2024 in the European Union explained

Events from 2024 in the European Union.

Incumbents

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

Events

January

• 1 January – Belgium takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

February

• 1 February – The European Union formally approves a €50 billion financial support package for Ukraine after Hungary withdraws its veto. The package is expected to help the Ukrainian government pay pensions, salaries and other costs over the next four years with the first funds being released in March.^[1]

May

• 15 May – Attempted assassination of Robert Fico: Prime Minister Robert Fico is critically injured in a shooting in Handlova. A suspect is apprehended and identified as a 71-year-old writer from Levice.^[2]
• 21 May – The Artificial Intelligence Act, a policy regulating providers of AI systems and entities using AI in a professional context to mitigate harms and risks of AI, is approved.^{[3] [4]}
• 23 May – The German Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expelled from the Identity and Democracy.^[5]
• 24 May – A watered-down version of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, a policy to safeguard basic human rights such as child labor and environmental harms across EU supply chains, is approved.^{[6] [7] [8]}

June

• 6–9 June – 2024 European Parliament election
• 13 June – Hungary is fined 200 million euros, in addition to a daily one-million-euro fine by the European Court of Justice for "deliberately evading” compliance with European Union laws on migration and asylum seekers.^[9]
• 18 June – Hungary's Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) leaves the European People's Party.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]} The Party is a Ally of Hungary's Fidesz which also left the European People's Party in 2021.
• 21 June – The Czech ANO 2011 party decided to unilaterally withdraw from Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group as well as Renew Europe.^{[14] [15]}
• 25 June – Accession negotiations for full membership started with Moldova and Ukraine.^[16]
• 30 June – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz), former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO 2011) and former Austrian Minister of the Interior Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) form a new European group called the Patriots for Europe.^[17]

July

• 1 July – The start of the 2024 Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
• 10 July – the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) forms a new European group called Europe of Sovereign Nations. It will have Hungary's Our Homeland Movement, Bulgaria's Revival, Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy, Slovak Republic Movement.

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

• 2024
• 2024 in Europe
• 2020s

Notes and References

1. News: 2024-02-01 . Ukraine support package worth €50bn agreed by EU leaders . 2024-02-01 . BBC News . en-GB.
2. Web site: Slovak PM Robert Fico in hospital after shooting . 2024-05-15 . BBC . en-GB.
3. News: Browne . Ryan . World’s first major law for artificial intelligence gets final EU green light . CNBC . 21 May 2024 . en.
4. Web site: Artificial intelligence (AI) act: Council gives final green light to the first worldwide rules on AI . Council of the EU . 30 July 2024 . 21 May 2024.
5. Web site: 2024-05-23 . Far-right ID group expels Alternative for Germany . 2024-05-24 . POLITICO . en-GB.
6. Web site: Corporate sustainability due diligence: Council gives its final approval . Council of the EU . 30 July 2024 . 24 May 2024.
7. News: Scott . Mike . ESG Watch: New European human rights rules leave companies with ‘big gap to close’ . 30 July 2024.
8. News: Niranjan . Ajit . EU approves watered-down human rights and supply chain law . 30 July 2024 . The Guardian . 15 March 2024.
9. Web site: 2024-06-13 . EU fines Hungary €200 million for flouting asylum laws . 2024-06-13 . France 24 . en.
10. https://www.kdnp.hu/hirek/kdnp-tavozik-az-europai-neppartbol-es-ep-frakciojabol
11. https://www.budapesttimes.hu/hungary/epp-group-votes-to-admit-hungarys-opposition-tisza-party-into-its-ranks-kdnp-to-leave-epp/
12. https://civilek.info/en/2024/06/18/epp-and-kdnp-picked-up-hungarian-peters-from-the-european-nation/
13. https://www.politico.eu/article/european-peoples-party-hungary-weapons-war-in-ukraine-aid-peter-magyar/
14. Web site: Former Czech PM Andrej Babiš quits liberal Renew group in EU Parliament . Politico . 21 June 2024 . Eddy Wax . Ketrin Jochecová .
15. Web site: Statement on the decision of ANO to leave the ALDE Party . ALDE Party . 21 June 2024 .
16. Web site: Ukraine and Moldova enter formal membership talks with the European Union . en . June 25, 2024 . euronews.com.
17. Web site: Hungary: Orban announces new far-right European alliance – DW – 06/30/2024 . 2024-07-01 . dw.com . en.