News, Nannette Cazaubon

EU Presidency The Czech Republic takes over from France

(Ed/nc, Paris) On 1ST July, the Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from France. Under the motto “Europe as a Task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower”, the Czech Presidency will focus on five priority areas. 1. Ukraine: to assist Ukraine is a first priority, as well as Europe- Charles bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

an cooperation and solidarity to photo: © alexgres, stock.adobe.com achieve the long-term integration of refugees into the societies of the Union. The post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will be another important task. 2. Energy security: The Presidency will emphasise on the EU’s energy security issues and the importance of breaking the EU’s dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal. The focus will be put on implementing the RePowerEU package, which includes a faster transition to low-carbon and renewable energy sources, energy savings or more resilient, diversified sources. 3. Security and defence: given the growing global instability, reinforcing security and defence capabilities, in particular in partnership with NATO and the implementation of key topics within the Strategic Compass are further priorities. At the same time, the Czech Presidency will address cyber threats and the geopolitical context of new technologies and space. 4. Economy: strategic resilience of the European economy is another area the Presidency will focus on. Against the background of the fragility of global supply chains, the shock of inflation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the Czech

Presidency wants to drastically reduce the EU’s dependence on hostile or unstable regimes and deepen free trade with democratic nations in the world. 5. Democracy: finally, the Presidency will focus on respecting and strengthening freedoms and European values in both offline and online environments. In the international context, it will implement the European Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, using relevant instruments, including potential sanction mechanisms. Web Czech Presidency https://bit.ly/3ODHIB4

Russia – Ukraine Agreement to unblock Ukrainian cereals

(Ed/hb, Paris) On 15th July 2022, under the aegis of Turkey and the United Nations (UN), Russia and Ukraine agreed on a text which relieves the world food markets. After two months of discussions, delegations from the Kremlin and Kyiv have signed – separately with Turkey and the UN – an agreement in Istanbul, which

guarantees corridors of secure navigation in the Black Sea and provide load control in Turkish ports. The contract is automatically renewable every four months. It is planned that 8 million tons of grain will be evacuated every month from the silos of the Ukrainian ports. This agreement, however, remains extremely fragile as it was illustrated by the Russian attack on the port of Odessa, only a few days after the signing.

Cargo vessel loading grain in the port of Odessa, Ukraine photo: © Elena Larina/shutterstock

EU Enlargement Frustrations after EU-Western Balkans meeting

(Ed/nc, Paris) On 23rd June, the EU-Western Balkans leader’s meeting took place in Brussels. The leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia discussed with EU representatives the progress on EU integration and the challenges stemming from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Charles Michel, President of the European Councountries which had hoped for an acceleration of the accession processes. This created frustration, especially for North Macedonia and Albania, because of the behaviour of Bulgaria which has been blocking North Macedonia’s EU accession over a years-long dispute relating to history and language. Bulgaria finally lifted some of Family picture of the participants in the EU-Western Balkans leader’s meeting, Brussels, 23rd June 2022

photo: © EU, 2022/Dati Bendo

cil, stated: “This is an important moment because there is a very strong political will to re-energise the process with the Western Balkans, to send its postulates, which allowed the Union mid-July to invite Albania and North Macedonia to start the negotiations for accession. The EU-Western Balkans leader’s meeting was followed by a European Council, where EU leadprocess for the Western Balkans. Building on the revised methodology, the European Council invited the Commission, the High Representative

a very clear and strong message.” Even though the EU leaders expressed their unand the Council to further advance the gradual integration between the European Union and

ambiguous support for the integration of the Western Balkans in the EU, the results of the meeting didn’t meet the expectations of these ers decided to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine and to the Republic of Moldova. They also called for the acceleration of the accession the Western Balkan region already during the enlargement process itself in a reversible and merit-based manner.

CBRN risks and threats 8th European CBRN Centres of Excellence meeting

Natalie Pauwels, Head of Unit, FPI, European Commission, handing over a Certificate of Recognition to Mohamed Salami, Head of Regional Secretariat of the African Atlantic Façade (AAF), Brussels, 17th May 2022 photo: ©UNICRI/Freya Morales

After a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 8th annual meeting of the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (EU CBRN CoE) Initiative took place in Brussels from 17th to 19th May 2022. The Initiative was launched in 2010 by the European Union to increase national and regional CBRN cooperation worldwide. The annual meeting was attended by more than 100 participants from the 63 partner countries, and the four observer nations (Chile, Djibouti, Mauritius and Nigeria). Representatives from the European Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the United Nations International Crime and Justice Institute (UNICRI), the Joint Research Centre (JRC), as well as international experts also actively participated. All high-level speakers underlined that the difficult circumstances during the last two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, had not stopped the work of the CoE Initiative. Far from that, progress was made across a range of different areas and in the regions. The new format of the event offered a combination of thematic panel discussions, interregional sessions, and a well-appreciated walking meeting which offered the CBRN National Focal Points (NFP) and the other participants the opportunity to be informed in detail about the activities and projects implemented in the eight regions of the Initiative and to share experiences. In her closing remarks, Nathalie Pauwels, Head of Unit, Stability and Peace, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) at the European Commission, stated that the CoE Initiative is more than a network of experts, but a community of “people who know each other”. Francesco Marelli, Head of Programme, CBRN Risk Mitigation and Security Governance Programme, UNICRI, highlighted the good practise during the three-day meeting which will “trigger and inspire future activities in the regions”. Funded and implemented by the EU through the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe, the CoE Initiative is led by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), in close coordination with the EEAS and is supported by the JCR and UNICRI.

Web https://bit.ly/3S5lrPh

European Defense Fund MARSEUS project selected

(Ed/hb, Paris) The European Commission made the selection decision for the MARSEUS (Modular Architecture Solutions for EU States) project, coordinated by MBDA. MARSEUS aims to consolidate, deepen and expand the capabilities of Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) in the field of land combat: radio communications will link personnel or systems too distant or too fully obscured by terrain for normal Line of Sight Communications (LOS). MARSEUS is one of the first European Defence Fund projects selected by the Commission following consultations with Member States. It is carried out in close cooperation with the French, Belgian, Cypriot and Swedish armed forces. The EU defence ministers approved the EU BLOS project on 19th November 2018 as part of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). It aims to develop a family of Man-on-the-Loop* BLOS missile system with back images. Human-in-the-loop is a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) blending AI with human intelligence. Man-on-the-Loop weapons means robots that can select targets and deliver force under the oversight of a human operator who can override the robots’ actions. MBDA and its 13 partners from Belgium (Ecole Royale Militaire, John Cockerill Defense, FN Herstal, Xenics), Cyprus (Additess, SignalGenerix), France (Novadem, ATOS, ARQUUS, DELAIR) and Sweden (SAAB, BAE Hägglunds, Exensor), as well as their eight subcontractors from eight countries, are now entering a phase of negotiation of the grant agreement with the European Commission.

Publications 2022 Schuman Report on Europe

The Robert Schuman Foundation published its Report on Europe, State of the Union 2022. The 13th edition provides a comprehensive view of the European Union at a time when it is facing the return of war to the continent. The Report, featuring original maps and annotated statistics, is available in digital format Web www.robert-schuman.eu