If you cannot see this newsletter, read the online version. EU NEWS YOU CAN USE European Commission in Ireland Top News European Commission authorises Moderna vaccine The European Commission this week granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID‑19 vaccine developed by Moderna, the second COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU. This authorisation follows a positive scientific recommendation based on a thorough assessment of the safety, effectiveness and quality of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is endorsed by the Member States. President von der Leyen said: "With the Moderna vaccine, the second one now authorised in the EU, we will have a further 160 million doses. And more vaccines will come. Europe has secured up to two billion doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines." Read more... European Commission reaches agreement with the United Kingdom on its future cooperation with the EU After intensive negotiations, the European Commission reached an agreement with the United Kingdom on the terms of its future cooperation with the EU on 24 December 2020. The new Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets out preferential arrangements in areas such as trade in goods and in services, digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, aviation and road transport, energy, fisheries, social security coordination, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, thematic cooperation and participation in Union programmes. It is provisionally applicable since 1 January 2021. President von der Leyen said the deal will protect the EU's interests and "will lay a solid foundation for a new beginning with a long-term friend." Read more... EU and China reach agreement in principle on investment The EU and China have concluded in principle the negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). The CAI will ensure that EU investors achieve better access to the fast growing 1.4 billion Chinese consumer market and that they compete on a better level playing field in China. President von der Leyen said the agreement will "provide unprecedented access to the Chinese market for European investors, enabling our businesses to grow and create jobs. It will also commit China to ambitious principles on sustainability, transparency and non-discrimination". Read more... Other news Brexit: Commission proposes €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve The European Commission has proposed a €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve to help counter the adverse economic and social consequences in the Member States and sectors that are worst affected. The Reserve will be rapid and flexible, and will cover expenditure in any Member State over a period of 30 months. EU Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn said: "We designed this Reserve to provide swift and uncomplicated help, focusing on those EU Member States most adversely affected by Brexit. I now count on the Council and the European Parliament to convert our proposal into concrete financial support without delay." Read more... Irish SME among first to receive direct equity investment through new European Innovation Council fund Dublin tech company Geowox Ltd is one of 42 highly innovative start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses that are to receive total equity financing of around €178 million from the European Innovation Council to develop and scale up breakthrough innovations. The equity investments, ranging from €500,000 to €15 million per beneficiary, complement grant financing already provided through the EIC Accelerator Pilot in 2020. This is the first time the European Commission has made direct equity or quasi-equity investments, namely equity investment blended with a grant, in start-up companies, with ownership stakes expected to range from 10% to 25%. Read more... TCD researcher awarded ERC proof of concept grant TCD researcher Jonathan Coleman was this week awarded a proof of concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his project to develop nanomaterial based inks for high performance sensing applications. ERC Proof of Concept grants are worth €150,000 each and are awarded to researchers to help them explore the commercial or societal potential of their work and to bring it closer to the market. Read more... New EU rules on importing and exporting plastic waste enter into force New EU rules on importing and exporting plastic waste entered into force across the EU on 1 January 2021. The new rules ban the export of plastic waste from the EU to non-OECD countries, except for clean plastic waste sent for recycling. Exporting plastic waste from the EU to OECD countries and imports in the EU will also be more strictly controlled. Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said: "This is an important milestone in fighting plastic pollution, transitioning to a circular economy, and achieving the aims of the European Green Deal." Read more... 2021 is the European Year of Rail! Friday 1 January 2021 marked the beginning of the European Year of Rail. Throughout the year, a variety of activities will put rail in the spotlight to encourage the use of rail by both citizens and businesses and to contribute to the EU Green Deal goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said: "Our future mobility needs to be sustainable, safe, comfortable and affordable. Rail offers all of that and much more! The European Year of Rail gives us the opportunity to re-discover this mode of transport." Read more... European Citizens' Initiative: Commission registers initiative for 'a ban on biometric mass surveillance practices' The European Commission has decided to register a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Civil society initiative for a ban on biometric mass surveillance practices'. The organisers of the ECI want the Commission to propose a legal act to permanently end indiscriminate and arbitrarily-targeted uses of biometric data in ways which can lead to mass surveillance or any undue interference with fundamental rights. The organisers can now start the process of collecting one million signatures of support from at least seven EU Member States. Read more... Read more... Irish consumers pay third highest prices for communications New figures from Eurostat show that Irish consumers paid the third highest prices for communications (telephone, internet, postal, etc) in the EU in 2019 at 150% of the average. Prices were highest in Belgium (176% of the average) and Greece (175%) and lowest in Romania (38%). Read more... Share of renewable energy up to just under 12% in Ireland in 2019 The share of energy from renewable sources was up to just under 12% in Ireland in 2019 (from 8.5% in 2014) but it was still well below the EU average of 19.7% and the fifth lowest in the EU. It was also well under our 2020 target of 16%. Sweden had the highest share at 56.4% while Luxembourg had the lowest share at 7%. Read more... Share of renewable energy used for heating and cooling lowest in Ireland Ireland had the lowest share of energy from renewable sources used for heating and cooling in 2019 at 6.3%. This compares to an EU average of 22.1% and a high of 66.1% in Sweden. Iceland was even higher at 79.4%. The Eurostat figures also show that, across the EU, the share of energy from renewable sources for heating and cooling (households, industrial processes, hospitals, schools, etc.) almost doubled between 2004 (11.7%) and 2019 (22.1%). Read more... Agenda Friday 8 January: Public stakeholder meeting on the approval and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU The European Medicines Agency is organising a virtual meeting tomorrow 8 January from 12 noon to 2.15 pm to: explain the basis for the approval and use of the new COVID-19 vaccines and how the safety of the vaccines will be assured; provide information on the roles of the European Commission and national public health authorities in the roll-out of the vaccines; and listen to the needs, expectations and any concerns of the public and stakeholders. The meeting will be broadcast on the link below. No prior registration required. Read more... Monday 11 January: One Planet summit for biodiversity France, with the United Nations and the World Bank, is organising a 'One Planet Summit' for biodiversity on Monday 11 January in Paris. The Summit will bring together heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, financial institutions, companies and NGOs, all ready to demonstrate that their commitments are leading to concrete actions to preserve and restore biodiversity, and to lead systemic transformations of our economies. President Ursula Von der Leyen will deliver a keynote speech at the Summit. Read more... Friday 15 January: IIEA webinar: The EMA’s Regulatory Role in the Global Response to COVID-19 On Friday morning 15 January (9-10am), the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) will On Friday morning 15 January (9-10am), the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) will host a webinar on the European Medicines Agency's regulatory role in the global response to COVID-19. The webinar will be addressed by Emer Cooke, Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency. In her address, she will present the policy implications related to the development and approval of safe and effective treatments and vaccines and discuss the potential of real-world data for health policy decisions and supply chain vulnerabilities. Read more... Monday 18 January: IIEA webinar - Reconfiguring Security and Defence post-Trump and post-Brexit On Monday 18 January, the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) will host a lunchtime webinar with MEP Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the Security and Defence Sub-Committee, on "Reconfiguring Security and Defence post-Trump and post-Brexit". In her address, Ms Loiseau will discuss the prospects for a constructive transatlantic agenda, taking account of President-elect Biden’s multilateralist stance and threat outlook.