President Metsola has launched an urgent procedure for the waiver of immunity of two Members of the European Parliament, following a request from the Belgian judicial authorities. The first procedural steps have been taken and the President will announce the request in plenary at the first possible opportunity on 16 January. The request will be then […]
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Disinformation: Kremlin ABC: Adapt Focus. Blame Others. Cancel Events
Last week the Kremlin performed a couple of well-known tricks from its propagandist playbook. Even if the tricks are old, they usually work, provided you dominate the information landscape. And the Kremlin is constantly working hard to secure a dominant place across digital spaces both at home and abroad. – EU and Kosovo in focus. […]
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Trafficking in human beings: Commission proposes stronger rules to fight the evolving crime
The Commission proposes to strengthen the rules that prevent and combat trafficking in human beings. Every year over 7000 people become victims of human trafficking in the EU. That figure can be expected to be much higher as many victims remain undetected. The yearly cost of trafficking in human beings in the EU reaches EUR […]
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EU leaders addressed how to help Ukraine through the winter
EU leaders met in Brussels for a one-day summit. They adopted conclusions on Ukraine/Russia, energy and economy, security and defence, the Southern Neighbourhood, transatlantic relations and other items, covering Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran. Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine The European Council reiterated its resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and […]
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Cybersecurity: EU holds 8th dialogue with the United States
On 15-16 December 2022, the European Union and United States held the eighth EU-U.S. Cyber Dialogue in Washington, DC. This took place in the context of a dramatically deteriorated cyber threat environment due to Russia’s illegal military aggression against Ukraine, which has underlined the need for enhanced transatlantic cooperation and coordination to prevent, detect and […]
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Ukraine: EU agrees ninth package of sanctions against Russia
The Commission welcomes the Council’s adoption of a ninth package of hard-hitting sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. This responds to Russia’s continued escalation and illegal war against Ukraine, in particular as Russia is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winter. The New […]
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Impact of EU sanctions on the Russian economy
Since Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Council has adopted eight packages of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. The sanctions aim at weakening Russia’s ability to finance the war and specifically target the political, military and economic elite responsible for the invasion. The restrictive measures do not target Russian society. […]
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European Parliament adopt three resolutions on the respect for human rights in China, Chad and Bahrain
Chinese government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People’s Republic of China MEPs express their support for protesters fighting for fundamental rights who are being persecuted by the Chinese government, notably in the context of the zero COVID-19 policy. They are concerned about violations of freedoms of expression, association, assembly, press and media in […]
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Joint EU-US statement following the justice and home affairs ministerial meeting
Joint EU-US statement following the justice and home affairs ministerial meeting On 15 December 2022, the United States hosted the EU-U.S. Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs at Department of Homeland Security Headquarters in Washington D.C. The United States was represented by Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and U.S. Attorney General Merrick […]
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