4 - 7 January 2022

Recent Developments:​​​​​​

• France assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2022, taking over from Slovenia – French Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2022 (europa.eu)
• A Dutch cabinet government has been announced with Mark Rutte continuing as Prime Minister as head of a fourth coalition – Nieuw in Rutte IV | NOS, , the Netherlands is the sole EU Member State currently in lockdown due to COVID-19.
• EU draft plans to label natural gas and nuclear energy generation as "green" or "transitional" has been leaked to media during ongoing negotiations over the future of the EU's "sustainable finance taxonomy" to regulate investments into energy production and generation - https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/leak-eu-drafts-plan-to-label-gas-and-nuclear-investments-as-green/, the Austrian Government have threatened to pursue legal action if nuclear energy is ultimately included in the taxonomy- https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/austria-threatens-to-sue-commission-over-eu-taxonomy-rules/
• The German Government shut down three of its remaining six nuclear power plants on 31 December 2021 and will take the remaining three offline during 2022 as part of a phase-out of nuclear energy - https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-powers-down-3-nuclear-plants/
• Several European cities and regions will begin implementing low-emissions zones and restricting access to them based on vehicles' emissions' standards - https://www.green-zones.eu/en/blog-news/low-emission-zones-driving-bans-what-will-change-in-2022
• The derogation period for the Irish language ended on 1 January 2022, with Gaeilge now a fully recognised EU language for all EU publications, documentation, and work.

Tuesday – 4^th January   

• High Representative Borrell to visit Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymetro Kuleba and visit to contact line with Donetsk and Luhansk - EU’s Borrell to visit Ukraine frontline amid Russia tensions – EURACTIV.com

Wednesday – 5^th January   

• COREPER II - restrictive measures regarding Nicaragua, Justice and Home Affairs programme priorities from the French Presidency of the Council of the EU - https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/mpo/2022/1/coreper-2-(310773)/
• High Representative Borrell to visit Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymetro Kuleba and visit to contact line with Donetsk and Luhansk - EU’s Borrell to visit Ukraine frontline amid Russia tensions – EURACTIV.com

Thursday – 6^th January   

• College of Commissioners visit to Paris, France for the inauguration of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU
• High Representative Borrell to visit Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymetro Kuleba and visit to contact line with Donetsk and Luhansk - EU’s Borrell to visit Ukraine frontline amid Russia tensions – EURACTIV.com

Friday – 7^th January  

• College of Commissioners visit to Paris, France for the inauguration of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU