Photo by Serhiy Hipskyy on Unsplash The European Parliament has adopted new rules to protect people from unfounded or abusive court proceedings. MEPs say the measures mean that victims of powerful forces using strategic lawsuits against public participation – SLAPPs – to silence critical voices will now benefit from increased protection and safeguards in the EU. Key achievements…
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash Operators have extended a special agreement that allows “affordable” phone calls to and from Ukraine. The EU Commission welcomed the twelve-month prolongation of the operators’ agreement allowing displaced refugees from Ukraine to stay connected across borders. The Commission has facilitated the agreement between 22 European and seven Ukrainian operators to prolong…
Photo by AXP Photography on Unsplash “The 9 July early presidential election was technically well-prepared”, – said Ambassador Urszula Gacek, head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observation mission during a press conference held today in Tashkent on the preliminary findings following the early presidential election in Uzbekistan. The event was attended by…
Photo by Ian Betley on Unsplash Following the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the Regulation on supporting ammunition production (ASAP) with a budget of €500 million, ASAP will now ensure that the EU can efficiently ramp up its production capacity of ammunitions and missiles. It means, says the…
Photo by Beth Hope on Unsplash The European Union says it welcomes the final report by the UN Group of Experts mandated by the UN Sanctions Committee on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It also says it is “deeply troubled” by some of its findings and supports its recommendations. The EU also welcomes the extension of…
Photo by Joe on Unsplash A new deal between EU institutions could mean “more ammunition” being freed for Ukraine. This comes after negotiators from the European Parliament and the Member States agreed on the initiative to increase the ammunition production capacity of the European defence industry (the so-called ‘ASAP’ package), which will also be to the benefit of…
Photo by Adriana Lorena Benavides Estrada on Unsplash The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (Classe des Sciences) has announced that it has selected Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation one of the two Belgica Medals the body plans to award for the prize. The Belgica Medal is awarded every…
Photo by Kjartan Einarsson on Unsplash A statement published on 6 July by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide on the planet, reportedly does not pose unacceptable risks for human health, despite independent scientific evidence to the contrary. This statement, according to the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), could constitute a…
Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash EU Member States have submitted their revised draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). The NECPs are key documents for determining how each Member State foresees to meet its 2030 climate and energy targets, and a central governance instrument for achieving climate neutrality by 2050 under the European Green Deal. Campaigners say,…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Heatwaves are sizzling around the world, not least in Europe. But, on 5 June, the north of the Netherlands was hit by the worst summer storm ever recorded there. Responding, the Greens says “responsible” politicians all over the European Union must press the ‘fast-forward’ button on actions to reduce climate change and its…
