The Council imposed restrictive measures against nine individuals, under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, for sentencing the Russian opposition politician, democracy activist and outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison on politically motivated charges and false allegations. The EU strongly condemns the ruling and calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release Vladimir Kara-Murza and all […]
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European Parliament calls for coordinated strategy to protect 2024 European elections against foreign interference
Parliament calls for a coordinated strategy to increase the EU’s resilience to foreign interference and information manipulation and protect the 2024 European elections . Foreign interference, disinformation, and attacks on democracy are likely to continue in ever-greater numbers and to become more sophisticated in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in June 2024, say […]
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Tabletop exercise and new study focus on protecting critical energy infrastructure
What should the European Union and its Member States do if its energy production and transport infrastructure were attacked by hostile groups in a region where like-minded, democratic countries coexisted with unfriendly authoritarian regimes? What if vulnerable critical energy infrastructure was essential for defence? As the European Defence Agency contributes to EU security, EDA organised […]
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Guardia Civil, with Europol support, arrests 30 people in operation against large-scale drug trafficking network
The Spanish Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal network engaged in large-scale drug trafficking from South America to Europe. Europol supported the operation against the criminals, who used an elaborate modus operandi to retrieve smuggled cocaine from shipping containers in the Spanish port of Algeciras. The organisation relied on a dedicated front companies to launder […]
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Joint Statement on the repudiatory acts of violence in Putumayo and the process of dialogue between the Government and the Central General Staff
We, the undersigned, the National Conciliation Commission (CNC), international organizations and countries that have been following the process of rapprochement between the Government of Colombia and the Central High Command, declare the following regarding the repudiatory acts of violence that have occurred in Putumayo and the process of dialogue and ceasefire between the parties: We […]
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Europol assists in dismantling one of Europe’s largest pirate IPTV services
Europol has supported the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) in taking down an illegal IPTV (Internet Protocol television) service serving over 1 000 000 users across Europe. On 23 May, a series of raids were carried out across the Netherlands as part of an illegal streaming crackdown. The officers from the FIOD searched […]
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MEPs vote to speed up the freezing and confiscation of criminal assets
The new legislation on seizing criminal assets would ensure fast and efficient freezing operations everywhere in the EU, and quicker compensation for victims. To speed up asset freezing and confiscations and close loopholes, MEPs on the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee adopted on Tuesday a draft position on new rules with 50 votes […]
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Foreign affairs ministers discuss situation in Ukraine
The Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine focusing on the various ongoing strands of work, in particular continued military assistance for Ukraine’s defence and measures to isolate Russia. The High Representative urged EU ministers to speed up the delivery and joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, and to finalise work for […]
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EU prisons: prison numbers and overcrowding
In 2021, there were 475 038 prisoners in the EU, equivalent to 106 prisoners per 100 000 people. The prisoner rate increased after a decline in 2020 (104 prisoners per 100 000 people) but remained the second-lowest figure since the turn of the century. The highest prisoner rates per 100 000 people in 2021 were […]
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