Concern Over Rights in Greece

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  Photo by Marek Pospíšil on Unsplash The European Parliament has raised “the alarm” over several worrying developments in Greece “threatening the rule of law” and called on the EU Commission to act. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday with 330 votes in favour, 254 against, and 26 abstentions, MEPs express grave concerns about very serious threats to…

European Greens Elect Spitzenkandidaten

Delegates from all the European Green parties have elected Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout to be the “face and heart” of the Green campaign for the EU elections, at their congress in Lyon, France. The elected leading candidates ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ will represent the Greens in the upcoming political debates and campaign events.   Reintke commented: “I am overwhelmed and…

Interference in Taiwan Elections Condemned

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Photo by Joel Fulgencio on Unsplash A senior expert on Chinese-Taiwan relations has told MEPs how he believes Beijing “sought to interfere” in Taiwan’s recent president elections. Speaking in the European Parliament on Wednesday, J. Michael Cole claimed that China used a whole range of measures to try to influence the outcome of the poll at the start of…

This Week in the European Parliament

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Photo by Yellow Cactus on Unsplash MEPs will tackle everything from child sexual abuse to the the EU’s anti-money laundering agency this week. Current derogations from EU e-privacy rules, which allow companies to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material and remove it, will expire in August 2024.  As the passage of new permanent rules before August is uncertain…

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

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Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash Irene Shashar, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, has addressed MEPs in a plenary session in Brussels to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On a highly-charged occasion on Thursday she described how she survived the horrors of Nazism in Warsaw as a “Holocaust Hidden Child”. This involved fleeing through a sewer to…

New EU Tax Law will Target Super Rich

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash MEPs have approved what is described as a ground-breaking deal on a new EU anti-money laundering law. The deal has been reached by the European Parliament and EU member states.  The new legislative package will significantly change the rules of the game and, it is said, help prevent scandals that we have witnessed…

Belgian Presidency of the EU

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Photo by Alexandre Bury on Unsplash The new Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU says it will work towards better protecting European citizens and strengthening cooperation. The presidency programme sets out the priorities and main directions of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU.  The Belgian term takes place from 1 January to 30 June…

The Freedom Prize of Lithuania

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The European Parliament has been awarded the Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania. The parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola,has also been given the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas. Last Friday, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda made the award to Metsola “for her leadership and personal will…

Mixed Reaction to Historic EU Deal on Migration

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Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash MEPs and national governments have reached a long-sought agreement to revamp the EU’s asylum and migration legislation. The EU Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on the final form of five separate EU regulations, establishing how to share the management of asylum and migration flows among member states and what to do in…