Lyra McKee Remembered

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Photo by Eve Maier on Unsplash The NUJ is among those who have remembered journalist Lyra McKee on the fifth anniversary of her death. The 29-year-old freelance journalist was shot dead while observing a riot in Northern Ireland in 2019. Tribute to her was paid by Seamus Dooley, NUJ Irish secretary. On Monday, he said: “The thoughts of…

Final Plenary Session of the Current Parliament

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Photo by Yellow Cactus on Unsplash From CAP to Iran – MEPs face a packed programme in the last plenary of the current term The Greens/EFA Group says it objects to the Commission’s proposal to re-open the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The group says this will weaken the CAP’s environmental conditionality rules and “remove essential ecological and agronomic…

EU Summit Unwavering in Support for Ukraine

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Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash EU leaders  have given their “full unwavering support to Ukraine.” This came on the first day of a two days summit in Brussels. On Thursday, a statement was issued which also sought to underline EU “determination to closely monitor and contain any risks stemming from disinformation, including through artificial intelligence, as well…

Encouraging Ethical Conduct

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Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash  The  EU has moved a step closer creating an ethics body for all the EU institutions. This comes after the European Commission officially approved the agreement resulting from the negotiations among the EU institutions and bodies for the creation of the first ever interinstitutional ethics body.  On Wednesday, it said this was an…

EU Aid for Sudan

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Photo by Mohamed Tohami on Unsplash The EU has agreed to commit some 896m euro for humanitarian aid in Sudan. This comes one year since the outbreak of conflict in the country. The move was announced on Monday when the EU co-hosted today with France and Germany the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and neighbouring countries.  The aim…

Europe Shifts to Populist and Authoritarian Parties

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Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash Support for authoritarian parties across Europe stands at 26.9%, finds new Populism Index The Authoritarian Populism Index published by Timbro and EPICENTER, finds that 26.9ercent of Europeans support authoritarian political parties both on the left and right wings of the political spectrum. The main conclusions of the report are: Average support for left and…

Migration and Asylum Pact Under Fire

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Photo by Julie Ricard on Unsplash Some MEPs have heavily criticised the result of a key EU political agreement on the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The attack from the Greens and Left Group comes after the European Parliament adopted the Migration and Asylum Pact.  The Commission says the draft law “puts in place clear, reliable rules with more solidarity and…

My Voice, My Choice

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Photo by Letizia Bordoni on Unsplash The European commission has officially registered the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) titled “My Voice, My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion.”  This initiative, spearheaded by the “My Voice, My Choice” movement, is said to represent a significant step forward for reproductive rights in Europe. The ECI is proposed by the “My Voice,…

Energy Assistance for Ukraine

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Photo by Andrey Zaychuk on Unsplash Ukraine’s power supply has suffered significant damage following a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure by Russia over the past weeks,  Responding to this crisis, the EU has swiftly mobilised emergency energy assistance which is on its way to Ukraine. Austria, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands have…