EU Security Union

The European Parliament adopted a resolution for the new EU Security Union Strategy, presented by the Commission, to step up the fight against violent extremism and to increase EU resilience against security threats. The ECR Group specifically welcomes the move to increase efforts against terrorism, organised crime, human trafficking and online child sexual abuse. However,…

Pacta Sunt Servanda

A reply to a comment made by the Russian ambassador to Austria on the Ukraine conflict, written by Olexander Scherba, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria. There is naive hypocrisy, outrageous hypocrisy – and hypocrisy beyond comprehension. For example the hypocrisy of a state that has promised to respect your borders, then takes your country away…

Frontex Headache

The S&D Group in the European Parliament has expressed “serious concerns” about the leadership of Frontex, the EU’s border agency. We repeat our call for Executive Director Leggeri to resign and call on the Commission to act.  Birgit Sippel, S&D spokesperson on migration, said: “Last week, the Executive Director of Frontex failed to provide the European…

Stop Arming Turkey

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…

Russian Fleet Tests UK navy

The Royal Navy has monitored nine Russian vessels around the UK in recent weeks; Every move made by the Russians – a surfaced submarine, destroyer, corvette, patrol ship and their supporting tugs and supply ships – was watched closely by eight Royal Navy ships from the English Channel to the Irish Sea in a concerted…

EU Aid for Nagorno-Karabakh

The Commission has announced an additional €3 million in humanitarian support to ensure critical assistance to the civilians most affected by the conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh. This funding comes on top of €900,000 allocated since early October when the hostilities started. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “The EU continues to stand by all…

Defending our Values and our Freedom

Yesterday (Tuesday 10th November) Chancellors Merkel and Kurz and President Macron held an online summit on the implications of the latest Islamist terrorist attacks in France and Austria. They agreed that they wanted to work on reforms for the Schengen area, which consists of Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,…

Repatriating Terrorists

The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the European Policy Centre (EPC) have launched a joint report, titled ‘Marching home? Why repatriating foreign terrorist fighters is a pan-European priority.’ The report is co-authored by Prof. Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor to CEP and Amanda Paul, Senior Policy Analyst at EPC. The report examines why Europe needs to…

Safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy bolsters Taiwan-EU common values ​​and interests

On September 14, the same day of the EU-China leaders’ meeting, Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defense, and Reinhard Bütikofer, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the People’s Republic of China, together with seven other prominent European political leaders, scholars, and experts, wrote to mainstream newspapers…

The responsibility of leadership

In the history of warfare, from time immemorial, the leaders of the participating countries take responsibility for their deeds, whether this means exulting in victory and triumph, or falling on their swords in bitter defeat, writes Philippe Jeaune. Such has been the case during the times of Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, Bonaparte and even Stalin….