Oireachtas Digest on Europe Week 27 : 5 - 11 July 2021 | Ref: 26 -21

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Spotlight

Last Week

European Parliament:

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted on Tuesday, its position on reinforcing the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The report is scheduled to be voted on by Plenary in September. MEPs propose that, alongside communicable diseases, the ECDC’s mandate should also cover major non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, diabetes and mental illness.

Artificial Intelligence. In a draft report adopted by LIBE Committee, MEPs highlight the need for democratic guarantees and accountability for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in law enforcement.

Rule of Law / Budget Conditionality. In a resolution adopted by the Budget and Budgetary Control committees on Thursday, MEPs regret that the Commission has decided to abide by the non-binding December 2020 European Council conclusions and delay application of the budget conditionality regulation.

European Commission:

Data Protection. On Monday the Commission adopted two adequacy decisions for the United Kingdom - one under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the other for the Law Enforcement Directive.

New e-commerce rules. New Value-Added Tax (VAT) rules for online shopping entered into force on 1st July as part of efforts to ensure a more level playing field for all businesses, to simplify cross-border e-commerce and to introduce greater transparency for EU shoppers when it comes to pricing and consumer choice.

New Pact on Migration and Asylum: On Tuesday, the Commission welcomed the agreement that the European Parliament and the Council have found to transform the European Asylum Support Office into a European Union Agency of Asylum. It is a key initiative under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Next Generation EU. This week the Commission disbursed €800 million in payments under NextGenerationEU, the temporary instrument to finance Europe's recovery and foster a greener, more digital and resilient economy after the pandemic.

Coordinated measures for the safe reopening of the cultural and creative sectors. The Commission published EU guidelines to ensure the safe resumption of activities in the cultural and creative sectors across the EU. At a time when the epidemiological situation is improving and vaccination campaigns are speeding up, Member States are gradually reopening cultural venues and activities. The guidelines aim to provide a coordinated approach in line with the specific national, regional and local conditions. They are expected to guide the design and implementation of measures and protocols in EU countries to cover both the safe reopening as well as the sustainable recovery in the cultural and creative sectors.

European Citizens' Initiatives: The Commission has decided to register two European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘European EcoScore' and ‘Save cruelty-free cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing'. The Commission considers that the two initiatives are legally admissible, as they met the necessary conditions.

EU-UK relations: On Wednesday, the Commission put forward a package of measures to address some of the most pressing issues related to the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

EU-Republic of Korea trade. The ten-year anniversary of the EU-Republic of Korea Trade Agreement is marked with a positive growth in bilateral trade of more than 50%, reaching over €110 billion. Trade in goods grew by 46% from 2010 to 2020, almost twice as fast as EU trade with countries that do not have a trade agreement with the EU.

EU Digital COVID Certificate. The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into application on

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Spotlight

Thursday 1st July. This means that EU citizens and residents will now be able to have their Digital COVID Certificates issued and verified across the EU. Twenty one Member States as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein had already started to issue certificates ahead of Thursday’s deadline, and five EU countries are started on Thursday.

Next Generation EU, Recovery and Resilience Plans.: The European Commission adopted a positive assessment of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan,

European Council and Council of the European Union:

Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 28-29 June 2021. The most important item on the agenda for this month's Council meeting was the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The Portuguese Presidency asked the ministerial round to accept the provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament during the interinstitutional negotiations on Thursday and Friday.

European Court of Auditors.

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) published special report 15/2021 “Air passenger rights during the COVID-19 pandemic – Key rights not protected despite Commission efforts”

Coming Week:

European Parliament: Plenary in Strasbourg.

Commission: College Meeting on Tuesday

European Council and Council of the European Union: No scheduled meetings

European Parliament

Plenary Session Strasbourg – Coming Week Highlights

WEEK 27

President’s Diary. EP President David Sassoli will give a speech at the event to commemorate the liberation of Campo Fossoli, on Sunday.

Debate with Janez Janša. On Tuesday morning, MEPs will discuss with Prime Minister Janez Janša the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council for the second half of 2021. Slovenia is expected to focus on the timely implementation of the Next Generation EU stimulus package, on facilitating the adoption of national recovery plans, the Conference on the Future of Europe and on promoting the Rule of Law. EP President Sassoli, Prime Minister Janša and Commission President von der Leyen will hold a

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joint press conference after the debate at 12.15.

Infrastructure projects connecting EU regions. Parliament is set to adopt the upgraded Connecting Europe Facility programme worth €30 billion from 2021 to 2027, which will fund transport, energy and digital projects and ensure that essential Trans-European projects are finished on schedule by 2030. (debate and vote Tuesday, result Wednesday).

Preventing sexual exploitation of children online. MEPs will debate and vote on a temporary regulation that allows the providers of web-based email, chats and messaging services to voluntarily detect, remove and report child sexual abuse online as well as to use scanning technologies to detect cyber grooming. (debate Monday, vote and result Tuesday).

EU summit. MEPs will assess the outcome of the 24-25 June European Council, in a debate on Wednesday morning with European Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

European Medicines Agency. Parliament will debate and adopt its position for talks with Council on a stronger role for the European Medicines Agency and extending its mandate to prepare for crises and manage medicinal products and medical devices, following lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. (debateWednesday, vote and result Thursday).

Rule of law. MEPs will comment on guidelines currently being developed by the Commission on how to apply the EU Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism, designed to protect EU funds from being misused by EU governments. (debate Tuesday, vote Wednesday, result Thursday)

Rights of LGBTIQ citizens in Hungary. MEPs will comment on potential breaches of EU law and of the rights of LGBTIQ citizens in Hungary and are set to ask what action is envisaged to protect the rights of children and LGBTIQ persons. They will also quiz Council and Commission about the two hearings held by the Council on the rule of law in Hungary and Poland on 22 June. (debates Wednesday, resolution on Hungary voted on Thursday).

Link to plenary schedule here Link to daily Agenda here

European Commission

Coming Week Highlights

College Meeting on Tuesday

On Thursday, President Ursula von der Leyen visits Cyprus and Croatia in relation to the recovery and resilience facility/NextGeneration EU and the national Recovery and Resilience Plan.

European Council – Council of the European Union

Coming Meetings

No scheduled meetings

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Slovenian Presidency of Council of the European Union Programme for Inter-Parliamentary Events

Activities organised by the the Slovenian Parliament and the European Parliament

Date Meeting EP Committee

Location

19 July Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) – Meeting of the Chairpersons

Video conference

8 – 9

September

Inter-parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (IPC CFSP/CSDP)

AFET Ljubljana/Brussels

tbc

28

September

Inter-parliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the European Union (SECG)

BUDG

EMPL

ECON

ENVI

Remote / Ljubljana

25 –26

October

Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol LIBE EP Brussels / Remote

Date tbc

(tentative:

November)

High-Level Conference on Migration and Asylum in Europe.

EP/Brussels

October

(possibly week 41 or

43)

Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on Artificial Intelligence policies and strategies at EU and national level

AIDA Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

9 Nov Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the expectations of national Parliaments for the Conference on the Future of Europe

AFCO Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

18 Nov Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the CAP reform AGRI Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

30 Nov Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on violence against women

FEMM Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

TBC 2nd Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on Evaluation of Eurojust’s activities

LIBE Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

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TBC Antiparliamentary Committee meeting on Rule of Law LIBE Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

TBC Interparliamentary Committee meeting on actualities of the EU Foreign Policy

AFET Remote meeting/

EP Brussels

28 – 30

November

LXVI Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (LXVI COSAC)

Ljubljana

tbc

Date tbc

(tentative:

November)

Inter-parliamentary Committee meeting on the Evaluation of Eurojust’s activities

EP/Brussels

2022

30 – 31

January

tbc

Meeting of the Secretaries-General of the European Union Parliaments (EUSG)

Ljubljana/National Assembly

2022

4 - 5 April

tbc

Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments (EUSC)

Ljubljana

Format: physical meetings or VC (video conference) – a decision will be taken approximately three months in advance

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Highlights of Week 26. 28 June to 4 July 2021

European Parliament Plenary and Committee

Highlights Week 26. 28 June to 4 July 2021

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ENVI.

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted on Tuesday, with 67 votes in favour, 8 against and 1 abstention, its position on reinforcing the mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The report is scheduled to be voted on by Plenary in September.

MEPs propose that, alongside communicable diseases, the ECDC’s mandate should also cover major non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer, diabetes and mental illness. The Centre should be tasked with assessing the impact infectious diseases have on health systems in general and the effect of these comorbidities, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to support the work of the Centre, EU countries should develop national preparedness and response plans, and provide timely, comparable and high quality data on the surveillance of communicable diseases, according to MEPs. In addition, the Centre and national authorities should agree on common timelines, case definitions, indicators, standards, protocols and procedures.

Link to EP report here

Artificial Intelligence in policing: safeguards needed against mass surveillance

LIBE

In a draft report adopted with 36 votes to 24, and 6 abstentions, MEPs highlight the need for democratic guarantees and accountability for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in law enforcement.

MEPs are concerned that the use of AI systems in policing could potentially lead to mass surveillance, breaching key EU principles of proportionality and necessity. The committee warns that otherwise legal AI applications could be re-purposed for mass surveillance.

The draft resolution highlights the potential for bias and discrimination in the algorithms on which AI and machine-learning systems are based. As a system’s results depend on its inputs (such as training data), it is important to take algorithm bias into account. Currently, AI-based identification systems are inaccurate and can wrongly identify minority ethnic groups, LGBTI people, seniors and women, among other groups. In addition, AI-powered predictions can amplify existing discrimination, a concern in the context of law enforcement and the judiciary.

Link to EP report here

Rule of Law / Budget Conditionality.

In a resolution adopted by the Budget and Budgetary Control committees on Thursday with 53 votes 11 against and 2 abstentions, MEPs regret that the Commission has decided to abide by the non-binding December 2020 European Council conclusions and delay application of the budget conditionality regulation.

They stress that the guidelines cannot alter, expand or restrict the scope of the budget conditionality regulation and that, in order to add any value, they must clarify how the legislative provisions will be applied in practice, outlining the procedure, definitions and methodology.

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They also call on the Commission to set out a “clear, precise and user-friendly system” for submitting complaints under the regulation.

Link to EP report here

European Commission

Highlights Week 26. 28 June to 4 July 2021

Data protection: Commission adopts adequacy decisions for the UK

On Monday the Commission adopted two adequacy decisions for the United Kingdom - one under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the other for the Law Enforcement Directive. Personal data can now flow freely from the European Union to the United Kingdom where it benefits from an essentially equivalent level of protection to that guaranteed under EU law. The adequacy decisions also facilitate the correct implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which foresees the exchange of personal information, for example for cooperation on judicial matters. Both adequacy decisions include strong safeguards in case of future divergence such as a ‘sunset clause', which limits the duration of adequacy to four years.

Link to Commission statement here

VAT: New e-commerce rules

New Value-Added Tax (VAT) rules for online shopping entered into force on 1st July as part of efforts to ensure a more level playing field for all businesses, to simplify cross-border e-commerce and to introduce greater transparency for EU shoppers when it comes to pricing and consumer choice.

The EU's VAT system was last updated in 1993 and has not kept pace with the rise in cross-border e-commerce that has transformed the retail sector in recent years. The Coronavirus pandemic has also further accelerated the boom in online retail, and again underlined the need for reform to ensure that the VAT due on online sales gets paid to the country of the consumer. The new rules also respond to the need to simplify life for shoppers and traders alike.

The new rules come into force on Thursday and will affect online sellers and marketplaces/platforms both inside and outside the EU, postal operators and couriers, customs and tax administrations, as well as consumers.

Link to Commission statement here

NextGenerationEU: Commission carries out €800 million of first payments to foster

crisis repair and resilience

The Commission has disbursed €800 million in payments under NextGenerationEU, the temporary instrument to finance Europe's recovery and foster a greener, more digital and resilient economy after the pandemic.

The payments are going to 41 national and regional programmes in 16 Member States (France, Greece, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Estonia Austria, Denmark, Finland, Bulgaria,

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Sweden, Portugal and Croatia) from the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe initiative (REACT-EU), the initiative which helps Member States finance crisis response and recovery measures following the coronavirus pandemic. The funds under the REACT-EU constitute additional resources for existing Cohesion policy programmes.

The measures under REACT-EU will bridge the gap between the emergency response and long-term investments by strengthening the resilience of healthcare systems, preserving and creating employment, in particular for young people, supporting the most vulnerable in our society, and providing working capital and investment support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Link to Commission statement here

New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Agreement reached on the new European

Union Agency for Asylum

On Tuesday, the Commission welcomed the agreement that the European Parliament and the Council have found to transform the European Asylum Support Office into a European Union Agency of Asylum. It is a key initiative under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The new agency will help make asylum procedures in Member States of higher quality, more uniform and faster. Its new reserve of 500 experts will also provide more effective support to national asylum systems facing a high caseload, making the overall EU migration management system more efficient and sustainable.

Next steps.The agreement reached on Tuesday needs to be formally endorsed by the European Parliament and the Council. As soon as the new regulation has entered into force (20 days after publication in the Official Journal), the European Asylum Support Office will become the EU Agency for Asylum and will be able to act based on its new mandate.

Link to statement here

Commission proposes coordinated measures for the safe reopening of the cultural

and creative sectors

The Commission published EU guidelines to ensure the safe resumption of activities in the cultural and creative sectors across the EU. At a time when the epidemiological situation is improving and vaccination campaigns are speeding up, Member States are gradually reopening cultural venues and activities. Today's guidelines aim to provide a coordinated approach in line with the specific national, regional and local conditions. They are expected to guide the design and implementation of measures and protocols in EU countries to cover both the safe reopening as well as the sustainable recovery in the cultural and creative sectors.

The EU guidelines are based on the expertise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and exchanges with the Health Security Committee. They take into account the different epidemiological situations in the Member States and their evolution. They provide the indicators and criteria (such as the viral circulation, the vaccination coverage, the use of protective measures, the use of tests and contact tracing), to be taken into account when planning the resumption of certain activities.

More specifically, the guidelines recommend the following measures and protocols:

The lifting of all restrictions should be strategic and gradual, with a restricted number of participants at the beginning to assess the epidemiological situation;

Cultural establishments should have a preparedness plan detailing protocols of actions when COVID-19 cases are detected;

Targeted information and/or ad-hoc training should be made available for all staff in cultural

establishments to minimise risks of infection;

Vaccination of persons working in cultural settings should be promoted to ensure their and the

public's protection;

Participants can be asked proof of negative COVID-19 test and/or vaccination and/or COVID-19

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diagnosis in order to be admitted to the venue. Depending on the local circulation of variants, this requirement can be extended to fully vaccinated individuals;

Establishments should ensure that the contact details of the audiences are available in case they are needed for contact tracing;

The establishment should put in place targeted protective measures: maintaining social distancing whenever possible, clean and accessible hand-washing facilities, appropriate ventilation, and frequent cleaning of surfaces. The use of facemasks by attendees is an important complementary measure.

Link to Commission statement here

European Citizens' Initiatives:

The Commission has decided to register two European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘European EcoScore' and ‘Save cruelty-free cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing'. The Commission considers that the two initiatives are legally admissible, as they met the necessary conditions. The Commission has not analysed the substance of the initiatives at this stage.

European EcoScore'

The organisers of the ‘European EcoScore' initiative call on the Commission to propose ‘a reliable European EcoScore' – a mandatory label providing consumers with information about the environmental impact of products manufactured or sold on the EU market. The label would be based on a standardised calculation, starting with food and clothing but ultimately aiming to cover all types of products.

‘Save cruelty-free cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing'

The organisers of the ‘Save cruelty-free cosmetics - Commit to a Europe without animal testing' initiative call on the Commission to propose legislation, which would strengthen and broaden the existing EU bans on animal testing for cosmetics and the marketing of ingredients tested on animals. The legislation would also set out a roadmap to phase out all animal testing before the end of the Commission's current mandate.

Next Steps

Following the registration of the two ECIs, the organisers can start the process of collecting signatures. If an ECI receives 1 million statements of support within 1 year from at least 7 different Member States, the Commission will have to react. The Commission could decide either to follow the request or not, and in both instances would be required to explain its reasoning.

Link to Commission statement here

EU-UK relations:

On Wednesday, The Commission put forward a package of measures to address some of the most pressing issues related to the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The European Commission has taken note of the UK's request, via separate unilateral statements, to extend a grace period for the movement of chilled meats from Great Britain to Northern Ireland until 30 September 2021.

The Commission has also put forward solutions in a number of areas, including for the continued supply of medicines and for guide dogs, as well as a decision waiving the need to show an insurance green card, which is of particular benefit for motorists in Northern Ireland. These solutions help to ensure that the application of the Protocol impacts as little as possible on the everyday life of communities in Northern Ireland.

Link to Commission statement here

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Defence Industry:

The Commission has adopted a package of decisions supporting the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the EU defence industry. The adoption of the first European Defence Fund (EDF) annual work programme paves the way to the immediate launch of 23 calls for proposals for a total of €1.2 billion of EU funding in support of collaborative defence research and development projects. Furthermore, under the EDF's precursor programme, the European Defence Industry Development Programme (EDIDP), 26 new projects with a budget of more than €158 million were selected for funding. In addition, two major capability development projects received today a directly awarded grant of €137 million under the EDIDP.

Link to Commission statement here

EU-Republic of Korea trade

The ten-year anniversary of the EU-Republic of Korea Trade Agreement is marked with a positive growth in bilateral trade of more than 50%, reaching over €110 billion. Trade in goods grew by 46% from 2010 to 2020, almost twice as fast as EU trade with countries that do not have a trade agreement with the EU. The growth of bilateral trade in goods and investment has resulted in increased demand for specialised cross-border services. Trade in services recorded a significant growth of 86% in 2019 compared to 2010, reaching €20 billion.

The EU-Republic of Korea agreement, the first-ever EU trade deal with a sustainability chapter, also played an important role in improving workers' rights, including the Republic of Korea's ratification of three fundamental International Labour Organization Conventions.

The EU remains the biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Republic of Korea, representing 37% of the country's total FDI stock. The EU's investment in the Republic of Korea grew by 39% since 2010, reaching €44 billion in 2019. In turn, investments from the Republic of Korea in the EU grew an impressive 151% over the same period and reached €29 billion in 2019. The Netherlands was the largest investor in the Republic of Korea, accounting for 33% of the EU's total FDI stock, followed by Germany (23%), France (9%) and Hungary (8%). Equally, the Netherlands was the top destination for the Republic of Korea's FDI in the EU (23% of total stock), ahead of Germany (21%), Hungary (10%), Czech Republic (10%), and Slovakia (10%).

Link to Commission statement here

EU Digital COVID Certificate

The EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation entered into application on Thursday 1st July. This means that EU citizens and residents will now be able to have their Digital COVID Certificates issued and verified across the EU.

Twenty one Member States as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein had already started to issue certificates ahead of Thursday’s deadline, and five EU countries are started on Thursday.

The aim of the EU Digital COVID Certificate is to facilitate safe and free movement in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. All Europeans have the right to free movement, also without the certificate, but the certificate will facilitate travel, helping to exempt holders from restrictions such as quarantine.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate will be accessible for everyone and it covers:

COVID-19 vaccination, test and recovery;

is free of charge and available in all EU languages;

is available in a digital and paper-based format;

is secure and includes a digitally signed QR code;

Under the new rules, Member States must refrain from imposing additional travel restrictions on holders of an EU Digital COVID Certificate, unless they are necessary and proportionate to safeguard public health.

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In addition, the Commission committed to mobilising €100 million under the Emergency Support Instrument to support Member States in providing affordable tests.

Link to Commission statement here

NextGenerationEU, Recovery and Resilience Plans

Slovenia: The European Commission has today adopted a positive assessment of Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan, a key step paving the way for the EU to disburse €1.8 billion in grants and €705 million in loans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Slovenia's recovery and resilience plan. It will play a key role in enabling Slovenia to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.

European Council and Council of the European Union

Highlights Week 26. 28 June to 4 July 2021

Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 28-29 June 2021

Agriculture, Reform of the common agricultural policy.

The most important item on the agenda for this month's Council meeting was the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The Portuguese Presidency asked the ministerial round to accept the provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament during the interinstitutional negotiations on Thursday and Friday.

After discussing some of the key issues, including environmental measures and the social dimension of the CAP, ministers accepted the provisional agreement with Parliament on the three regulations that make up the CAP reform package. Further technical work is now being carried out to finalisation of the legislative texts, following which the Members of the European Parliament are being asked to vote on the reform package. Then, when the reform has been adopted by the Council, it will be transposed into EU law.

Setting a protection target for honey bees

Ministers exchanged views on the need to set a specific protection target for honey bees, based on the recent guidelines of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the risk posed by the use of pesticides. They took particular account of the Commission's recommendation to set the maximum permissible reduction in bee colony sizes at 10%. The proposed specific protection objective stipulates that Member States must take measures if it is established that honey bee colonies have lost more than 10% of their size due to the use of pesticides. The Commission also proposed that the same specific protection objective should apply to the whole of the EU. Overall, the agriculture ministers agreed that an ambitious, EU-wide specific protection target must be set to protect honey bees from pesticides. They also stressed that the evaluations must be based on scientific evidence and be feasible.

Fisheries. Regulation on fisheries control

The Council adopted a general approach on the revision of the regulation on the fisheries control system. The aim of this revision, proposed by the European Commission in May 2018, is to modernise the rules for monitoring fishing activities, makethem more efficient and effective, and ensure compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and other EU policies. This is the first major overhaul of the EU fisheries control regime since 2009. The adoption of the Council's general approach paves the way for interinstitutional negotiations with the European Parliament.

Common fisheries policy (CFP): state of play and fishing opportunities for 2022

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The Commission presented to the ministerial round its annual communication on the state of the CFP and fishing opportunities for 2022. This Communication and the ensuing discussion represented the first phase of a consultation process between Member States, advisory councils, stakeholders and the public on fishing opportunities for 2022, which will run until 31 August 2021.

Link to Council report here

European Court of Auditors

Air passenger rights during the COVID-19 pandemic – Key rights not protected

despite Commission efforts

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) published special report 15/2021 “Air passenger rights during the COVID-19 pandemic – Key rights not protected despite Commission efforts”.

According the report, Air passengers’ rights have not been safeguarded in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines are legally required to give passengers their money back if they cancel flights. But many airlines forced their customers to accept vouchers, instead, a practice which is unlawful. The EU auditors also point out that airlines and package-tour operators received billions of euros of state aid, aid which was provided without being conditional on passengers being reimbursed.

Link to Council report here

Sources: Websites: European Parliament European Commission, European Council and Council of the European Union Council, European Court of Auditors and European Ombudsman,