Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash June 30 marks the official deadline for EU countries to submit their updated draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to the European Commission. These plans will reveal their new contributions to the EU 2030 climate and energy targets and the policies that lead there. Campaigners say, though, that unless there is…
Regions
Britons in Europe
Photo by Ludovic Morlat on Unsplash A major project has been launched which partly aims to “bust some of the myths” about Britons who live abroad. Another objective of the exercise is to garner support for the creation of overseas constituencies in the UK parliament. It is argued that being able to vote for an MP in the…
Georgia’s Steps Towards Euro-Atlantic Integration
Photo by Kent Tupas on Unsplash The ECR Group in the European Parliament says it supports the interim verbal assessment of progress made by Ukraine and Moldova in implementing the European Commission’s recommendations on European integration and shares the hope that Georgia will stay on the same strategic course. For ECR Foreign Affairs Coordinator Anna Fotyga, the assessment delivered…
The Best of Portugal
Photo by Veronika Jorjobert on Unsplash The 9th edition of the Best of Portugal will take place at the Cinquentenaire Park in Brussels this weekend (17/18 June). This year, more than 70 stands, 50 companies from Portugal, and 10 restaurants will welcome visitors. One of the main goals of the event is to promote the best that is…
New President for Eurocities
Photo by Tobias Reich on Unsplash The Mayor of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung, will represent major European cities in the coming two years, as President of Eurocities. He succeeds the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nordella, and is joined by the Mayor of Ghent, Mathias De Clercq, who will become the network’s Vice President. Jung, who was elected by delegates from more than 200 major European cities,…
Conference of Maritime Regions
Photo by Giuseppe Mondì on Unsplash Regional politicians have gathered in Firenze for the summer meeting of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions CPMR Political Bureau, hosted by Regione Toscana (Italy). One year ahead of the European elections, regional leaders have reflected on their contributions to bring back prosperity to the continent in a context of recovery, and…
Service? Or Self-Service?
Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash The first three initials of Boris Alexander De pfeffel Johnson badged him as BAD at birth, but few could have imagined the damage he would inflict on the country as a whole and on trust in politicians in particular. His sudden resignation as an MP was triggered by receipt of the report…
Overseas Constituencies for UK Parliament
Photo by Massimiliano Morosinotto on Unsplash A campaign for overseas constituency MPs is gathering momentum with fresh backing from a group of cross-party MPs and peers. The idea is to introduce overseas constituencies for the tens of thousands of UK citizens living and working abroad. This would mean they would be represented by an MP in the UK parliament, who represents…
Moldova: The New Heart of Europe
Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash The Republic of Moldova is a small faraway country facing many challenges. Today it no longer faces them alone. Economically it is fragile, with its main exports being insulated wire, wheat, wine and sunflower seeds – not the most promising foundation for long-term prosperity. Climate change is also a major issue: in…
Do No Harm To Cohesion
Photo by Jack Ward on Unsplash The European Union cannot tackle social, economic and territorial disparities through Cohesion Policy alone. All EU initiatives and policies, like the post-COVID recovery plan NextGenerationEU, should fight against inequalities and promote cohesion, which must be a fundamental value of the European Union. This is the main message of the opinion on the…