Lawyer or leader? That’s the question being posed about Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party in the UK. Actually, to be more accurate it is a question asked recently by the country’s PM Boris Johnson, himself under current intense scrutiny about a range of issues, not least of which are the lockdown parties…
The Azerbaijan Embassy has issued a press release marking 20th January 2022 as the 32nd anniversary of Azerbaijan’s Black January tragedy. In 1987 anti-Azerbaijani pogroms broke out in Armenia with attacks on Azerbaijani villages, killing hundreds of civilians. As a result, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia. Territorial claims of Armenia, armed separatism instigated by…
This year, for the first time the European sets out to reward towns, cities and regions for their work in promoting inclusion and helping to fight discrimination with the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award. The award, which is part of the Commission’s Union of Equality framework and was launched in the EU anti…
The Commission has adopted the financing decision awarding €319 million of EU solidarity fund (EUSF) support to Croatia following the devastating series of earthquakes that hit Sisak-Moslavina, Karlovac and Zagreb Counties in December 2020 and January 2021. This catastrophe came only a few months after the devastating earthquake that hit Zagreb and its surroundings in…
This year, for example, the 2021 Taipei International Food Show featured Lithuanian products. But there was also a political dimension to Lithuania’s participation as it also demonstrated the solidarity between Lithuania and Taiwan, and their strong commitment to upholding democracy against pressures from authoritarianism. The annual international food show featured the first-ever Lithuanian pavilion, one of…
EU funding programmes face significant cuts or Member States will have to increase their contributions to the EU to make up the shortfall, it has been warned. The warning comes from José Manuel Fernandes MEP. He said, “It is equally important that adequate money is generated from the new own resources. If sufficient, these new revenues…
The Commission has approved €354.8 million under the 2022 tranche of REACT EU to support the recovery and to pave the way for the digital and green transition of Spain. This support will be channelled through the top up of five Operational Programmes (OP) of the ERDF. These resources add up to the support already provided with the 2021…
The European Commission has disbursed €126 million to Estonia and €41 million to Malta in pre-financing under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). These payments are equivalent to 13% of each country’s grant allocation under the RRF. These pre-financing payments will help to kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in…
The UK Foreign Secretary is to become lead negotiator with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol, following the departure of Lord Frost. Liz Truss will take over Ministerial responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the European Union with immediate effect. She will become the UK’s co-chair of the Partnership Council and the Joint Committee,…
In the 30 years since the declaration of independence, Kazakhstan has made a long historical journey, writes Philippe Jeune. In terms of historical dimension, of course, 30 years is less. At the same time, the historical path that Kazakhstan followed during this time, the decisions taken are worthy of centuries, of an era. Equal. From…
