Addressing the Trade Committee of the European Parliament, the EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström made it clear that she continues to regard the controversial international Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the Free Trade Agreement with the USA (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP) as indispensable. However, some adjustments would be necessary.

This week, the former finance minister Ferdinand Lacina and the three trade union presidents Erich Foglar (ÖGB, Austria), Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson (LO, Sweden) and Antti Palola (STTK, Finland) took stock with regard to their countries 20th anniversary of accession to the EU. Their overall assessment was positive even though the panelists also addressed critical issues, such as the intolerable youth unemployment in Europe.

This week, two workshops on the planned EU-USA Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place in Brussels.

Last week, the Latvian Council Presidency made an attempt to get matters moving again with regard to the roaming debate, which over recent months had faded into the background. The intention in its proposal, which had been prepared in cooperation with other diplomats of the Council, is to delay the abolition of roaming charges until 2018.

This week, AK EUROPA, the Brussels office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour, and the ÖGB Europabüro, the Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation hosted a panel discussion on a “Golden Investment Rule” for the European Union.

This week, the College of EU Commissioners held an initial debate on the EU’s asylum and migration policy for the coming years. Vice President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos presented the key points of the Agenda. As the subject had the highest priority, the planned strategy of the Commission would be finalized in May rather than June.

The Commission members announced four priorities, which the EU had to tackle within the coming years.

This week, the Vice President of the Commission Maroš Šefčovič and his colleague Miguel Arias Cañete presented the plans for the Energy Union. As a “5th fundamental freedom”, the uninterrupted continental trade of energy was one of the main projects of the Juncker Commission.

Following the round of negotiations on the ‘plurilateral’” Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), which took place in Geneva in the week before last, this week saw an expert hearing in the European Parliament as well as a Civil Society Dialogue on TiSA.

Presenting his respective ideas with regard to the controversial proposal of the EU Commission on a “single-member private limited liability company (SUP)”, the rapporteur in the EU Parliament let the cat out of the bag this week. At first glance, his thoughts could almost not have been more contradictory. For example, on the one hand the Conservative Spanish MEP Luis de Grandes Pascual wants harmonisation, i.e. the same rules for a future SUP throughout Europe; on the other hand he is willing to leave many delicate decisions to the Member States.

At the end of last week, a group of trade unions and civil society organisations from the employee, environmental and consumer protection sectors in Brussels agreed on a statement of principles on the “Better Regulation” Initiative of the Juncker Commission. The “Better Regulation Watchdog” will be established upon signature of the statements, which will take place in the coming days. Initiatives to “simplify” European Law, which in 2012 were combined under the name “REFIT” (Regulatory Fitness), have already been in existence for years.