In her annual address on the State of the Union to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on 15 September the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stressed the need to better protect journalists, media outlets’ independence and the public right to information. President von der Leyen outlined her vision for the…
The S&D Group has welcomed the news that the Commission will propose a law to fight gender violence before the end of the year. Ahead of an important vote tomorrow, S&D MEPs are urging all political groups to support effective EU action to end gender based violence once and for all. In a debate on Wednesday,…
The European Commission has taken two separate decisions, both related to decisions of the Court of Justice and where the actions of the Polish authorities continue to undermine the functioning of the Polish justice system. First, the Commission decided to request the Court of Justice to impose financial penalties on Poland to ensure compliance with…
The High Court decision in London that Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu must not be extradited to Romania highlighted concerns about that country’s legal system. Popoviciu’s case exposed that the Romania legal system does not meet the standards expected of a country with membership of the European Union. The robust judgment from the appeal court went…
On the first anniversary of the catastrophic port explosion in Beirut, the Socialists and Democrats call on Lebanese authorities to ensure victims’ quest for truth and justice. More than 217 people were killed, and over 7.000 injured, as 2.750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port on 4 August 2020. Around 300.000 people were displaced, whereas the…
EU foreign affairs Josep Borrell has urged China to do more to combat malicious cyber activities originating from the country. The Spaniard said, “Today, the EU and its Member States, together with partners, expose malicious cyber activities that significantly affected our economy, security, democracy and society at large.” He added, “The EU and its Member…
The S&D Group in the European parliament said it welcomes the latest annual assessment on the rule of law in the EU but expresses concerns that the report will fail to improve the situation in the Member States without clear and specific recommendation to EU governments. Domènec Ruiz Devesa, S&D MEP who led the Parliament’s work…
We observe with increasing concern that cyber threats to the security of the Alliance are complex, destructive, coercive, and becoming ever more frequent. This has been recently illustrated by ransomware incidents and other malicious cyber activity, targeting our critical infrastructure and democratic institutions, as well as exploiting weaknesses in hardware and software supply chains. We…
The top European Union court – The European Court of Justice (ECJ) – has made it clear that employers can restrict the wearing of ‘religious symbols’, such as Islamic headscarves, but only in limited circumstances. The ECJ found that such policies must be applied in a general and undifferentiated way and that they must present…
The European Parliament “condemns in the strongest possible terms” the recent anti-LGBTI legislation and denounces the dismantling of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. In a resolution, adopted with 459 in favour 147 against, and 58 abstentions on Thursday, MEPs describe the Hungarian law as being in clear breach of fundamental rights enshrined…
