Arianespace Deploys 36 OneWeb Satellites with Successful Soyuz Flight

Soyuz Launch Vehicle

Arianespace has successfully performed Soyuz Flight ST36. This latest launch for OneWeb placed 36 more satellites into orbit. ST36 represents an important step in OneWeb and Arianespace’s partnership: the operator now has more than half, 358 satellites, of its constellation in orbit. ST36 is the 10th launch of Arianespace in 2021. Performed on Thursday, October…

MEPs express disgust at Pandora Papers revelations

tax evasion

MEPs have expressed indignation at the Pandora Papers revelations and criticised governments’ woefully inadequate response for over a decade to investigative findings of tax evasion. Speaking during a debate in plenary with representatives of the Council and the Commission just days after the leaks were published, the latest in a long series of investigative works…

EU Mining Interests Guilty of Permanent Damage to the Environment

EU Mining damaging Environment

European Green Deal plans will fail to stop runaway mining, creating further permanent damage to the environment and wreaking havoc on human rights. The EU must reduce extraction of natural resources by 65%, according to a new study released today by Friends of the Earth Europe and the European Environmental Bureau.  The report shows that…

Tax Evasion by the Global Elite

Tax evasion

New revelations, known as the Pandora Papers, were released by the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and partners which reveal apparent tax evasion and money laundering by the global elite. The investigations show that tax evasion and financial crime continue on a vast scale through letterbox companies and trusts. The revelations implicate Czech Prime…

EU Reviews Blacklist of Tax Havens

Pandora Papers

EU finance ministers have agreed on an updated EU list of tax havens. Despite the latest Pandora Papers revelations, the list has been shortened with Anguilla, Dominica and the Seychelles having been removed from the list. The Greens/EFA Group successfully secured a plenary debate on the Pandora Papers for October 6. Also on Thursday, MEPs will…

30 years defending European consumers

EESC defending consumers for 30 years

The EESC consumers and environment category says it has made significant contributions to the protection of consumer rights and the environment in Europe. It has championed topics such as the regulation of consumer over-indebtedness, planned obsolescence and the circular economy. Fair and just climate mitigation and adaptation must take centre stage of the Category’s activities in…

“Facebook Files” scandal: Senior MEPs voice concern.

Facebook Files scandal and the DSA

Christel Schaldemose (S&D rapporteur for the EU Parliament for the Digital Services Act, Denmark) and Alexandra Geese(Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur for the Digital Services Act, Germany) were commenting on the relevance of the leaks to the DSA legislative process. Since a few weeks, Facebook has faced a series of accusations about its internal workings, based on hundreds of pages…

Pandora Papers

Pandora Papers

Political reaction has been swift to the disturbing new Pandora Papers revelations on Monday about the rich and famous. “The Pandora Papers show once more that the fight against tax havens and letter box companies is only making limited progress”, said Markus Ferber MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Economic Affairs. The deputy was commenting on…

EUMETSAT Helps Weather Forecasts In Africa

The weather in Africa

African nations’ capacity to significantly improve weather and climate forecasting through access to data from Europe’s next-generation meteorological satellites will be the key focus of a two-week online forum this week. Covid travel restrictions have forced Europe’s meteorological satellite agency, EUMETSAT, to move its two-yearly Africa User Forum online, but also have made it possible…