Parliament is expected to vote during the April II plenary session on the draft agreement reached on creating an interinstitutional body for ethical standards, following a recommendation due to be debated in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) on 22 April. The agreement is the result of negotiations between eight EU institutions and bodies, based on a Commission proposal responding to Parliament's request. The interinstitutional body for ethical standards would strengthen EU institutions' ethics, integrity and transparency, by ensuring their rules converge, ensuring an institutional ethics culture, and increasing ethical awareness. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The Parliament is due tol vote on the agreement reached with the Council on a new directive that sets minimum standards to improve working conditions for people who work through digital labour platforms. It introduces the first-ever EU rules regulating algorithmic management in the workplace. The directive is the outcome of difficult negotiations and sends a signal to taxi and food delivery drivers and domestic workers that the EU is determined to set straight platforms' use of gig work, albeit with less ambition than in the initial proposal. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On 10 February 2024, the Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a new economic governance framework for the EU, seeking to balance national debt sustainability with sustainable and inclusive growth in all Member States. Parliament is due to vote on the final texts during the April II 2024 session. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On 1 March 2023, as part of the road safety package, the European Commission published a legislative proposal to help ensure EU-wide application of driving disqualifications. The proposal calls for increased cooperation, harmonisation of legislation, simplification of information exchange, capacity building, and improved public awareness efforts. In order to prevent impunity due to a lack of legislation, the proposal sets out rules to allow better EU-wide enforcement of driver disqualification decisions when drivers commit major traffic offences outside their own country. In the European Parliament, the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) is responsible for the file (rapporteur: Petar Vitanov, S&D, Bulgaria). The TRAN committee adopted its report on 29 November 2023. On 6 February, the Parliament voted in plenary on its first-reading position on the file, to be followed up in the next legislative term. Third edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Ukraine enjoys excellent conditions for agriculture, including around a third of the world's most fertile land. Three crops dominate the country's agricultural production: wheat, maize and sunflower, intended primarily for export. Medium-sized agricultural enterprises lead crop production, although some companies farm as much as 500 000 hectares. This is a direct consequence of Soviet collectivisation, and the agricultural policies adopted after Ukraine's independence in 1991. Only recently did Ukraine start opening up its land market. In 2013, Russia blocked Ukrainian exports to prevent Kyiv from developing closer ties with the EU. Following Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea and its military aggression in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv signed an association agreement with the EU, which became its primary market. Unlike most of its industrial production, Ukraine's crops remained competitive in the EU market and exports surged. By 2021, agriculture represented 41 % of Ukraine's exports, up from 27 % in 2013. In addition to stealing millions of hectares of land, Russia has inflicted a terrible economic, environmental and human cost on Ukraine. By the end of 2023, the Ukrainian agricultural sector had sustained an estimated US$80 billion in damages and losses. Rebuilding Ukraine's agriculture is expected to cost US$56.1 billion, and demining will cost an additional US$32 billion. Russia also blockaded Ukrainian agricultural exports. The EU Solidarity Lanes, the Black Sea Initiative, and the more recent Ukrainian Corridor have helped to keep Ukraine's economy afloat, and avert a wider global food security crisis. Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion. In December 2023, the European Council authorised the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine. Historically, agriculture has been a contentious issue in most enlargement negotiations, and integrating Ukraine's sizeable agricultural sector poses a challenge to the EU, especially without prior reform of the common agricultural policy. Despite the early stage of Kyiv's candidacy, some studies have tried to estimate the potential cost and benefits to the EU of Ukraine's eventual membership of the bloc. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Approaching the end of the mandate, a number of debates on important legislative proposals took place during the April I 2024 plenary session: on the migration and asylum package, reform of the EU electricity market, and the pharmaceutical package. Members also debated Russia's undemocratic elections, and in particular their extension to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, allegations of Russian interference in the European Parliament, Chinese police activity in Europe, the rule of law in Hungary, and the rule of law and media freedom in Slovakia. His Majesty King Philippe, King of the Belgians, addressed the Parliament to mark his country's presidency of the Council. Finally, President Roberta Metsola made a statement for International Roma Day. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Dieses Dokument ist Teil einer Reihe von Studien, mit denen die unternehmerische Freiheit in verschiedene Rechtsordnungen aus rechtsvergleichender Perspektive dargestellt werden sollen. Nach einer kurzen historischen Einleitung und der Darstellung der einschlägigen Rechtsvorschriften und Rechtsprechung, werden der Inhalt, die Grenzen und die mögliche Entwicklung dieser Freiheit analysiert. Die vorliegende Studie hat den Fall Deutschland zum Gegenstand. In Deutschland ist „unternehmerische Freiheit“ auf der Ebene der Bundesverfassung nicht durch ein einziges, sondern durch verschiedene Grundrechte geschützt. Das Grundgesetz verbürgt sowohl die Berufsfreiheit (Art. 12 Abs. 1 GG) als auch die Vereinigungsfreiheit (Art. 9 Abs. 1 GG), das Eigentum (Art. 14 GG) und die Vertragsfreiheit (Art. 2 Abs. 1 GG) auch für juristische Personen des Privatrechts (Art. 19 Abs. 3 GG). Damit genießt auch die sog. Gewerbefreiheit nicht nur den einfachrechtlichen Schutz des § 1 Gewerbeordnung, sondern weitgehenden verfassungsrechtlichen Schutz. Diese Grundrechte – und nicht eine abstrakte verfassungsrechtliche Vorgabe – sind das Rückgrat der „Wirtschaftsverfassung“ des Grundgesetzes. Neben den Grundrechten bilden das Rechtsstaats-, das Sozialstaats- und das Umweltstaatsprinzip diese Wirtschaftsverfassung. Diese unternehmerischen Freiheiten werden durch ungezählte Normen des Privatrechts (vor allem des Bürgerlichen Rechts, des Handels- und Gesellschaftsrechts, des Wettbewerbsrechts) und des Verwaltungsrechts (und hier vor allem des Gewerbe-, Steuer-, Sozial- und Umweltrechts) bis hin zu autonomem Recht – Unfallverhütungsvorschriften – ausgeformt, d.h. in dialektischer Weise ermöglicht, gestaltet und begrenzt. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Montenegro began EU accession negotiations in 2012. The European Commission's latest report notes tensions leading to a blocked political system. On 2 April 2023, after securing 59 % of votes in a presidential election run-off, Montenegro's former Economy Minister Jakov Milatović declared victory over the incumbent, Milo Đukanović, who had been president or prime minister for more than three decades. The current pro-European Prime Minister, Milojko Spajić, took office in October 2023. Spajić's government replaced the technical mandate of the previous government, which faced a vote of no confidence in August 2022. This 'At a glance' note has been produced at the request of a member of the European Committee of the Regions, in the framework of the cooperation agreement between the Parliament and the Committee. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Sanctions have become an increasingly central element of the EU's common and foreign security policy. At present, the EU has over 50 sanctions programmes in place, concerning nearly 40 countries. Unlike the comprehensive trade embargoes used in the past, the EU has moved towards asset freezes and visa bans targeting individual persons and companies, aiming to influence foreign governments while avoiding humanitarian costs for the general population. Other measures in the sanctions 'toolkit' include arms embargoes, sectoral trade and investment restrictions, and suspensions of development aid and trade preferences. The declared purpose of EU sanctions is to uphold the international security order, while also defending human rights and democracy standards by encouraging targeted countries to change their behaviour. Measuring sanctions' effectiveness is difficult, as sanctions alone rarely achieve all their aims, and usually there are other causes to which changes can also be attributed. However, even when this primary purpose is not achieved, sanctions may have useful secondary effects, for example by deterring other actors from similar behaviour. The broader the international support for EU sanctions and the closer the relationship between the EU and the targeted country are, the stronger the prospects for success will be. On the other hand, effectiveness can be undermined by inconsistent application of sanctions standards and by the difficulty of coordinating implementation between multiple stakeholders. The unprecedented scale and scope of sanctions imposed against Russia has put the spotlight on new implementation challenges, including inside the EU's borders. In response, the Council adopted a decision to add the violation of restrictive measures to the list of particularly serious crimes ('EU crimes') under Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This is an update of an earlier briefing. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Serbia, with a population of 6.9 million, has been advancing towards EU accession since 2012, when it received candidate country status. Despite some progress, Serbia still has three major hurdles to overcome: improving internal political dialogue and reforms, reaching a comprehensive normalisation agreement with Kosovo* and ensuring better alignment with EU foreign policy. Although Serbia voted for Russia's suspension from the UN Human Rights Council, it has not applied any of the EU's sanctions on Russia. In April 2022, Aleksandar Vučić was elected for a second term as President, and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) coalition, led by Vučić, won the parliamentary elections. Snap elections in December 2023 brought the SNS a larger-than-expected victory. This 'At a glance' note has been produced at the request of a member of the European Committee of the Regions, in the framework of the cooperation agreement between the Parliament and the Committee. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The European Union has established a common classification of territorial units for statistics, known as ‘NUTS’, in order to facilitate the collection, development and publication of harmonised regional statistics in the EU. This hierarchical system is also used for socioeconomic analyses of the regions and the framing of interventions in the context of EU cohesion policy. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The United Kingdom (UK) joined the European Union in 1973, having maintained a long-standing relationship with the bloc since its founding. In 2016, following a referendum, it became the first Member State to end its EU membership. The UK’s exit from the EU was governed by a withdrawal agreement signed on 17 October 2019. The trade and cooperation agreement signed on 30 December 2020 defines the framework for the future relationship. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The Cohesion Fund was set up in 1994 and provides funding for environmental and trans-European network projects in the Member States whose gross national income per capita is less than 90% of the EU average. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

REACT-EU is a programme to repair the social and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prepare for a green, digital and resilient recovery. REACT-EU seeks to mobilise an additional EUR 47.5 billion from the structural funds for the years 2021 and 2022, and to increase flexibility in cohesion policy spending. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The Just Transition Fund is a financial instrument within the Cohesion Policy, which seeks to provide support to territories facing serious socio-economic challenges arising from the transition towards climate neutrality. The Just Transition Fund will facilitate the implementation of the European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has been insufficient, not least because of shocks such as the COVID 19 pandemic and recent wars. The cost of this lack of progress is borne by 'least developed countries' – low-income countries with low indicators of socio-economic development, as defined by the UN. This study reviews the European Union's role in policies that affect poverty in these contexts. It identifies 12 challenges that could be addressed to some extent by further EU action on development policy, climate action, trade and global value chains, and by the EU as an actor in multilateral forums, in line with the policy coherence for development principle. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The emergence of quantum information science and technologies marks a pivotal moment in technological progress. As the strategic importance of quantum gains global recognition, efforts are intensifying to harness its potential while also addressing security and regulatory challenges. With China, the United States and the European Union investing heavily in quantum, the race for technological dominance is well under way. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Directive 2009/138/EC – also known as Solvency II – sets out the prudential regulatory framework for the insurance sector in the EU. The framework aims to establish the single market for insurance services further, while strengthening policyholders' protection. On 22 September 2021, the European Commission tabled a proposal for a directive that would amend Solvency II in essentially three ways: i) lowering regulatory obligations on small and low-risk profile insurance companies, ii) taking into account long-term and climate change risks, and iii) enhancing group-level and cross-border supervision. In the European Parliament, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) was assigned the file on 22 November 2021, with Markus Ferber (EPP, Germany) as rapporteur. After Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the text in December 2023, the ECON committee approved it on 29 January 2024. Parliament is set to vote on the adoption of the text at its April II plenary session, and the Council will put the text to the vote as well. Once adopted, the text will be signed by the co-legislators and published in the Official Journal. Third edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

In December 2021, the European Commission presented a proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code, which lays down the rules governing controls at the EU internal and external borders. While debates on the reform of Schengen have been going on for a while, recent challenges – relating to the coronavirus pandemic on the one hand, and attempts to instrumentalise migrants as a way to put pressure on the EU's external borders, on the other – have created new momentum for reform. The Commission's proposal aims to improve the Schengen system's resilience to serious threats, and to adapt it to new challenges. It introduces a new coordination mechanism to deal with health threats at the external borders and a new Schengen safeguard mechanism to provide a common response at the internal borders in situations of threats affecting Member States, including the possibility to transfer irregular migrants apprehended at the internal borders directly back to the competent authorities in the EU country from which it is assumed they just came, without undergoing an individual assessment. Following the provisional agreement reached by the co-legislators in December 2023, Parliament is scheduled to vote on the agreed text during its April II plenary session. Second edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

In October 2022, under the European Green Deal, the European Commission tabled a proposal for a recast of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Dating back to 1991, and instrumental to the achievement of European Union water policy objectives, the directive needs to be updated and adapted to new challenges and realities. The recast proposal would introduce new obligations to do more to control pollution due to rainwater, impose stricter standards for nutrient removal and require advanced treatment for the removal of micro-pollutants. To cover treatment costs, a system of extended producer responsibility (EPR) targeting pharmaceuticals and cosmetics would be set up. To align the directive with the Green Deal's ambitions, an energy neutrality obligation would be introduced for wastewater treatment plants. Water reuse and sludge management requirements would be clarified to enhance circularity. Health parameters would be monitored in wastewater to support public health action. The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on 29 January 2024. The text was endorsed by Member State representatives on 1 March and by Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on 11 March 2024. It now awaits formal adoption by the co-legislators. The plenary vote is scheduled for the April I 2024 session. Third edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages in the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

In July 2023, the European Commission tabled a package of proposals aimed at greening freight transport. One of these proposals focuses on improving the use of rail infrastructure capacity. The proposed text suggests changes to the rules governing the planning and allocation of railway infrastructure capacity, which are currently outlined in Directive 2012/34/EU and Regulation (EU) No 913/2010. The goal of the changes is to enhance the management of rail infrastructure capacity and traffic as a way to ensure improved service quality, optimised railway network usage, increased traffic capacity and the possibility for the transport sector to contribute to decarbonisation. In the European Parliament, the file was referred to the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), which appointed Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) as rapporteur. The TRAN committee adopted its report on 4 March 2024. Parliament adopted its first-reading position during its March 2024 plenary session. Third edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Eurodac is a biometric database in which Member States are required to enter the fingerprint data of asylum-seekers or irregular migrants in order to identify where they entered the EU, and whether they have previously submitted asylum applications elsewhere in the EU. In 2016, the Commission proposed to review the Eurodac Regulation to enhance the practical implementation of the Dublin system, facilitate returns and use the database to tackle irregular migration. During the April I plenary session, the European Parliament is due to vote its first-reading position on the agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The 2015 migration crisis in Europe called into question existing EU legislation on asylum, in particular the criteria according to which asylum applicants can qualify for international protection status, as recognised in the Qualification Directive. In July 2016, the Commission put forward a proposal to replace the directive with a regulation, setting uniform standards for the recognition of people in need of protection and for the rights granted to beneficiaries of international protection. The December 2023 trilogue agreement is scheduled to be voted by Parliament at first reading during the April I plenary session. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Sustained pressure at the EU's external borders and high numbers of asylum applications have revealed shortcomings at the borders and deficiencies in and imbalances between Member States' asylum systems. In December 2020, the Commission presented a pact on migration and asylum, including a proposal for a regulation establishing a screening procedure for third-country nationals who arrive irregularly at the EU's external borders. The aim is to streamline the EU migration and asylum processes by swiftly identifying and channelling irregular migrants and asylum-seekers into the appropriate procedures. Parliament is to vote in April on the agreement reached by the co-legislators in December. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

During the April I plenary session, as part of the discharge procedure for the 2022 financial year, the European Parliament is due to vote on discharge for 33 EU decentralised agencies and 9 joint undertakings. The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) recommends granting discharge to all decentralised agencies, bodies and joint undertakings, and presents some observations to further improve sound financial management. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The Commission's proposal to introduce screening of third-country nationals at the external borders provides for identity and security checks based on the consultation of relevant national and European information systems. To implement these checks, the legal bases of the relevant EU systems for border management and security need to be amended, and Parliament is due to vote on a trilogue agreement on this in April. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

During the April I plenary session, the European Parliament is due to vote on two proposals to strengthen national equality bodies' powers and mandate to fight discrimination on grounds of sex, race, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

In September 2020, as part of the EU pact on migration and asylum, the European Commission adopted a proposal on asylum and migration management. It would replace the 2013 Dublin Regulation that determines the EU Member State responsible for examining asylum applications. While the proposal 'essentially preserves' the current criteria for determining this responsibility, it would also make additions to the existing regulation, in particular on solidarity and responsibility-sharing for asylum-seekers among Member States. During the April I plenary session, the European Parliament is due to vote its first-reading position on the December 2023 agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

In 2020, the European Commission proposed a new pact on asylum and migration, which includes a proposal for a regulation dealing with crisis and force majeure in the area of migration and asylum. The aim is to establish a mechanism for dealing with mass irregular arrivals of migrants in a Member State. The December 2023 agreement is scheduled to be voted by Parliament at first reading during the April I plenary session. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt, in Cairo on 17 March 2024, joined by the prime ministers of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. This meeting sealed the €7.4 billion EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership (the Partnership) to help boost Egypt's faltering economy and avert another migration crisis in Europe. Critics have raised concerns over the declared urgency of disbursing funds under this partnership without the approval of the European Parliament, as well as over Egypt's poor human rights record and the dubious effects of such partnerships on irregular migration. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

As part of its fight against harmful substances, on 13 February 2023 the European Commission tabled a proposal for a directive aimed at protecting workers' health by lowering occupational exposure to lead and diisocyanates. In Parliament, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, which is responsible for the file, adopted its report on 7 September 2023. The mandate to enter into interinstitutional negotiations was endorsed by the plenary the following week. On 14 November 2023, Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement. Parliament approved the agreed text on 7 February 2024; the Council followed on 26 February 2024. The final act was signed on 13 March 2024. The directive sets, for the first time, occupational limit values for diisocyanates, while revising the limit values for lead for the first time in more than 40 years. It also includes a review mechanism to guarantee regular revisions from now on to make sure that those limit values will be regularly updated, taking into account the latest scientific data. Fourth edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the military build-up before the invasion began on 24 February, dominated every one of the nine meetings of the European Council in 2022. It affected most issues with which the European Council dealt during the year, ranging from energy policy to the broader economy, to security and defence, to enlargement, to external relations. The extent of the EU's humanitarian, economic, political (notably in the form of EU candidacy), and even military assistance to Ukraine was extraordinary. But it came at a cost for the European Council, as leaders grappled with the nature, amount, and timing of the EU's support, and with the ancillary energy crisis and economic distress. Many eastern European leaders, passionate in their support for Ukraine and critical of what they saw as the long-standing naivety towards Russia of several of their western European counterparts, chafed at the traditional leadership in the European Council of France, Germany, and the fabled Franco-German engine. By the end of 2022, the European Council had taken many consequential decisions in the shadow of a large-scale war raging just outside the EU's eastern border. The fallout from that war was bound to affect not only the EU as an entity, but also the European Council as an institution. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On 1 June 2023, the European Commission presented a legislative package to modernise and reinforce maritime rules on safety and pollution prevention. The package contains proposals to revise five legal acts, including the Port State Control Directive (PSCD). The aim is to update them so that they are in line with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization and the regional organisation for port state control set up under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The proposal refers to the inspection of foreign ships in national ports, to verify that the ships' condition complies with international regulations, including for crews. The PSCD would be extended to cover additional international rules such as new conventions on ballast water and removal of wrecks, and updated rules under the Paris MoU. It would give more importance to ships' environmental performance in determining their risk profile, and boost Member States' capacity to detect and address cases of non-compliance with standards and rules on safety, environmental protection and pollution prevention. The scope would be extended to fishing vessels. The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) adopted its report on 7 December 2023. On 27 February 2024, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement, which was endorsed by TRAN on 20 March 2024. Parliament is expected to vote on the text during its April I 2024 session. Third edition of a briefing originally drafted by Karin Smit-Jacobs and subsequently updated by Monika Kiss. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

The Single European Sky (SES) initiative seeks to make EU airspace less fragmented and to improve air traffic management in terms of safety, capacity, cost-efficiency and the environment. Its current regulatory framework is based on two legislative packages: SES I (adopted in 2004), which set up the principal legal framework, and SES II (adopted in 2009), which aimed to tackle substantial air traffic growth, increase safety, and reduce costs and delays and the impact of air traffic on the environment. Nonetheless, European airspace remains fragmented, costly and inefficient. The European Commission presented a revision of the SES in 2013 (the SES 2+ package). While the Parliament adopted its first-reading position in March 2014, in December 2014 the Council agreed only a partial general approach, owing to disagreement between the UK and Spain over the application of the text to Gibraltar airport. With Brexit having removed this blockage, the Commission has amended its initial proposal. Following lengthy negotiations, the Council and Parliament negotiating teams reached a provisional agreement on 6 March 2024 which needs the formal approval of both institutions. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the text during its April II 2024 plenary session. Third edition of a briefing originally drafted by Maria Niestadt. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

On 1 June 2023, the European Commission presented a maritime safety package, including a proposal on a revised directive for compliance with flag state requirements. Revision of the rules is needed to take account of digitalisation, improve inspections and cooperation between flag states, and align with international rules on safety, pollution prevention, and working conditions, through inspections and surveys. This is to ensure EU flag states discharge their international law obligations. The proposal covers requirements for flag state inspections, based on International Maritime Organization rules. The objective is to improve maritime safety and reduce the risk of environmental pollution, ensuring that EU flag states continue to provide high quality shipping services. The proposal facilitates information sharing between flag states on the results of inspections and compliance issues in general. The European Maritime Safety Agency is to support this cooperation through revised training programmes for flag state inspectors. The European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) adopted its report on 7 December 2023. On 27 February 2024, Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the conditions under which flag and port states check if vessels are safe to sail. On 20 March 2024, the TRAN committee endorsed the provisional agreement, which is now scheduled for a plenary vote during the April I 2024 part-session. Third edition of a briefing originally drafted by Karin Smit Jacobs and subsequently updated by Monika Kiss. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP