Poland in the ECJ Dock Again

The Polish government is being taken to the European Court again over lack of independence of the judiciary. The move, announced by the commission on Wednesday, has been welcomed by the RE group. A statement read, “We welcome the European Commission’s announcement that it will launch an infringement procedure against Poland over the “muzzle law”….

Parliament Calls to Suspend Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant

The European Parliament has voiced serious concerns over the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and demand that its commercial launch be suspended. In a resolution adopted today, the Parliament criticised the hasty commissioning of the Ostrovets nuclear plant and the continued lack of transparency and official communication regarding the frequent emergency shutdowns…

Protecting Women’s Rights

MEPs have condemned the setback to women’s sexual and reproductive rights in Poland and stress the EU’s legal obligation to uphold and protect them. In a resolution adopted with 455 votes to 145 and 71 abstentions, Parliament says that the ruling of 22 October by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal to make abortion illegal in cases involving…

LGBTI+ Strategy

The S&D Group in the European Parliament has welcomed  an ambitious new LGBTI+ equality strategy presented by S&D Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. The Commission’s strategy answers the S&D Group’s long-standing calls for a new approach to fighting discrimination and promoting fundamental rights and protection of LGBTI+ people in the EU.  The first-ever LGBTI+ equality…

Poland Undermining EU

MEPs are urging the European Commission to take immediate action over the deteriorating rule of law in Poland, especially with regard to the independence of the Polish judiciary, as the PiS-led government continues to undermine and attack judges. “For many years, we have witnessed the ruling coalition undermining the whole structure of the state, including…

Putin’s Meeting with Lukashenko

The personal meeting of the presidents of Russia and Belarus in Sochi on September 14 showed that the Russian authorities were ready to provide Lukashenko with assistance in order to rapidly replace him with a more acceptable candidate for Moscow within the framework of the “Union State of Russia and Belarus”. The only public signal…

Poland Accused by AI of Muzzling Protestors

Charges brought by Polish authorities against two activists who face possible prison sentences of up to 10 years for a poster campaign should be immediately dropped said Amnesty International (AI). The activists were detained and charged last week, after they put up posters in Warsaw accusing the government of manipulating COVID-19 statistics. They were charged with…

Poland Risks Locking in to Fossil Fuel Reliance

Poland’s largest oil refiner, PKN Orlen, declared its preliminary readiness for direct financial involvement in the construction of the 1GW Ostroleka-C coal power project only if it is converted into a gas unit. The announcement by PKN Orlen, which only last month acquired EnergaSa – one of the companies behind the Ostroleka C project, means…

The Optimism Paradox

How optimistic or pessimistic do people in the European Union view their personal future and the future of their country? How does this differ between EU member states? And how do these basic attitudes relate to party-political preferences?  These questions are answered by the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s new eupinions study “The Optimism Paradox”.  The key finding:…