The president of the European Parliament’s committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, this week met with the Bulgarian Minister of Justice, Nadezhda Yordanova. They discussed together the rule of law crisis in Bulgaria over the last years. According to them, there are too many questions that need answers, especially…
We Belgians all like to think that Belgium is the centre of the universe when it comes to appreciation of good food. While Belgium is rightly renowned for its cuisine there are other places too, of course, where standards are equally high. That, and this may come as a surprise to some, includes the UK….
In times of crisis , people’s core personality features are bared for all to see. This is true both at the individual and at the collective level. War is a perfect storm that comprehensively tests everyone it affects. From the first days of the war unleashed by Russia, a striking gap between Ukrainians and Russians…
Effectively fighting homelessness requires the availability of clear, reliable and comparable data. For the second consecutive year, the King Baudouin Foundation has supported research teams (from (LUCAS KU Leuven and UCLouvain CIRTES) in organising point-in-time counts of homeless people at the end of 2021 in four cities and regions: Charleroi, Namur, the southern part of…
The US announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas, while the EU and the WB has promised to start intensive work in this direction so that the first results would be visible by the end of this year. Both the old sanctions against Russia (introduced after the military occupation of Crimea) and…
From 2 to 5 June, everyone in the UK will come together and celebrate the Queen’s 70 year reign, with an extended Bank Holiday. To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, events and initiatives will take place throughout the country and it will provide an opportunity for people on this side of the channel to also join in the…
The Board of Directors of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) decided to reduce to zero the step-up margin accrued by Greece for the period between 17 June 2021 and 1 January 2022, as part of the medium-term debt relief measures agreed for the country in 2018. The value of this sixth successive reduction amounts…
The European Union-African Union Summit opens on Thursday 17th February, and a thorny question is whether or not an invitation will be extended to the Western Sahara to attend. After today’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the European Union stressed in the clearest way, that its position has not changed regarding the Western Sahara saying that none…
For several months, ENAR has warned of the increasing threats to civil society in France. According to a new report by the French Observatory of Associative Freedom (Observatoire des Libertés Associatives), there was a systematic absence of legal or factual basis for abusive sanctions documented across 20 cases against organisations between 2016 and 2021. As…
From today until 21 February 2022, the general public is invited to vote for the 98 creative Brussels initiatives that have enabled our capital to shine in new and creative ways. They can now vote on www.awards.brussels. Once the five finalists in each category have been selected by public vote, a jury made up of members…
