Each edition of this month-long festival showcases comic strip professionals. This edition on Friday was no exception with over €100,000 in prizes that will be distributed between the winners. Brussels is a hotbed of creativity and the comic strip industry is particularly well represented there. Nevertheless, comic strip creation has been weakened in recent years…
A hearing organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discussed opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans in the various Member States, revealing that civil society is still far from being effectively involved in the process. There were calls for improved consultations in the upcoming implementing phase,…
Drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPP Group says it wants more health powers for the EU. It will vote in favour of increasing cross-border health cooperation and of strengthening the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The European Parliament will debate and vote this week on the two new laws. “One…
Over 200 participants, including policymakers, experts and activists will meet to debate and discuss how to rebuild and strengthen democracy in the age of populism, at the inaugural Budapest Forum taking place on September 16-17, 2021, in Budapest, Hungary. The Forum will also discuss ideas on tackling inequalities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, mainstreaming…
Europeans still regard Angela Merkel, who will shortly step down as German chancellor, as a unifying force, and expect Germany to continue to provide leadership within the EU, according to new polling in a report published on Tuesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). In “Beyond Merkelism: What Europeans expect of post-election Germany”, the…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
