality, rights an dValues Funding Programme
* EUR 500 million under global EU-UN spotlight initiative
* 85% of actions under Global Europe financial instrument will promote gender equality
Union of Equality’ initiatives
2020-2025 gender equality strategy following on from the 2016-2019 strategic engagement for gender equality;
Proposal for a directive on pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work between men and women, on which Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement in December 2022;
2020-2025 EU anti-racism action plan;
EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation;
Council recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation;
2020-2025 EU LGBTIQ equality strategy;
2021-2027 action plan on integration and inclusion, which includes proposals in four areas
(education, employment, housing and health), with the aim of promoting the integration and social inclusion of migrants and people with a migrant background;
2021-2030 EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.
EU Youth Strategy
- The EU Youth Strategy is the framework for EU youth policy cooperation for 2019-2027, based on the Council Resolution of 26 November 2018
- The EU developed an EU Youth Strategy and wants young people to engage and become an active citizen involved in democracy and society. We want young people to tell us what is important to them by taking part in the EU Youth Dialogue.
- EU youth cooperation shall make the most of youth policy’s potential. It fosters youth participation in democratic life; it also supports social and civic engagement and aims to ensure that all young people have the necessary resources to take part in society.
- 11 European Youth Goals
The EU Youth Strategy focuses on three core areas of action, around the three words: Engage, Connect, Empower,
EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and EU child gurantee
- The new comprehensive EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee are major policy initiatives put forward by the European Commission to better protect all children, to help them fulfil their rights and to place them right at the centre of EU policy making.
- Both initiatives have been informed by extensive consultations with citizens, stakeholders and, most importantly, more than 10,000 children.
Eruopean child guarantee
* The European Child Guarantee aims at breaking this cycle. It provides guidance and means for Member States to support children in need, i.e. persons under the age of 18 at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
* FREE AND EFFECTIVE ACCESS for children in need to
early childhood education and care
education and school-based activities
at least one healthy meal each school day
healthcare
EFFECTIVE ACCESS for children in need to
healthy nutrition
adequate housing
Member States can draw on EU funding to support their actions under the Child Guarantee, in particular from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and Next Generation EU.
Stats on children
- 18.3% of EU pop are children
- 30.3% of world pop are children
- 22.2% of children in EU are at risk of poverty or exclusion
- 33% of girsl and 20% of boys experienced disturbign content onlyine once a month in 2020
