Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash All MEPs will in future have to follow mandatory training sessions within the first six months in office focusing on the prevention of conflict and harassment in the workplace. They will also be taught “effective office management.” Parliament’s new anti-harassment rule, which has just been agreed, will be among the final votes during…
Photo by UX Gun on Unsplash Giles Merritt, founder of Friends of Europe, warns that increased defence spending on ‘white elephant’ projects risks starving more innovative ones that could revolutionise military thinking. Ukraine’s David may not have felled the Russian Goliath, but so far he’s stopped him in his tracks. The significance of how Ukraine unexpectedly stalemated Russia’s…
Photo by Gabriel Côté on Unsplash A new draft law on energy consumption has fuelled anger among some MEPs New draft EU legislation has been branded “too burdensome” by some MEPs. Centre-right deputies have come out strongly against the new directive on the energy performance of buildings. Buildings account for 40% of the EU’s final energy consumption and 36% of its energy-related…
The partnership between Morocco and the European Union is “more crucial than ever in the current geopolitical context”, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. The strengthening of this strategic partnership was the focus of a meeting on Wednesday between Borrell and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan…
There are an estimated 2,000 Taiwanese citizens resident in Belgium, making it one of the smallest ethnic minorities in the country. Usually, the only time we hear about Taiwan in the news is when it relate to geo-politics. But there is one Taiwanese-born citizen in Belgium who is valiantly flying the flag for his homeland….
Alessandro Bertoldi, Executive Director of the Milton Friedman Institute, invites the EU to revise the sanctions regime against insurance companies to reduce the risks of environmental disaster in light of a recent naval incident and oil spill off Tobago. On the 7th of February, a critical incident unfolded off the south shore of Tobago when…
Photo by Ivan Nedelchev on Unsplash Bulgaria and Romania have become the latest Schengen members. The Schengen rules will apply in both Member States; the issue of Schengen visas and controls at the internal air and sea borders will be lifted. The European Commission said it “strongly welcomes this achievement”. The Schengen accession of the two will, it…
Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash The EU says it is “committed” to boosting cycling across Europe. It says it is taking “another important step” in reducing transport emissions by adopting European Declaration on Cycling. This was done in the margins of the Informal Transport European Council and the Connecting Europe Days. Speaking at the event, Adina Valean, the…
Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash The EU has offered to provide aid to Taiwan after the island suffered a major earthquake. The powerful 7.4 magnitude tremor shook the island’s east coast, hitting on Wednesday morning, some 18 kilometers south of Hualien city and at a depth of 34.8 kilometers. This is the strongest quake to hit…
