Russian businessmen, oligarchs and officials often use Western banks to store and “launder” the money they have illegally earned in Russia. In the past this was overlooked, but it is now necessary to act and restrict the money flows of Russian citizens. Cyprus was often used by Russians as a springboard for conducting international business…
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the Russian invading army has continuously violated the basic norms and principles of international and humanitarian law, including the general provisions of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, writes Bogdana Bondarenko According to the Convention, its application is envisaged…
European parliament political group leaders have adopted a statement condemning what they called the “openly racist” declarations by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and underlined that these declarations are in breach of EU values. A strongly worded statement of the Conference of Presidents – group leaders – was issued on Saturday. It reads, “We, the leaders…
The European Commission has released its third annual Rule of Law Report. The report focuses on justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media freedom and pluralism, and institutional checks and balances. For the first time, the report contains country specific recommendations on the rule of law and suggests concrete actions to be taken by Member States. However,…
Today Bucha is a name that the whole world knows. This is a city that has become a symbol of Ukraine’s tragedy because of the cruelest atrocities committed by Russians on Ukrainian soil. From the first days of the full-scale war Bucha was one of the hottest spots, since it is situated on the way…
Rumours had been swirling for days that President Emmanuel Macron was planning a visit to Cameroon and Benin, and confirmation finally arrived yesterday from the Élysée Palace that the trip will go ahead. President Macron will indeed visit Benin Monday 27 July 2022 and the trip will include a meeting with controversial Benin President, Patrice…
Even before the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy had been blocking maritime freight routes for the export of Ukrainian grain. Amid the ongoing war, for the fifth month in a row, Ukraine has been deprived of the opportunity to sell crops to its key markets in Asia and Africa, and prevented from keeping stable…
On 19 July Ukrainian journalists Dmitriy Gordon and Yevgeny Kiselev were put on a criminal wanted list in Russia. The reason behind this decision was the anti-Putin stance of these writers and their criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The realities of modern Russia are such that simply being suspected of disloyalty to the government…
The European Ombudsman inquiry into the Commission’s handling of a request for text messages between its President and the CEO of a pharmaceutical company is, she says, a wake-up call for all EU institutions about ensuring accountability in an era of instant messaging. One year after the initial request by a journalist, the Commission has…
The European Union says it wants to strengthen its cooperation with Interpol in fighting terrorism. In this sense, the European Parliament adopted (on 5 July) a recommendation to the Commission by ECR Rapporteur Jadwiga Wiśniewska (Poland). According to the recommendation, improving the exchange of data between the Member States is of paramount importance. Parliamentarians also…
