In a recommendation issued yesterday, the Commission is urging Member States to immediately repeal any existing investor citizenship schemes and to ensure strong checks are in place to address the risks posed by investor residence schemes. The Commission has frequently and consistently raised its serious concerns about investor citizenship and residence schemes and the inherent risks […]
Read MoreMEPs demand a ban on ‘golden passports’ and specific rules for ‘golden visas’
Concerned that EU citizenship is for sale, Parliament proposes new common rules to address the many problems linked to ‘citizenship/residence by investment’ schemes. On Wednesday, MEPs adopted a legislative initiative report calling on the Commission to table a proposal by the end of its mandate. The commitment by the Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, […]
Read More
‘Senseless war’ forces one million to flee Ukraine: UN refugee chief
The “senseless war” in Ukraine has forced one million people to flee the country in just seven days, while countless others have been displaced within its borders, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Thursday. “I have worked in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years, and rarely have I seen an exodus as […]
Read More
Ukraine crisis: UN agencies support rising tide of refugees
The number of people fleeing the Russian onslaught in Ukraine surpassed 874,000 as of Wednesday morning New York time, data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has revealed. More than half have headed west to Poland, according to a new UNHCR operational data portal that is keeping track of refugee arrivals in neighbouring countries. Others have found shelter […]
Read More
Ukraine: $1.7 billion appeal launched to help refugee exodus, host countries
Rockets have been “raining down” on Ukraine’s cities and hundreds of people have been killed or injured since the Russian military offensive began, the UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday, at the launch of a $1.7 billion flash appeal to provide urgently-needed assistance. António Guterres’s comments came as latest UN data indicated that 677,000 people have fled Ukraine […]
Read More
UN humanitarians call on combatants to spare Ukraine civilians as aid ramps up
Well over 600,000 people have fled Ukraine in under a week, since Russia’s military offensive began, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued an appeal to protect civilians from further bloodshed. “We know that children have been killed, we know that thousands and thousands are at risk, and we know that more children, gutwrenchingly, are […]
Read More
A strong EU Asylum Agency to support asylum systems in the member states
The new EU Asylum Agency will have enhanced operational and technical powers to facilitate cooperation among member states and contribute to converging asylum standards. The legislation endorsed on Thursday by the European Parliament upgrades the existing mandate of the EU Asylum Support Office (EASO), which has been operational since 2011 and is based in Valletta, Malta. […]
Read More
1 in 4 children in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion
In 2020, 24.2% of children (less than 18 years old) in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion compared with 21.7% of adults (18–64) and 20.4% of older people (65 or over). Factors influencing the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2020 included: work intensity: 71.9% of the population aged less than […]
Read More
Railway communication in Almeria to be debated in the European Parliament
Rail links in Almeria and the situation in Lesbos to be debated in the Petitions Committee The European Parliament’s Petitions Committee will consider a number of complaints, including two submitted by Spanish petitioners, today Monday 8 November and tomorrow . At this week’s Petitions Committee meeting, MEPs will consider a number of general complaints they […]
Read More