2022 in the European Union explained

Events from 2022 in the European Union.

Incumbents

• President of the European Council
  • Charles Michel
• Commission President
  • Ursula von der Leyen
• Council Presidency
  • France (Jan – Jun)
  • Czech Republic (July – Dec)
• Parliament President
  • Roberta Metsola
• High Representative
  • Josep Borrell

Events

January

• 1 January - France takes over the Presidency of the European Union.
• 6 January – The Lithuanian government announces that it will not extend the state of emergency at the external border with Belarus.^[1]
• 16 January - Serbians vote in a referendum on whether to approve a constitutional reform that would bring the Serbian judicial system closer to the model required for the country to join the European Union.
• 27 January - The European Medicines Agency conditionally approves the use of the Pfizer anti-COVID-19 oral drug Paxlovid for high-risk adult patients.^[2]

February

• 1 February - The European Union restricts the validity of the EU Digital COVID certificate to only nine months after having received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.^{[3] [4]}
• 16 February -
  • The European Court of Justice dismisses Poland and Hungary's challenges against the regulation and confirms that the regulation is in compliance with the treaties of the European Union. This will allow the European Commission to suspend funds from the EU budget to member states that have rule of law issues which are likely to affect the management of EU funds.^[5]
  • Bulgrian MEP from the VMRO – Bulgarian National Movement Angel Dzhambazki after defending the governments of Hungary and Poland in a speech at the European Parliament, Dzhambazki insulted his fellow MEP Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe) and apparently made a Nazi salute while leaving the chamber. Dzhambazki's actions were immediately censored by the Vice-President of the European Parliament Giuseppina Picierno, who was presiding over the session.^{[6] [7]}
• 21 February - The European Union says it is prepared to issue sanctions against Russia if the country recognizes the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, breakaway regions of Ukraine that declared independence in 2014. Ukraine considers the quasi-states terrorist organizations.^[8]
• 22 February - The foreign ministers of European Union member states agree on a package of new sanctions against Russia.^[9]
• 24 February - The European Union says that it will introduce the "strongest, harshest package" of sanctions on the Russian economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine.^[10]
• 25 February - The European Union freezes all assets held by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the EU.^[11]
• 27 February -
  • The European Union says that it will provide fighter aircraft and finance €500 million in procurement and delivery of weapons to Ukraine, the first time that the EU has done so. The EU will also provide €50 million in medical supplies.^[12]
  • Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan freeze all assets of the Russian Central Bank and the Russian National Wealth Fund under their jurisdiction, preventing the usage of more than a third of Russia's $630 billion of foreign exchange reserves.^[13]
  • European Union airspace is closed to Russian aircraft.^[14]
  • The European Union imposes sanctions on Belarus, forbidding the import of some commodities, including timber, steel, oil-derived fuels and cement.^[15]
• 28 February -
  • In retaliation of the Russian aircraft ban, Russian authorities prohibit EU and UK airlines from landing in or crossing Russian airspace.^[16]
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs an application for the country to join the European Union.^[17]
  • Foreign minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock reacts to the accession request of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that joining the Union cannot be done in a matter of months.^{[18] [19]}
  • The presidents of 8 EU member states: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia jointly sign an open letter urging other member states to grant Ukraine candidate status immediately.^[20]

March

• 1 March - The European Parliament formally accepts Ukraine's application for EU membership.^[21]
• 2 March - The European Union removes seven Russian banks from the SWIFT financial messaging system, including VTB Bank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, Rossiya Bank, Sovcombank and VEB.RF.^[22]
• 3 March -
  • Georgia and Moldova both announce that they are applying for European Union membership.^{[23] [24]}
  • Russian television network RT is taken off-air in the EU and the United Kingdom due to its coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[25]
• 11 March - The EU announces that it will ban all imports of iron and steel goods from Russia, ban the export of luxury goods to Russia, and freeze Russia's cryptocurrency assets.^[26]
• 25 March - Finland's state-owned VR Group announces that it will suspend all train services on the Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway, which connects Helsinki and Saint Petersburg, on March 28. The suspension will close one of the last public transport routes to the European Union for Russians.^[27]

April

• 1 April - President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola travels to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, and subsequently addresses the Verkhovna Rada. Metsola becomes the first EU official to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.^[28]
• 9 April - EU High Representative Josep Borrell announces that the European Union and Italy will resume their diplomatic operations in Kyiv after temporarily relocating to Lviv.^[29]
• 12 April - The European Union suspends some of its military activities in Mali due to the alleged involvement of Russian private military companies in the conflict, especially during the Siege of Moura in March.^[30]
• 27 April - The European Commission proposes lifting all tariffs for Ukrainian produce not covered by the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement for one year, while easing trade conditions for other goods. The temporary suspension will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the member states.^[31]

May

• 4 May - The European Union proposes to ban all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year, and also remove Russia's biggest bank, Sberbank, from SWIFT.^[32]
• 8 May - The European Union recommends that the United States remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps from their terrorist organization blacklist.^[33]
• 11 May - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announce in a joint statement that, starting next week, masks are no longer required for flights or in airports. However, the EASA asks passengers to "behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them," while the ECDC recommends that passengers continue to practice social distancing if it can be done in a non-disruptive manner.^[34]
• 20 May - Russia announces that it will suspend its supply of natural gas to Finland beginning at 4:00 GMT tomorrow due to Finland's refusal to comply with Russia's demand that gas be paid for in rubles.^[35]
• 21 May - Russia's Gazprom suspends natural gas exports to Finland over Finland's refusal to comply with Russia's demand that gas be paid for in rubles.^[36]
• 30 May - After weeks of deliberations, all of the European Union member states agree to impose an oil embargo on most oil imports from Russia (with the exception of that brought by pipelines), to be fully implemented by the end of the year, and cut off Sberbank from SWIFT.^[37]
• 31 May - The United Kingdom and the European Union agree to implement a ban on insuring Russian oil tankers, which will be phased in beginning in 6 months. This will effectively render the vast majority of oil tankers uninsurable as most institutions conducting insurance are located in Western Europe.^[38]

June

• 1 June - Exit polls show that around two-thirds of Danes voted to have Denmark join the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy, ending Denmark's 30-year policy of opting out.^[39]
• 7 June - The European Commission agrees to make USB Type-C the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the European Union by autumn 2024.^[40]
• 9 June -
  • Poland decides to lift its state of emergency over attempts by migrants to cross the Belarus–Poland border, saying that the border barrier it has been building is mostly complete.^[41]
  • The European Parliament adopts a resolution urging to amend the treaties of the European Union in order to abolish the unanimity principle in decisionmaking with respect to sanctions and foreign policy and to grant the Parliament the right to legislative initiative.^[42]
• 13 June - The British government confirms that it will go ahead with plans to terminate the Northern Ireland Protocol in order to make it easier for goods to flow between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The European Union accuses the UK of breaking international law by reneging on the agreement made during Brexit negotiations.^[43]
• 14 June - The European Union removes Russia's largest bank Sberbank, the Russian Agricultural Bank and the Credit Bank of Moscow from the SWIFT international payments system as part of another round of economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.^[44]
• 15 June - The European Union launches legal action against the United Kingdom, alleging a breach of post-Brexit agreements regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol.^[45]
• 17 June - The European Commission recommends that the European Council grant Ukraine candidate status for accession to the European Union.^[46]
• 19 June - The European Union condemns the "structurally deficient" justice system in Bolivia and lack of "due process" in the trial of Jeanine Áñez and asks for her release.^[47]
• 23 June - The European Union formally awards official candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova.^[48]
• 24 June - Bulgaria lifts its veto against North Macedonia's bid to join the European Union.^[49]
• 30 June - The European Union signs a free trade agreement with New Zealand.^[50]

July

• 1 July - Czech Republic takes over the Presidency of the European Union.
• 12 July - The European Union formally accepts Croatia as the 20th member of the Eurozone. Croatia will adopt the bloc's currency on January 1, 2023.^[51]
• 13 July - The European Commission allows Russia to resume shipping embargoed goods by rail to its exclave of Kaliningrad, following Russian threats against Lithuania. However, the transit of military equipment through Lithuanian territory remains prohibited.^[52]
• 16 July - The Assembly of North Macedonia passes a motion to amend North Macedonia’s Constitution to recognize its Bulgarian minority, while pledging to discuss remaining issues with the Bulgarian government. In exchange, Bulgaria will allow membership talks with the European Union to begin.^[53]
• 19 July - Negotiations on the accession of North Macedonia and Albania to the European Union begin in Brussels.^[54]
• 20 July - The European Union bans imports of gold from Russia and freezes Sberbank's assets.^[55]
• 22 July - The European Commission launches four new legal procedures against the United Kingdom for alleged infringements of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement relating to the passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.^[56]
• 26 July - European Union energy ministers approve legislation to lower demand for gas by some member countries by 15% from August until March 2023.^[57]
• 27 July - Russian energy company Gazprom reduces the amount of natural gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Europe to 20% of the pipeline's capacity.^[58]
• 28 July - Authorities in Hanover, Germany, turn off heating and switch to cold showers in all public buildings, and also shut off public water fountains amid an energy crisis after Gazprom reduced gas supplies to Germany through its Nord Stream 1 pipeline.^[59]

August

• 9 August - Russia's Transneft says that Ukraine has suspended Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia after it was unable to pay transit fees to Ukraine's pipeline operator UkrTransNafta. The Czech Republic's pipeline company says it expects supplies through the pipeline to restart within several days.^[60]
• 18 August - The European Union statistics office reports that inflation in the Eurozone increased to a record 8.9% in July.^[61]

September

• September 24 – On the day before the 2022 Italian general election, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, was asked about possible Vladimir Putin allies in the Italian political system and the upcoming election, to which she replied that "if things go in a difficult direction, I've spoken about Hungary and Poland, we have tools." The comment garnered a strong backlash from some Italian politicians, especially from Salvini and Renzi.^{[62] [63]}
• September 25 – The 2022 Italian general election is held to elect all 400 seats of the Chamber of Deputies and 200 seats of the Senate of the Republic.^[64] Observers commented that the results shifted the geopolitics of the European Union, following far-right gains in France, Spain, and Sweden.^{[65] [66] [67]} It was also noted that the election outcome would mark Italy's first far-right-led government and the country's most right-wing government since 1945.^{[68] [69] [70]}

See also

Overviews

• European Union
• History of European Union
• Outline of European Union
• Politics of European Union
• Timeline of European Union history
• Years in European Union
• History of modern European Union
• Government of European Union

Related timelines for current period

• 2022
• 2022 in Europe
• 2022 in politics and government
• 2020s

Notes and References

1. News: Sytas . Andrius . 2022-01-05 . Lithuania will not extend state of emergency at Belarus border . Reuters . Hudson . Alexandra . 2022-08-25.
2. Web site: Roy . Mrinalika . Mishra . Manas . Burger . Ludwig . Guarascio . Francesco . 2022-01-28 . Dasgupta . Shounak . Baum . Bernadette . Porter . Mark . EU drug regulator OKs Pfizer COVID pill for high-risk patients . 2022-08-30 . Reuters.
3. Web site: 2021-12-21 . Official: EU Makes COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates Valid for Only 9 Months From February 1, 2022 . 2022-08-25 . SchengenVisaInfo.com.
4. Web site: 2021-12-21 . EU Digital COVID Certificate: Commission adopts binding acceptance period of nine months for vaccination certificates . 2022-08-30 . European Commission . The acceptance period will not be encoded in the certificate itself. Instead, the mobile applications used to verify the EU Digital COVID Certificates will be adjusted: If the date of vaccination is longer than 270 days ago, the mobile application used for verification will indicate the certificate as expired. To allow for sufficient time for technical implementation of the acceptance period and for Member States' booster vaccination campaigns, these new rules should apply from 1 February 2022..
5. Web site: 2022-02-16 . Poland, Hungary lose legal challenge against EU rule-of-law tool . 2022-08-25 . Al Jazeera.
6. Web site: 2022-02-17. Europarlamentare bulgaro fa il saluto fascista in Aula e insulta il collega Gozi. Metsola: "Inaccettabile, offende me e tutta l'Europa" - Video. 2022-02-17. Il Fatto Quotidiano. it-IT.
7. Web site: MEP who appears to give Nazi salute in European Parliament faces sanctions procedure . 17 February 2022 .
8. News: Siebold . Sabine . Melander . Ingrid . Strauss . Marine . Meijer . Bart . Chalmers . John . 2022-02-21 . EU warns of sanctions if Russia recognises Ukraine breakaway regions . Reuters . Heritage . Timothy . Jones . Gareth . Graff . Peter . MacSwan . Angus . 2022-08-25.
9. Web site: 2022-02-22 . EU agrees on sanctions against Russian individuals and entities . 2022-08-25 . Al Jazeera.
10. Web site: Casert . Raf . Petrequin . Sam . 2022-02-24 . World leaders slap sanctions on the Kremlin over invasion . 2022-08-25 . Associated Press.
11. Web site: Baczynska . Gabriela . 2022-02-25 . Chalmers . John . EU goes after Putin and Lavrov holdings over Ukraine - official . 2022-08-30 . Reuters.
12. Web site: 2022-02-28 . EU to provide fighter jets to Ukraine . 2022-08-25 . Ukrinform.
13. Web site: Trusewicz . Iwona . 2022-02-27 . Zachód zamraża wszystkie rezerwy Rosji. Będzie paraliż wydatków wojskowych . 2022-08-25 . . pl.
14. News: Lampert . Allison . Shepardson . David . Jones . Jessica . Thomas . Denny . Bendeich . Mark . Driver . Anna . 2022-02-28 . Europe and Canada move to close skies to Russian planes . Reuters . Sithole-Matarise . Emelia . 2022-08-25 . Wallis . Daniel.
15. Web site: 2022-02-27 . ЄС вводить санкції проти Білорусі: зупиняє імпорт пального та не продаватиме технології . 2022-08-25 . . uk.
16. News: 2022-02-28 . Russia Hits Back on Sanctions, Bars EU Carriers From Skies . Bloomberg . 2022-08-25.
17. Web site: Zinets . Natalia . Polityuk . Pavel . Prentice . Alessandra . 2022-02-28 . Lawson . Hugh . Ukrainian president signs formal request to join the European Union . 2022-08-30 . Reuters.
18. Web site: Szymanska . Zuzanna . Escritt . Thomas . 2022-02-28 . 'Ukraine is part of the house of Europe' - German foreign minister . 2022-08-30 . Reuters.
19. Web site: 2022-02-28 . Zelenskiy Calls For Ukraine's Immediate EU Membership But Bloc Cool On Idea . 2022-08-30 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
20. Web site: Charlish . Alan . Sytas . Andrius . 2022-02-28 . Nomiyama . Chizu . Presidents of 8 EU states call for immediate talks on Ukrainian membership . 2022-08-30 . Reuters.
21. Web site: Joshi . Poorva . 2022-03-01 . European Parliament accepts Ukraine's application for EU membership . 2022-08-25 . www.indiatvnews.com.
22. News: Blenkinsop . Philip . 2022-03-02 . EU bars 7 Russian banks from SWIFT, but spares those in energy . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
23. Web site: Georgia Formally Applies For EU Membership: PM . 2022-08-25 . Barron's . Agence France-Presse.
24. Web site: Moldova joins Ukraine, applies for EU membership . 2022-08-25 . The Jerusalem Post. 3 March 2022 .
25. News: 2022-03-03 . RT: Russian-backed TV news channel disappears from UK screens . BBC News . 2022-08-25.
26. News: 2022-03-11 . EU to ban steel imports from Russia, luxury goods exports to Moscow . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
27. Web site: 2022-03-25 . Finland suspends train connections to Russia . 2022-08-25 . Al Arabiya English.
28. Web site: Courage, strength, resolve: Roberta Metsola meets Zelensky in Kyiv . 2022-08-25 . Times of Malta. April 2022 .
29. Web site: Vakil . Caroline . 2022-04-09 . European Union, Italy to resume diplomatic operations in Kyiv . 2022-08-25 . The Hill.
30. News: 2022-04-12 . EU ends part of Mali training mission, fearing Russian interference, Borrell says . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
31. News: 2022-04-27 . EU to suspend tariffs on Ukraine imports for one year, Kyiv grateful . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
32. Web site: Mark Thompson . EU proposes ban on Russian oil imports. Hungary says it needs more time . 2022-08-25 . CNN. 4 May 2022 .
33. Web site: staff . T. O. I. . Agencies . EU suggests IRGC terror delisting compromise in attempt to save Iran nuke talks . 2022-08-25 . Times of Israel.
34. Web site: 2022-05-11 . Europe drops mandatory masks on planes and in airports . 2022-08-25 . Euronews.
35. News: Kauranen . Anne . Buli . Nora . 2022-05-20 . Russia to halt gas flows to Finland on Saturday . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
36. News: Solsvik . Terje . 2022-05-21 . Russia stops gas flows to Finland over payments dispute . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
37. News: Schmitz . Rob . 2022-05-31 . The EU will block most Russian oil imports as Hungary's Orbán fights off a total ban . NPR . 2022-08-25.
38. News: 2022-05-31 . UK and EU hit Russian oil cargoes with insurance ban . Financial Times . 2022-08-25.
39. Web site: Denmark to join EU defence policy after historic vote . 2022-08-25 . www.aljazeera.com.
40. News: Chee . Foo Yun . 2022-06-07 . EU agrees single mobile charging port in blow to Apple . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
41. Web site: 2022-06-09 . Poland to end state of emergency along border with Belarus . 2022-08-25 . Associated Press.
42. Web site: 2022-06-09 . European Parliament presses EU leaders to convene treaty change convention . 2022-08-25 . POLITICO.
43. News: 2022-06-13 . NI Protocol: UK reveals plans to ditch parts of EU Brexit deal . BBC News . 2022-08-25.
44. Web site: EU removes three more Russian banks from SWIFT . 2022-08-25 . www.ukrinform.net. 14 June 2022 .
45. Web site: Ivana Kottasová . EU launches legal action against UK over post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland . 2022-08-25 . CNN. 15 June 2022 .
46. News: Ukraine should get E.U. candidate status, European Commission recommends . Washington Post . 2022-08-25 . 0190-8286.
47. Web site: GrupoRPP . Unión Europea señala "deficiencias estructurales" en juicio contra expresidenta de Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez . 2022-08-25 . rpp.pe . 19 June 2022 . es.
48. News: 2022-06-23 . EU awards Ukraine and Moldova candidate status . BBC News . 2022-08-25.
49. Web site: Welle (www.dw.com) . Deutsche . Bulgaria: Lawmakers agree to lift block on North Macedonia EU talks . 2022-08-25 . DW.COM.
50. Web site: 2022-06-30 . EU and New Zealand seal trade deal with tougher new green rules . 2022-08-25 . POLITICO.
51. Web site: EU formally accepts Croatia as 20th euro zone member . 2022-08-25 . CNBC. 12 July 2022 .
52. Web site: Strozewski . Zoe . 2022-07-13 . EU allows Russia to move goods through NATO nations after Putin warning . 2022-08-25 . Newsweek.
53. Web site: North Macedonia votes to resolve dispute with Bulgaria . 2022-08-25 . www.aljazeera.com.
54. Web site: Tidey . Alice . 2022-07-19 . 'Historic moment': EU negotiations open for Albania, North Macedonia . 2022-08-25 . Euronews.
55. Web site: 2022-07-20 . EU bans imports of Russian gold and freezes Sberbank's assets . 2022-08-25 . Euronews.
56. Web site: EU launches new legal procedures against UK over Northern Ireland . 2022-08-25 . www.aljazeera.com.
57. Web site: 2022-07-26 . EU agrees to cut natural gas use amid Russian supply fears . 2022-08-25 . AP NEWS.
58. Web site: 2022-07-27 . Russia cuts gas through Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity . 2022-08-25 . AP NEWS.
59. News: 2022-07-28 . Cold showers as German city of Hanover reacts to Russian gas crisis . BBC News . 2022-08-25.
60. News: 2022-08-09 . Ukraine halted oil flows to Europe over payment issue, Russia's Transneft says . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
61. News: 2022-08-18 . Euro zone July inflation confirmed at 8.9% y/y, core measure sharply up . Reuters . 2022-08-25.
62. News: Wilhelmine. Preussen. Von der Leyen's warning message to Italy irks election candidates. 27 September 2022. Politico. 23 September 2022.
63. News: EU's von der Leyen delivers veiled warning to Italy's right wing. 27 September 2022. Reuters. 23 September 2022.
64. Web site: 21 July 2022. Italy's Mattarella dissolves parliament, election set for 25 September. 22 July 2022. Euronews.
65. News: D'Emilio. Frances. Winfield. Nicole. Zampano. Giada. 26 September 2022. Italy shifts to the right as voters reward Meloni's party. 26 September 2022. AP News. Associated Press.
66. News: Horowitz. Jason. Giorgia Meloni Wins Voting in Italy, in Breakthrough for Europe's Hard Right. live. 27 September 2022. The New York Times. 25 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220927040606/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/world/europe/italy-meloni-prime-minister.html. 27 September 2022.
67. Web site: Lemire. Jonathan. 26 September 2022. White House anxiously watches Meloni's rise to power. 27 September 2022. Politico.
68. News: 26 September 2022. Italy election: Meloni says center-right bloc has 'clear' mandate. Deutsche Welle. 26 September 2022.
69. Web site: Leali. Giorgio. Roberts. Hannah. 25 September 2022. Italy on track to elect most right-wing government since Mussolini. 27 September 2022. Politico.
70. News: Braithwaite. Sharon. DiDonato. Valentina. Fox. Kara. Mortensen. Antonia. Nadeau. Barbie Latza. Ruotolo. Nicola. 26 September 2022. Giorgia Meloni claims victory to become Italy's most far-right prime minister since Mussolini. CNN. 26 September 2022.