Dutch MEP Michiel Hoogeveen has joined the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Mr Hoogeveen has taken the place of Derk Jan Eppink in the European Parliament. Mr Eppink has since occupied a seat in the Dutch national Parliament after being elected on behalf of the newly established JA21 party at the national parliamentary elections in March…
Today, trust between the West and Russia is at its lowest level in recent history. Experts compare the current confrontation with the Cuban missile crisis. However, now the rhetoric and threats from the top leadership of the opposing sides have reached such an intensity that the timidly discussed possibility of a war between Russia and…
The Renew Europe group has published and presented a new report focusing on empowering women through trade and tackling gender inequality. Women have diverse roles in society, as they are entrepreneurs who manage their own business, they are employees at companies, and they are consumers. “Incorporating gender mainstreaming in trade policy is crucial. Women worldwide…
Russia must immediately stop building up troops on the border with Ukraine and withdraw from Eastern Ukraine. NATO chief Stoltenberg made this appeal after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Koeleba. The NATO chief has spoken of the largest Russian military presence on the border since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to Ukraine, the Kremlin…
The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) have called for the immediate release of Vladislav Yesypenko and the withdrawal of all charges against him. Freelance journalist Vladislav Yesypenko has told a court he was tortured and forced to confess after he was arrested in March by the Federal Security Service (FSB) officers in Crimea on fabricated charges. Vladislav Yesypenko’s…
Last year lobbyists working for the separatist Polisario movement lodged documents in the New Zealand high court saying that the New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZSF), with $45 billion under management, unlawfully invested in farms that use phosphate from the southern provinces of Morocco, and interests in companies operating in the Moroccan Sahara. Fertiliser companies Ravensdown…
The EPP Group has called for military assistance for Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia. “Russia amassing more than 40,000 troops near the Ukrainian border is an escalation and a serious threat to European stability and security as well as to Ukrainian sovereignty”, said EPP Group Vice-Chairwoman Sandra Kalniete MEP ahead of today’s debate on…
The intensification of hostilities in the east of Ukraine, the transfer of additional heavy equipment and thousands of servicemen to the Rostov region by Russia have raised the spectre of the start of a major war in the Donbass again. Moscow is trying to show that it still retains a pseudo-dominant role in the post-Soviet…
Fancy a spur of the moment break with the kids before the extended Easter school holidays end? If so,how about Southern Belgium? At just about 1 hour away from Brussels it’s an easy choice as a short break option. Unspoiled landscape, soft rolling hills, pretty villages and even ski slopes are the backdrop for fun…
The International Foundation for Better Governance (IFBG) has published an extensive investigation by award winning journalists Philip Braund and Colin Stevens on the issue of granting asylum in the UK to fugitive bankers from the former Soviet Union, who are accused of fraud and other illegal activities in their homeland. The multi-page document for the…
