Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash A top level Socialist delegation to the United States has concluded with a warning that centre-right MEPs are “abandoning the centre to engage with the extreme right.” That is the claim from S&D leader Iratxe García and vice-president Pedro Marques. They have just finished their visit to the United States, wrapping up…
Photo by Matt Brown on Unsplash In recent weeks the British Government has been deluged with noise about the Northern Ireland Protocol, agreed with the EU following the UK’s departure, well before the text of any new agreement was revealed, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. None of the noise came from European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, who remained diplomatically silent about the…
The post-Soviet states one by one are shedding Moscow’s influence. Moldova has recently announced that it is ready to denounce several agreements signed within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In the foreseeable future, the country may withdraw from the CIS altogether, as Georgia and Ukraine have done in the past. The…
Photo by Nikolay Vorobyev on Unsplash In the much anticipated presidential address to the Russian Federal Assembly today, 21 February, there had been expectations of sharp and momentous statements, but in the end there were none. The event was broadcast live on BBC News, for the first time in history. Vladimir Putin began his speech by mentioning the…
Photo by Kenrick Mills on Unsplash It is exactly ten years since the death of nine-year old Ella Kissi-Debrah. She was the first person in the world to have the cause of death defined as air pollution. It happened in London, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. The European Environment Agency in its 2021 report claimed that overall in 2018 air…
Photo by ekrem osmanoglu on Unsplash Special elections to the Majilis, the lower house of the Kazakhstan Parliament, will be held on March 19. The country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is determined to modernise Kazakhstan’s political system, and these elections form part of that process Tokayev is trying to create a balanced system of government, which is intended to…
Photo by Tianlei Wu on Unsplash In recent months Armenia has shown at least twice where the country’s real loyalties lie – during the session of the OSCE Permanent Council on 9th February and during the special session of the UN Human rights council on 19th November 2022. The OSCE Permanent Council was supposed to discuss and condemn…
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…
Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash UK organised civil society is strongly in favour of a “deeper and more constructive” relationship with their EU counterparts and the EU as a whole, says a new report. This, it is argued, could contribute to the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and help maximise the potential of the…
Photo by Taras Chernus on Unsplash Freedom of speech is regarded as one of the most fundamental freedoms underpinning western democracies. The problem now is how to handle abuses of this freedom, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. The EU Charter on Fundamental Rights was proclaimed by the European Parliament in 2000. Article 11 proudly stated that ‘everyone has the right…
