News

Correct use of taxpayer’s money essential for EU support

13 October 2016
Correct use of taxpayer’s money essential for EU support

The European Court of Auditors has presented its analysis of the implementation of the EU budget for 2015 and estimates the error rate for payments at 3.8%. “In plain numbers that means that 5.5 billion euros in European subsidies were not allocated in accordance with the rules,” explains MEP …

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EU to crack down hard on illegal trade in animals

13 October 2016
EU to crack down hard on illegal trade in animals
EU to crack down hard on illegal trade in animals

The Environment (ENVI) Committee of the European Parliament has accepted a resolution to crack down hard on the illegal trade in wild animals and plants. That European Action Plan brings three priorities to the fore: preventing illegal trade, upholding the existing legislation better and …

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Non-European criminals out of EU more quickly

13 October 2016
Non-European criminals out of EU more quickly

State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken is going to present his European colleagues with a proposal that is intended to make it easier to revoke the residence permit of criminals from outside the EU who have been given an effective (non-suspended) prison sentence of more than one …

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CETA: is Brussels sidelining Belgium too?

10 October 2016
CETA: is Brussels sidelining Belgium too?

Seven years after the Brussels parliament gave a negotiation mandate to the EU and two years after the conclusion of those negotiations, it looks like Brussels, following in the footsteps of Wallonia, wants to torpedo the European Trade Agreement with Canada (CETA). “With this attitude, Brussels is …

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European Disability Card launched

10 October 2016
European Disability Card launched

Federal State Secretary Elke Sleurs has added her signature to a protocol agreement for the creation of a European Disability Card in Belgium. The card enables persons with a disability to show that they are recognised as such in Belgium. As a result, they will be eligible in all participating …

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Theo Francken co-launches European Border and Coast Guard

6 October 2016
Theo Francken co-launches European Border and Coast Guard

At the border between Bulgaria and Turkey, the successor to former border guard agency Frontex has been brought into existence. “With the new European Border and Coast Guard, we are offering an answer to the asylum chaos of last year,” State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken says …

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