EU agrees to restore soils to health but stops short of setting legal targets
After nearly two years of negotiation, MEPs and European governments have agreed the text of a new Soil Monitoring Law, requiring governments to put in place robust data collection systems and consider restricting practices that lead to degradation.
The past year has seen widespread protests against EU environmental policy supported by large farming lobbies and conservative lawmakers in Brussels. These have already led to the withdrawal of plans to slash pesticide use as lawmakers sought to limit the direct impact on farmers.
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'Today's deal is an important milestone in improving support for farmers and all others in keeping the soil healthy,' liberal MEP Martin Hojsik (Slovakia/Renew) said after the provisional agreement was reached in the early hours of Thursday morning.
'Providing them with better information and help, while preventing bureaucracy and new obligations, are cornerstones of the new soil monitoring law.' Hojsik said.
Environmental groups – who had been calling for legally binding targets on key indicators such as contaminant levels, nutrient depletion and biodiversity loss – appeared relieved that a deal was struck at all in the current political climate.
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Caroline Heinzel, a policy officer at the European Environmental Bureau said it was 'encouraging' that lawmakers had reached an agreement in the face of what she described as 'disinformation' and a pushback against environmental policy, but suggested the new law was unfit for purpose.
'Europe's first-ever soil law will merely act to monitor continued soil degradation rather than reverse it, a concerning conclusion for farmer livelihoods, nature, and climate,' said Heinzel.
Kristine De Schamphelaere at Pesticide Action Network Europe slammed lawmakers for an 'appalling' lack of ambition. 'Pesticides and other soil pollutants should not only be thoroughly monitored, but urgently and ambitiously reduced,' she said.
The European Commission noted the final text extended several deadlines in its original proposal, leading to a 'pragmatic and flexible' framework that was in line with its 'simplification' drive – an agenda that many critics say amounts to root-and-branch deregulation.
'The law will particularly benefit our farmers and soil managers by providing them with support and better knowledge of soil conditions, while not imposing obligations on them,' environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said.
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France 24
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EU accuses online giant Temu over sale of 'illegal' products
EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users. "Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform," the European Commission said in its preliminary finding. It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were "very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics". Temu said only it would "continue to cooperate fully with the commission". Wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent's market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27-country bloc. The EU said Temu's October 2024 risk assessment was "inaccurate and relying on general industry information rather than on specific details about its own marketplace". Temu is under investigation as part of a mammoth law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces the world's largest tech firms to do more to protect European consumers online and better police content online. Temu will now be able to respond to the EU regulators' findings and defend itself, but there is no time limit on how long an investigation may last. If confirmed to be in breach, the EU can slap a fine on Temu. Fines under the DSA can go as high as six percent of a company's total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations. Launched in October, the EU probe continues to investigate other suspected breaches including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users' physical and mental well-being and how Temu's systems recommend content and products. EU law under attack The DSA is part of the EU's reinforced legal weaponry to curb the excesses of Big Tech, with stricter rules for the world's biggest platforms. It has faced criticism from the US administration under President Donald Trump. The Republican-dominated judiciary committee of the US House of Representatives described the DSA in a scathing report as a "foreign censorship threat" on Friday. Staunch President Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan, committee chair, met EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen in Brussels as part of a bipartisan delegation on Monday. "We had a constructive discussion on how to promote digital innovation, AI and regulate this field smartly," she said on X after the meeting. There are currently other DSA probes into Chinese online retailer AliExpress, social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and X as well as TikTok. The EU also wants to crack down on cheap packages that flood into the bloc each year, with a proposal under discussion for a two-euro flat fee per parcel. Last year, 4.6 billion such packages entered the EU -- more than 145 per second -- with 91 percent originating in China. The EU expects the numbers to increase.
Euronews
3 hours ago
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US-EU deal marked by uncertainty
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Von der Leyen also announced that zero-for-zero tariffs will apply to certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor-making equipment, some agricultural products (but with the exclusion of all sensitive products like beef, rice, ethanol, sugar or poultry), some natural resources and critical raw materials. However, uncertainties remain regarding the details and the sectors covered by the 15% rate, the legal certainty of the deal reached on Sunday and the purchase and investment commitment of the EU. No legally binding agreement yet The agreement reached will not be legally binding for both parties for some time. When exactly remains uncertain. A joint statement is expected to be released by 1 August— the deadline set by US President Donald Trump when he threatened to impose a 30% tariff on the EU. 'It will be a relatively light joint statement' an EU official said, adding that the EU is also awaiting the adoption of an executive order by the US that would bring some certainty to what has been agreed. Until then, negotiations on exemptions to the 15% tariffs will continue. 'Given that we want to make sure that the US delivers on its parts quickly, we will also want to deliver quickly on our part,' the official said, adding: 'We are currently looking into the exact legal basis together with Council and the European Parliament.' A bilateral international agreement between the EU and the US would take time, so other instruments might be considered by the Commission. Which EU products are exempt? Aircraft will be exempt from the 15% tariffs, meaning they will be sent to the US with no tariffs. The production lines in these sectors are too intertwined for the US to risk making their aircraft more expensive. However, the EU will keep negotiating other exemptions, with wine and spirits high on its agenda. Since the beginning of the negotiation, EU industries have continuously warned about the consequences of a deal that would penalise them. "We truly believe the trade of wine is of great benefit for both EU and US companies, and it must be included in the 0-for-0 tariff arrangement,' Marzia Varvaglione, president of the Comite europeen des entreprises de vin said in a statement on Sunday, adding: 'It's not just the EU side saying this—our US counterparts have also been strong advocates for protecting this vital exchange." Steel and aluminium: a quota system still to be negotiated The US currently imposes 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium. This will stay until both sides agree on a quota system. The Commission remains confident of its leverage in the coming talks however. 'I think that is where economics kick in and business interests kick in,' the same EU official said, adding that the bloc's provision of speciality steel is something that "US manufacturing badly needs'. But the European steel industry appeared rattled on Monday. 'If a zero tariff on our traditional exports to the US is confirmed, we would be going in the right direction,' Axel Eggert, director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) said, but he added: 'There is no clarity yet. As always, the devil is in the detail.' The uncertainty is offset by a commitment of the EU and the US to jointly fight global overcapacities, mainly coming from China. Energy: The EU's purchase commitment will depend on its industry. The EU committed to buy $750 billions' worth of US energy over the next three years. That's to say $250 billion annually directed towards US liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear industries. 'We've been looking at our needs also in terms of the phasing out of energy imports from Russia,' the EU official said. However the official conceded that there is no public commitment to delivering on this since the EU and its institutions will not be doing the actual buying. 'We can help with aggregating demand and facilitating certain things, and we can look at where there are maybe bottlenecks in infrastructure,' the official said. The EU also committed to purchasing US AI microchips on top of the $750 billion. EU investment in the US will depend on business EU companies will invest $600 billion in the US, according to the deal. But here again, there's no public authority that will be monitoring this, as it is the case in the Japan-US deal reached on 22 July where investments are equity, loans and guarantees from state-run agencies. However the Commission ensures it had detailed contacts and discussions with different business associations and companies in order to see what their investment intentions were. 'We have basically been aggregated what we know about investment intentions of private companies. And the way this will be expressed in the joint statement is that it is an intention,' another EU official said, adding: 'So it is not something that the EU as a public authority can guarantee.'
Euronews
4 hours ago
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Which EU countries recognise Palestine amid France's decision?
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on social media on 24 July that France will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Macron shared his letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an X post, alongside a statement which read: "The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible." France will become the first G7 country and the first permanent member of the UN Security Council (France, United States, China, United Kingdom and Russia) to recognise Palestine, joining 147 member states of the United Nations that have already done so. The act of recognition involves acknowledging the sovereignty and independence of Palestine within its pre-1967 Middle East war borders. This includes the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The move will also lead to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between France and Palestine. This decision was taken amid a renewed push in Europe to bring the war in Gaza to an end. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas have called the suffering in Gaza "unbearable" and "indefensible". Before France, 10 out of 27 EU countries had already recognised Palestinian statehood. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, and Romania recognised Palestine in 1988, well before they became EU member states. The former country of Czechoslovakia also recognised Palestinian statehood in 1988. However, after it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992, the Czech Republic did not recognise such a state. "The Palestinian state did not meet the conditions for statehood under international law, of which the Czechoslovak government was fully aware," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic wrote on its official website in 2020. "The Czech Republic has not yet recognised the Palestinian state." Meanwhile, Slovakia reconfirmed its recognition of Palestine in 1993. In October 2014, Sweden became the very first country to recognise Palestine while being an EU member state. "The purpose of Sweden's recognition is to contribute to a future in which Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace and security. We want to contribute to creating more hope and belief in the future among young Palestinians and Israelis who might otherwise run the risk of believing that there is no alternative to the current situation," said the then Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallström. Sweden took this step at the height of months-long clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in East Jerusalem. More recently, on 28 May 2024, Spain and Ireland recognised Palestine as a state, claiming the decision aimed to help Israelis and Palestinians reach peace. On 4 June 2024, Slovenia also recognised the state of Palestine. "Slovenia and Palestine have established good relations, which are underpinned by regular political dialogue," Slovenia's official website stated. The two countries also collaborate in education and humanitarian aid, including by implementing a variety of humanitarian projects." Macron's announcement sparked anger from Israel and the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, as did US State Secretary Marco Rubio. "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th," Rubio wrote on X. Netanyahu lashed out at France's announcement, calling it a betrayal by a close ally and warning it would "reward terror". "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it," he said on X. What about other EU countries? Other EU countries have reacted to France's decision, stating that they will not follow these steps. Despite recent calls for an "immediate ceasefire" and "urgently needed humanitarian aid", Germany has claimed it has no plans to follow France's lead. Germany has traditionally been a particularly staunch ally of Israel in Europe, with relations rooted in the history of the Holocaust. It says recognising a Palestinian state should be "one of the concluding steps" in negotiating a two-state solution, and it "does not plan to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term". Italy is also not planning on recognising the state of Palestine. The country's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the recognition "without there being a state of Palestine" would be "counterproductive". Meanwhile, the Belgian position will be determined by the government in early September. "I will make a proposal to the government before the UN General Assembly in September so that it can decide on this matter, taking these elements into account," Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot wrote on X. Behind the recognition of a Palestinian state lies the idea of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which served as the basis of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians from the Oslo Accords in 1993 up until 2014. While the Palestinian Authority still advocates for two states, Israel no longer supports this solution to the conflict, nor does its ally, the US. In fact, settlement activity on the West Bank has further expanded in the past years, rendering the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. Add to that US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, prompting the US embassy to move there from Tel Aviv. With this in mind, recognising a Palestinian state is largely symbolic and remains unfeasible as things stand on the ground.
