Russia’s Refusal to Engage in Peace Talks

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  Photo by Dmitry Ant on Unsplash   Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that Russia will not participate in the second World Summit scheduled for the end of 2024. She described the summit as an attempt to impose the unviable Zelenskyy Peace Formula and present Russia with an ultimatum…

Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative for Sahel

Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, highlighted, in the United Nations in New York, an Atlantic Initiative for Sahel, during a ministerial meeting chaired by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. Launched in 2022 under Rabat’s Atlantic African States Process, by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, this strategy is…

Welcome to Barbieland

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  Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash   Many young, non-white and Muslim, as well as central and Eastern European citizens in the 27 EU members states feel excluded, disillusioned or uninterested in the politics of the European Union, according to a major new report published today by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)…

Important Changes in Travel to Europe

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  Photo by Ethan Wilkinson on Unsplash   The European Union is introducing two important changes for travel to Europe in a few weeks. These are: EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which is planned to launch on 10 November in 2024 and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), due in mid-2025.  For those planning to…

Stop Single Use Plastic Packaging

A large group of European NGO representatives, members of the Break Free From Plastic movement and Zero Waste Europe network, displayed a large Pinocchio figure in front of the European Commission building in Brussels.   They say the action on 24 September “illustrates how big consumer brands and supermarkets, with Member states’ leniency, are holding…

2024 Budapest Forum

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  Photo by Nico Herrndobler on Unsplash   Over 500 participants took part in the 2024 Budapest Forum. They included government ministers, ambassadors, national politicians, academics and policy experts who gathered last week at the Central European University (CEU) in Hungary. The annual event, which seeks to find democratic solutions to challenges facing the world…

China A Threat to Europe

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  Photo by Meizhi Lang on Unsplash   China is a threat to Europe disguised as a Peacemaker. The annual UN General Assembly begins on Tuesday 24 September. Most readers will view this news as routine, imagining hundreds of state leaders in similar ties or exotic national costumes delivering traditional, grandiloquent speeches about local or…

Path to Peace

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan for Ukraine, which will be presented at the UN General Assembly later this month, plays a central role in Ukraine’s strategy to end Russian aggression and restore sovereignty. The plan consists of four key elements. Firstly, it calls for the liberation of all occupied Ukrainian territories through military victory, including…

More Hotels for Brussels Airport

Two new hotels have opened close to Brussels airport, helping meet increased demand from the travelling public. A relative lack of accommodation at or near the national airport has sometimes been a cause of complaint from international air passengers. However, the twin openings hope to go some way to addressing such concerns. The two brand-new…

Speed Up Aid for Flood Victims

MEPs are calling on the EU to speed up financial aid for victims of the devastating floods affecting a quarter of European countries. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Germany have all been hit by extreme weather conditions, resulting in the deaths of 23 people. MEPs say the loss of life and the…