Although October only saw limited progress on the Brexit negotiations, across the EU there were a number of policy announcements and initiatives that progress goals in the fields of  trade and environment. These announcements were marred by the investigation into the claims against Frontex and ongoing loss of immigrants’ lives at sea.

The EU has adopted a new Enforcement Agreement, promoted market access for small-to-medium companies and is working against current overcapacity issues for steel in the Finance, Trade and (Digital) Internal Market section.

The Migration section covers the ongoing plight of those living in the Lesbos island replacement camp, a new strategy for Roma in Europe and the claims regarding Frontex’s role in illegal border pushbacks.

Finally, the Environment section covers the launch of the Renovation Wave Strategy, Methane Strategy and the State of the Energy Union Report, highlighting many key initiatives to continue progress towards the European Union’s green goals, in a time when there is much more to be done.

November sees the number of coronavirus cases soaring across most Member States and restrictions being reimplemented across many. As EU leaders call unity and strength, many fear the outlook in terms of easing restrictions and the economy is grim.

EU Update – November, 2020