Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash A new law will, it is claimed, ensure that EU sanctions are enforced uniformly across member states, with common definitions and dissuasive penalties. On Thursday, MEPs in the Civil Liberties Committee of the EU parliament adopted a draft negotiating mandate on violating and circumventing EU sanctions by 36 votes in favour, 2…
Year: 2023
The Summer of 2023
Photo by Bannon Morrissy on Unsplash It’s that time of the year again, when families start scratching their heads to think of how best to keep the kids occupied and entertained over the long school summer holidays. The good news is that, however the notorious Belgian weather behaves over the coming weeks, there’s more than enough to do…
The Blame Game
Photo by Stock Birken on Unsplash The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just reported that the UK is the only G7 country where inflation has been rising, and one of the three worst amongst the 38-country OECD membership. The question is: why? The UK Office for National Statistics blames three factors: Russia’s invasion of…
Tomorrow: Vaccination and Prevention
Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash Over 100 people recently joined the inaugural Europe’s “Tomorrow: Vaccination and Prevention” Summit. It was organised by ThinkYoung at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels and brought together young people, policymakers, health experts, start-ups, and civil society organisations to discuss vaccination and prevention at both the European and Member State levels. It is a crucial issue in light of…
The Principle of Meritocracy in Public Service
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash Today in the modern world economy, personnel has become the most valuable asset of any organisation. Human resources are one of the crucial aspects of the effective operation of any organisation. If the process of selection and placement of personnel in the organization is well organised, the work in this organization will…
EU 2030 Climate and Energy Targets
Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash June 30 marks the official deadline for EU countries to submit their updated draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to the European Commission. These plans will reveal their new contributions to the EU 2030 climate and energy targets and the policies that lead there. Campaigners say, though, that unless there is…
Council Statement on Ukraine
Launch of new EU-NATO Task Force
Photo by Jannik on Unsplash The EU and NATO share a common interest in preventing disruptions to critical infrastructure that provides essential services to citizens and supports their economies. Russia’s war against Ukraine has, says the EU and NATO, brought “new risks, physical and cyber-attacks, often combined as a hybrid threat.” The EU and NATO have now announced…
Napoleon and Wellington Lock Horns Once Again
Parliament Approves Support for Workers Laid off in Nivelles
Photo by Documerica on Unsplash The 603 employees of “Logistics Nivelles SA”, who were left jobless after the parent company decided to close down their site, should receive €2.2 million in EU aid, say MEPs. On Thursday, the Committee on Budgets approved Belgium’s request for support from the EGF fund. MEPs acknowledged that “the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian…