Interview with Jean-Pierre Martin, General manager Emirates Belgium and Luxemburg Q: Can you spell out the impact of the pandemic on your airline-business? A: On 25 March, Emirates temporarily suspended all passenger flights as directed by our regulator the UAE GCAA. That hit us hard and we regret the impact on our customers, but Emirates fully supports Dubai and the UAE’s…
Structural anti-gypsyism must end, say MEPs, who demand measures to ensure that the Roma people have equal access to housing, education, healthcare and employment. In a resolution adopted today (17 September) with 545 votes to 96 and 54 abstentions, Parliament stresses that, due to persistent anti-gypsyism, Roma people in Europe suffer the highest rates of…
Responding to Ursula von der Leyen’s address today, Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the pan-European think-tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), commented: “Last year, Ursula von der Leyen promised Europeans a geopolitical commission that would have a stronger and more unified voice in the world and that could protect European strategic sovereignty. It…
On 16 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her first State of the Union address in the European Parliament. In a health and economic crisis-stricken Europe, the President of the European Commission rightly reminded us that COVID-19 “laid bare the strains on our health systems and the limits of a model that values…
The Greens have sent a letter to the EU calling for urgent action to help victims of the migrant camp fire in Greece. It was sent to Vice-President Margaritis Schinas Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson Federal Minister for the Interior, Horst Seehofer It reads, “After Moria burnt down, more than 12.000 people are now…
On 20 and 21 September, regional elections are taking place in seven Italian regions. These elections will be of particular importance for a country that has been hit extremely hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Italy is now engaged in the long and difficult path to recovery and needs progressive green forces to successfully emerge from the…
MEPs are set to demand the European recovery plan dedicates billions to large-scale energy efficiency programmes to lift millions out of energy poverty, in a vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday (16 September). As energy poverty rates soar due to Covid-19, energy savings and building renovations could finally get the attention they deserve, says…
The Test Centre at Brussels Airport for COVID-19 will open on Monday 14 September. At this Test Centre, passengers can get a COVID-19 test on site at the airport. The Test Centre will also be open to those who are not travelling but need to have a test taken for contact tracing purposes. From 14th of…
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the agency tasked with the safekeeping of wildlife in some of Africa’s most iconic protected areas, has received a boost to its operations with the handover of new equipment worth over US$50,000 from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The items have been purchased with support from the TUI Care Foundation and the African…
MEPs and representatives of institutions, governments and NGOs will gather on 14-17 September to debate the challenges the pandemic poses to democratic systems. The spread of COVID-19 in 2020 has not only put people’s lives in danger, but has also transformed how they work, communicate and make political decisions. International Democracy Week comprises a series…
