Photo by Cédric VT on Unsplash Over 7,000 people took part in a demonstration in Brussels on Sunday against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The gathering, on the initiative of “Promote Ukraine,” an NGO, is part of an international campaign commemorating the second anniversary of the war. The demonstration was supported…
Photo by Marjan Blan on Unsplash The European Commission has announced an initial €83 million in humanitarian aid to support the people affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine for 2024. On Tuesday, it said that, of the funding, €75 million is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine to provide emergency aid including access to basic needs such as shelter, protection services,…
Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash EU auditors say that rule-of-law breaches can now be addressed more effectively since the EU’s legal framework was bolstered in January 2021 by the Conditionality Regulation. In a new report they say that together with other protective mechanisms under the Recovery and Resilience Facility and cohesion policy, the framework provides for the…
Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash For the first time ever, the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&CF) conducted command and control operations with an all-female aircrew composition. The flight was a regular mission sortie for the multinational crew in support of NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activities (eVA). NATO says the flight highlights the work of women…
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash A respected think tank says that how the EU deals with China will have a “profound effect” on the sort of economic and geopolitical entity that the Union becomes in the mid-21st century. This is the view of the Centre for European Reform, an independent think-tank. In its annual report for 2023,…
Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash Climate action Network (CAN Europe) has launched a national energy and climate plans tracker tool which,it says, highlights “disparities” between national climate and energy commitments and the actual emission reductions and energy transition at country level. In the aftermath of the European Commission’s announcement of intending to set a 90% net greenhouse…
Photo by Jeffrey Riley on Unsplash New rules are set to be introduced with the aim of combating the scourge of child abuse. This comes after the European Parliament and the Belgian Presidency reached an agreement that extends a temporary derogation to EU ePrivacy rules by 20 months to allow the detection of Child Sexual Abuse Material online. The…
Photo by Thomas Charters on Unsplash Production in the paper and board industry suffered a second consecutive year of contraction, decreasing by 12.8%, a new report says. After a year 2022 marked by sky high energy prices, the decrease in production in 2023 continues to be more pronounced even than it was during the Covid-19 crisis (-4.7% in…
Photo by Nong on Unsplash MEPs have backed new rules that aim to decrease the number of unsafe toys sold in the EU single market and protect children better from toy-related risks. On Tuesday, the parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee approved its position on an update of EU rules on toy safety unanimously, with 37 votes…
Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash The European commission has spelled out how it intends to distribute humanitarian aid this year. With almost 300 million people estimated to need humanitarian assistance in 2024, the EU says it is “once again” reinforcing its commitment to support the most vulnerable globally. The Commission has therefore adopted its initial annual humanitarian…
