Media advisory – EU-Canada leaders' meeting via video conference, 29 October 2020
Indicative programme
14.00 – EU-Canada leaders’ meeting via video conference
At the end of the meeting: press conference by President Michel, President von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau in live streaming
Arrangements for the press conference
Please note that there will be no physical press conference. It can be followed via live streaming. English, French and German interpretation available.
In order to ask questions remotely, EU accredited journalists and journalists who had a EUCO accreditation from June 2019 EUCO meeting or later, can register using this link.
Journalists who already registered for high-level press conferences (European Councils, international summits) in 2020 don’t need to register again.
Deadline for registration: Thursday, 29 October 2020, 14.00
Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants approximately half an hour after the deadline.
On 28 October, the Office hosted the second online session of the 29th User Group meeting.
The meeting gathered 20 representatives of 14 User Associations. This annual event is an official forum in which representatives from the User Group gather to exchange views on EUIPO’s strategic activities and projects, in particular those activities with a direct impact on users.
This second online session aimed at presenting the evaluation of the results and benefits of the ECPs under SP2020, followed by an overview of the state of play of the European Cooperation Projects under SP2025 and the recent developments after the Working Groups which took place in the first week of October. EUIPO’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr Andrea Di Carlo provided the global context and the latest developments on the general update on SME initiatives, which also included the draft proposal for the creation together with the European Commission of a Fund to support SMEs in 2021 to be later on submitted for the approval of the MBBC, and an update on the outcome of the first Working Group meeting of the ECP6 “Supporting SMEs” and its next steps.
The presentation on the project “Broaden the Cooperation Framework outside the EU” and an update on the implementation of the EU-funded projects closed this second session of the 29th edition of this forum.
The first online session of the 29th User Group meeting was held on 14 October. The Executive Director, Mr. Christian Archambeau opened the meeting by giving first hand information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Office’s activities and its users, as well as an outline of the upcoming strategic and institutional agenda. The meeting was then dedicated to exchange views with the users on the closure elements of SP2020 and the strategic projects initiated within the SP2025 in 2020 as well as those that will be proposed for 2021, with the focus on advanced customer-centric services and initiatives under Strategic Driver 2, introduced by the Deputy Executive Director, Andrea Di Carlo. The session also included an overview on the latest case law of the Boards of Appeal and the General Court counted upon the presence of the President of the Boards of Appeal, Theophile Margellos. This session was then followed by an update on the changes to the draft Guidelines. The meeting finished with an update on the latest developments related the impact of Brexit in the Office’s practice.
The Office continues to do its utmost to maintain its direct channels of communication and discussion with the User Group adapted to the current circumstances and through virtual platforms.
Combating child abuse online – Council ready to negotiate a temporary measure
Today, member states’ ambassadors agreed on a negotiating mandate on temporary rules to allow providers of communications services such as web-based email and messaging services to continue detecting child sexual abuse online. These temporary rules will have to be in place by 21 December 2020, when the comprehensive European electronic communications code enters into application, bringing with it a new definition of electronic communications services, which from that date on will also include ‘number-independent interpersonal communications services’ (NI-ICS). Following the change, these services will have to comply with the confidentiality rules of the ePrivacy directive instead of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) and, without a specific derogation, they will not be able to continue their current practices to combat child sexual abuse online.
Protecting children and fighting against child sexual abuse in any form is an absolute priority for the EU. The valuable activities carried out on a voluntary basis online to detect and remove this criminal material must be able to continue without interruption.
Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, President of the Council
The ePrivacy directive ensures the protection of private life and the confidentiality of communications and personal data in the electronic communications sector. Providers of electronic communications services must comply with ePrivacy when processing communications data. In its definition of ‘electronic communications services’, the ePrivacy directive relies on the definition in the electronic communications code.
Some NI-ICS providers are already using specific technologies to detect child sexual abuse on their services in order to remove it and/or to report it to law enforcement authorities and to organisations acting in the public interest to fight against child sexual abuse.
In contrast to the GDPR, the ePrivacy directive does not contain a legal basis for voluntary processing of content or traffic data for the purpose of detecting child sexual abuse. Therefore, for the services falling within the scope of the ePrivacy directive, NI-ICS providers will not be able to continue to take such action unless a legislative measure is adopted with urgency and brought into effect by 21 December 2020. The derogation will make it possible for these activities to continue as long as they are compliant with the GDPR.
The Commission has announced that it will propose legislation to tackle child sexual abuse online by the second quarter of 2021. That legislation will aim to provide a long-term solution to replace the temporary measure.
Under the Council position, the temporary regulation will apply until 31 December 2025, or until an earlier date when the permanent legal instrument is adopted by the legislators and repeals this temporary measure.
Today’s mandate was approved by ambassadors meeting in the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper). It allows the presidency to start talks with the European Parliament on the final text.
Latvia: EIB supports ALTUM to help Latvian businesses
EUR 130 million in financing to support ALTUM’s measures to help Latvian businesses cope with the economic consequences of the Covid-outbreak.
Signed in early July, so far more than 470 Latvian businesses have been supported with various measures, including lower interest rates and longer repayment horizons.
Together with the Latvian Ministry of Economy, in mid-March Altum launched a EUR 200m Covid-19 Working Capital Loan Programme, a support mechanism for Latvian businesses impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. To expand the capabilities of this programme to safeguard Latvian businesses and jobs, in July the European Investment Bank lent ALTUM €80 million in Covid-related financing. The Government of the Republic of Latvia provided additional €50 million. So far, the European financing has helped ALTUM to support 475 Latvian companies, thus making sure that more than 1580 people’s jobs were safeguarded.
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros commented: “Small and medium-sized businesses are essential to Latvia’s quick recovery from the ongoing economic downturn. The Latvian government and ALTUM are doing all they can to support SMEs and the Bank is glad that it can back up this programme. Since the financing was signed in August, we can already see the positive effects of the programme. We will continue to support ALTUM, a longstanding partner of the EIB, wherever we can.”
Reinis Bērziņš, ALTUM Management Board Chairman, stated: “With support from the government and the EIB, ALTUM is providing swift assistance to businesses to help them cope with the difficulties caused by the negative impact of Covid-19 outbreak. Since the start of the crisis, the combined positive effect of all of ALTUM’s financial instruments on the economy exceeds 625 million, and is increasing daily. It’s a good thing that we can continue our fruitful collaboration with the EIB to support Latvian small and medium-sized enterprises and help to safeguard many jobs.”
The EIB-backed programme consists of short-term loans (up to 3 years) to Latvian companies struggling with a substantial decrease in operations and therefore in need of liquidity support. The EIB’s funds have helped Altum to support the SMEs in a timely manner with advantageous financial conditions, such as lower interest rates and longer repayment or grace periods.
Background information
In the last five years, the EIB has provided over EUR 460 million in financing to Latvian projects. The EIB’s relationship with ALTUM dates back to 2009, when a EUR 100 million loan was signed with Latvijas Hipoteku un Zemes Banka, ALTUM’s predecessor. In the face of the ongoing crisis, the EIB and its subsidiary the EIF, make available loans, guarantees, asset-backed securities, equity and other financial instruments to mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, to boost those parts of the EU economy and the healthcare sector that were hit the worst.
ALTUM is a state-owned development finance institution, which offers state aid for various target groups with the help of financial tools (such as loans, credit guarantees, investment in venture capital funds, etc.). ALTUM develops and implements state aid programmes to compensate for the market’s shortcomings that cannot be solved by private financial institutions. In June 2017, ALTUM was awarded the international credit rating Baa1 by Moody’s, which approves its strong financial stability.
Press release – ‘Not there yet’: Rule of law conditionality trilogues continue
After conclusion of the third round of informal legislative negotiations with the Council, EP negotiators said on Tuesday:
“Some progress was made today but we are not there yet. The EP’s position is clear: we need a functioning mechanism that works in practice and protects the final recipients of the EU money. 77% of the EU taxpayers have confirmed that this is what they expect from the EU legislators“.
Next steps
The next round of informal inter-institutional negotiations is scheduled to take place on Thursday the 29th October.
The European Parliament has been ready to start inter-institutional negotiations on the “rule of law conditionality” regulation since January 2019, when MEPs approved their first reading position. The EP’s main demands were:
– to link EU funds to the respect to the rule of law and fundamental rights in member states;
– an “applicable mechanism” that actually can be triggered;
– to protect the beneficiaries (final recipients of EU funds);
– to include the Parliament in any decision to trigger the mechanism, and
– a panel of independent experts to assist the Commission.
In a recent EU-wide survey (conducted October 2020), 77% of Europeans insisted that the EU should only provide funds to member states if the national government implements the rule of law and democratic principles.
