The first expert organisation that advised the EU institutions to use an online digital platform to engage as many citizens as possible during the Conference on the Future of Europe is now calling for the creation of a permanent mechanism of citizens consultation and participation. Europe’s People’s Forum, a network of professional citizen’s consultation partners in every member state, works to strengthen…
Council president Charles Michel is calling for an international Treaty on Pandemics. On Tuesday, he said, “The COVID-19 pandemic is indeed much more than “just a health” issue. It has cut across every sector of our societies. Highlighting our strengths and exposing our weaknesses. And above all, it has taught us one brutal lesson –…
The Council last week decided to extend the sanctions targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for a further six months until 15 September 2021. The existing restrictive measures provide for travel restrictions, the freezing of assets, and a ban on making funds or other economic resources available to the listed persons and…
The Council this week decided to prolong for one more year, until 6 March 2022, the existing asset freezes directed against 7 individuals identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for the abuse of office causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds. The restrictive measures against one person were prolonged until 6 September 2021, and those…
EU foreign ministers have agreed to sanction four Russian officials over the jailing of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, which is the first listings on the EU’s new Global Human Right’s Sanctions Regime. Heidi Hautala, Greens/EFA MEP and Vice-President of the Parliament Responsible for Human Rights, comments: “Today, the EU is sending a clear signal to those responsible…
Ahead of this week’s presentation of the European Commission’s Action Plan on how to implement the 2017 European Pillar of Social Rights, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament issued a strong call for making social rights a reality for all Europeans by introducing binding targets. Iratxe García, S&D Group leader, said:“9 out of…
In response to the brutality of the Belarusian authorities and in support of the democratic rights of the Belarusian people, the Council last week decided to adopt 36 additional designations. These sanctions target high-level officials responsible for the ongoing violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists, among others. They also target economic actors, prominent businessmen and companies…
The UN Environment Emissions Gap Report 2020 published yesterday (Wednesday 9th December) shows that all countries must urgently increase their 2030 climate targets and sharply accelerate emission cuts, as with current policies we are heading towards catastrophic climate change. The report finds that, despite a brief decline in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,…
Germany should immediately suspend delivering submarines to Turkey: This is what more than 50 German and Greek Members of the European Parliament demand of German chancellor Angela Merkel in a joint letter sent today. The initiative was launched against the backdrop of the European Council meeting on 10 December. At the meeting, EU leaders will…
“The detention and ensuing imprisonment of Belsat Journalists Ms. Katsyaryna Andreyeva, Ms. Darya Chultsova, Mr. Dzmitry Krauchuk, Mr. Artsyom Bahaslauski and Mr. Dzmitry Soltan for exposing illegal police brutality is neither justified nor constitutional. We condemn the campaign of brutality and intimidation and demand the immediate release of illegally detained journalists.” The worsening human rights…
