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…
Photo by Nina Abdel Malak on Unsplash As Lebanon faces an unprecedented crisis, a new political class is beginning to emerge in the country. Mr. Omar Harfouch is the most telling example of this generation that wants to rebuild Lebanon, writes Eric Gozlan. The Lebanese Parliament has still not succeeded in electing a successor to Michel Aoun, President…
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 Katie Moum on Unsplash EU countries are all facing immigration pressures, but despite Brexit, immigrants from other countries are still keen to come to the UK, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. Nigel Farage as Leader of the UK Independence Party had his own solution: the UK needed an Australian-style points system (although ironically the Australian system helped immigrants…
Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash The Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform to support Ukraine’s repair, recovery and reconstruction process has been launched by the EU. It will allow for close coordination among international donors and international financial organisations and will ensure that support is provided in a coherent, transparent, and accountable manner. The first meeting this week of…
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…
