White Paper On The Future Of Europe
On 1 March 2017, the European Commission presented its White Paper on the Future of Europe. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said “As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, it is time for a united Europe of 27 to shape a vision for its …
Together For A Safer And Social Europe For All
Our last editorials focused on the external and internal security challenges the European Union is facing, the new geostrategic landscape it finds itself in, and the attempts to use the momentum and create a more coordinated approach to European defence. Security challenges are however not the only defiance Europe is …
Interpretative Communication on the EU Working Time Directive
The European Commission announced to publish an interpretative communication on the EU Working Time Directive (WTD) in March 2017, complementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. The topic of working time regulations is of major importance for EUROMIL and its member associations, which is why the organisation has followed the …
Impact of European Chemical Regulations on the Defence Sector
On 26 January, the European Defence Agency (EDA) published the results of a study which analysed the impact of European chemical regulations on the defence sector. The concrete regulations under examination were the EU’s regulations on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and on the Classification, Labelling and …
EUROMIL Invited to Lithuania’s Tripartite Council
On 10 January 2017, EUROMIL’s President Emmanuel Jacob spoke at the meeting of the Tripartite Council of the Lithuanian Republic about military trade unionism. EUROMIL had been invited by Kristina Krupaviciené, the Chairperson of the Tripartite Council. At the Tripartite Council in December 2016, the President of EUROMIL’s Lithuanian member …
EUROMIL Position on the European Pillar of Social Rights
To make the voice of military personnel heard in the consultation process on the European Pillar of Social Rights, EUROMIL did not only answer the questionnaire but also put forward a position paper on the issue. The position paper highlights the importance of the right of association to be implemented …
2016, a remarkable year!
At the end of each year one should take the time to reflect on the past twelve months but also to look ahead at what is on the agenda for the next year. Let’s look at 2016 in a nutshell! The civil war in Syria turned into a proxy war …
Priorities of the Maltese EU Council Presidency
On 1 January 2017 Malta will take over the EU Council Presidency from Slovakia. The Presidency rotates every 6 months, and was held by Slovakia and the Netherlands in 2016. The three countries have closely worked together to establish the 18 months working programme. Within this common programme, the individual …
European Defence Action Plan
On 30 November 2016, the European Commission proposed the “European Defence Action Plan”. The document contains a plan to increase defence spending and defence cooperation amongst European member states and proposes the creation of a European Defence Fund. The fund is to be managed by a coordination board composed of …
Berlin Security Conference 2016
On 29 and 30 November 2016, the Berlin Security Conference and 15th Congress on European Security and Defence were organised by the Behörden Spiegel – Germany’s leading independent newspaper for civil and military services. More than 1000 participants from the military, politics and industry came together to discuss the topic …