This unique consultation, part of the broader Future of Europe debate launched with the Commission’s White Paper on 1 March 2017, was prepared by a panel of 96 citizens from 27 Member States, who came together to decide what questions to put to their fellow Europeans.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today: “With the European elections around the corner, it is time to decide what the European Union at 27 should be. Whatever happens, it must be a Europe built by Europeans. The survey we are launching today puts the question to all Europeans: What future do we want for ourselves, for our children and for our Union? Now is the time for Europeans to make their voices heard, loud and clear, on the issues that concern them and what they want their leaders to do about them.”

For the first time, the Commission convened a Citizens’ Panel on 5-6 May to draft a public consultation. Hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee, a group of 96 Europeans came to Brussels and worked together to draft a 12-question online survey. This unique exercise in participative democracy means that citizens are at the heart of the conversation on the Future of Europe.

This is part of the ongoing debate on the future of the EU at 27, launched with the Commission’s White Paper of 1 March 2017. People can already submit their views online – today’s consultation will further complement this. The online consultation will also run in parallel to the ongoing Citizens’ Dialogues being organised by the European Commission and by Member States. Almost 700 of these interactive public debates have been held in 160 cities since 2012, and the Commission will increase their frequency between now and the European elections in May 2019, with a target of organising 500 more events.

In addition to the Commission’s work, Citizens’ Dialogues are now being organised by national governments in all Member States, following an initiative from France which received the support of the Heads of State or Government of the future EU27. The Commission is sharing the benefits of its experience with Member States. The consultation will run until the Sibiu summit on 9 May 2019. The Commission will present an interim report to Member States on the White Paper process at the December 2018 European Council. A final report will then be presented at the first EU27 Summit in Sibiu, Romania, on 9 May 2019, just a few weeks ahead of the European elections.

Background

In  March  2017,  the  Commission  launched  a  new  debate  on  the  future  of  the  EU  at  27,  through  the  publication  of  a  ‘White  Paper  on  the  Future  of  Europe’.  Members  of  the  Commission  have  been  travelling  across  Europe  and  listening  to  citizens’ views on the different scenarios put forward, giving everyone a chance to contribute to shaping the Union.

For more information

Online: Consultation on the Future of Europe

Factsheet: Dialogue with Citizens ahead of the European elections

Brochure: Citizens’ dialogues on the Future of Europe

White Paper on the Future of Europe

The European Union (EU) deeply regrets the announcement by US President Trump to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA, unanimously endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and is crucial for the security of the region.

As long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it has been doing so far and has been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 10 consecutive reports, the EU will remain committed to the continued full and effective implementation of the nuclear deal.

The lifting of nuclear related sanctions is an essential part of the agreement. The EU has repeatedly stressed that the sanctions lifting has a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran. The EU stresses its commitment to ensuring that this can continue to be delivered.

The JCPOA is the culmination of 12 years of diplomacy which has been working and delivering on its main goal. The EU is determined to work with the international community to preserve it.

Download as pdf

The number of new breaches is 58 equities for the 8% cap, applicable to all trading venues, and 10 equities for the 4% cap, that applies to individual trading venues. Trading under the waivers for all new instruments in breach of the DVC thresholds should be suspended from 14 May 2018 to 14 November 2018. The instruments for which caps already existed from previous periods will continue to be suspended.

In addition, ESMA highlights that some trading venues in the meantime have submitted corrected data that affects past DVC publications. For a limited number of 12 instruments, this means that previously identified breaches of the 8% and 4% caps prove to be incorrect. For these instruments, the suspensions of trading under the waivers should be lifted.

New overview file for suspensions 

In this publication, ESMA is changing slightly the way it presents the DVC files to facilitate access by national competent authorities (NCAs), market participants and the public in general. The ESMA publication now comprises a separate consolidated Suspensions File, which includes all those instruments for which a suspension has been issued, and the corresponding suspension dates. The Suspensions File also identifies the instruments on which suspensions should be revoked due to data corrections.

The goal is to present all information in one place so that NCAs and market participants can identify the instruments affected by the caps in order to take the necessary actions. In addition, ESMA will continue to publish all monthly DVC files providing information on trade volumes for those instruments within the DVC scope for which complete data exists.

Background

MiFID II introduced the DVC to limit the amount of dark trading in equities allowed under the reference price waiver and the negotiated transaction waiver. The DVC is calculated per instrument (ISIN) based on the rolling average of trading in that instrument over the last 12 months.