Photo by Taras Chernus on Unsplash Freedom of speech is regarded as one of the most fundamental freedoms underpinning western democracies. The problem now is how to handle abuses of this freedom, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. The EU Charter on Fundamental Rights was proclaimed by the European Parliament in 2000. Article 11 proudly stated that ‘everyone has the right…
Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash Germany’s slowness in authorising the supply of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine was bad news for Ukraine, European security and Germany itself. But other Western leaders should not be too smug, writes Ian Bond. Just days after Russia launched its full-scale assault on Ukraine in February 2022, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz described it as…
Centre right members in the European Parliament say they want to strengthen European defence capability. They say they want to increase investments in the defence sector, swiftly revise the EU budget to provide necessary funds for the EU’s defence policy, joint procurements and the development of military capabilities. MEPs claim it is imperative that the decision-making process is improved and accelerated, in…
Picture the scene: you’re in the middle of the worst health pandemic in living memory and you are about to open a new business. What’s more, that business is a restaurant and, arguably, the sector most impacted by that terrible health crisis is horeca. That was the rather brutal dilemma facing Alexandre Cardoso and Hugues…
The airline industry says it is “flying the flag” to help minimise CO2 emissions and reach net zero emissions by 2050. The sector has already made “great strides” in fuel efficiency and conservation. One such initiative is the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) which is approved for use in all aircraft but only in blends…
Photo by Nina Abdel Malak on Unsplash As Lebanon faces an unprecedented crisis, a new political class is beginning to emerge in the country. Mr. Omar Harfouch is the most telling example of this generation that wants to rebuild Lebanon, writes Eric Gozlan. The Lebanese Parliament has still not succeeded in electing a successor to Michel Aoun, President…
The European Parliament has urged the Moroccan authorities to respect freedom of expression and media freedom and to provide a fair trial for the imprisoned journalist Omar Radi. MEPs have called for his immediate provisional release and demand an end to the harassment of all journalists in the country, as well as of their lawyers…
Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash EU countries are all facing immigration pressures, but despite Brexit, immigrants from other countries are still keen to come to the UK, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. Nigel Farage as Leader of the UK Independence Party had his own solution: the UK needed an Australian-style points system (although ironically the Australian system helped immigrants…
Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash The Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform to support Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction process has been launched by the EU. It will allow for close coordination among international donors and international financial organisations and will ensure that support is provided in a coherent, transparent, and accountable manner. The first meeting this week of…
Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has called on MEPs to work to eradicate antisemitism in Europe and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. His comments coincide with International Day of Commemoration today Friday 27 January. Herzog opened his address to members in Brussels by saying: “I stand before you as the…
