WEEKLY MEETING13 June 2017Brussels, Belgium
European Agenda on Migration and financial stability of EU
Commission assesses progress made under the European Agenda on Migration and proposes targeted reforms to further improve the financial stability of the EU
European Agenda on Migration
Ahead of next week's European Council where EU leaders will discuss progress made under the European Agenda on Migration, the Commission presented today four reports on measures taken to stabilise the flows and better manage the external borders. The Commission called on all parties to sustain progress and make further efforts to implement the agreed measures.
The Commission reviewed progress made in the EU's emergency relocation and resettlement schemes and, as announced in its previous progress report, specified its position on making use of its powers under the Treaties for those Member States that have not yet implemented the Council decisions.
The pace of relocation has significantly increased in 2017 with almost 10,300 persons relocated since January — a fivefold increase compared to the same period in 2016. As of 9 June, the total number of relocations stands at 20,869 (13,973 from Greece, 6,896 from Italy).
Progress on resettlement continues to be well on track with nearly three quarters (16,419) of the 22,504 resettlements agreed in July 2015 having already been carried out. Resettlements under the EU-Turkey Statement reached a new record high in May 2017 with almost 1,000 Syrian refugees being provided with safe and legal pathways to Europe. The total number of resettlements from Turkey under the Statement now stands at 6,254.
The Commission has decided to launch infringement procedures against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland for breaching their legal obligations and their commitments with regards to Greece, Italy and other Member States.
Regarding the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, the Commission concluded that despite the challenges, the Statement continues to deliver concrete results, ensuring an effective management of migratory flows along the Eastern Mediterranean route. The number of daily crossings from Turkey to the Greek islands remains at around 50 per day and, despite recent tragic incidents, the number of lives lost in the Aegean has fallen substantially.
Progress in fully rolling out the European Border and Coast Guard has continued over the past months: With over 1,600 officers supporting national forces in Greece (944), Italy (402), Bulgaria (166) and Spain (65), the EU's external borders are better protected than ever before. The Commission has called on Member States to rapidly increase their use of the Agency's reinforced capacity on return and make full use of the support offered by the Agency for the organisation of return operations. Additional efforts are also needed from Member States to respond to calls for deployment for ongoing operations and to close the gaps both in human resources and technical equipment.
The Commission also presented results and lessons learned under the Partnership Framework on Migration one year after its launch and efforts undertaken along the Central Mediterranean route. Progress has been made in the fight against traffickers and closer cooperation with key countries in Africa and to tackle migration flows through the Central Mediterranean route, with a strong focus on cooperation with Libya. Coordination between EU and Member States has improved, increasing synergies and enhancing diplomatic and economic leverage for joint action.
Proposal to amend the European Market Infrastructure Regulation
The European Market Infrastructure Regulation is a centrepiece of EU legislation introduced in the wake of the financial crisis to make financial markets safer and more transparent. Thanks to these measures, central counterparties (CCPs) from the EU are already well regulated and equipped to deal with financial distress. However, further reforms to ensure a more consistent and robust supervision of CCPs in EU and non-EU countries are now needed to deal with emerging challenges. CCPs have become a systemically-important part of the financial sector and their importance is growing. In addition, the foreseen withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU will have a significant impact on the regulation and supervision of clearing in Europe.
The proposal presented by the Commission introduces a more pan-European approach to the supervision of CCPs and accelerate certain procedures. It ensures closer cooperation between supervisory authorities and central banks responsible for EU currencies. To achieve this, a newly-created supervisory mechanism will be established within the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). It will be responsible for ensuring a more coherent and consistent supervision of EU CCPs, as well more robust supervision for CCPs in non-EU countries, or 'third countries'.
Brexit
At the request of President Juncker, Michel Barnier, Chief Negotiator for the Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom, debriefed Commissioners on the state of play.
Other issues
The College also discussed the state of play ahead of the Eurogroup meeting on Thursday in Luxembourg and marked the abolition of roaming charges which will happen on 15 June.
30 years of Erasmus programme
30 years of Erasmus programme
The EU today celebrates 30 years of Erasmus programme and launches a new Erasmus+ mobile application.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani lead the 30th anniversary celebrations for the Erasmus programme at the European Parliament in Strasbourg today.
To mark the occasion, the Commission is also launching a new Erasmus+ mobile application. Designed for students, vocational learners and participants in youth exchanges, the app will make young people's Erasmus+ experience easier.
President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "Every euro that we invest in Erasmus+ is an investment in the future — in the future of a young person and of our European idea. I cannot imagine anything more worthy of our investment than these leaders of tomorrow. As we celebrate the 9 millionth person to take part, let's make sure we are 9 times more ambitious with the future of the Erasmus+ programme."
For a programme that will support more than 4 million people to study, train and volunteer abroad between 2014 and 2020, the Erasmus+ Mobile App represents an important improvement. It will guide students, vocational learners and young people throughout their Erasmus+ experience. This will help to make the programme more inclusive and accessible to all. The Commission is strongly committed to building the future of Erasmus+ beyond 2020 together with the Erasmus+ generation to strengthen the programme and ensure that it reaches out to an even wider range of young people.
The Erasmus+ Mobile App will allow participants to:
• Easily track their progress in the different administrative steps before, during and after their stay abroad. Through the app, students will also be able to agree and sign their study agreements online with both sending and receiving universities;
• Share and vote for their preferred tips to help others integrate into the local community;
• Improve their language skills via a direct link to the Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support platform, offering online tutored courses and interactive live mentoring.
Open and connected aviation
