Food and Drink: What is the Real Impact of Brexit and Who Can We Believe?

Brexit labour shortage

Widening gaps on supermarket shelves and the promise of shortages of Christmas favourites like turkey and pigs-in-blankets have exposed a major flaw in the Government’s handling of the ongoing UK labour crisis and a new report. The report highlights the scale of the problem by stating that of the 953,000 current vacancies across all sectors in the UK,…

Gender Based Violence: Parliament Takes a Stand

In this week’s plenary, MEPs are to vote on a crucial decision on gender-based violence (GBV).  The Greens/EFA’s Diana Riba and The Left’s Malin Björk are co-rapporteurs on an ambitious report that aims to add gender-based violence as a new area of EU crimes listed in Article 83(1) TFEU.  The Greens says that by doing so, the EU would have…

EU must Respect Rule of Law and Democratic Values

EU Rule of Law

In the latest public opinion survey, four out of five respondents (81%) say the EU should only provide funds to Member States that respect the rule of law and democratic values. Parliament President David Sassoli said: “The European Parliament has been clear that EU Recovery Funds should not go to governments that do not respect core…

Animal Testing and the Alternatives

Animal Testing

A high level conference has heard about the work being undertaken by two pioneering EU funded projects whose aim is partly to find innovative alternatives to animal testing. Animal testing remains a highly sensitive issue and there are growing calls for the practice to be outlawed, including by the chemical industry. Speaking at an online…

Gunning for Culinary Glory on the Site of the Battle of Waterloo

Brasserie de Waterloo

It was, of course, at Waterloo that Napoleon Bonaparte fell to defeat at the hands of the Duke of Wellington. That was back in June 1815 and, fast forward to 2021, very close to where one of the greatest military strategists in history met his Waterloo another fascinating thing is happening. OK, this may not be on quite the same historical…

Parliament calls for better protection for “platform workers”

Speaking ahead of a crucial vote this Wednesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Socialists and Democrats are calling on the Commission to better protect platform workers.  The goal is to improve the working conditions for all digital platform workers, including the genuinely self-employed. Currently, platform workers are not covered by an EU legal…