ECHR Asks Russia to Release Navalny

The Court has granted an interim measure in favour of Aleksey Navalny and has asked the Government of Russia to release him Mr Navalny’s current application before the Court was lodged on 20 January 2021 under Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the same date the applicant made a request to…

As EU Vows to Improve Cancer Prevention, Denmark Applies New Rules to Mineral Wool

At a time when the European Union is prioritising cancer prevention, the Danish government is implementing a new decree on demolition and installation works involving materials containing synthetic mineral fibres, also known as mineral wool.  Earlier this month, the European Commission presented Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which has been long awaited as a new EU approach to…

Lukashenko Crackdown

Concern has been voiced at the latest attack on freedom of speech in Belarus. On Tuesday, the offices of human rights organizations and apartments of journalists across Belarus were raided by state security officials in what appears to be a coordinated crackdown on civil society. This situation is still developing. Raids and searches took place on…

The Future of Western Sahara

Louis Michel, Former State Minister, and Jacques Brotchi, honorary Président of the Belgium Senate issued the following joint communiqué today. “In politics, “momentum” is decisive. It makes us understand the need to go along with history. This is why we ask ourselves the question of the future of Western Sahara tossed around over the years,…

Key Hub for Vaccine Distribution

Since the end of November, flights to more than 40 destinations have been carried out to distribute Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine from Belgium. This includes shipments via DHL Express and on commercial flights. As the most important hub serving the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, Brussels Airport has fully deployed its expertise in the transport of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical…

Brussels Airport Cargo Volumes up 21%

283,164 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in January, which is a mere 16% of the number of passengers recorded in January 2020. The start of the year was marked by the ban on non-essential travel at the end of the month. Air cargo traffic continued the growth that started last summer with a significant 21%…

Parliament Urges Myanmar Military to reinstate government

MEPs have the military in Myanmar to immediately reinstate the civilian government. In a resolution on the situation in Myanmar, MEPs strongly condemned the military coup of 1 February and called on the military (Tatmadaw) to immediately reinstate the civilian government, end the state of emergency, and unconditionally release all those illegally arrested. The result…

Call to Scale Up Aid to Yemen

Humanitarian aid for Yemen must be increased, MEPs say. Parliament on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing violence in Yemen that has, since 2015, “degenerated into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. There can be no military solution to the conflict and the crisis can only be resolved sustainably through an inclusive…

Parliament Calls to Suspend Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant

The European Parliament has voiced serious concerns over the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and demand that its commercial launch be suspended. In a resolution adopted today, the Parliament criticised the hasty commissioning of the Ostrovets nuclear plant and the continued lack of transparency and official communication regarding the frequent emergency shutdowns…

Kazakhstan Human Rights

The European Parliament has urged Kazakhstan’s Government to act in accordance with its international obligations and to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as enshrined in its Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the EU. In the resolution adopted today, MEPs noted that Kazakhstan’s parliamentary elections on 10 January this year were described by the…