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…
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…
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 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…
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…
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash A senior French MP has thrown his weight behind a campaign in Britain for overseas parliamentary constituencies. The campaign, run jointly by New Europeans UK and Unlock Democracy, says the UK could benefit by giving a “voice” to the 3.5 British citizens living abroad. French parliamentarian Alexandre Holroyd is one of 11 representatives of French citizens living abroad and took part in…
Photograph Eduard Delputte on Unsplash Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament, has paid a moving tribute to the winners of this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The prize has been awarded to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran. The award was presented in Strasbourg in a ceremony…
In 2022, a total of 2,496 children, some as young as 8-years-old, were verified by the United Nations as detained for their actual or alleged association with armed groups, including groups designated as terrorists by the U.N. The highest numbers were recorded in Iraq, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Syrian Arab Republi, writes…
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash The past two months have been a troubling and difficult time for Europe. While the war in Ukraine continues to raise concerns about the continent’s security, our attention has been divided by the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East. While both issues are hitting international headlines, on…
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash A new survey says most people still rely on TV for news but that social media is catching up fast. A dedicated Eurobarometer survey, published by the European Parliament on 17 November, takes an in-depth look at media habits, including trust in different media sources. Some 68% of respondents recall having recently…
