The ECJ ruling from 10 September 2024 on Ireland's tax breaks for Apple ends years of litigation between Apple, Ireland and the EU Commission. This has resulted in a significant win for EU citizens and in terms of tax justice in Europe. Apple must pay back tax totalling 13 billion euros to Ireland. What does the ruling mean for the future of tax justice in Europe?

Over the course of August, more and more names of candidates for the new EU Commission became known, followed by the final nominations this week. Contrary to the wishes of the designated EU Commission President, gender parity issues did not play a major role, with only Bulgaria submitting a two-person proposal. Ursula von der Leyen now wants to present her proposal for the next EU Commission in the middle of next week. The hearings in the relevant committees of the EU Parliament are to follow in mid-October.

On 18 July 2024, Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected for a second term as President of the EU Commission. The election took place on the basis of the Political Guidelines she presented. These place a strong focus on companies, competitiveness and deregulation. However, they also contain a number of points aimed at strengthening the social dimension of the EU.

The proposal for the new EU Commission has been made, and now the ball is in the EU Parliament's court. Since Wednesday it is clear that the hearings will take place from 4 to 12 November. Depending on the portfolio, the Commissioner-designate's qualifications will be assessed by one or more committees. Only when the hearings have been successfully concluded will the plenary be able to give the full College of Commissioners its consent.

In the Draghi Report and in the political guidelines of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, far-reaching efforts to streamline EU regulations and reduce the burden on companies can be found under the headings “Better Regulation” and “Reducing administrative burdens”. However, there is a risk of losing sight of important regulations for employees and environmental protection. AK EUROPA and the ÖGB Europe Office organised a webinar on this topic on 10 September 2024.

The EU Parliament is the only directly elected EU institution. It is therefore rightly described as the heart of European democracy. Its organisation and ways of working are laid down in its Rules of Procedure. They have been revised with the aim of strengthening European democracy.

On 1 July 2024, Hungary took over the presidency of the EU Council for the next six months. The EU Parliament had previously questioned whether the Hungarian government could reliably fulfil this task. This is because, for the first time in history, a country is now holding the presidency of the Council that is the subject of proceedings for violations of fundamental EU values such as democracy and the rule of law (Article 7 procedure).

The first plenary session of the newly elected EU Parliament took place in Strasbourg from 16 to 19 July 2024. In addition to the election of the new Bureau, consisting of Parliament President Roberta Metsola, 14 Vice-Presidents and five Quaestors, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected to a second five-year term. The number and numerical composition of standing committees, subcommittees and delegations were also approved.

Every five years, EU heads of state and government agree on the political priorities for the next legislative period in connection with the elections to the EU Parliament. The Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029 was adopted by the European Council on 27 June 2024. Key European policy concerns from a workers' perspective are given too little attention.

Between 6 to 9 June 2024, EU citizens elected the 720 members of the European Parliament. The result shows a clear shift to the right. What does the future composition of the EU Parliament mean for employees? And what are the next steps after the election?