Новости за 09.04.2018

The EU has a "duty" to make sure there is no return to "dictatorship" inside its club the EU commission has said in remarks on Poland and Hungary.

On 25 May, a new general data protection regulation will apply. Data breaches that happened before that date, but were covered up, can be fined under the new bill.

"I understand that future arrangements for Denmark's fisheries are of particular interest to you and as an independent coastal state we want to ensure fair and reciprocal access to our waters," UK PM Theresa May promised her Danish counterpart, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, following talks in Copenhagen Monday. Some 40 percent of Danish catch comes from British waters. Loekke travels to Spain, another major fishing nation, for post-Brexit talks on Friday.

Vitor Constancio, the outgoing vice-president of the European Central Bank, urged MEPs at a hearing in Brussels on Monday to help create "a fully-fledged banking union ... in order to enhance stability and increase the soundness of the system". Harmonised insolvency procedures, oversight on non-performing loans, and removal of national prerogatives in the 19 euro-using states should be "key priorities", with a Single Resolution Fund "now within reach", he said.

EU countries granted citizenship to around 995,000 people in 2016, according to figures released by Eurostat on Monday. This is up from 841,000 in 2015 and 889,000 in 2014. Moroccans were the first country of origin of the new EU citizens, with 101,300 people, ahead of Albania (67,500) and India (41,700). Italy granted the most passports (201,591), ahead of Spain (150,944) and the UK (149,372).

OSCE election observers monitoring Hungary's vote on Sunday said in a report that the election was characterised by "pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources, undermining contestants' ability to compete on an equal basis". The report said that the "intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing constricted the space for genuine political debate, hindering voters' ability to make a fully-informed choice."

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will write to Hungary's premier Viktor Orban on Monday (9 April) to "congratulate him on his party's clear victory," a commission spokesman said. Juncker will also call Orban on Tuesday to "discuss issues of common interests". On the possible introduction of the Stop Soros legislation package targeting NGOs, the spokesman said that defending democracy and European values is "a common duty of all member states".

EU judges are to rule on Latvia's handling of a bribery fiasco in a test case for eurozone banking supervision.

The European Union on Sunday spoke out against a chemical attack in Syria that killed dozens, including families, and is demanding "an immediate response by the international community." The Syrian regime under president Bashar al-Assad is suspected to have carried out the attack. The killings over the weekend comes almost one year after a similar gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

UK prime minister Theresa May is set to visit her counterparts in Denmark and Sweden on Monday to discuss, among other things, security, defence, Brexit and trade. "Denmark will lose an important ally when the United Kingdom leaves its chair at the EU," Danish prime minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said. Rasmussen himself travels to Berlin, Madrid and Lisbon later this week to discuss the union's post-Brexit future with counterparts.

A YouGov poll conducted for the pro-remain group Best for Britain suggest most Britons want a vote on the final deal proposed by prime minister Theresa May to take the UK out of the European Union in 2019. YouGov asked 813 adults on April 5 and 6 if there should should be a vote. Some 44 percent said yes, while 36 percent said no.

The European Commission is to unveil new legislative proposals on Wednesday to give people greater legal muscle to take big firms to court, reports the Financial Times. The proposal seeks to make it easier for people to collectively sue any company that violates their rights. The move is a response to the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal. Unlike in the US, the German manufacturer has refused to compensate European customers.

The three main parties of the right in Italy on Sunday vowed to unite in their effort to form a government following election gains last month. The poll results made the populist 5-Star Movement the largest single party while the alliance of three right-wing parties composed of the League, Brothers of Italy, and Forza Italia secured the biggest bloc of seats. Coalition talks are split given 5-Star reservations.

Catalan ex-leader Carles Puigdemont says he wants to return to self-imposed exile in Belgium once his legal proceedings in Germany come to an end. He told reporters over the weekend that he his also seeking dialogue with Madrid. Puigdemont was detained in northern Germany following a European arrest warrant issued by Madrid over his bid to separate Catalonia from Spain. He has been released on bail from a German prison.

Populist politicians across Europe congratulated Hungary's Viktor Orban after he won a major victory at the ballot boxes on Sunday.

The European Commission's 2012 bioeconomy strategy is in need of an update, with even the commission itself admitting the paper had weaknesses.

A new expert report firmly dismisses suggestions that Poland is an 'energy island'.