Photo by Linus Mimietz on Unsplash A senior MEP has welcomed Sweden’s accession to NATO. Danuta Hubner, a Polish member, told this site: “Back in the 16th century Poland and Sweden acting together deprived Russia of its access to the Baltic Sea.” The former EU commissioner and Government Minister, added, “Now we have a chance again to be together in…
Photo by Dan Meyers on Unsplash The European People’s Party (EPP) has been accused of “drifting to the far right and dismantling the Green Deal.” The allegation is made by the European Green Party which goes on to claim that the manifesto adopted by the EPP congress in Romania “confirms this worrying trend.” The EPP reportedly backs Ursula von der Leyen…
Photo by Diego Marín on Unsplash MEPs in Strasbourg have approved the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement and its complementing deal on trade and investment liberalisation. The agreements lay down the framework for deeper and broader political and economic cooperation between the like-minded partners on global issues. These include foreign and security matters, sustainable development, environmental protection, climate change,…
Photo by HUUM on Unsplash We’ve all heard the saying “money can’t buy you happiness”, but how true really is it? Keen to answer this age-old question, researchers compared the happiness index scores of different countries to the average salary, number of billionaires, and life expectancies, in a bid to find out once and for all if money truly can buy you…
Photo by Letizia Bordoni on Unsplash Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo made a “clear stand” with European women and the importance of voting for their rights in the forthcoming European elections while attending the Academy Awards on Sunday. He said he backs the MyVoiceMyChoice campaign, launched by women activists from across Europe, who are calling for “safe and accessible”…
Photo by Rafik Wahba on Unsplash The European Commission has proposed what is calls “an ambitious set of new actions” to support the competitiveness and readiness of European defence industry. It says that two years ago, Russia’s “unjustified, on-going war of aggression” against Ukraine marked the return of “high-intensity conflict on our continent.” The European Defence Industrial Strategy…
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash A new campaign has been launched “to ensure the safety and accessibility of abortion services across the continent.” It started on Tuesday with a petition with over 300,000 signatures – a “first step towards laying the groundwork.” Activists from across Europe, including Slovenia, Spain, France and Poland have formed an alliance to…
Photo by Keszthelyi Timi on Unsplash The ruling Fidesz party has announced that Tamás Sulyok, president of Hungary’s Constitutional Court, will be Fidesz-KDNP’s presidential candidate. Fidesz faction leader Máté Kocsis said, “He is the best person for the job, as he can best express the unity of the nation.” Kocsis said that Sulyok was proposed by Viktor Orbán. Orbán subsequently…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash New rules are set to be introduced which would protect journalists and activists from abusive lawsuits against public participation. The long-awaited anti-SLAPP directive protects journalists and human rights defenders from strategic lawsuits against public participation that aim to silence them. The new rules contain a set of safeguards to protect victims, such…
Photo by Hans Martin on Unsplash The German city of Frankfurt has been chosen by Parliament and Council as the seat of AMLA, the EU’s new enforcer in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. MEPs and EU ambassadors chose Frankfurt to host the EU’s central enforcer in the fight against dirty money, the Authority for Anti-Money…
