End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

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Photo by Serhiy Hipskyy on Unsplash On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (3 November) the NUJ has renewed its steadfast commitment to “eradicating the targeting and killing of journalists worldwide.” It says it does so “whilst standing in solidarity with the International Federation of Journalists to stress the importance of a free press, for…

EU Humanitarian Aid to Middle East

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Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash The EU said it welcomes the evacuation of a number of EU citizens and other foreign nationals, as well as injured persons via the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The EU has tripled its humanitarian assistance to Gaza to €78 million, aiming to enable our partners to continue their invaluable humanitarian work….

Protecting the Quality of Life of Rural Populations

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Photo by Adele Payman on Unsplash Europe’s local and regional leaders have warned that the EU’s long-term sustainable development cannot be achieved without strong and sustainable rural areas and the complete integration of rural communities into the European project.  A declaration adopted on 31 October at the European Committee of the Regions’ Bureau meeting in Logroño, Spain, stresses that…

Protecting Democracy

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Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has voiced concern at the rise of disinformation. The MEP said it was “an absolute danger.” She was speaking at the University of Sorbonne in Paris on Monday. The Maltese deputy said, “Disinformation has affected our liberal democracies and societies since the turn of the…

Hiroshima AI Process

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Photo by Maximalfocus on Unsplash The EU Commission said it welcomes Monday’s agreement by G7 leaders on International Guiding Principles on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a voluntary Code of Conduct for AI developers under the “Hiroshima AI process.” President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was among those who subscribed to the G7 leaders’ statement issued by the 2023 Japan G7 presidency….

Search and Rescue in the EU

Photo by Neil Mark Thomas on Unsplash MEPs say they want to “underline” that the EU border force Frontex could do more to increase the EU and member states’ capacity to carry out search and rescue operations. It could do this, they say, by investing in appropriate assets for such operations.  Regarding the shipwreck off the coast of…

The Future of Taxation in the EU

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash The European Parliament’s committee on economic affairs has voted on several tax files that are of strategic importance for the future of taxation in the EU, including the report on taxation in times of crisis.  In this report, MEPs managed to secure two important points – calling on the Commission to look…

Digitalisation of Travel Documents

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Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash The Commission has published the Special Eurobarometer on digitalisation of travel documents and facilitation of travel. The report explores EU citizens’ views and perceptions of travel policies, as well as the introduction and possible use of digital travel credentials. According to the survey, 68% of Europeans consider that digitalisation of travel documents is…

Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

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Photo by Laurentiu Morariu on Unsplash The landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has now been signed by almost half of all countries. This comes after a ceremony at the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where Sri Lanka acceded to the treaty and the Bahamas signed it. This means 97 states…

European Media Freedom

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Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash Members of the European Parliament have voted on the new European Media Freedom Act. This is aimed at protecting the independence of journalists and the plurality of media across Europe. The move won wide political support in a plenary vote in Strasbourg. The Greens/EFA Group is among those who have fought for EU-level…