Transparency International (TI) has published their annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This index ranks countries based on their exposure to corruption in the public sector. Scores range from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt). The CPI 2020 found that Hungary scored 44 in 2020 and ranked 69th overall – placing the country alongside Bulgaria…
In the European Parliament, the Socialists and Democrats Group has strongly condemned the arrest of Alexei Navalny, one of Russia’s most influential dissidents and anti-corruption activists. Navalny was arrested on his return to Moscow after having spent five months in Germany recovering from a near-deadly poisoning last August. The S&D Group calls for a strong EU…
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has issued the following statement following the arrest of Alexei Navalny at Moscow Airport yesterday:- “I condemn the detention of Alexei Navalny yesterday by the Russian authorities, upon his return to Russia. The Russian authorities must immediately release him and ensure his safety.” “Detention of…
The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “We, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State, underscore our serious concern at the mass arrests of 55 politicians and activists in…
We publish here in full the text of a declaration issued by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy. The authorities in Hong Kong arrested over 50 people on 6 January 2021 on charges pursuant to the National Security Law (NSL). The charges in question relate to the holding in July 2020 of pro-democracy primary…
Three women journalists were detained and another was beaten by police on 5 January during a protest in the Turkish capital Ankara against the disappearance of a Kurdish student a year ago. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and their affiliate, the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) condemned the violence and demanded the…
In a landmark case, the UK Court of Appeal has ruled that EU citizens with pre-settled status can access welfare benefits on an equal basis with other claimants. The test case was brought on behalf of two Romanian nationals, Ms Fratila and Mr Tanase who came to the UK in 2014 and 2019 respectively. In…
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 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,…
MEPs debated and voted on a resolution last week on forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Parliament vote, strongly pushed for by the Greens/EFA group, is in response to ongoing human rights violations, internment and forced labour of more than one million Uyghurs in China’s autonomous…
