The Russian Federation is bringing the levels of tension to new heights. The previous crisis occurred in 2014 with the military invasion of Ukraine and a significant increase in military and hybrid activity by land, air, sea, and in the digital space. Since then, the international community has been systematically shaken by reports of Russian…
Defence
Arianespace Vega launch successfully orbits three CERES satellites
Arianespace successfully carried out its 20th Vega launch (VV20), its 12th launch of the year and the third with the Vega light launcher. It was also the 300th launch by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre. The mission orbited three CERES satellites, developed for the French armed forces with French defense procurement agency DGA as…
The crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border is artificially manufactured.
Europe needs to focus on the cause of the problem – Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s desire to strike back at the EU, write Luigi Scazzieri, Camino Mortera-Martinez and Ian Bond. It is wrong to call what is happening at the border between Poland and Belarus a migration crisis, or to compare it to Europe’s situation in 2015 and 2016….
EPP Seeks More Sanctions on Belarus as Border Situation Deteriorates
The EPP Group is calling for sanctions to stop the flood of migrants to Belarus, including a ban on the airlines involved in Lukashenko’s human trafficking. The call came ahead of a parliamentary plenary debate on the migration crisis on the EU’s eastern border. “As EU Ambassadors consider a new package of sanctions on the…
Belarus Threatens the EU
The European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament condemns the escalation near the village of Kuźnica Białostocka, Poland, where a huge number of migrants under the control of armed Belarus units are set to destroy border fences and cross illegally into EU territory. ECR Co-Chairman Prof Ryszard Legutko (Poland) said: “The scenes that are…
Space Records Due To Be Broken Friday 22 October
Ariane 5 is on the cusp of setting 3 new records when it carries the SES-17 and SYRACUSE 4A satellites for its second launch of the year, scheduled for Friday October 22. Arianespace will orbit two geostationary satellites: SES-17, a high throughput satellite operated by SES and SYRACUSE 4A, a satellite developed for the French…
Strengthening EU Cyber Defence
MEPs call for a comprehensive set of measures and a coherent IT policy, as well as improved military cyber defence coordination, to strengthen EU cyber resilience. A common cyber defence policy and substantial EU cooperation on cyber capabilities are among the key issues needed for the development of a deepened and enhanced European Defence Union,…
Arctic Regional Stability Under Threat
The European Parliament has called for constructive international cooperation in the Arctic while issuing warnings over emerging threats to stability in the region. In a new report on geopolitical and security challenges in the Arctic, adopted on Wednesday, MEPs say that Arctic states and the international community should preserve the Arctic as an area of…
International community warned of Taliban “danger” to security and peace
The re-emergence of the Taliban threatens the peace and security of the “whole world”, an event in Brussels was told. The stark warning came at a conference which discussed the rise of extremism in South Asia, particularly in the context of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Junaid Qureshi, the Executive Director of European Foundation for South Asian…
Sakharov Prize Nominations
The Sakharov Prize was established in 1988 by the European Parliament as an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. A shortlist of nominees was drawn up yesterday by the Parliament’s Committee of Foreign Affairs which will be further refined…