The stark rise in the production of synthetic drugs such as (meth-)amphetamines poses increasing challenges for prosecutors across Europe. By rapidly changing the composition of chemicals used for these drugs – as, for instance, red phosphorus, MAPA and APAA – or creating new substances, producers try to exploit legal gaps and avoid prosecution. Also, due […]
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Fighting trafficking in human beings
The Commission is presenting today a new Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025), focusing on preventing the crime, bringing traffickers to justice and protecting and empowering victims. Between 2017 and 2018, there were more than 14,000 registered victims within the European Union. Globally, traffickers make estimated profits of €29.4 billion in a single year. With […]
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Stop illegal live sports streaming, urge MEPs
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee adopted on 13 April a report urging the European Commission to propose concrete measures tailored to live sporting events, allowing real-time blocking of access to illegal online sports content, or the removal of such content without interrupting legal broadcasts Broadcasting live sports plays an important role in the economy, […]
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Council agrees its negotiating mandate on the Digital Green Certificate
EU ambassadors today agreed a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a Digital Green Certificate. This certificate will facilitate safe and free movement during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing proof that a person has either been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. The […]
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Aid measures introduced by Sweden and Denmark for SAS damage
In April 2020 Denmark and Sweden notified the Commission of two separate aid measures for SAS AB, each involving a guarantee on a revolving credit facility of up to 1.5 billion Swedish kronor (SEK). Those measures were intended to compensate SAS in part for the damage resulting from the cancellation or rescheduling of its flights […]
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Finland’s guarantee in favour of the airline Finnair is compatible with EU law
On 13 May 2020, Finland notified the Commission of an aid measure in the form of a State guarantee in favour of the Finnish airline, Finnair Plc, aimed at helping the latter obtain a loan of €600 million from a pension fund to cover its working capital needs. The guarantee, which was supposed to cover […]
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Europe’s imprisonment rate continues to fall
The overall European imprisonment rate – the number of persons in prison per 100,000 inhabitants – fell again slightly in 2020, consolidating a trend that started in 2013, according to the Council of Europe’s Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations for 2020. On 31 January 2020, there were 1,528,343 inmates in 51 prison administrations (out […]
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Progress in 2020 in the implementation of ECHR rulings despite COVID
States across Europe are continuing to make progress on implementing judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), despite the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest annual report from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. However, further efforts are needed to tackle systemic issues highlighted by the ECHR, including ill-treatment or deaths caused […]
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EU imposes further sanctions over serious violations of human rights around the world
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on eleven individuals and four entities responsible for serious human rights violations and abuses in various countries around the world. Together with the listing of four Russian individuals earlier this month, these 15 designations are part of the first broader package of listings under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. […]
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