A new opinion poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of British citizens want any coronavirus contact-tracing app to take account of civil liberties and people’s privacy. The Survation poll for the Open Knowledge Foundation has found widespread support for the introduction of a contact-tracing app in the UK at 65 per cent, but 90…
Year: 2020
The Balkans have a better future with the EU – Gahler
Michael Gahler MEP, EPP Group Spokesman for Foreign Affairs, has issued a statement ahead of today’s EU-Western Balkans summit which takes place in the form of a video conference. He said, “Do not lose sight of the geopolitical consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Western Balkans must not fall into the Russian disinformation trap. The…
UK Retail Business in Crisis
UK High Streets are on the brink of collapse as the eight-week countdown to the next quarterly rent instalment begins today, according to the #RaiseTheBar campaign. Figures released today by #RaiseTheBar show 54,638 businesses from pubs to shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, galleries and gyms are currently unable to access the £25,000 RHLG grant due…
Zagreb Balkan Summit
The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, delegation chairs and standing rapporteurs for the Balkan countries confirm the EU’s commitment to continue transforming the region. In a joint statement, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister MEP, the standing rapporteurs and the chairs of delegations of the European Parliament for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,…
Stop Russian Aggression
The following statement by the Ukrainian Expert Community on the Report “Peace in Ukraine I: A European War”, authored by the International Crisis Group is published here in full. The Report “Peace in Ukraine I: A European War”, authored by the International Crisis Group (ICG, Brussels, Belgium) dated April 28, 2020, proposes to solve the…
$8 Billion to fight Coronavirus
Yesterday 4th May, the Commission registered €7.4 billion, equivalent to $8 billion, in pledges from donors worldwide during the Coronavirus Global Response pledging event. This includes a pledge of €1.4 billion by the Commission. This almost reaches the initial target of €7.5 billion and is a solid starting point for the worldwide pledging marathon, which begins today….
Energy Scandal in Ukraine
A huge scandal is brewing in the Ukrainian energy sector. The new acting Minister of Energy Olga Buslavets has proposed to solve all problems of the industry by reducing the operation of nuclear power plants. To this end, an order was issued to the State owned nuclear power producer Energoatom to put a complete stop…
World Press Freedom Day
3 May acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the…
Recipes for Lockdown
Work Starts on Brexit Arrangements for Northern Ireland
The first meeting of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Specialised Committee has been held via video conference, co-chaired by officials from the UK Government and European Commission. This Committee was tasked by the first meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee held on 30 March, to start work on implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol. A representative from…