Source: EuroStat – European Statistics
European Commission Speech Strasbourg, 09 Oct 2024 The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, delivered a speech at the Plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the presentation of the programme of activities of the Hungarian Presidency.
Source: European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG (IKB) have started a new partnership to support investment by Germany’s mid-cap companies. Firms with up to 3.000 employees can apply to IKB for a long-term loan to finance their transition to a more sustainable business model. The EIB will provide guarantees of €200 million to secure a total lending volume of €400 million.
This cooperation between the EIB and IKB will make it easier for mid-caps to access financing on favourable terms for sustainable investment. These borrowers will derive the full benefit of the EIB guarantees.
By facilitating access to financing, this partnership will promote long-term economic growth as well as job security. One-third of the loans will go to finance projects that power the green transition by improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, and promoting overall market efficiency and integration through participation in wholesale markets.
The EIB guarantees are part of an EU-wide linked risk-sharing programme that uses risk-sharing to reduce certain access barriers to finance caused by the current economic uncertainty, including supply chain bottlenecks, inflation, rising interest rates and energy insecurity.
“Mid-caps are an important growth driver of our economy and play a key role in the green and digital transition, and in strengthening innovation, competitiveness and productivity of the German economy,” EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer said. “That’s why, together with IKB, we are providing long-term financing so that Midcaps can plan for their future. In this way, we help companies to remain innovative, make their supply chains more resilient and secure jobs. This strengthens Germany and Europe as a business location.”
As a financier supporting the development of German Midcaps, IKB welcomes this close partnership with the EIB. Through it, IKB aims to strengthen its status as a relevant, sustainable financial service provider for the country’s medium-sized firms. 30% of the guarantee framework is intended to support projects that improve carbon footprint and promote sustainable environmental protection.
“This agreement strengthens IKB’s position as a provider of transformation financing for mid-cap companies,” IKB CEO Michael Wiedmann said. “We are pleased that we can now expand our financing options for our clients’ sustainability projects and make these even more attractive.”
With its wide range of sustainable product initiatives, IKB aims to use investment financing to make a substantial contribution to the transition to a green economy. These include syndicated ESG loans, project finance, ESG loans with long maturities, and ESG advisory services. The bank’s contribution can be measured against the overall goal of mobilising €3-4 billion of sustainable new business volume by the end of 2025, in line with its Sustainable Finance Framework. In the 2023 financial year, IKB mobilised around €1.7 billion of sustainable new business.
Background information
The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union. It finances sound investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects strengthen competitiveness, sustainable development, and social and territorial cohesion. They promote innovation and accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. The EIB Group – which also includes the European Investment Fund – signed a total of €88 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in 2023. These commitments are expected to mobilise around €320 billion in investment, supporting 400 000 companies and 5.4 million jobs.
IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, focuses on high-end German mid-caps – mainly firms with an annual turnover of more than €100 million. Since it was founded in 1924, IKB has specialised as an independent private bank, primarily in long-term financing for companies and projects. In its customer business, IKB focuses on structured financing and credit advisory services. The bank also offers financing solutions that can be used independently of customer balance sheets, including assistance for companies on the capital market – for example, in issuing promissory notes or bonds. IKB is also a specialist offering customers access to public funding programmes. It employs around 600 people at six locations, with a sales network that covers all regions of Germany.
Source: European Parliament
OOn 17 October 2024, CONT Members will have an exchange of views with the Directors-General of the Commission on their Annual Activity Reports (AAR). Each Director-General will briefly present its AAR, followed by questions from the Members.
The Directors-General of the Commission participating in the exchange will be:
· Ms Céline Gauer, Director-General for Recovery & Resilience Task Force (SG RECOVER);
· Mr Maarten Verwey, Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN);
· Mr Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research and Innovation (RTD);
· Mr Timo Pesonen, Director- General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS);
· Ms Beate Gminder, Acting Director for Migration and Home Affairs (HOME);
· Мs Stéphanie Riso, Director-General for Budget (DG BUDG);
· Mr Wolfgang Burtscher, Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI);
· Mr Mario Nava , Director for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL);
· Mr Koen Doens, Director- General for International Partnerships (INTPA).
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in English
Bern, 09.10.2024 – The Swiss government is to provide CHF 30 million to support the work of the Geneva-based Fondation suisse de déminage (FSD) in Ukraine until 2027. The decision, which was made at the Federal Council’s meeting on 9 October 2024, underscores the importance of humanitarian demining in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
It is estimated that around 139,000km2 of Ukraine is contaminated with mines and other explosive ordnance. In September 2023, the Federal Council made around CHF 100 million available for the 2024-27 period to reduce the risk posed by explosive ordnance to the Ukrainian population. Half of this amount will be provided by the FDFA and the other half by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).
At its meeting today, the Federal Council decided to reinforce its support for the FSD, approving CHF 30 million in funding for one of the foundation’s projects.
The implementation of this Federal Council decision will be presented at the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2024), which will take place in Lausanne on 17 and 18 October. President Viola Amherd and Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will represent Switzerland at the conference, which is being jointly hosted with Ukraine. The conference, which will take place under the motto ‘People. Partners. Progress.’, will bring together around 50 states, international and regional organisations, and representatives from NGOs, academia and the private sector to discuss the key role played by humanitarian demining in social and economic recovery.
Address for enquiries
For further information:
FDFA Communication
Tel. Press service +41 460 55 55
kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
Source: European Parliament
BUDG members will exchange with Elena Calistru, Rapporteur for the European Economic and Social Committe (EESC) opinion on “Enhancing Fiscal Transparency through Participatory Budgeting in the EU”, and with Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis, Rapporteur for the Committee of the Regions (CoR) own-initiative opinion “EU budget and place based policies: proposals for new design and delivery mechanisms for the MFF post 2027”.
The debate will contribute to the preparation of the BUDG own-initiative report “A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world”. The Parliament will define in it ts priorities and expectations for the next EU long term budget (post 2027) before the European Commission puts forward its proposal during the summer of 2025.
Source: European Parliament
Members will vote on the draft report prepared by Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP) on the European Commission’s proposal for a decision to mobilize the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) to support 513 displaced Belgian workers from the Match-Smatch supermarket.
The EGF would contribute with the amount of 2 660 000 € to the financing of personalized services for the workers. The vote on the report is planned for 14 October 2024.
Source: European Parliament
Following the vote on the 978 budgetary amendments to the Council’s reading of the 2025 EU Budget on 7 October, the Committee on Budgets will, at its 14 October meeting, vote on a report prepared by the General Rapporteur on the 2025 budget (Section III – Commission), Mr Victor Negrescu (S&D), and the Rapporteur for other sections, Mr Niclas Herbst (EPP), which will reflect and accompany the outcome of the budgetary vote.
The first conciliation meeting between the Council and the Parliament is scheduled for 5 November.
Source: European Parliament
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IN THE CHAIR: Roberta METSOLA
The sitting opened at 9:01. |
Pursuant to Rules 10 and 183, and after taking into account the observations of the Member concerned, the President had decided to impose a penalty on Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă for having disrupted the sitting of 18 July 2024 by behaving improperly during the debate on the statement by the candidate for President of the Commission (minutes of 18.7.2024, item 3). The penalty consisted of the forfeiture of the Member’s entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of seven days and of a temporary suspension from participation in Parliament’s plenary activities for a period of seven days on which Parliament meets, starting that day, 8 October 2024, without prejudice to the Member’s right to vote in plenary, and subject to strict compliance with the Members’ standards of conduct. The Member concerned had been notified of this decision and had lodged an internal appeal with the Bureau under Rule 184. At its meeting the previous day, the Bureau had upheld the penalty imposed, without prejudice to the external rights of appeal open to the Member concerned. The penalty was therefore final. |
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IN THE CHAIR: Javi LÓPEZ
Council and Commission statements: Preparation of the European Council of 17-18 October 2024 (2024/2782(RSP)) János Bóka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statements. The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anna Bryłka on behalf of the PfE Group, Carlo Fidanza, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Manon Aubry, on behalf of the The Left Group, Anja Arndt, on behalf of the ESN Group, Dolors Montserrat, Alex Agius Saliba, Enikő Győri, Charlie Weimers, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Damian Boeselager, João Oliveira, Michael von der Schulenburg, Paulo Cunha, Nicola Zingaretti, Gilles Pennelle, Beata Szydło, Karlo Ressler, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Csaba Dömötör, Nicolas Bay, Luděk Niedermayer, Matjaž Nemec, Emmanouil Fragkos, Seán Kelly, Dan Nica, Kris Van Dijck, Wouter Beke and Jaak Madison. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Maria Grapini, Tobiasz Bocheński, Lukas Sieper, Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Grzegorz Braun. The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič and János Bóka. The debate closed. |
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Escalation of violence in the Middle East and the situation in Lebanon (2021/2850(RSP)) Josep Borrell Fontelles (Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement. The following spoke: Željana Zovko, on behalf of the PPE Group. IN THE CHAIR: Sabine VERHEYEN The following spoke: Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Sebastiaan Stöteler, on behalf of the PfE Group, Alberico Gambino, on behalf of the ECR Group, Hilde Vautmans, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Lynn Boylan, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Nacho Sánchez Amor, António Tânger Corrêa, who also answered a blue-card question by Bruno Gonçalves, Assita Kanko, Christophe Grudler, Hannah Neumann, who also declined to take a blue-card question from Alexander Sell, Giorgos Georgiou, Hans Neuhoff, Kostas Papadakis, François-Xavier Bellamy, who also answered a blue-card question by Anthony Smith, Hana Jalloul Muro, Hermann Tertsch, Alexandr Vondra, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Bernard Guetta, Leoluca Orlando, Rima Hassan, who also answered a blue-card question by François-Xavier Bellamy, Tomasz Froelich, Kateřina Konečná, Loucas Fourlas, Evin Incir, Thierry Mariani, Rihards Kols, Barry Andrews, Ana Miranda Paz, Mimmo Lucano, Petar Volgin, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, who also answered a blue-card question by Evin Incir (the President reminded the House of the provisions of Rule 10), Matjaž Nemec, Raffaele Stancanelli, Abir Al-Sahlani, Mika Aaltola, Ana Catarina Mendes, Michael McNamara, Milan Zver, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Elena Yoncheva, Seán Kelly, Thijs Reuten, Lukas Mandl, Chloé Ridel, Dimitris Tsiodras, Lucia Annunziata, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Maria Walsh and Sander Smit. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Cecilia Strada, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Marc Botenga, Grzegorz Braun, Luke Ming Flanagan and Alvise Pérez. The following spoke: Josep Borrell Fontelles. The debate closed. (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.) |
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IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
The sitting resumed at 12:31. ⁂ Jordan Bardella spoke. |
For detailed results, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’. |
Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France relating to six natural disasters that occurred in 2023 [COM(2024)0325 – C10-0088/2024 – 2024/0212(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Georgios Aftias (A10-0002/2024) (Majority of the votes cast) PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION Approved by single vote (P10_TA(2024)0015) Detailed voting results
1 (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.) |
The sitting resumed at 12:36. |
The minutes of the previous sitting were approved. |
Commission statement: The crisis facing the EU’s automotive industry, potential plant closures and the need to enhance competitiveness and maintain jobs in Europe (2024/2820(RSP)) Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement. The following spoke: Jens Gieseke, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Paolo Borchia, on behalf of the PfE Group, Daniel Obajtek, on behalf of the ECR Group, Christophe Grudler, on behalf of the Renew Group, Sara Matthieu, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Rudi Kennes, on behalf of The Left Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, and Peter Liese. IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO The following spoke: Gabriele Bischoff, Philippe Olivier, Elena Donazzan, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Anna Cavazzini, Li Andersson, who also answered a blue-card question by Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, Markus Buchheit, Diego Solier, who also answered a blue-card question by Jacek Ozdoba, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, who also answered a blue-card question by Waldemar Buda, Dan Nica, András Gyürk, Alexandr Vondra, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Kai Tegethoff, Jonas Sjöstedt, Siegbert Frank Droese, Lukas Sieper, Dennis Radtke, Estelle Ceulemans, Barbara Bonte, Johan Van Overtveldt, Svenja Hahn, Majdouline Sbai, Marina Mesure, Arno Bausemer, Thomas Geisel, Massimiliano Salini, Bernd Lange, Filip Turek, Carlo Fidanza, Pascal Canfin, who also answered a blue-card question by Anne-Sophie Frigout, Benedetta Scuderi, Carola Rackete, Anja Arndt, Susana Solís Pérez, Johan Danielsson, Roman Haider, Nicolas Bay, Ľubica Karvašová, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Tom Berendsen, Antonio Decaro, Vilis Krištopans, Gheorghe Piperea, Sophie Wilmès, Saskia Bricmont, Jan Farský, Giorgio Gori, Klara Dostalova, Marlena Maląg, Eugen Tomac, Michael Bloss, François-Xavier Bellamy, François Kalfon, Anna Bryłka, Mariateresa Vivaldini, Engin Eroglu, Niels Flemming Hansen, Marit Maij, Mélanie Disdier, Beata Szydło, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Dariusz Joński, Matthias Ecke, Jorge Buxadé Villalba and Giovanni Crosetto. IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE The following spoke: Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Paulius Saudargas, Rosa Serrano Sierra, Sebastian Kruis, Ondřej Krutílek, Yvan Verougstraete, Angelika Niebler, Christel Schaldemose, Marie Dauchy, Pietro Fiocchi, Michał Kobosko, Wouter Beke, Bruno Tobback, Julie Rechagneux, Stefano Cavedagna, Miriam Lexmann, Daniel Attard, Angéline Furet, Anna Zalewska, Eszter Lakos, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Anne-Sophie Frigout, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, who also answered a blue-card question by Nicolae Ştefănuță, Sophia Kircher, Annalisa Corrado, Jaak Madison, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Andreas Schieder, Matej Tonin and Idoia Mendia Cueva. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Sunčana Glavak, Maria Grapini, Silvia Sardone, Tobiasz Bocheński, Benoit Cassart, Marc Botenga, Marcin Sypniewski, Kateřina Konečná, Radan Kanev, Elena Sancho Murillo, Dario Tamburrano, Katarína Roth Neveďalová and Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska. The following spoke: Valdis Dombrovskis. Motions for resolutions to be tabled under Rule 136(2) would be announced at a later stage. The debate closed. Vote: at a later part-session. |
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Strengthening Moldova’s resilience against Russian interference ahead of the upcoming presidential elections and a constitutional referendum on EU integration (2021/2821(RSP)) Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The following spoke: Siegfried Mureşan, on behalf of the PPE Group, Thijs Reuten, on behalf of the S&D Group, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, on behalf of the PfE Group, Tobiasz Bocheński, on behalf of the ECR Group, Dan Barna, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of The Left Group, Alexander Sell, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Maria Grapini, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Helmut Brandstätter, Virginijus Sinkevičius, David McAllister, Kristian Vigenin, Cristian Terheş, Petras Auštrevičius, Rasa Juknevičienė, Vasile Dîncu, Adam Bielan, Eugen Tomac, Sandra Kalniete, Pina Picierno, Adrian-George Axinia, Michał Szczerba, Tonino Picula, Małgorzata Gosiewska and Andrea Wechsler. IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS The following spoke: Victor Negrescu, Davor Ivo Stier, Francisco Assis, Krzysztof Brejza, Mika Aaltola, Sven Simon, Michał Wawrykiewicz and Jüri Ratas. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Grzegorz Braun. The following spoke: Věra Jourová. Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II. The debate closed. Vote: 9 October 2024. |
The Renew Group had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of delegations: Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee: Jana Toom Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia: Michael McNamara to replace Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu The decisions took effect as of that day. |
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: The democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia (2021/2822(RSP)) Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The following spoke: Rasa Juknevičienė, on behalf of the PPE Group, Sven Mikser, on behalf of the S&D Group, Thierry Mariani, on behalf of the PfE Group, Małgorzata Gosiewska, on behalf of the ECR Group, Urmas Paet, on behalf of the Renew Group, Reinier Van Lanschot, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Danilo Della Valle, on behalf of The Left Group, Hans Neuhoff, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michael Gahler, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Rihards Kols, who also answered a blue-card question by Alessandro Zan, Petras Auštrevičius, Markéta Gregorová, who also answered a blue-card question by Ondřej Dostál, Petar Volgin, who also answered a blue-card question by Tobiasz Bocheński, Ľuboš Blaha, Michał Szczerba, Pierfrancesco Maran, Adam Bielan, Helmut Brandstätter, Leoluca Orlando, Ondřej Dostál, Ondřej Kolář, Francisco Assis, Brigitte van den Berg, Riho Terras, Raphaël Glucksmann, Dainius Žalimas, Davor Ivo Stier, Tobias Cremer, Ivars Ijabs, Mika Aaltola, Robert Biedroń, Paulius Saudargas, Thijs Reuten and Jacek Protas. IN THE CHAIR: Ewa KOPACZ The following spoke: Michał Wawrykiewicz. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure:Alessandro Zan, Tobiasz Bocheński, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Grzegorz Braun, Milan Mazurek and Lukas Sieper. The following spoke: Věra Jourová. Motions for resolutions tabled under Rule 136(2) to wind up the debate: minutes of 9.10.2024, item II. The debate closed. Vote: 9 October 2024. |
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Outcome of the Summit of the Future: transforming global governance for building peace, promoting human rights and achieving the sustainable development goals (2021/2823(RSP)) Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Udo Bullmann, on behalf of the S&D Group, António Tânger Corrêa, on behalf of the PfE Group, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ignazio Roberto Marino, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Marc Jongen, on behalf of the ESN Group, Hildegard Bentele, Ana Catarina Mendes, Juan Carlos Girauta Vidal, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Isabella Lövin, Merja Kyllönen, Rada Laykova, Milan Mazurek, Francisco José Millán Mon, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, Jorge Martín Frías, Dick Erixon, Vladimir Prebilič, Pernando Barrena Arza, Ivan David, Ruth Firmenich, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Leire Pajín, André Rougé, Gordan Bosanac, Carolina Morace, Katarína Roth Neveďalová, Brando Benifei, Tiago Moreira de Sá, Evin Incir, Carla Tavares and Hannes Heide. IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper and Grzegorz Braun. The following spoke: Věra Jourová. The debate closed. |
The PPE Group and the non-attached Members had notified the President of the following decisions changing the composition of the committees and delegations: Committee on International Trade: Lukas Sieper Committee on Budgets: Lukas Sieper was no longer a member Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries: Christophe Gomart to replace François-Xavier Bellamy Delegation for relations with Mercosur: Alma Ezcurra Almansa to replace Esther Herranz García Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly: Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez to replace Dolors Montserrat The decisions took effect as of that day. |
Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Situation in Sudan (2021/2851(RSP)) Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the Commission) made the statement on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The following spoke: Lukas Mandl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Francisco Assis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Barry Andrews, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Per Clausen, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Marit Maij, Hanna Gedin, Maria Walsh, Hannes Heide, Evin Incir and Cecilia Strada. The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Seán Kelly. The following spoke: Věra Jourová. The debate closed. |
Written explanations of vote Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website. Oral explanations of vote |
The following spoke: Dick Erixon and Seán Kelly. |
The next sitting would be held the following day, 9 October 2024, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website. |
In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting. |
The sitting closed at 20:28. |
| ATTENDANCE REGISTER | |
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Present: Aaltola Mika, Abadía Jover Maravillas, Adamowicz Magdalena, Aftias Georgios, Agirregoitia Martínez Oihane, Agius Peter, Agius Saliba Alex, Allione Grégory, Al-Sahlani Abir, Anadiotis Nikolaos, Anderson Christine, Andersson Li, Andresen Rasmus, Andrews Barry, Andriukaitis Vytenis Povilas, Androuët Mathilde, Angel Marc, Annunziata Lucia, Antoci Giuseppe, Arias Echeverría Pablo, Arimont Pascal, Arłukowicz Bartosz, Arnaoutoglou Sakis, Arndt Anja, Arvanitis Konstantinos, Asens Llodrà Jaume, Assis Francisco, Attard Daniel, Aubry Manon, Auštrevičius Petras, Axinia Adrian-George, Azmani Malik, Bajada Thomas, Baljeu Jeannette, Bardella Jordan, Barna Dan, Barrena Arza Pernando, Bartulica Stephen Nikola, Bartůšek Nikola, Bausemer Arno, Bay Nicolas, Bay Christophe, Beke Wouter, Bellamy François-Xavier, Benifei Brando, Benjumea Benjumea Isabel, Beňová Monika, Bentele Hildegard, Berendsen Tom, Berger Stefan, Berg Sibylle, Berlato Sergio, Bernhuber Alexander, Biedroń Robert, Bielan Adam, Bischoff Gabriele, Blaha Ľuboš, Blom Rachel, Bloss Michael, Bocheński Tobiasz, Boeselager Damian, Bogdan Ioan-Rareş, Bonaccini Stefano, Bonte Barbara, Borchia Paolo, Borrás Pabón Mireia, Borvendég Zsuzsanna, Borzan Biljana, Bosanac Gordan, Boßdorf Irmhild, Bosse Stine, Botenga Marc, Boyer Gilles, Boylan Lynn, Brandstätter Helmut, Brasier-Clain Marie-Luce, Braun Grzegorz, Brejza Krzysztof, Bricmont Saskia, Brnjac Nikolina, Bryłka Anna, Buchheit Markus, Buczek Tomasz, Buda Daniel, Buda Waldemar, Budka Borys, Bugalho Sebastião, Buła Andrzej, Bullmann Udo, Burkhardt Delara, Buxadé Villalba Jorge, Bystron Petr, Bžoch Jaroslav, Camara Mélissa, Canfin Pascal, Carberry Nina, Cârciu Gheorghe, Carême Damien, Casa David, Caspary Daniel, Cassart Benoit, Castillo Laurent, del Castillo Vera Pilar, Cavazzini Anna, Cavedagna Stefano, Ceccardi Susanna, Cepeda José, Ceulemans Estelle, Chaibi Leila, Chastel Olivier, Chinnici Caterina, Christensen Asger, Cifrová Ostrihoňová Veronika, Ciriani Alessandro, Cisint Anna Maria, Clausen Per, Clergeau Christophe, Cormand David, Corrado Annalisa, Costanzo Vivien, Cotrim De Figueiredo João, Cowen Barry, Cremer Tobias, Crespo Díaz Carmen, Crosetto Giovanni, Cunha Paulo, Dahl Henrik, Danielsson Johan, Dauchy Marie, Dávid Dóra, David Ivan, Decaro Antonio, de la Hoz Quintano Raúl, Della Valle Danilo, Deloge Valérie, De Masi Fabio, De Meo Salvatore, Deutsch Tamás, Devaux Valérie, Dibrani Adnan, Diepeveen Ton, Dieringer Elisabeth, Dîncu Vasile, Di Rupo Elio, Disdier Mélanie, Dobrev Klára, Doherty Regina, Doleschal Christian, Dömötör Csaba, Do Nascimento Cabral Paulo, Donazzan Elena, Dorfmann Herbert, Dostalova Klara, Dostál Ondřej, Droese Siegbert Frank, Düpont Lena, Dworczyk Michał, Ecke Matthias, Ehler Christian, Ehlers Marieke, Eriksson Sofie, Erixon Dick, Eroglu Engin, Estaràs Ferragut Rosa, Ezcurra Almansa Alma, Falcă Gheorghe, Falcone Marco, Farantouris Nikolas, Farreng Laurence, Farský Jan, Ferber Markus, Ferenc Viktória, Fernández Jonás, Fidanza Carlo, Fiocchi Pietro, Firea Gabriela, Firmenich Ruth, Fita Claire, Flanagan Luke Ming, Fourlas Loucas, Fourreau Emma, Fragkos Emmanouil, Freund Daniel, Frigout Anne-Sophie, Friis Sigrid, Fritzon Heléne, Froelich Tomasz, Fuglsang Niels, Funchion Kathleen, Furet Angéline, Furore Mario, Gahler Michael, Gál Kinga, Galán Estrella, Gálvez Lina, Gambino Alberico, García Hermida-Van Der Walle Raquel, Garraud Jean-Paul, Gasiuk-Pihowicz Kamila, Geadi Geadis, Gedin Hanna, Geese Alexandra, Geier Jens, Geisel Thomas, Gemma Chiara, Georgiou Giorgos, Gerbrandy Gerben-Jan, Germain Jean-Marc, Gerzsenyi Gabriella, Geuking Niels, Gieseke Jens, Giménez Larraz Borja, Girauta Vidal Juan Carlos, Glavak Sunčana, Glucksmann Raphaël, Gomes Isilda, Gonçalves Bruno, Gonçalves Sérgio, González Casares Nicolás, González Pons Esteban, Gori Giorgio, Gosiewska Małgorzata, Gotink Dirk, Gozi Sandro, Grapini Maria, Gregorová Markéta, Grims Branko, Griset Catherine, Groothuis Bart, Grossmann Elisabeth, Grudler Christophe, Gualmini Elisabetta, Guetta Bernard, Guzenina Maria, Győri Enikő, Gyürk András, Hadjipantela Michalis, Hahn Svenja, Haider Roman, Halicki Andrzej, Hansen Christophe, Hansen Niels Flemming, Hassan Rima, Hauser Gerald, Häusling Martin, Hava Mircea-Gheorghe, Hazekamp Anja, Heide Hannes, Heinäluoma Eero, Henriksson Anna-Maja, Herbst Niclas, Herranz García Esther, Hetman Krzysztof, Hojsík Martin, Holmgren Pär, Humberto Sérgio, Ijabs Ivars, Imart Céline, Incir Evin, Iovanovici Şoşoacă Diana, Jaki Patryk, Jalloul Muro Hana, Jamet France, Jarubas Adam, Jerković Romana, Jongen Marc, Joński Dariusz, Joron Virginie, Jouvet Pierre, Joveva Irena, Juknevičienė Rasa, Junco García Nora, Jungbluth Alexander, Kabilov Taner, Kalfon François, Kaliňák Erik, Kaljurand Marina, Kalniete Sandra, Kamiński Mariusz, Kanev Radan, Kanko Assita, Karlsbro Karin, Kartheiser Fernand, Karvašová Ľubica, Katainen Elsi, Kefalogiannis Emmanouil, Kelleher Billy, Keller Fabienne, Kelly Seán, Kennes Rudi, Khan Mary, Kircher Sophia, Knotek Ondřej, Kobosko Michał, Köhler Stefan, Kohut Łukasz, Kokalari Arba, Kolář Ondřej, Kollár Kinga, Kols Rihards, Konečná Kateřina, Kopacz Ewa, Körner Moritz, Kountoura Elena, Kovařík Ondřej, Kovatchev Andrey, Krah Maximilian, Krištopans Vilis, Kruis Sebastian, Krutílek Ondřej, Kubilius Andrius, Kubín Tomáš, Kuhnke Alice, Kulja András Tivadar, Kulmuni Katri, Kyllönen Merja, Kyuchyuk Ilhan, Lagodinsky Sergey, Lakos Eszter, Lange Bernd, Langensiepen Katrin, Laššáková Judita, László András, Latinopoulou Afroditi, Laurent Murielle, Laureti Camilla, Laykova Rada, Lazarov Ilia, Lazarus Luis-Vicențiu, Le Callennec Isabelle, Leggeri Fabrice, Lenaers Jeroen, Leonardelli Julien, Lewandowski Janusz, Lexmann Miriam, Liese Peter, Lins Norbert, Loiseau Nathalie, Løkkegaard Morten, López Aguilar Juan Fernando, Lövin Isabella, Lucano Mimmo, Luena César, Łukacijewska Elżbieta Katarzyna, Lupo Giuseppe, McAllister David, Madison Jaak, Maestre Cristina, Magyar Péter, Maij Marit, Maląg Marlena, Manda Claudiu, Mandl Lukas, Maniatis Yannis, Mantovani Mario, Maran Pierfrancesco, Marczułajtis-Walczak Jagna, Mariani Thierry, Marino Ignazio Roberto, Marquardt Erik, Martín Frías Jorge, Martins Catarina, Marzà Ibáñez Vicent, Mato Gabriel, Matthieu Sara, Mavrides Costas, Maydell Eva, Mayer Georg, Mazurek Milan, McNamara Michael, Mebarek Nora, Mehnert Alexandra, Meimarakis Vangelis, Meleti Eleonora, Mendes Ana Catarina, Mendia Idoia, Mertens Verena, Mesure Marina, Metsola Roberta, Metz Tilly, Mikser Sven, Milazzo Giuseppe, Millán Mon Francisco José, Minchev Nikola, Mînzatu Roxana, Miranda Paz Ana, Molnár Csaba, Montero Irene, Montserrat Dolors, Morace Carolina, Morano Nadine, Moreira de Sá Tiago, Moreno Sánchez Javier, Moretti Alessandra, Mularczyk Arkadiusz, Mullooly Ciaran, Mureşan Siegfried, Muşoiu Ştefan, Nagyová Jana, Nardella Dario, Navarrete Rojas Fernando, Negrescu Victor, Nemec Matjaž, Nerudová Danuše, Nesci Denis, Neuhoff Hans, Neumann Hannah, Nevado del Campo Elena, Nica Dan, Niebler Angelika, Niedermayer Luděk, Niinistö Ville, Nikolic Aleksandar, Ní Mhurchú Cynthia, Noichl Maria, Nordqvist Rasmus, Novakov Andrey, Nykiel Mirosława, Obajtek Daniel, Ódor Ľudovít, Oetjen Jan-Christoph, Ohisalo Maria, Oliveira João, Olivier Philippe, Omarjee Younous, Ó Ríordáin Aodhán, Orlando Leoluca, Ozdoba Jacek, Paet Urmas, Pajín Leire, Palmisano Valentina, Panayiotou Fidias, Papadakis Kostas, Papandreou Nikos, Pascual De La Parte Nicolás, Patriciello Aldo, Paulus Jutta, Pedro Ana Miguel, Pedulla’ Gaetano, Pellerin-Carlin Thomas, Peltier Guillaume, Penkova Tsvetelina, Pennelle Gilles, Pérez Alvise, Peter-Hansen Kira Marie, Petrov Hristo, Picaro Michele, Picierno Pina, Picula Tonino, Piera Pascale, Pimpie Pierre, Piperea Gheorghe, de la Pisa Carrión Margarita, Pokorná Jermanová Jaroslava, Polato Daniele, Polfjärd Jessica, Popescu Virgil-Daniel, Pozņaks Reinis, Prebilič Vladimir, Princi Giusi, Protas Jacek, Pürner Friedrich, Rackete Carola, Radtke Dennis, Rafowicz Emma, Ratas Jüri, Razza Ruggero, Rechagneux Julie, Regner Evelyn, Repasi René, Repp Sabrina, Ressler Karlo, Reuten Thijs, Ricci Matteo, Ridel Chloé, Riehl Nela, Ripa Manuela, Rodrigues André, Ros Sempere Marcos, Roth Neveďalová Katarína, Rougé André, Ruissen Bert-Jan, Ruotolo Sandro, Rzońca Bogdan, Saeidi Arash, Salini Massimiliano, Salis Ilaria, Salla Aura, Sánchez Amor Nacho, Sanchez Julien, Sancho Murillo Elena, Saramo Jussi, Sardone Silvia, Šarec Marjan, Sargiacomo Eric, Satouri Mounir, Saudargas Paulius, Sbai Majdouline, Sberna Antonella, Schaldemose Christel, Schaller-Baross Ernő, Schenk Oliver, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna, Schieder Andreas, Schilling Lena, Schwab Andreas, Scuderi Benedetta, Seekatz Ralf, Sell Alexander, Serrano Sierra Rosa, Sidl Günther, Sienkiewicz Bartłomiej, Sieper Lukas, Simon Sven, Singer Christine, Sinkevičius Virginijus, Sjöstedt Jonas, Śmiszek Krzysztof, Smit Sander, Sokol Tomislav, Solier Diego, Solís Pérez Susana, Sommen Liesbet, Sonneborn Martin, Sorel Malika, Søvndal Villy, Squarta Marco, Staķis Mārtiņš, Stancanelli Raffaele, Ştefănuță Nicolae, Steger Petra, Stier Davor Ivo, Storm Kristoffer, Stöteler Sebastiaan, Stoyanov Stanislav, Strack-Zimmermann Marie-Agnes, Strada Cecilia, Streit Joachim, Strik Tineke, Strolenberg Anna, Sturdza Şerban-Dimitrie, Stürgkh Anna, Sypniewski Marcin, Szczerba Michał, Szekeres Pál, Szydło Beata, Tamburrano Dario, Tânger Corrêa António, Tarczyński Dominik, Tarquinio Marco, Tarr Zoltán, Târziu Claudiu-Richard, Tavares Carla, Tegethoff Kai, Teodorescu Georgiana, Teodorescu Måwe Alice, Terheş Cristian, Ter Laak Ingeborg, Terras Riho, Tertsch Hermann, Thionnet Pierre-Romain, Timgren Beatrice, Tinagli Irene, Tobback Bruno, Tobé Tomas, Tolassy Rody, Tomac Eugen, Tomašič Zala, Tomc Romana, Tonin Matej, Toom Jana, Topo Raffaele, Torselli Francesco, Tosi Flavio, Toussaint Marie, Toveri Pekka, Tridico Pasquale, Trochu Laurence, Tsiodras Dimitris, Tudose Mihai, Turek Filip, Uhrík Milan, Ušakovs Nils, Vaidere Inese, Valchev Ivaylo, Valet Matthieu, Van Brempt Kathleen, Van Brug Anouk, van den Berg Brigitte, Vandendriessche Tom, Van Dijck Kris, Van Lanschot Reinier, Van Leeuwen Jessika, Vannacci Roberto, Van Overtveldt Johan, Van Sparrentak Kim, Varaut Alexandre, Vasconcelos Ana, Vasile-Voiculescu Vlad, Vautmans Hilde, Vedrenne Marie-Pierre, Ventola Francesco, Verheyen Sabine, Verougstraete Yvan, Veryga Aurelijus, Vešligaj Marko, Vicsek Annamária, Vieira Catarina, Vigenin Kristian, Vilimsky Harald, Vincze Loránt, Virkkunen Henna, Vistisen Anders, Vivaldini Mariateresa, Volgin Petar, von der Schulenburg Michael, Vondra Alexandr, Voss Axel, Vozemberg-Vrionidi Elissavet, Vrecionová Veronika, Vázquez Lázara Adrián, Waitz Thomas, Walsh Maria, Walsmann Marion, Warborn Jörgen, Warnke Jan-Peter, Wąsik Maciej, Wawrykiewicz Michał, Wcisło Marta, Wechsler Andrea, Weimers Charlie, Wiesner Emma, Wiezik Michal, Wilmès Sophie, Winkler Iuliu, Winzig Angelika, Wiseler-Lima Isabel, Wiśniewska Jadwiga, Wolters Lara, Yar Lucia, Yon-Courtin Stéphanie, Yoncheva Elena, Zacharia Maria, Zajączkowska-Hernik Ewa, Zalewska Anna, Žalimas Dainius, Zan Alessandro, Zarzalejos Javier, Zdechovský Tomáš, Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej, Zijlstra Auke, Zīle Roberts, Zingaretti Nicola, Złotowski Kosma, Zoido Álvarez Juan Ignacio, Zovko Željana, Zver Milan Excused: Homs Ginel Alicia |
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Source: EuroStat – European Statistics
European Commission Press release Brussels, 09 Oct 2024 Today, the Commission has adopted the second Work Programme for the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital, which defines the scope and objectives of EU-funded actions to improve Europe’s digital connectivity infrastructures.
Source: European Parliament
on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024 of the European Union for the financial year 2024, entering the surplus of the financial year 2023
(12081/2024 – C10‑0107/2024 – 2024/0089(BUD))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,
– having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012[1], and in particular Article 44 thereof,
– having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, as definitively adopted on 22 November 2023[2],
– having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027[3],
– having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources[4],
– having regard to Council Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/2053 of 14 December 2020 on the system of own resources of the European Union and repealing Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom[5],
– having regard to Draft amending budget No 2/2024, which the Commission adopted on 9 April 2024 (COM(2024)0920),
– having regard to the position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024, which the Council adopted on 13 September 2024 and forwarded to Parliament on 16 September 2024 (12081/2024 – C10‑0107/2024),
– having regard to Rules 96 and 98 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A10-0005/2024),
A. whereas Draft amending budget 2/2024 is designed to enter in the 2024 budget the surplus from the financial year 2023, which amounts to EUR 633 million;
B. whereas the main components of that surplus are a positive outturn on revenue of EUR 238,7 million and an under-spend of EUR 393,9 million;
C. whereas, on the revenue side, the primary drivers for the volume of the surplus are an amount of EUR 1 766 million in financial revenue, default interest and fines, set against customs duties amounting to EUR 1 649 million below the expected figure; whereas the EUR 107 million surplus in administrative revenue is principally attributable to a higher-than-forecast pension contribution rate and the application of an intermediate salary update in January 2023, which increased the level of tax and levies and pension contributions;
D. whereas, on the expenditure side, under-implementation in payments by the Commission totalled EUR 70 million (0,1% of authorised payment appropriations); whereas the other institutions cancelled EUR 48 million in payments, thereby maintaining the low under-implementation rate from the 2022 budget;
E. whereas, with Draft amending budget 2/2024, the annual GNI lump-sum reductions enjoyed by Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria amount to around EUR 5,4 billion net;
F. whereas margins and flexibility in the Union budget remain very tight despite the revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the introduction of the new EURI Instrument to underwrite increased borrowing costs for the European Union Recovery Instrument, which are inherently volatile, causing uncertainty for the budget; whereas, in this challenging context, budgetary needs are increasing;
1. Takes note of Draft amending budget 2/2024 as submitted by the Commission, which is designed to budget the 2023 surplus, for an amount of EUR 633 million, in accordance with Article 18(3) of the Financial Regulation;
2. Welcomes the fact that the 2023 surplus is considerably lower than the 2022 surplus, pointing to improved budgetary forecasting and management by the Commission;
3. Underlines that the surplus reduces the total contribution of Member States to the financing of the 2024 budget at a time when financing needs remain high and space within the Union budget extremely limited; underlines that the budget must retain sufficient flexibility to enable the Union to cope with unforeseen events and new emerging priorities;
4. Recalls its long-standing position that fines and fees should be used as supplementary revenue for the Union budget and should not lead a corresponding decrease in GNI-based contributions;
5. Takes note of the calculation of the adjusted annual GNI lump-sum reductions for the five beneficiary Member States, which amount to around EUR 5,4 billion net; highlights the fact that these rebates are inflation-linked and have therefore increased at a higher rate than the MFF ceilings, which are adjusted annually on the basis of the 2 % deflator; stresses that this anomaly increases the burden on the other Member States;
6. Emphasises the need for sustainable revenue for the Union budget; deplores, therefore, the absence of progress in the Council on the reform of the own resources system in line with the roadmap in the Interinstitutional Agreement; recalls its position in support of the amended Commission proposals and urges the Council to adopt those proposals swiftly in order to increase the own resources available to the Union budget;
7. Approves the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2024;
8. Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 2/2024 has been definitively adopted and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the other institutions and bodies concerned and the national parliaments.
Pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure, the rapporteur declares that he has received input from the following entities or persons in the preparation of the report, prior to the adoption thereof in committee:
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Entity and/or person |
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Council of the European Union |
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European Commission |
The list above is drawn up under the exclusive responsibility of the rapporteur.
Where natural persons are identified in the list by their name, by their function or by both, the rapporteur declares that he has submitted to the concerned natural persons the European Parliament’s Data Protection Notice No 484 (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/data-protect/index.do), which sets out the conditions applicable to the processing of their personal data and the rights linked to that processing.
Source: European Parliament
on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section II – European Council and Council
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022[1],
– having regard to the consolidated annual accounts of the European Union for the financial year 2022 (COM(2023)0391 – C9‑0250/2023)[2],
– having regard to the Council’s annual report to the discharge authority on internal audits carried out in 2022,
– having regard to the Court of Auditors’ annual report on the implementation of the budget concerning the financial year 2022, together with the institutions’ replies[3],
– having regard to the statement of assurance[4] as to the reliability of the accounts and the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions provided by the Court of Auditors for the financial year 2022, pursuant to Article 287 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to its decision of 23 April 2024[5] postponing the discharge decision for the financial year 2022, and the accompanying resolution,
– having regard to Article 314(10) and Articles 317, 318 and 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012[6], and in particular Articles 59, 118, 260, 261 and 262 thereof,
– having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the second report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0003/2024),
1. Refuses to grant the Secretary-General of the Council discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Council and of the Council for the financial year 2022;
2. Sets out its observations in the resolution below;
3. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the resolution forming an integral part of it to the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, and to arrange for their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).
with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section II – European Council and Council
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022, Section II – European Council and Council,
– having regard to Rule 102 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the second report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A10-0003/2024),
A. whereas in the context of the discharge procedure, the discharge authority wishes to stress the particular importance of further strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the Union institutions by improving transparency and accountability, and implementing the concept of performance-based budgeting and good governance of human resources;
B. whereas, under Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Parliament has the sole responsibility of granting discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the Union, and whereas the budget of the European Council and of the Council is a section of the Union budget;
C. whereas, pursuant to Article 15(1) of the Treaty on European Union, the European Council is not to exercise legislative functions;
D. whereas, under Article 317 TFEU, the Commission is to implement the Union budget on its own responsibility, having regard to the principles of sound financial management, and whereas, under the framework in place, the Commission is to confer on the other Union institutions the requisite powers for the implementation of the sections of the budget relating to them;
E. whereas, under Articles 235(4) and 240(2) TFEU, the European Council and the Council (the ‘Council’) are assisted by the General Secretariat of the Council, and whereas the Secretary-General of the Council is wholly responsible for the sound management of the appropriations entered in Section II of the Union budget;
F. whereas, over the course of almost twenty years, Parliament has been implementing the well-established and respected practice of granting discharge to all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, and whereas the Commission supports that the practice of giving discharge to each Union institution, body, office and agency for its administrative expenditure should continue to be pursued;
G. whereas, according to Article 59(1) of the Financial Regulation, the Commission shall confer on the other Union Institutions the requisite powers for the implementation of the sections of the budget relating to them;
H. whereas, since 2009, the Council’s lack of cooperation in the discharge procedure has compelled Parliament to refuse to grant discharge to the Secretary-General of the Council;
I. whereas the European Council and the Council, as Union institutions and as recipients of the general budget of the Union, should be transparent and democratically accountable to the citizens of the Union and subject to democratic scrutiny of the spending of public funds;
J. whereas the recommendation of the European Ombudsman (the ‘Ombudsman’) in strategic inquiry OI/2/2017/TE on the transparency of the Council legislative process indicated that the Council’s practice with regard to transparency in the legislative process constituted maladministration and should be addressed in order to enable citizens to follow the Union legislative process;
K. whereas the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union confirms the right of taxpayers and of the public to be kept informed about the use of public revenue and that the General Court in in its judgment of 25 January 2023 in Case T-163/21[7], De Capitani v Council, stated on transparency within the Union legislative process that documents produced by the Council in its working groups are not of technical nature but legislative and are therefore subject to access to documents requests;
1. Deeply regrets that since 2009, and again for the financial year 2022, Council continues to refuse to cooperate with Parliament on the discharge procedure, preventing Parliament from taking an informed decision based on a serious and thorough scrutiny of the implementation of the Council’s budget and thereby compelling Parliament to refuse discharge;
2. Notes that on 28 September 2023 the relevant Parliament services, on behalf of the rapporteur for the discharge procedure, forwarded a questionnaire to the Secretariat of the Council containing 74 important questions from Parliament in order to enable a thorough scrutiny of the implementation of the Council budget and of the management of the Council; further notes that similar questionnaires were sent to all other institutions, all of which have provided Parliament with thorough answers to all questions;
3. Regrets that, on 12 October 2023, the General Secretariat of the Council informed Parliament once again that it would not be answering Parliament’s questionnaire and that the Council would not be participating in the hearing which was arranged for 25 October 2023 as part of the discharge procedure and in which all other invited institutions participated;
4. Emphasises Parliament’s prerogative to grant discharge pursuant to Article 319 TFEU, as well as the applicable provisions of the Financial Regulation and Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, in line with current interpretation and practice, namely the power to grant discharge in order to maintain transparency and to ensure democratic accountability towards Union taxpayers;
5. Underlines that Article 59(1) of the Financial Regulation states that the Commission shall confer the requisite powers on the other Union Institutions for the implementation of the sections of the budget relating to them and, therefore, finds it incomprehensible that the Council believes it appropriate that discharge should be granted to the Commission for the implementation of the Council budget;
6. Stresses the well-established and respected practice followed by Parliament over the course of almost twenty years of granting discharge to all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies; recalls that the Commission has declared its inability to oversee the implementation of the budgets of the other Union institutions; stresses the reiterated view of the Commission that the practice of giving discharge to each Union institution for their administrative expenditure should continue to be pursued by Parliament;
7. Stresses that the current situation allows the Parliament to check only the reports of the Court and of the Ombudsman as well as the publicly available information on the Council’s website, because the Council continues its malpractice of non-cooperation with the Parliament which makes it impossible for Parliament to carry out its duties properly and make an informed decision on granting discharge;
8. Deplores that the Council, for more than a decade, has shown that it does not have any political willingness to collaborate with Parliament in the context of the annual discharge procedure; underlines that this attitude has had a lasting negative effect on both institutions, has discredited the management and democratic scrutiny of the Union budget and has damaged the trust of citizens in the Union as a transparent entity;
9. Reaffirms its deep frustration regarding the Council’s attitude towards the discharge procedure, which conveys an inappropriate message to Union citizens at a time when greater transparency is essential; underlines that the Council must adhere to the same standards of accountability it expects from other Union institutions;
10. Emphasises that all other Union institutions acknowledge and comprehend the principle that, given the delegation of power concerning budget implementation, Parliament holds both the right and the obligation to scrutinise their budgets and their execution as part of the discharge procedure; in light of this, expresses its strong disapproval that the Council persists in its refusal to cooperate with Parliament in this regard;
11. Recalls that the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union supports the right of taxpayers and the public to be kept informed about the use of public revenues; demands, therefore, full respect for Parliament’s prerogative and role as guarantor of the democratic accountability principle; calls on the Council to duly follow up on the recommendations adopted by Parliament in the context of the discharge procedure;
12. Stresses that a revision of the Treaties could render the discharge procedure clearer and more transparent by giving Parliament the explicit competence to grant discharge to all Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies individually; underlines, however, that pending such a revision, the current situation must be improved through better interinstitutional cooperation within the current framework of the Treaties and urges the Council to actively engage with the Parliament in addressing the current situation;
13. Calls on the Council to resume negotiations with Parliament at the highest level as soon as possible, involving the Secretary-Generals and the Presidents of both institutions, in order to break the deadlock and find a solution while respecting the respective roles of Parliament and the Council in the discharge procedure and ensuring transparency and proper democratic control of budget implementation;
14. Regrets that the Council did not prepare to avoid a Council Presidency led by a Member State subject to an Article 7 procedure, with the consequence that the Council Presidency is being abused by the Hungarian government, and the principle of sincere cooperation violated;
15. Stresses that Parliament’s observations concerning political priorities – included the lack of binding guidelines regarding corporate sponsorships of the rotating Council presidencies -, budgetary and financial management, internal management, performance and internal control, human resources, equality – such as gender imbalance – and staff well-being, ethical framework and transparency, digitalisation, cybersecurity and data protection, buildings, environment and sustainability, interinstitutional cooperation and communication from its discharge resolution of 23 April 2024 are still valid;
16. Reiterates that the use of the unanimity voting procedure in the Council in certain policy areas is paralysing the Union’s decision-making process and therefore making it prone to blackmailing by Member States, especially those who fail to respect the rule of law.
Source: European Parliament
Text proposed by the Commission
Amendment
(5) The Guidelines are consistent with the new EU economic governance framework, which entered into force on 30 April 2024, existing Union legislation and various Union initiatives, including Council Recommendations of 14 June 2021 (5 ), 29 November 2021 (6 ), 5 April 2022 (7 ), 16 June 2022 (8 ), 28 November 2022 (9 ), 8 December 2022 (10 ), 30 January 2023 (11 ), 12 June 2023 (12 ) and 27 November 2023 (13 ), Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402) (14 ), Council Resolution of 26 February 2021(15 ), Commission Communications on building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy (16 ), on the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (17 ), on the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (18 ), on the Disability Employment Package (19 ), on a European Care Strategy (20 ), on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age (21 ), on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union (22 ), on Better assessing the distributional impact of Member States’ policies (23 ),and on labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan (24 ), Decisions (EU) 2021/2316 (25 ) and (EU) 2023/936 (26 ) of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives (EU) 2022/2041 (27 ), (EU) 2022/2381 (28 ) and EU 2023/970 (29 ) of the European Parliament and of the Council, and the Commission proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 December 2021 on improving working conditions in platform work (30 )
(5) The Guidelines contribute to the full implementation of the European Social Pillar, the EU headline targets for 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and are consistent with the existing Union legislation and various Union initiatives, including Council Recommendations of 14 June 2021 (5), 29 November 2021 (6), 5 April 2022 (7), 16 June 2022 (8), 28 November 2022 (9), 8 December 2022 (10), 30 January 2023 (11), 12 June 2023 (12) and 27 November 2023 (13), Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402) (14), Council Resolution of 26 February 2021(15), Commission Communications on building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy (16), on the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (17), on the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (18), on the Disability Employment Package (19), on a European Care Strategy (20), on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age (21), on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union (22), on Better assessing the distributional impact of Member States’ policies (23),and on labour and skills shortages in the EU: an action plan (24), Decisions (EU) 2021/2316 (25) and (EU) 2023/936 (26) of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives (EU) 2022/2041 (27), (EU) 2022/2381 (28), EU 2023/970 (29) and EU 2024/1500(29a) of the European Parliament and of the Council, and the Commission proposals for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 December 2021 on improving working conditions in platform work (30), for a Directive establishing the European Disability Card and European Parking Card for persons with disabilities (30a), for a Directive amending Directive 2009/38/EC as regards the establishment and functioning of European Works Councils (30b), and for a Directive on improving and enforcing working conditions of trainees (30c).
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5 Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021 establishing a European Child Guarantee (OJ L 223, 22.6.2021, p. 14).
5 Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021 establishing a European Child Guarantee (OJ L 223, 22.6.2021, p. 14).
6 Council Recommendation of 29 November 2021 on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education (OJ C 504, 14.12.2021, p. 21).
6 Council Recommendation of 29 November 2021 on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education (OJ C 504, 14.12.2021, p. 21).
7 Council Recommendation of 5 April 2022 on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation (OJ C 160, 13.4.2022, p.1).)
7 Council Recommendation of 5 April 2022 on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation (OJ C 160, 13.4.2022, p.1).)
8 Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 10), Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 26), Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 35) and Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 1).
8 Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 10), Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on individual learning accounts (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 26), Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 35) and Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (OJ C 243, 27.6.2022, p. 1).
9 Council Recommendation of 28 November 2022 on Pathways to School Success and replacing the Council Recommendation of 28 June 2011 on policies to reduce early school leaving (OJ C 469, 9.12.2022, p. 1).
9 Council Recommendation of 28 November 2022 on Pathways to School Success and replacing the Council Recommendation of 28 June 2011 on policies to reduce early school leaving (OJ C 469, 9.12.2022, p. 1).
10 Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on access to affordable high-quality long-term care (OJ C 476, 15.12.2022, p. 1) and Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood education and care: the Barcelona targets for 2030 (OJ C 484, 20.12.2022, p. 1).
10 Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on access to affordable high-quality long-term care (OJ C 476, 15.12.2022, p. 1) and Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood education and care: the Barcelona targets for 2030 (OJ C 484, 20.12.2022, p. 1).
11 Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion (OJ C 41, 3.2.2023, p.1).
11 Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion (OJ C 41, 3.2.2023, p.1).
12 Council Recommendation of 12 June 2023 on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union (OJ C/2023/1389, 6.12.2023).
12 Council Recommendation of 12 June 2023 on strengthening social dialogue in the European Union (OJ C/2023/1389, 6.12.2023).
13 Council recommendation of 27 November 2023 on developing social economy framework conditions (OJ C/2023/1344, 29.11.2023).
13 Council recommendation of 27 November 2023 on developing social economy framework conditions (OJ C/2023/1344, 29.11.2023).
14 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 of 4 March 2021 on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE) (OJ L 80, 8.3.2021, p. 1).
14 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 of 4 March 2021 on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE) (OJ L 80, 8.3.2021, p. 1).
15 Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (OJ C 66, 26.2.2021, p. 1).
15 Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (OJ C 66, 26.2.2021, p. 1).
16 COM(2021) 778 final.
16 COM(2021) 778 final.
17 COM(2020) 624 final.
17 COM(2020) 624 final.
18 COM(2021) 101 final.
18 COM(2021) 101 final.
19 Disability Employment Package to improve labour market outcomes for persons with disabilities – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu)
19 Disability Employment Package to improve labour market outcomes for persons with disabilities – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu)
20 COM(2022) 440 final.
20 COM(2022) 440 final.
21 COM(2023) 62 final.
21 COM(2023) 62 final.
22 COM(2023) 38 and 40 final.
22 COM(2023) 38 and 40 final.
23 COM(2022) 494 final.
23 COM(2022) 494 final.
24 COM(2024) 131 final.
24 COM(2024) 131 final.
25 Decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022) (OJ L 462, 28.12.2021, p. 1).
25 Decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022) (OJ L 462, 28.12.2021, p. 1).
26 Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on a European Year of Skills (OJ L 125, 11.5.2023, p. 1).
26 Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on a European Year of Skills (OJ L 125, 11.5.2023, p. 1).
27 Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union (OJ L 275, 25.10.2022, p. 33).
27 Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union (OJ L 275, 25.10.2022, p. 33).
28 Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2022/2381 of 23 November 2022 on improving the gender balance among directors of listed companies and related measures (OJ L 315, 7.12.2022, p. 44).
28 Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2022/2381 of 23 November 2022 on improving the gender balance among directors of listed companies and related measures (OJ L 315, 7.12.2022, p. 44).
29 Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms (OJ L 132, 17.5.2023, p. 21).
29 Directive (EU) 2023/970 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms (OJ L 132, 17.5.2023, p. 21).
29a Directive (EU) 2024/1500 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on standards for equality bodies in the field of equal treatment and equal opportunities between women and men in matters of employment and occupation, and amending Directives 2006/54/EC and 2010/41/EU (OJ L, 2024/1500, 29.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1500/oj).
30 COM (2021) 762 final
30a COM (2023)0512
30b COM (2024)0014
30c COM (2024)0132
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs detects two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases (with photos)
Hong Kong Customs detects two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases (with photos)
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Hong Kong Customs yesterday and today (October 8 and 9) detected two suspected illicit cigarette distribution cases in Kwai Chung and Wong Tai Sin. A total of about 1.27 million suspected illicit cigarettes, with a total estimated market value of about $5.74 million and a duty potential of about $4.2 million, were seized. In the first case, Customs conducted anti-illicit cigarette operations in the vicinity of Kwai Chung yesterday evening. Customs officers intercepted two lorries on the roadside of Kwai Hei Street. Customs officers found about 1.27 million suspected illicit cigarettes in one of the lorries and arrested two men aged 30 and 46 who were moving the goods. They claimed to be a driver and a logistics worker. After a preliminary investigation, Customs officers further arrested a 31-year-old woman on the spot, who claimed to be unemployed, for further investigation. Customs will continue to trace the source and whereabouts of the illicit cigarettes. The three arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation. In the second case, Customs conducted an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Wong Tai Sin this morning. About 4 500 suspected illicit cigarettes were seized in a store near Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate, and a 44-year-old male person-in-charge of the store was arrested. The arrested man has been charged with “dealing with goods to which the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance applies” and will appear at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on October 23. Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years. Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Ends/Wednesday, October 9, 2024Issued at HKT 18:27
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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, at the HKGFA Annual Forum 2024 “Financing Asia’s Net Zero Transition” today (October 9):
Dr Ma (Chairman and President of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association, Dr Ma Jun), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It’s my pleasure to join you at the seventh annual flagship forum of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association. This year’s theme, “Financing Asia’s Net Zero Transition”, couldn’t be more timely or relevant. Today’s gathering presents an invaluable opportunity to exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions in our collective journey towards achieving net zero emissions.
Hong Kong’s position as a world-class international financial centre is well-established. Our unique advantage as a “super-connector” bridging Mainland China and global markets continues to solidify our status as the world’s premier fund-raising hub. What’s particularly exciting is Hong Kong’s rapid emergence as an international green finance powerhouse.
I have tried to summarise what I see as the “super-connector” role in Hong Kong from the finance perspective, in particular the green finance, in terms of four “Ps”. The first “P” is products. In 2023, the total amount of green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong, encompassing both bonds and loans, surpassed an impressive US$50 billion. Of this, green and sustainable bonds arranged in Hong Kong accounted for approximately US$30 billion – a staggering 37 per cent of all such bonds issued across the entire Asian region. In addition to bonds, I would like to highlight funds. As of June this year, over 230 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds were authorised in Hong Kong, with assets under management exceeding HK$1.3 trillion. This represents a year-on-year increase of 19 per cent in the number of funds and 8 per cent in assets under management – clear indicators of the growing appetite for sustainable investments in our market.
Apart from products, another “P” I would like to highlight in order to grow Hong Kong’s role as a green finance centre is to have the right target and right policies. Hong Kong has set its own ambitious targets. We aim to reduce carbon emissions by half before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Earlier this year, Hong Kong joined cities worldwide in observing Earth Hour, an important annual event that raises awareness about the urgent climate crisis facing our planet. To successfully achieve these decarbonisation goals, green and sustainable finance will play a pivotal role in navigating the challenges posed by our carbon deadlines.
Another policy is on green disclosure. As you may have heard from our Financial Secretary this morning, we are ramping up efforts to consolidate our status as a global financial hub with a strong green focus. In March of this year, we published a vision statement outlining the Government and financial regulators’ approach to developing a comprehensive ecosystem for sustainability disclosure in Hong Kong. Our ambitious goal is to be among the first jurisdictions to align local sustainability disclosure requirements with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards. Later this year, we will actually have a roadmap, indicating how we are going to put that vision into reality.
The third “P” I want to mention is platform. In 2022, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) launched Core Climate, an innovative carbon marketplace. This platform connects capital with climate-related products and opportunities across Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia, and beyond. Notably, Core Climate is the only carbon marketplace offering Hong Kong dollar and Renminbi settlement for trading international voluntary carbon credits.
Just two months ago, the HKEX announced an expansion of Core Climate’s offerings. The platform now includes Gold Standard’s Verified Emission Reductions, complementing the existing Verified Carbon Standard by Verra. This latest development allows a more diverse range of internationally certified climate projects to be available on Hong Kong’s carbon trading platform, reaffirming our commitment to providing investors and corporates with broader opportunities to support impactful climate initiatives.
Our vision extends beyond Hong Kong. We aim to build a dynamic regional carbon marketplace and are actively working to co-operate with our neighbouring cities to develop a flourishing and sustainable carbon market in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). In recent years, the HKEX has initiated several strategic collaborations with our GBA partners. These include signing Memoranda of Understanding with the China Emissions Exchange (Guangzhou) and the China Emissions Exchange Shenzhen to explore carbon opportunities in the GBA and internationally. These partnerships are crucial in facilitating regional interaction and accelerating the development of a robust carbon market ecosystem across Hong Kong and the GBA.
The final “P” comes to people. Two years ago, the Government launched a pilot scheme, basically focusing on the green and sustainable finance capacity building support programme. The scheme is still up and running, and eligible individuals and programme providers are welcome to join. I hope to see you all later, not just at a forum like today’s, but also on other occasions where you give us more advice in terms of how we can make Hong Kong a greener financial hub. Thank you.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Understanding how the state of the art in current science could help further revolutionise solving crime.
Advances in digital forensics using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and better data science have not been matched by those adopted in ‘wet’ forensics. There is a hypothesis that using digital approaches can further techniques used and explored for wet.
The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) was asked to help build a better understanding of what the state of the art is in current science research and how that could impact and drive increased analytic insight on scene samples.
Three initial areas of interest were identified that could enhance sample assessment; these were:
Working with our academic ACE Research Network (ARN), industry and the wider Vivace community, ACE pulled together an internationally curated response demonstrating current and future capabilities against these three challenge areas.
This identified experts in all three topics, which are at the forefront of scientific research. It also identified areas for further research with a qualitative assessment against feasibility, threat, opportunity and affordability for each, which the customer is now considering.
Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)
FEMA is updating the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) which outlines the federal government’s approach for organizing and providing disaster recovery resources and support to disaster impacted communities. The NDRF aims to enhance effective collaboration among federal agencies and state, local, territorial governments, and Tribal Nations, while informing nongovernmental partners. It is also valuable for all disaster recovery practitioners. This webinar provides an overview of the NDRF, highlights the key changes and updates, and explains how the public can submit comment during the 30-day public comment period. The 30-day public comment period is open through Oct. 23, 2024.
Source: United Nations (Video News)
Video message by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for World Post Day.
—
“On this World Post Day, we mark a historic milestone – the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union.
In times of war and peace, crises and upheaval, the international postal network has delivered — connecting communities and upholding the fundamental right to communicate.
The UPU is also one of the earliest examples of multilateralism in action.
Global cooperation helped guarantee a single postal territory worldwide – one that leaves no one behind by delivering messages, goods, and financial services to some of the most remote places on earth.
Looking ahead, the UPU continues to leverage new technologies to provide essential services to humanity.
On this important day, let’s honour and celebrate the work of the Universal Postal Union to bridge distances and unite the world”.
Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)
In the latest episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner, the Archbishop tells Lord McFall of Alcluith about his unlikely path to ordination, the experience of his sometimes very public role, and his work on poverty and reconciliation.
Catch-up on House of Lords business:
Watch live events: https://parliamentlive.tv/Lords
Read the latest news: https://www.parliament.uk/lords/
Stay up to date with the House of Lords on social media:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/UKHouseofLords
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/UKHouseofLords/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofLords
• Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/ukhouseoflords/albums
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-house-of-lords
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@UKHouseOfLords
#HouseOfLords #UKParliament
Source: European Central Bank (video statements)
ECB Conference on Monetary Policy 2024: bridging science and practice
The 7th Conference on Monetary Policy featured once more an impressive academic line-up and was held as a hybrid event. The three conference sessions tackled issues related to monetary policy, inflation and financial instability, credit, liquidity and quantitative tightening as well as the role of financial markets in monetary policy transmission. A special session showcased monetary policy related research by young economists.
Keynote speech
Adriana D. Kugler, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Chair: Isabel Schnabel, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, witnessed the signing of the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services (Amendment Agreement II) by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and Deputy China International Trade Representative of the Ministry of Commerce Ms Li Yongjie today (October 9). “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Central Government for its care and support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). I also thank the Ministry of Commerce and relevant authorities for actively working towards the HKSAR Government’s proposal of further opening up the Mainland market to Hong Kong in trade in services. The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across different service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, making it easier for Hong Kong service suppliers to establish enterprises and develop business on the Mainland, enabling more Hong Kong professionals to obtain qualifications to practise on the Mainland, allowing more of Hong Kong’s quality services to be provided to the Mainland market, and contributing to and serving the country’s development. The HKSAR Government will continue to encourage different sectors of the community to leverage the unique advantages of ‘one country, two systems’ and join hands with their counterparts on the Mainland to promote the competitiveness of the professional services sector, in order to inject new impetus to economic development and achieve high-quality development,” said Mr Lee. The HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Commerce signed the Agreement on Trade in Services (Services Agreement) under the framework of CEPA in November 2015 to basically achieve liberalisation of trade in services between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The two sides signed an agreement in November 2019 to amend the Services Agreement and add new liberalisation measures that have been implemented since June 2020. To further enhance liberalisation and facilitate trade in services in response to the aspirations of the Hong Kong business community for greater participation in the development of the Mainland market, the two sides agreed to make further amendments to the Services Agreement and signed the new agreement today. The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across several service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, such as financial services, construction and related engineering services, testing and certification, telecommunications, motion pictures, television and tourism services. The liberalisation measures take various forms, including removing or relaxing restrictions on equity shareholding and business scope in the establishment of enterprises; relaxing qualification requirements for Hong Kong professionals providing services; and easing restrictions on Hong Kong’s exports of services to the Mainland market. Most of the liberalisation measures apply to the whole Mainland, while some of them are designated for pilot implementation in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Examples are as follows:(1) Construction and related engineering services: To allow Hong Kong general practice surveying enterprises to provide professional services in Guangdong Province through filing of records; and to allow Hong Kong engineering construction consultant enterprises that have completed filing of records to bid for consultancy services projects in joint venture in compliance with the laws in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA;(2) Motion pictures: To remove the restriction on investment in enterprises engaging in film production by Hong Kong service suppliers; and to allow enterprises established by Hong Kong service suppliers and approved by the relevant Mainland authorities to operate distribution of imported buy-out Hong Kong motion pictures;(3) Television: To remove the quantitative restriction on Hong Kong people participating as principal creative personnel in online television dramas; and to allow imported dramas produced in Hong Kong to be broadcast during prime time in television stations on the Mainland after obtaining approval from the National Radio and Television Administration;(4) Tourism services: To optimise the implementation of the 144-hour visa-exemption policy for foreign group tours entering Guangdong from Hong Kong through increasing the number of inbound control points and expanding the stay areas to the whole of Guangdong Province, and to provide facilitation for Mainland travel agents when receiving group tours at West Kowloon Station of the High Speed Rail; and to support cruise companies to arrange international cruise itineraries involving port-of-call in the Mainland cruise ports in accordance with the laws. In respect of Mainland visitors participating in such cruise itineraries, they can travel to Hong Kong in transit to join all sorts of cruise itineraries, by presenting their passports and confirmation documents of the relevant cruise itineraries; and(5) Financial services: To remove the asset requirement of not less than US$2 billion as at the end of the most recent year for Hong Kong financial institutions investing in shares of insurance companies; to remove the restriction prohibiting foreign bank branches established by Hong Kong service suppliers from conducting bank cards services; to consider extending the scope of eligible products under the mutual market access programme by including REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts); to continuously promote and enhance the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect Pilot Scheme and the Mainland-Hong Kong Mutual Recognition of Funds scheme; and to continuously promote the cross listing arrangement of the Mainland and Hong Kong ETF (open-ended index-tracking exchange-traded funds) as well as enhance Southbound Trading and Northbound Trading under Bond Connect. In addition, the Amendment Agreement II brings institutional innovation and collaboration enhancement, including:(1) Addition of “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law” and “allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong” as facilitation measures for Hong Kong investors, supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the pilot municipalities of the GBA to adopt Hong Kong law or Macao law as the applicable law in their contracts; as well as supporting Hong Kong-invested enterprises registered in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the GBA to choose Hong Kong or Macao as the seat of arbitration. The measures provide flexibility and convenience for Hong Kong enterprises, facilitating their investment and business development on the Mainland;(2) Addition of commitments regarding domestic regulation to ensure transparency, predictability and efficiency of regulations on trade in services, so as to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, cutting red tape and lowering trade costs when enterprises supply their services in a market to facilitate trade in services; and(3) Removal of the period requirement on Hong Kong service suppliers to engage in substantive business operations in Hong Kong for three years in most service sectors, allowing Hong Kong start-ups to enjoy the preferential treatment under CEPA in a shorter time and attracting enterprises and talent from around the world to establish a presence in Hong Kong and explore the Mainland market, thus increasing local employment, promoting Hong Kong’s economic development and giving full play to Hong Kong’s roles as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”. The Amendment Agreement II will be implemented on March 1, 2025. Details and the latest information on CEPA are available on the Trade and Industry Department website at http://www.tid.gov.hk/english/cepa/index.html.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following are the remarks by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at a media session after the Signing Ceremony of the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services today (October 9):
Reporter: How would you quantify the impact of this amendment on Hong Kong’s economy, and how should Hong Kongers grasp this opportunity? And secondly, why is film included in this round of amendments? Can you cite examples of how the film industry can benefit from the liberalised measures? Thank you very much.
Financial Secretary: The further liberalisation measures under the CEPA Amendment Agreement will enable Hong Kong firms and professional sectors to go into the Mainland market a lot easier. With the reduced threshold, reduced qualification requirements, and expanded scope of liberalisation, depending on specific sectors, the progress will be different, but I am sure for the professional sectors, people are very keen to expand their foothold into the Mainland by using the Greater Bay Area as the starting point. This will create a very positive impact on Hong Kong. As to the specific examples, in the Amendment Agreement, certain industries will be directly benefitting from it, including the testing and certification sector, telecommunications, films, television, financial services and tourism. We will be communicating with the different sectors and working with the different stakeholders to move as fast as possible to work out the various implementation details, so that businesses and professionals in Hong Kong would find it more convenient to expand into the Mainland market. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Government announced the official naming of Hong Kong’s first Chinese medicine hospital as The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and launched its logo today.
Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said that the hospital’s establishment marks a milestone in the city’s commitment to driving Chinese medicine (CM) development.
He noted that the Government is actively progressing with various preparations for the hospital’s commissioning, aiming to commence services in phases starting from the end of next year.
Prof Lo said as the first CM service-predominant hospital in Hong Kong, it will lead the way for local CM services to go beyond primary healthcare and play a part in secondary and tertiary healthcare, signifying a major breakthrough in Hong Kong’s CM development.
He added that the hospital will also serve as the city’s flagship CM institution, taking on the roles of a pioneer and change-driver to leverage Hong Kong’s traditional advantages in CM through active interaction with various stakeholders in the CM sector and joining forces with the sector to promote CM development in Hong Kong, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the international community as a whole, thereby contributing to the construction of CM Highlands in the GBA and the national CM development.
The hospital logo’s design, characterised by the outline of the hospital building, incorporates the Chinese character “中” among architectural features that depict the building outlines and colours resembling a mountain range.
It also includes a moon gate design common in classical Chinese gardens, symbolising a welcoming passageway for the public into the extensive and profound realm of CM.
The logo’s overall design showcases both traditional Chinese architectural elements and the vibrancy of Chinese culture, highlighting the hospital’s unique position within Hong Kong’s healthcare system.
The hospital will focus on providing pure CM, CM-predominant and integrated Chinese-Western medicine clinical services, covering government-subsidised inpatient and outpatient services.
It will also undertake key missions in training and education, research, collaboration and creating health values, including offering clinical internships to students of the three local universities with Schools of Chinese Medicine and serving as a clinical training platform for CM practitioners.
Moreover, the hospital will collaborate with universities and education institutions in Hong Kong, on the Mainland and overseas on clinical research, proprietary Chinese medicines development and other CM-related research to push forward the research development of CM.
Located at 1 Pak Shing Kok Road in Tseung Kwan O, the hospital adopts a public-private partnership model with its construction fully funded by the Government.
The Government commissioned Baptist University as the contractor through tendering procedures in 2021. The university subsequently incorporated a company limited by guarantee in the same year in accordance with the service deed to act as the operator for managing, operating and maintaining the hospital.
Source: Samsung
New research from Samsung reveals that despite the surging popularity of the NFL, the vast majority (67%) of Brits are still in total confusion over the rules
To help NFL fans understand the basics, Samsung and NFL ex-pro and pundit Jason Bell, have launched a Jargon Buster Playbook, offering easy explainers so fans understand their foul plays from fumbles and snaps from safeties
Despite this, NFL’s popularity is increasing here in the UK, with nearly a quarter (23%) of UK NFL fans considering purchasing a larger TV screen enjoy and enhance the full matchday experience at home and one in five (20%) are already planning on hosting a Superbowl party in February.
LONDON, UK – October 9, 2024 – With the season now in full swing and the London game series underway, the UK has hit peak NFL fever. However, new research by Samsung has revealed that most UK fans are grappling with the basics of the sport, with more than 4.8 million fans pretending to understand the rules.
As the official TV partner of the NFL, Samsung has therefore teamed up with leading NFL pundit and ex-pro Jason Bell, to create the Jargon Buster Playbook – to help fans with a simple, crystal-clear guide to the most common game phrases. Top misunderstood phrases and rules included ‘Post Up’ (25%), the ‘downs system’ (23%) and what the difference is between the AFC and NFC divisions (24%). Others were even lost on some of the most common terms, with 18% not understanding what a quarterback was. Despite this, two thirds of fans (67%) are happily following each game permanently on the blindside.
The research found that a third (32%) of the UK – more than 17 million – are going to be glued to this year’s hotly anticipated season, with the Kansas City Chiefs setting their sights firmly on the unprecedented accolade of three Super Bowl wins in a row.
Some viewers are getting creative to appear ‘in-the-know’, despite not grasping the rules. Among them, 10% admit to frantically looking up terms on their phones during games, while another 9% simply mimic the cheers around them during crucial plays—anything to fake it til they make it.
The research also found that the NFL isn’t alone in leaving fans puzzled. Brits are just as baffled by the rules of sports closer to home, with Rugby (18%), Cricket (15%), and Tennis (12%) topping the list of games they watch without really understanding what’s going on.
Despite the confusion, Brits are still embracing the NFL with open arms. 20% are already planning a Superbowl party this season and equally one in five will host a social event at home centred around an in-season game. A further 9% have even upgraded their TV to a larger screen to immerse themselves in the action, with a further 23% considering doing so in the coming months. Nearly a quarter (23%) are also considering upgrading to either 4K or 8K, so they watch tackle and touchdown with perfect clarity.
Jason Bell comments: “With this season set to be one of the most dramatic yet, it’s the perfect time to dive into one of the world’s most thrilling sports in the world. As exhilarating as it is, I know how confusing the terminology can be if you’re new to it, making our new Jargon Buster Playbook the perfect tool to break down the basics of the game so everyone can enjoy it.
“With just the three games taking place live in the UK, most UK fans will need a home setup that delivers a front-row experience to the drama. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a long-time fan, this guide, paired with the perfect TV at home, will help you feel at the heart of the action all season long.”
Zeena Hill, Director of Marketing for TV/AV at Samsung Electronics in the UK and Ireland, said: “With the NFL’s popularity booming across the UK, fans across the nation are searching for the ultimate TV and audio upgrade to elevate their viewing experience at home. Our research uncovered an interesting paradox between the increasing appeal of the game and understanding it.
“So we are working with NFL guru Jason Bell to create this basic jargon buster playbook. This combined with the unique clarity and quality of our TVs means fans can now not only watch every detail for the ultimate immersive experience but also can now relax knowing they understand exactly what’s happening!”
Samsung is the official TV partner of the NFL this season, with the partnership extending across the whole season, culminating at this year’s Super Bowl on February 9, 2025. Samsung’s latest 4K and 8K TVs offer unique AI-enabled features – such as AI Motion Enhancer Pro which sharpens and smooths out object motion to follow every element of the game with consistent clarity – delivering the ultimate at-home viewing experience to watch the thrilling detail of every kick, play, sack and touchdown of one of the biggest sports in the world.
To help fans embrace the action head-on this season, Samsung has also teamed up with DAZN to offer a one-week NFL Game Pass subscription included with the purchase of any Samsung TV. Providing fans with additional access to live NFL games and exclusive content, this further solidifies Samsung’s commitment to delivering top-tier sports entertainment to its customers.
Samsung and Jason Bell’s NFL Jargon Buster Playbook
NFL term
% of brits who do not understand the term
Jason’s Jargon Buster
Fourth down
23%
The final of four attempts a team must advance the ball 10 yards; failure results in the other team gaining possession.
Safety
19%
A scoring play where the offensive team is tackled in their own end zone, awarding 2 points to the defending team.
Fumble
21%
When a player loses possession of the ball during a play, and either team can recover it.
Snap
23%
The action of the center passing the ball back to the quarterback to start a play.
Quarterback
19%
The player who leads the offense, calling plays, passing, or handing off the ball to advance downfield.
Neutral zone
23%
The space between the offensive and defensive lines at the line of scrimmage, where no player can be at the start of a play.
Penalties
19%
Violations of rules resulting in lost yardage or other disadvantages for the offending team.
Scoring / points system
21%
Touchdowns (6 points), extra points (1 or 2 points), field goals (3 points), and safeties (2 points).
League structure
23%
The NFL is divided into two conferences (AFC and NFC), each with four divisions of four teams; teams compete to reach the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl.
Player positions / team structure
22%
Teams are composed of offense, defence, and special teams, each with specialized positions like quarterback, line-backer, and kicker.
Special teams
22%
Units that handle kicking plays, including punts, kick offs, and field goals.
Foul play
20%
Actions that violate the rules and may cause injury or unfair advantages, resulting in penalties.
The difference between the AFC and NFC divisions
24%
The NFL is split into the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC), with teams from each competing within their conference to reach the Super Bowl.
Post up
25%
A term generally used in basketball, but in the NFL, it can refer to a player positioning themselves to shield a defender and await a pass.
The downs system
24%
Teams have four attempts (downs) to advance the ball at least 10 yards; if successful, they earn a new set of downs, otherwise, possession goes to the other team.
Source: Thales Group
Headline: Adani Airport Holdings Limited and Thales Forge Strategic Partnership to Improve Airport Operations and Passenger Experience in India
Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), the largest private airport operator in India, and Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies, today announced a strategic partnership to revolutionise AAHL’s international airport operations and passenger experience across the country. Under this partnership, Thales has already deployed the Fly to Gate solution at seven of AAHL-managed airports2in India, streamlining and enhancing the journey for millions of travellers since early 2024. Extending this collaboration, AAHL has now awarded Thales an additional contract to deploy at all its airports, the innovative Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC) to optimise overall airport management and enhance passenger experience securely.
The seven airports operated by AAHL are currently equipped with DigiYatra powered by Thales’ Fly to Gate solution built on the responsible use of advanced facial recognition technology as a secure passenger ID proof. The pre-enrolled passengers can then benefit from a smooth and trusted way to speed up their journey, eliminating the need to show an ID document and the boarding pass at each check point (from check-in to boarding). Reducing passengers processing time up to 30% at these airports, this seamless integration of responsible biometric solutions (cf Thales TrUE Biometrics) aligns with the Indian government’s vision of a digital India.
In addition, Thales has been awarded to work on the design, integration, and implementation of an end-to-end APOC solution for all AAHL-managed airports. This cloud-based ‘Smart Digital Platform’ will centrally host all the necessary applications to improve overall airport management, security, and passenger experience. The innovative APOC platform collects operational data from integrated airports sub-systems and sensors, while complying with standards of privacy. This data is then intelligently processed using automation, big data analytics, and robust artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The solution which will be deployed soon, will anticipate, and reduce unplanned resource shortages, hence increasing predictability and global efficiency.
“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Adani Airport Holdings Limited to bring innovative technology solutions to revolutionise airport operations and the passenger experience in India. Our Fly to Gate biometric solution for DigiYatra and the smart Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC) will enable AAHL to streamline operations and also ensure a secure and simplified journey for millions of passengers. Together, we are committed to support India in its vision of becoming the largest aviation market in the world by 2047,” said Mr. Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director for India, Thales.
1DigiYatra is a Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India led initiative to make air traveller’s/ passenger’s journey seamless, hassle-free and Health-Risk-Free. The DigiYatra process uses the single token of face biometrics to digitally validate the Identity, Travel, Health or any other data that is needed for the purpose of enabling air travel.
2Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram.
Source: US State of Hawaii
Posted on Oct 8, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
DAWN CHANG
CHAIRPERSON
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 8, 2024
DEMOLITION OF ICONIC UNCLE BILLY’S HILO BAY HOTEL UNDERWAY
(HILO, HAWAI‘I) – Demolition of the condemned and dilapidated Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel is underway, after a bit of an inauspicious beginning.
As heavy equipment and their operators patiently stood by Monday morning for the start of what’s called “hard” demolition of what remains of the building, construction managers tried for more than an hour to find the owner of a car parked in a coned and taped-off section of an adjoining hotel. The concern was that once an excavator began knocking the first of two concrete structures down, debris could fall onto the vehicle. Eventually the car’s owner came out and moved it.
Then, about 15 minutes into the demolition of the first hotel wing, the excavator sprung a hydraulic leak, shutting the demo down for another period. Barring further stoppages, it’s expected both wings will be brought to the ground within the next month.
The hard demolition is nearing the final chapter of the saga of the once celebrated hotel and resort, originally built in the mid-1960s. In 2017, Hawai‘i County condemned the structure, citing public safety and health concerns. Since then, numerous arson fires and law enforcement sweeps of squatters added to the dilapidated specter of the hotel sandwiched between two of Hilo’s best-known hotels.
The DLNR Land Division made numerous attempts to award a lease for renovation or demolition of Uncle Billy’s, but the state and private developers never came to terms.
Last year, Governor Josh Green, M.D., issued an Emergency Proclamation which allowed Phase 1 of the demolition project to begin. Phase 2 will address removal of the paved sections of the property and any contaminated soil.
DLNR Chair Dawn Chang visited the construction site late last week with county and state elected officials. “I’d like to acknowledge the progress from a year ago, in addressing a public health and safety hazard, complaints, unauthorized occupants and significant community frustration. This could not have happened without the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation and the collaboration of the state and Hawai‘i County. Isemoto Contracting has stayed on schedule and within the state’s budget,” Chang said.
The ultimate use of the four-acre parcel has not been determined, but like many others, Nathan Kurohara, who is leading the demolition project for Isemoto Contracting, would like to see it developed into a public place for people to come and enjoy. “I hope they don’t make it a parking lot,” he said.
The wooden lobby and restaurant structure were demolished several weeks ago and due to an agreement with the county, any wood or concrete debris must be cut into pieces smaller than one foot for disposal at the county landfill. In addition, as much of the concrete waste as possible will be diverted away from the landfill to be crushed and recycled. Combined, these measures significantly reduce the amount of landfill space needed for this project.
The arm of the excavator looks like something out of a “Terminator” movie. Piece by piece and section by section it grabs concrete and steel in its teeth and rips it away. Water hoses are trained on the excavator to help keep the dust down.
On Monday, plastic still covered one wing of the hotel, as demo crews waited for final air clearance that asbestos had been successfully removed from the building.
Chang noted the patience of the community and added the demolition of the historic once iconic Uncle Billy’s is leading toward a future of great potential — to be determined.
# # #
RESOURCES
(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)
HD video – Uncle Billy’s hard demolition (Oct. 7, 2024):
[embedded content]
Photographs – Uncle Billy’s hard demolition (Oct. 7, 2024):
Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Communications Director
808-587-0396
[email protected]
Source: USAID
The United States government is responding to the Marburg outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda, providing disease response and preparedness support. Marburg is a rare, severe, viral hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, which is spread by contact with blood or body fluids of a person infected with or who has died from the disease. There are currently no confirmed cases outside of Rwanda.
Days after the outbreak was first announced by the Republic of Rwanda’s Ministry of Health on September 27, 2024, USAID activated a dedicated Marburg Outbreak Response Team to coordinate response efforts. Since the response team activation, USAID has provided an initial $1.35 million in pre-positioned outbreak response funding to address urgent gaps related to disease surveillance, contact tracing, case management, risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control, diagnostics, operations and logistics, safe and dignified burials, and point of entry screening. USAID also provided critical commodities to Rwanda from its outbreak response stockpile, including Marburg diagnostics and accessories to perform 288 tests, 2,500 sample collection media to collect and transport samples, and 500 units of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers.
USAID is coordinating with the Government of Rwanda, international partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and local partners to help contain the outbreak, while also supporting neighboring countries with preparedness activities. We must also continue to build preparedness between crises, which is why the United States has supported global health security work for more than two decades to help build capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats across the world
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to partnering with national, regional, and global stakeholders to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies globally while protecting Americans at home and abroad. The United States is implementing additional precautions for a small, select number of travelers that arrive from Rwanda to certain U.S. airports for entry screening and follow up measures. These measures will advance ongoing efforts to protect public health and reassure the traveling public that the risk of Marburg Virus Disease spreading by air travel is minimized.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2
strong>ATLANTA – FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are in Eastern Tennessee neighborhoods helping people apply for FEMA assistance after Tropical Storm Helene.
Disaster Survivor Assistance teams wear FEMA clothing and have federal photo identification badges. The teams go door-to-door in impacted neighborhoods to help people apply for federal disaster assistance, check the status of an application, identify potential needs and make connections with organizations that can provide resources. Team members never ask for, or accept, money.
Homeowners and renters in these counties may apply if you had damage from the storm: Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington.
Here’s how to apply: Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App, or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to midnight EDT seven days a week, and specialists speak many languages. If you use a relay service such as Video Relay Service, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service. For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance, go to FEMA Accessible: Applying for Individual Assistance – YouTube.
For the latest information about Tennessee’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4832. Follow FEMA on X at x.com/femaregion4 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fema.
Source: Government of India
Posted On: 09 OCT 2024 4:20PM by PIB Delhi
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 2,280 km roads in border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab at an investment of Rs 4,406 crore emphasizing development of infrastructure in border areas.
The project is a result of a change in mindset that has accorded a special focus on development of border areas with facilities similar to other parts of the country.
This decision will have a major impact on the road and telecom connectivity, and facilities of water supply, health and education. It will also enhance rural livelihood, ease travel, and ensure connectivity of these areas with rest of the highway network.
***
MJPS/SS/SKS
(Release ID: 2063493) Visitor Counter : 127
Source: Peoples Bank of China
Announcement on Open Market Operations No.198 [2024]
(Open Market Operations Office, October 9, 2024)
In order to keep liquidity adequate at a reasonable level in the banking system, the People’s Bank of China conducted reverse repo operations in the amount of RMB61 billion through quantity bidding at a fixed interest rate on October 9, 2024.
Details of the Reverse Repo Operations
|
Maturity |
Volume |
Rate |
|
7 days |
RMB61 billion |
1.50% |
Date of last update Nov. 29 2018
2024年10月09日
Source: Scotland – City of Perth
The development, made possible through a £375,000 award from the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF), aims to improve the experience of visitors to the Grandtully Station Park and the surrounding area.
It aims to support sustainable tourism while minimising its impact on local communities, in line with Perth and Kinross Council’s Tourism Action Plan.
The new facilities represent a collaborative effort between Perth and Kinross Council, Paddle Scotland (formerly the Scottish Canoe Association) and 12 other funding partners.
The project aims to address the growing pressure on local infrastructure due to increasing visitor numbers in rural Scotland.
The opening marks the completion of Phase 2, while Phase 3 has received additional funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for an education centre focused on water safety and outdoor skills training.
This £1.3 million project has been driven by extensive consultation with the local community, which identified key issues such as car parking shortages and a lack of visitor facilities.
Key features of the new facilities include:
Carol Anderson, General Manager of Grandtully Station Park, and Roger Holmes, Development Manager of the project, have worked closely with stakeholders to ensure the facilities support local needs.
Councillor Jack Welch, Depute Convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said: “The launch of the new Grandtully Visitor Management Facilities is a fantastic step forward for sustainable tourism in our region.
“By enhancing accessibility and improving infrastructure, this development ensures that both visitors and the local community benefit.
“The collaborative effort behind this project, supported by the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, reflects our commitment to balancing tourism growth with community needs. It’s a great example of how we can manage increased visitor numbers while protecting and preserving the character of rural areas like Grandtully.”
Stephen Leckie, Chair of VisitScotland, said: “It’s a pleasure to support the official opening of these new facilities at Grandtully.
“VisitScotland is focused on the responsible growth of tourism and events. To be a sustainable tourism destination, we need to ensure the right facilities are in place to cater for the ever-changing expectations of both visitors and residents. Community engagement is a key part of delivering our goal and the project at Grandtully is a fantastic example of how working together to improve the infrastructure can help both visitors and residents alike.
“The new facilities will help alleviate pressure on parking, improve accessibility, and encourage visitors to get out and about and explore the area on bike or foot. All improvements that will help support responsible tourism and the long-term sustainability of the Perthshire destination.”
Stuart Smith, chief executive of Paddle Scotland, emphasised the project’s focus on providing Paddlesport opportunities for all, in addition to contributing to the overall visitor experience.