In the letter, S&D vice-president and shadow rapporteur in the environment committee, Simona Bonafè, and S&D shadow rapporteur in the economic affairs committee, Paul Tang, expressed their opposition to the labelling of gas and nuclear-based energy production as taxonomy compliant. While recognising the role played by gas and nuclear to meet the energy needs nowadays towards the transition to a…
Year: 2022
The Fates at Work
“Europe – The Fates at Work”, a painting by the late Heidelberg painter Wassili Lepanto (also Dr. phil. Vasilios Loukopoulos), has been unveiled at the European Parliament. The artist had dedicated it to the European Parliament shortly before his death in 2018. The painting depicts his vision of a peaceful Europe and radiates calm and…
Welfare of Animals in Transit
The European Parliament has endorsed the outcome of eighteen months of work by the committee of inquiry on the protection of animals during transport (ANIT). In particular, the plenary in Strasbourg has voted a full set of recommendations to the Council and the Commission following the investigation of alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application…
Fugitive oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov risks losing asylum rights in France.
Stéphane Bonifassi writing in an article published by Swiss-based French language Gotham News has reported on the possibility of Kazakh “opposition leader” Mukhtar Ablyazov, who has been in exile in France since 2013, losing the status of a political refugee granted to him in 2020. The State Council, it is reported, has just overturned this decision on the…
Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford smashes solo round-world records
Zara Rutherford, 19, landed back home today at Kortrijk-Wevelgem in Belgium to complete her round-the-world challenge. She is the youngest woman to fly solo around the world following a five-month challenge. She arrived two months later than planned as a result of adverse weather. During the trip she spent a month stuck in Nome, Alaska,…
MEPs call for boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
On Thursday, Parliament adopted a resolution on violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong, including severe restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of association and press freedom. MEPs called on the Hong Kong government to release all political prisoners and drop…
Beijing Knocks the Bottom out of Democracy in Hong Kong
Sham election shows communist state has no respect for Western values, writes Jianli Yang. Anxious to establish a new world order with China at its centre, Beijing is now coining new definitions for time-tested values and attributes to suit its selfish goal. In Tibet, for instance, it has come up with a call to develop…
Investigation Demanded into Crimes against Kazakh People
Reacting to the violent events in Kazakhstan earlier this month, the S&D group says it is supporting the European Parliament resolution calling for the international community to investigate the crimes committed against the people of Kazakhstan, including disappearances, reports of torture, arbitrary detention and snipers killing or wounding peaceful protesters. The resolution also calls for…
Azerbaijanis Mark Black January Tragedy
The Azerbaijan Embassy has issued a press release marking 20th January 2022 as the 32nd anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Black January tragedy. In 1987 anti-Azerbaijani pogroms broke out in Armenia with attacks on Azerbaijani villages, killing hundreds of civilians. As a result, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia. Territorial claims of Armenia, armed separatism instigated by…
Call for Higher Standards for Animal Transport
MEPs will this week vote on the recommendations of the Special Inquiry Committee for Animal Transport (ANIT), which was launched on the initiative of the Greens/EFA group. The recommendations will be the basis for the Commission’s new legislation on transporting animals in the EU, with proposals expected by 2023. The Greens/EFA group say they have…