The following statement has been issued by President von der Leyen on the fourth package of restrictive measures against Russia; “Russia’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine continues. Civilians are relentlessly attacked, including in schools, apartment buildings, and hospitals. And despite repeated offers by the Ukrainian side, Russia has not shown any willingness to seriously engage so…
Having sacrificed thousands of young Russian conscripts in his unprovoked war against Ukraine, Putin is recruiting Syrian mercenaries to add to his insatiable appetite for cannon fodder. The Kremlin is trying to draw as many countries as possible into the war in Ukraine in order to both spread the blame through internationalising their terror tactics,…
The US announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas, while the EU and the WB has promised to start intensive work in this direction so that the first results would be visible by the end of this year. Both the old sanctions against Russia (introduced after the military occupation of Crimea) and…
The European Parliament has voted to set up an inquiry committee to investigate the use of surveillance spyware against citizens, activists and journalists. This follows revelations from a group of journalists that many governments, including from EU Member States, have been using the NSO group’s Pegasus spyware against citizens. The Greens/EFA Group strongly condemns the…
The Commission and the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) worked together to define a first set of measures to safeguard protection of intellectual property in Ukraine. In agreement with the Commission, the EUIPO has adopted the following measures: the EUIPO will safeguard Ukrainian intellectual property rights in the European Union by providing full support to…
The European Parliament has adopted a set of comprehensive and ambitious rules on sustainability, safety, labelling and information on batteries. The future of batteries in Europe must be socially and environmentally sustainable. Now the ball is in the Council’s court to match our ambition and finalise its position in order for the new Batteries Regulation…
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the respective human rights situations in Myanmar, Mexico and Nagorno-Karabakh. More than a year after the coup d’état in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, Parliament reiterates that it strongly condemns the military junta’s violent seizure of power and the ensuing heinous atrocities carried out against the…
This last February, Brussels Airport welcomed around 825,000 passengers, up by 400% compared to February 2021, but still down by 50% compared to the same period before the crisis (February 2019). A better month than January (-52%), despite being shorter by 3 days. In terms of freight, the volumes transported increased by 13% compared with February…
Russian propaganda has set a new agenda for its information attacks accusing Ukraine of running biological and bacteriological research under U.S. supervision. This narrative is actively circulating across Russian Telegram channels. In particular, the Readovka channel has spread allegations that a strain of bat coronavirus had been researched in such laboratories. Maps are being distributed…
A large majority of MEPs have voted to adopt the General Union Environment Action Programme to 2030 (8th EAP) in the European Parliament. The decade-long environment legislation sets out the EU’s main priorities, together with strong monitoring and governance provisions to ensure these priorities are achieved. Climate mitigation and adaptation, circular economy, biodiversity protection and…
