Commissioner-designate hearings   A busy October awaits the European Parliament. It’s that time again when the Parliament gets to scrutinise EU Commissioner-designates in what has to be one of the most daunting job application processes in politics. With European Parliament is clearly feeling bold – having seemingly already rejected one commission candidate – this will be an intriguing week in Brussels with fresh-faced MEPs looking to make their mark on social media with pithy questions and brutal retorts.   Urban Mobility Review The Commission is undertaking a comprehensive review of its 2013 Urban Mobility Package The Urban Mobility Review consultation […]

EU Transport Policy, Single Use Plastic Directive and Environment Policy Newsletter European Parliament Kicks off again! The European Parliament Committees were back in action this week to begin their policy work. With the membership and makeup of the committees all decided during the first Strasbourg session, this week gave us our first glimpse of how the new Environment (ENVI) and Transport (TRAN) Committees are likely to operate going forward. Needless to say, neither committee disappointed and we are set for loud, proud, and ambitious ENVI and TRAN committees over the next two years. Expect sweeping changes to EU Commission proposals […]

Our affiliate company, Chelgate Public Affairs has today published briefing papers on two sectors that are likely to receive significant attention from the European Commission over the next year. These cover the effect of BREXIT on Private Aviation companies and the impact on water companies by the introduction of Water Saving Labelling. Private Aviation Companies – BREXIT Introduction Aviation companies are by their very nature international. Their business models are predicated on crossing borders and they need to be able to do so flexibly and swiftly. These issues are even more acute for private aviation operators, based in the UK, […]

October Battles Ahead – Bring on the Votes! The European Parliament is now back in full-swing, following the summer recess and we prepare for, what will surely be a tumultuous month ahead for EU Transport Policy within the committee. Importantly, October will see many important votes taking place over a marathon voting session on 9 October which will be require-viewing for anyone monitoring the status of legislative dossiers currently making their way through the committee. Below we look at a few of the battles which lie ahead in October, as well as presenting the other reports which will be debated […]

Welcome to our new EU Transport Policy Newsletter!   September Battles Ahead The European Parliament and European Commission are set to return from Summer Recces with a whole stack of new regulations and directives to agree before the European Commission end their term in October 2019. September is therefore likely to be a hectic month of negotiations within the European Parliament’s transport (TRAN) and environment (ENVI) committees. Below we look at a few of the battles which lie ahead in September, as well as presenting the other reports which will be debated in Committee this month. Battle One: He ain’t […]

Our ‘man on the ground’ in Brussels, Chris Morris, has had the honour of posting this week’s ‘A Week in Brussels’ report for PubAffairs. You can read his article below or access it via the PubAffairs website here: There is nothing more permanent than a temporary tax, or so the saying goes. Never is this truer than in the European Parliament where there is nothing more permanent than a temporary, or special, tax committee. This week saw our latest installment, which comes in the form of the Special Committee on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance (TAXE3). TAXE3 carries […]

  Our affiliate company, Chelgate Public Affairs has today published guides on two new special committees set up by the European Commission. These cover the Special Committee on Tax (TAXE3) and the Certification System for Aviation Security Screening Equipment (ASSE). They also recently published a similar guide on the Pesticide Authorisation (PEST) special committee. Chelgate Public Affairs is an independent political communications agency with a branch in Brussels and associates around the world. From the Dáil to the European Parliament, Chelgate Public Affairs provides political intelligence, engagement and campaigning services that helps our clients shape their policy and regulatory environments.   […]

Our ‘man on the ground’ in Brussels, Chris Morris, has had the honour of posting this week’s ‘A Week in Brussels’ report for PubAffairs. You can read his article below or access it via the PubAffairs website here:   Forget Article 50, Brussels was far more interested in Article 155 this week. The now infamous weapon in Madrid’s arsenal to withdraw the powers of autonomous areas. Whilst Brussels is at strains to not discuss Catalan’s ambiguous declaration of independence in public, it has certainly been the hot topic that people are talking about in the Brussels bars this week. Quite […]

With the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe Theresa May gave her long-awaited Brexit update speech, in front of one of the most boring grey banners in living memory. Long gone were the days of the splendid bookcases of Lancaster House. This Lancaster 2.0 speech was designed to kick-start the dawdling and laggard negotiations between David Davis and Michel Barnier. It was meant to be a game-changer, a turning point in the negotiations but it unfortunately failed to give any real assurances to either Brussels, the British people or businesses. In brief, May has effectively agreed […]

Brussels has reacted to the UK General Election news in typical bureaucratic and calculated manner which has seen the negotiating power during the Brexit talks swing to rest firmly in the hands of the EU Commission. Whilst early indications from Michel Barnier fuelled hopes that the EU Commission would be willing to amend the timeline and be flexible, these wishes were quickly dismissed by President’s Junker and Tusk, both of whom struck a very hard line on the Brexit negotiations.   In the eyes of the EU Institutions, it was the UK’s decision to invoke the Article 50 two-year process […]