Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Delaying arms deliveries means that Ukraine, despite its “courageous efforts”, cannot turn the tide in its favour against Russia in the ongoing war. So says Reinhard Butikofer, a senior MEP who was speaking on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bütikofer, foreign policy coordinator of the Greens/EFA group in…
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash MEPs have presented a 15 point plan for preventing corruption and interference in the EU. This comes in the wake of the corruption scandal involving MEPs and payments from third countries known as ‘Qatargate’. The plan includes the mandatory requirement to declare all meetings and a “cooling off period” for MEPs being…
Photo by Sinitta Leunen on Unsplash MEPs from across the political divide insist that the European Union should ratify the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, in line with a 2021 Court of Justice opinion. The EU signed the Istanbul Convention in 2017 and signalled its commitment to eradicating gender-based violence. However, the EU ratification process has been stuck…
Photo by moein rezaalizade on Unsplash MEPs will this week debate the EU’s response so far to the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February. The death toll in the two countries had exceeded 33,000 by Monday. The World Health Organisation has now warned of a secondary disaster, with tens of thousands of people displaced and in need…
MEPs have expressed “unwavering solidarity” with the people of Ukraine and their support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity “as long as necessary and beyond”. They spoke after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech in the European Parliament this week which was enthusiastically received by MEPs. Rasa Juknevičienė, EPP vice-chair for Foreign Affairs, said, “By…
Centre right members in the European Parliament say they want to strengthen European defence capability. They say they want to increase investments in the defence sector, swiftly revise the EU budget to provide necessary funds for the EU’s defence policy, joint procurements and the development of military capabilities. MEPs claim it is imperative that the decision-making process is improved and accelerated, in…
The European Parliament has urged the Moroccan authorities to respect freedom of expression and media freedom and to provide a fair trial for the imprisoned journalist Omar Radi. MEPs have called for his immediate provisional release and demand an end to the harassment of all journalists in the country, as well as of their lawyers…
Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has called on MEPs to work to eradicate antisemitism in Europe and adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. His comments coincide with International Day of Commemoration today Friday 27 January. Herzog opened his address to members in Brussels by saying: “I stand before you as the…
Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash The ECR group in the EU Parliament says the international community should seek a re-federalisation of the Russian state. It states, “For many who have experienced Russian oppression in the past, the war in Ukraine can only end when the Russian Federation is completely repulsed and defeated.” It says “re-federalisation” is needed…
Photo by Thiago Rocha on Unsplash MEPs say that any counter-measures targeting the EU taken by what they call the “brutal regime of Iran” will not stop them from denouncing the “lack of democracy, freedom and respect of human rights in the country.” Deputies have again “strongly condemned” the Iranian authorities’ decision to impose sanctions against EU and…
