EU member states have renewed the so-called EU terrorist list, which sets out the persons, groups and entities subject to restrictive measures aimed at combating terrorism. The list was updated on Friday. Persons, groups and entities on the list are subject to the freezing of funds and other financial assets in the EU. It is…
The Council has decided to impose restrictive measures against six individuals and three entities responsible for or involved in various cyber-attacks. These include the attempted cyber-attack against the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and those publicly known as ‘WannaCry’, ‘NotPetya’, and ‘Operation Cloud Hopper’. The sanctions imposed include a travel ban and an asset freeze. In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to…
On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, communities across Belgium will come together to pay homage to the work of first responders to human trafficking. These are the people who work in different sectors – identifying, supporting, counselling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking, and challenging the impunity of the traffickers. With the ongoing…
Less than 40 % of the irregular migrants ordered to leave the EU actually return to their home country or a third country. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has now launched an audit of the EU’s cooperation with third countries on the readmission of irregular migrants. The auditors will assess whether the suite of…
The European Parliament has called for tough examination of the Wirecard scandal and the failure of German supervisor BaFin. The Legal Affairs Committee and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament have sent a joint letter to the EU Commission on Wirecard and European auditing rules. The letter was prepared by the…
The Social Media Intelligence Unit (SMIU), a project of non-profit organisation Alliance4Europe, has published new research identifying intrusion into the global Black Lives Matter movement. The “Society Burning: Tactical Assessment” that organised actors are using social media to paint a picture of “Marxist subversion of the American dream” by the protest group in order to…
The European Court of Justice decided to cancel the payment of 13 billion Euros of “unlawful” state aid received by Apple. Following the decision, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have now called on member states to “take action in order to ensure fairer taxation.” Jonás Fernandez, S&D spokesman on taxation, said “The ruling issued…
Journalism is more dangerous – and more under threat – than at any point in the last decade, according to a report by the globally respected international group, Reporters Without Borders (RWB). Both freedom of speech and information serve as indicators of freedom in society. But journalists, correspondents and reporters, even those who do not…
Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has been exploited to undermine democracies across the globe, with governments using this occasion to silence critics, enhance state surveillance and tighten their political grip while taking advantage of the state of emergency to arrest protestors. The EU neighbourhood is no exception to this tendency. Even in countries, such as Armenia,…
Negotiations on a draft resolution on the fight against money laundering were successfully concluded last week. The draft text, supported by Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Liberals, Greens and the Left, is based on a Green proposal. German Greens MEP Sven Giegold told this website: “This draft resolution is a success for the European fight against…
