Showing posts with label european commission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label european commission. Show all posts
Friday, May 05, 2023
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Ahead of EU elections: what is next for work-free Sunday?
Brussels, 18 February 2019
In view of the EU elections, the European Sunday Alliance discussed with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and electoral candidates the importance of common work-free time and decent working hours. In view of the EU elections, the European Sunday Alliance discussed with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and electoral candidates the importance of common work-free time and decent working hours.
In a time of digitalisation and a rapidly changing world of work, participants agreed that Sunday is of unique value for the social cohesion of our society and the well-being of the citizens.
After an internal workshop session in the morning, the members and supporters of the European Sunday Alliance presented key challenges of their work, and then incurred into a debate with MEPs and EU elections candidates on possible actions for the next five-year mandate of the European Parliament and the EU Commission.
Markus Blümel, coordinator of the Austrian Sunday Alliance, reported that current changes in national legislation were undermining the network's objective of improving the work-life balance of Austrian citizens. He showed that the new law would allow for a maximum working time of 12 hours and presented how the Austrian Sunday Alliance, together with its member organisations and other like-minded actors, organised demonstrations and public actions to oppose the legal revision.
Representing the Croatian Sunday Alliance, Fr. Boze Vuleta ofm outlined how a network of different civil society organisations and social partners have joined forces in the youngest EU Member State and set up the alliance in 2018.
In the following discussion with MEPs Thomas Mann (EPP), Evelyn Regner (S&D), Marijana Petir (EPP) and the EP elections candidate Gabriele Bischoff (S&D), the participants exchanged on the outcomes of the negotiations of the recently agreed EU work-life balance directive and examined next steps towards EU policies that help citizens to find common rest time for recreation and life in society and family.
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EC President Juncker in dialogue with EU Bishops
latest press releases
The dialogue with the President of the European Commission was an opportunity for Bishops to exchange on the main achievements and remaining priorities of Juncker’s Presidency.
In his contribution, President Juncker stated: "I am a fervent advocate of the social doctrine of the Church. It is one of the most noble teachings of our Church. All of this is part of a doctrine that Europe does not apply often enough. I would like us to rediscover the values and guiding principles of the social teaching of the Church".
European Bishops reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to address the challenges that our continent and our people have to face: digitalisation and technological development, demography, global warming and migration.
They highlighted the need to combine efforts of all people of good will to better serving the common good, placing the human person at the heart of EU public policies.
Days before a possible Brexit and two months ahead of the EU 2019 parliament elections, Bishops recalled EU citizens’ responsibility to exercise their right and fulfil their duty to vote, giving new impulse to the European construction. The electoral results will condition the political decisions impacting on our day to day lives during the next 5 years.
Bishops expressed the need to promote a European context of dialogue in order to discover opportunities behind challenges, proposing effective solutions for the wellbeing of all those living in the European Union.
The meeting between the EU Bishops and President Juncker is a concrete expression of the open, transparent and regular dialogue between EU institutions and Churches in accordance with Article 17 TFEU.
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Photo: © EU, Etienne Ansotte
Content:
Press Release, 14/03/2019
2019 COMECE Spring Assembly
EC President Juncker in dialogue with EU Bishops
On the occasion of the 2019 COMECE Spring Assembly, EU Bishops received today, Thursday 14 March, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. Together they urged all citizens to engage into the European political debate and vote with responsibility to protect and promote the common good.
2019 COMECE Spring Assembly
EC President Juncker in dialogue with EU Bishops
On the occasion of the 2019 COMECE Spring Assembly, EU Bishops received today, Thursday 14 March, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. Together they urged all citizens to engage into the European political debate and vote with responsibility to protect and promote the common good.
The dialogue with the President of the European Commission was an opportunity for Bishops to exchange on the main achievements and remaining priorities of Juncker’s Presidency.
In his contribution, President Juncker stated: "I am a fervent advocate of the social doctrine of the Church. It is one of the most noble teachings of our Church. All of this is part of a doctrine that Europe does not apply often enough. I would like us to rediscover the values and guiding principles of the social teaching of the Church".
European Bishops reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to address the challenges that our continent and our people have to face: digitalisation and technological development, demography, global warming and migration.
They highlighted the need to combine efforts of all people of good will to better serving the common good, placing the human person at the heart of EU public policies.
Days before a possible Brexit and two months ahead of the EU 2019 parliament elections, Bishops recalled EU citizens’ responsibility to exercise their right and fulfil their duty to vote, giving new impulse to the European construction. The electoral results will condition the political decisions impacting on our day to day lives during the next 5 years.
Bishops expressed the need to promote a European context of dialogue in order to discover opportunities behind challenges, proposing effective solutions for the wellbeing of all those living in the European Union.
The meeting between the EU Bishops and President Juncker is a concrete expression of the open, transparent and regular dialogue between EU institutions and Churches in accordance with Article 17 TFEU.
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Saturday, May 05, 2018
Monday, July 03, 2017
Churches to the EU: Our future depends on common values
latest press releases
Webnews, 28/06/2017
Churches to the EU: Our future depends on common values
On 27 June, the European Parliament, under the patronage of President Antonio Tajani, convened a dialogue with representatives of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities on the future of Europe.
The high-level dialogue was inspired in part by recent European Parliament resolutions on improving its various treaties and on the 2017 European Commission White Paper on the future of Europe.
Churches are equally invested in these conversations, notably through the COMECE’s upcoming Vatican gathering (Re)thinking Europe and CEC’s open letter and consultation What future for Europe?
EU officials responsible for dialogue with religious and non-confessional organisations opened the afternoon’s proceedings. Mairead McGuiness, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, offered remarks on the EU’s approach to its own future in uncertain times. She stressed the importance of religious communities in contributing to developing an ever-closer union among the people of Europe.
Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, underscored the identity of the EU as more than a common market. The EU, he noted, is about strengthening understanding through listening to people with whom you agree and also disagree.
Two panel discussions brought together religious contributions on the potential and future of the EU treaty system. Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, Primate of Luxembourg, advocated for a fresh vision for Europe, and that the full potential of the treaties could help develop this new European dream. CEC President Rt Rev. Christopher Hill KCVO, DD called for deeper engagement with the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity, and sovereignty to counter disenchantment about Europe, even among the churches.
Among the diversity of religions, Christian traditions, scholars, and EU representatives gathered, all agreed that faith-based contributions are essential in building up a “soul for Europe” and a European Union bonded by much more than politics and economics.
Speakers:
Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ
Catholic Primate of Luxembourg
Bishop Irja Askola
Bishop of Helsinki, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Prof Pantelis Kalaitzidis
Director of the Orthodox Academy of Volos
Albert Guigui
Chief Rabbi of Brussels, representative of the Conference of European Rabbis
Rt. Rev. Christopher Hill KCVO, DD
President of the Conference of European Churches, Church of England
Mr Khalid Hajji
Secretary-General of the European Council of Moroccan Ulema, President of Brussels Forum of Wisdom and World Peace
Bishop Tamas Fabiny
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary
(Moderator) Ms Mercedes Bresso
Co-rapporteur on the Future of Europe, European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs
(Moderator) Ms Danuta Hübner
Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Constitutional Affairs
Dialogue seminars take place under Article 17 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, which guarantees open, regular, and transparent dialogue between the churches and the European Union.
For a complete programme of speakers and panellists, please click here.
COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, is made up of Bishops delegated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the 28 Member States of the European Union. In accordance with its Mission as defined in its Statutes, COMECE monitors the political process of the European Union in all areas of interest to the Church.
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of 115 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from across Europe, plus more than 40 National Council of Churches and Organisations in Partnership. CEC was founded in 1959. It has offices in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Managing migration and financing a safer and more secure Europe: €2.4 billion to support Member States
European Commission - Press release
Brussels, 10 August 2015
The European Commission has this month approved 23 multiannual national programmes under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF). The total funding for the agreed programmes is approximately €2.4 billion, for the period 2014-2020. Money will now be able to flow to frontline Member States such as Greece and Italy, and to other EU Member States also dealing with high migratory flows. The Commission has worked intensively with Member States to ensure that EU funds are released urgently. 22 national programmes were already approved in March, and an additional 13 programmes will be approved later this year.
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "Member States nowadays face unprecedented challenges in the fields of migration and security and the Commission is taking action in a spirit of solidarity. Through the European Agendas on Migration and Security, the Commission is taking bold steps to improve migration management, foster cooperation and make Europe safer from organised crime and terrorism for our citizens. The national programmes approved by the Commission provide significant financial assistance to the Member States to address these challenges. We are determined to continue to put solidarity into practice."
The AMIF funding supports national efforts to improve reception capacities, ensure that asylum procedures are in line with Union standards, integrate migrants at local and regional levels and increase the effectiveness of return programmes. Funding from ISF complements national efforts to improve Member States' border management and surveillance (in particular through the use of modern technologies). ISF funding is also used for cross-border law enforcement cooperation and strengthens Member States' capacity to effectively manage security-related risks such as terrorism and violent radicalisation, drug trafficking, cybercrime, trafficking in human beings, and other forms of organised crime.
In addition to the basic allocation (see Annex), most national programmes are complemented by additional amounts made available for the implementation of specific transnational actions. These can include joint return and reintegration projects under the AMIF or the setting up of consular cooperation under the ISF. Additional funding under the ISF will also be invested in the purchase of large-scale equipment that will be put at the disposal of Frontex. This resource will be available for joint operations whenever needed. Additionally, almost €37 million will be channelled through the AMIF programmes to support the Union Resettlement Programme in the period 2014-2015.
The Commission is working towards the swift approval of the remaining national programmes. With a total budget of almost €7 billion for AMIF and ISF for the period 2014-20, these Funds are the principal EU financial instruments for investing in an open and secure Europe.
Background
EU efforts in the field of Migration and Home Affairs are supported by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Internal Security Fund.
The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund contributes to the efficient management of migration flows and the development of a common approach to asylum and migration.
The Internal Security Fund (consisting of the Borders and Visa and the Police Cooperation and Crisis Management Instrument) helps ensure a high level of security and crime prevention in the Union, while at the same time enabling legitimate travel and ensuring solid management of the Union's external borders.
85% of the Funds are channelled through the multiannual strategic national programmes: covering the 2014-2020 period. After Commission approval, these programmes are prepared, implemented, monitored and evaluated by the responsible authorities in the Member States, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders, including civil society. The resettlement and relocation schemes recently proposed by the Commission and endorsed by the Council will be implemented through the AMIF national programmes.
The remaining funds, accounting for around 15% of the total resources, are managed by the Commission, based on individual work programmes. It is through these Commission work programmes that Union Actions and emergency assistance to Member States are funded.
23 national programmes were approved by the Commission over the past weeks: 7 AMIF programmes (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden) and 16 ISF programmes (Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain). Earlier this year, 22 national programmes were approved by the Commission: 17 AMIF programmes (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom) and 5 ISF programmes (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France). The remaining 13 national programmes will be approved later in 2015.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2015
First European Interest Group WORK-LIFE BALANCE launched!
3rd March 2015 – On the very day when the European Day for a Work Free Sunday is celebrated across Europe, at the EU Parliament, and in the presence of MEPs from different political groups, the European Sunday Alliance launched the first European Interest Group on WORK-LIFE BALANCE. For the first time, the interest group - supported by representatives of politicians, trade unions, business executives, family and sports organisations and representatives of churches and religious communities - brought together 50 people to discuss how to ensure that EU legislation respects and promotes workers' health and promotes a better balance between family and private life and work. Participants shared the consensus, that these objectives do not conflict with the objective of economic competitiveness, in the contrary. Competitiveness needs innovation, innovation needs creativity and creativity needs recreation.
The event was held under the patronage of MEPs Evelyn Regner (S&D) and Thomas Mann (EPP). Last year, many of the MEPs present signed the European Sunday Alliance pledge.
The issue of work-life balance, decent working hours and synchronised free time for all citizens in Europe is important for many reasons: at a personal level for time together with family and friends, social, cultural or sports activities, at a spiritual one as a day of rest and religious edification and above all to ensure an adequate time of rest. A lack of work-life balance often leads to absenteeism, psycho-social stress at work and burn-out and it has a clear negative impact on the economic productivity.
The relevance of the topic becomes even more evident as the European Commission refers in its ongoing public consultation on the review of the Working Time Directive to fundamental changes, which have occurred in the world of work and the economy and that impact on many aspects of the organisation of working time. The members of the interest group on work life balance believe that the current legislation does not sufficiently address the issue of balance between work and private life and does not ensure that workers can enjoy a common weekly day of rest. A thorough reflection and discussion on how to best ensure the protection of EU citizens’ work-life balance is therefore urgently needed.
Interest Group provides the right format and opportunity to bring Members of the European Parliament and representatives from civil society and other organisations together. It will offer a platform a regular and informal exchange of views, knowledge and expertise on the different aspects and actors involved to ensure a better work-life balance for all.
This was the first of a series of events that will address the issue of work-life balance and that will continue for two years from now.
The next meeting of the Interest Group will take place on 1 June 2015. Prof. Rosa from the German Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena will be speaking about the acceleration of time under a sociological perspective.
More information: Secretariat of the European Sunday Alliance
contact@europopeansundayalliance.eu
https://www.flickr.com//photos/comece/sets/72157650816402287/show/The issue of work-life balance, decent working hours and synchronised free time for all citizens in Europe is important for many reasons: at a personal level for time together with family and friends, social, cultural or sports activities, at a spiritual one as a day of rest and religious edification and above all to ensure an adequate time of rest. A lack of work-life balance often leads to absenteeism, psycho-social stress at work and burn-out and it has a clear negative impact on the economic productivity.
The relevance of the topic becomes even more evident as the European Commission refers in its ongoing public consultation on the review of the Working Time Directive to fundamental changes, which have occurred in the world of work and the economy and that impact on many aspects of the organisation of working time. The members of the interest group on work life balance believe that the current legislation does not sufficiently address the issue of balance between work and private life and does not ensure that workers can enjoy a common weekly day of rest. A thorough reflection and discussion on how to best ensure the protection of EU citizens’ work-life balance is therefore urgently needed.
Interest Group provides the right format and opportunity to bring Members of the European Parliament and representatives from civil society and other organisations together. It will offer a platform a regular and informal exchange of views, knowledge and expertise on the different aspects and actors involved to ensure a better work-life balance for all.
This was the first of a series of events that will address the issue of work-life balance and that will continue for two years from now.
The next meeting of the Interest Group will take place on 1 June 2015. Prof. Rosa from the German Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena will be speaking about the acceleration of time under a sociological perspective.
More information: Secretariat of the European Sunday Alliance
contact@europopeansundayalliance.eu
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Russia Mounts Aid Convoy to Ukraine Despite NATO Warnings
By Allen McDuffee 18 hours ago
Russia Mounts Aid Convoy to Ukraine Despite NATO Warnings
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that, in conjunction with the Red Cross and with approval of the Ukrainian government, Russia is sending an aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, despite warnings from NATO that humanitarian help could act as a pretext for invasion.
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Last week, the Ukrainian military closed in on the pro-Russian rebel-held towns of Donetsk and Luhansk, the target of the proposed humanitarian aid. The area has seen intense fighting in recent weeks which has caused hundreds of thousands of residents to flee.
Although the Ukrainian presidential press service said that President Barack Obama agreed to the plan in a phone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, NATO says there is "a high probability" of Russian military intervention.
"We see the Russians developing the narrative and the pretext for such an operation under the guise of a humanitarian operation, and we see a military build-up that could be used to conduct such illegal military operations in Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said to Reuters. Russia has reportedly assembled 45,000 troops by the border.
RELATED: New Gaza Ceasefire Lasts Through the Night
As a partner in the convoy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso "warned against any unilateral military actions in Ukraine, under any pretext, including humanitarian," in a statement following a call with Moscow.
All of this falls on the heels of another day of fighting in which officials said 106 inmates in a high-security prison near Donetsk escaped after rockets struck the complex, further adding to the chaos.
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/08/russia-mounts-aid-convoy-to-ukraine-despite-nato-warnings/375875/
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Sunday, July 27, 2014
Under Spain's 'Google fee' law, news aggregators must pay publishers
July 28, 2014 - 12:20PM
Mariana Marcaletti
The new Spanish law has been nicknamed the "Google Fee". Photo: Reuters
Spain was where the "right to be forgotten" began, with the European Commission recently ruling that individuals can demand Google remove unfavourable links about them from search results. Now a new copyright law is stirring controversy in the country.
Last week, Spain passed a law requiring news aggregators such as Google News to pay publishers a fee if they link to their content. Supporters of the law, nicknamed the ''Google Fee'', say it will prevent copyright infringements. But opponents argue that it limits freedom of expression.
Aggregators that don't compensate publishers for using their content could be fined €30,000 to €300,000 euros ($43,000 to $430,000). Spanish websites risk being blocked if they do not comply with the law, even if they are hosted in other countries.
In their blog, the local news aggregation site Meneame said that although it makes money by linking to news stories published by others, it's not enough to cover the fees required under the law. The publishers, meanwhile, make much more from their relationship, the site said. ''Every unique visit derived from Meneame drives revenue for the linked news site that is almost 20 times more than the revenue perceived by Meneame,'' it says.
It is unclear whether the law applies only to news aggregators such as Google News, or whether social networks such as Facebook and Twitter could also be affected. Spain's culture, education and sports ministry said in a statement that social networks won't be affected by this law, as it targets commercial companies such as Google.
But lawyer and blogger Carlos Sanchez Almeyda argues that the law could affect social networks. The biggest in Spain are Facebook and Tuenti, where users spend an average of more than four hours a day, Comscore Spain reported. Mr Almeyda also said that blogs, forums and Wikipedia might also be charged for uploading or linking to copyrighted content.
Bloggers and social media fans protested online with the hashtags #EnlaceLibre (Free links) and #Todoscontraelcanon (Everybody against the fee). Many of them warned that this is may be ''the end'' of the free internet and that social media may disappear in Spain if users are no longer allowed to share stories produced by somebody else.
Some reporters also joined the debate, arguing that media outlets won't benefit from link removals as news sites are likely to see less traffic referred from aggregators.
''The fact that an aggregator links to our stories, whether they are charged or not for doing so, always benefits us," freelance journalist Carlos Otto said.
In its official blog, Google Spain said that publishers can choose not to appear on Google News.
''In spite of this, it is worth mentioning that we received much more requests [from publishers] to be included in Google News instead of to be excluded, because many publishers can tell the advantage of having their content discovered by new readers or members of the audience.''
The company also noted that Google News is ad-free.
Supporters of the Spanish law, including government and large publishers, say that the law only targets major corporations that make a profit from linking to content. Most of the revenue from online advertising goes to Google, rather than to publishers that create the content, they say.
''This [law] won't affect the end user or the blogger, but big search engines that make a commercial use,'' said the Association of Spain's Newspapers.
Without this law, aggregators could deprive citizens of ''free, high-quality information online'', said Jose Maria Bergareche, president of the association, which brings together Spain's largest publishers.
Over the past few years, European countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, have also been debating copyright regulations, the Global Cybersecurity website reported, with varying results. In Germany, aggregators can link to news stories for free but must pay a fee for displaying a significant amount of the content. In France, publishers last year reached an agreement with Google: The tech giant created a €60 million fund to help news companies expand their digital units. Belgium was more drastic: Google was forbidden to distribute written stories and photographs created by media companies.
Washington Post
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
G7 Summit in Brussels, 4 – 5 June 2014: Background note and facts about the EU's role and actions
European Commission
MEMO
Brussels, 3 June 2014
The Brussels G7 Summit will take place on 4-5 June. At their meeting in The Hague on 24 March, the G7 at leaders' level (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission decided not to participate in the planned G8 Summit in Sochi (Russia) as a reaction to the Russian Federation's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Instead, they decided to meet in Brussels in the G7 format on the same days.
The Brussels G7 Summit will be hosted by the European Union. The European Union is represented by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
At the Brussels Summit, Leaders will discuss the situation in Ukraine and the relations with Russia as well as other foreign policy issues, the global economy, energy, climate change and development.
1. Foreign policy
As the first topic, the G7 leaders are expected to discuss foreign policy challenges at their working dinner on the evening of 4 June. The leaders will focus their discussions on Ukraine and Russia but they may also address the latest developments on other foreign policy issues.
In the last months and following the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the G7 leaders have issued several declarations condemning the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine (see statement of 3 March), condemning the illegal referendum and the illegal attempt by Russia to annex Crimea in contravention of international law and specific international obligations (see The Hague Declaration following the G7 meeting on 24 March) and expressing their deep concern at the continued efforts by separatists backed by Russia to destabilise eastern Ukraine (see statement of 26 April).
At the Brussels G7 Summit leaders are expected to discuss the latest developments following the presidential elections held in Ukraine on 25 May. They will discuss the continued work to support Ukraine's economic and political reforms as well as their continued readiness to intensify targeted sanctions and to impose further costs on Russia should events so require.
Role of the EU: In response to Russian actions so far, the EU has cancelled the next EU-Russia summit and member states' regular bilateral summits with Russia have also been annulled. Negotiations on visa matters and a new agreement with Russia have been suspended. The EU has also targeted 61 persons responsible for actions that threaten or undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine with asset freezes and bans from entering the EU. Two confiscated entities in Crimea and Sevastopol are also subject to an asset freeze.
At the same time the EU continues to roll out a €11 billion support package to Ukraine including a €1.6 billion of Macro-financial assistance to contribute to covering Ukraine's urgent balance-of-payments needs (of which the first €100 million were paid out on 20 May) and a €365m state-building contract to help the country's transition and boost the role of civil society, promoting democratic reforms and inclusive socio-economic development.
On 21 March the political chapters of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement were signed. The EU remains committed to signing the full agreement including the deep and comprehensive free trade area. Even ahead of the signature of the provisions on free trade, temporary EU trade preferences for Ukraine apply since 23 April. More information on the EU support for Ukraine:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-279_en.htm
2. Global economy
The first working session of the second day, Thursday 5 June, is on the global economic outlook. The discussions are expected to focus on the improved prospect of global growth and how to tackle the remaining serious challenges such as high unemployment. Leaders will also address trade issues including the active and ambitious trade agenda of the G7 members with a number of bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral negotiations ongoing.
Supporting growth and jobs remains the key priority for the G7 members and the recovery is strengthening/continuing. Leaders are expected to call for continued and sustained growth in order to bring down unemployment, particularly among young people and the long term unemployed. Structural reforms, as well as completing key aspects of core financial reforms, such as building resilient financial institutions and ending too-big-to-fail, remain important in order to achieve this common objective.
Role of the EU: The economic and financial situation in the euro area has stabilised since last summer thanks to the determined and comprehensive crisis response by the EU. There are genuine signs that a more lasting recovery is now taking place in the EU and the euro area. GDP is expected to grow by 1.6% in the EU this year, before speeding up to 2% in 2015. Unemployment rates have stopped increasing since mid-2013 in most of the EU while remaining, however, at unacceptably high levels.
Leaders are expected to also address and reaffirm their commitment to tackling tax avoidance, including through the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Action Plan, and tax evasion, where the aim is to focus on the rapid implementation of the new single global standard for automatic exchange of tax information.
Role of the EU: thanks to its experience and pioneering role on tax transparency and tax good governance the EU and its member states play a central role in fora like the G7/G8, the G20 and the OECD to ensure fairness and transparency in taxation at global level. More on the EU's policy to fight tax fraud and tax avoidance: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/tax_fraud_evasion/index_en.htm
Under the trade and investment umbrella, leaders are expected to reconfirm their commitment to fight protectionism. The leaders will also take stock of the WTO negotiations and prioritise the swift implementation of the Bali package and continue the current Aid for Trade commitments.
Role of the EU: Together, the European Union's 28 members account for 19% of world imports and exports. Trade remains an important driver for growth and jobs. That is why it is a key priority for the EU to open up more market opportunities for European business by negotiating new Free Trade Agreements with key partners, in particular the G7 members Canada, Japan and the United States). If the EU was to complete all its current free trade talks tomorrow, it could add 2.2% to the EU's GDP or €275 billion. In terms of employment, these agreements could generate 2.2 million new jobs or additional 1% of the EU total workforce.
EU trade policy aims to working to:
create a global system for fair and open trade, through active support to the agreements and obligations overseen by the WTO; the focus is on implementing the Bali Trade Facilitation Agreement and on developing a future WTO work programme.
further open up markets with key partner countries – cf. the ongoing trade negotiations with the USA (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), , Canada (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), Japan (Free Trade Agreement) and China (EU-China Investment Agreement). Free Trade Agreements were recently concluded with Singapore and are under negotiation with Malaysia and Vietnam. Various Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements are concluded or are under negotiation with several countries in the EU's Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood, including Ukraine;
lift barriers, open markets and ensure that trade is fair;
ensure that trade is a force for sustainable development, opening EU markets to all imports from the world's poorest countries and supporting developing countries to build the capacity to take advantage of trade.
More info and key figures on EU trade policy on http://ec.europa.eu/trade/
3. Energy and climate change
The discussions on energy and climate change at the second working session on Thursday 5 June will be two-fold.
First, leaders will discuss energy security in light of the Ukraine crisis and building on the Rome G7 energy initiative for energy security agreed by the G7 energy ministers on 6 May (see statement of 6 May). Leaders will be looking at identifying and implementing concrete domestic policies separately and together to build a more competitive, diversified, resilient and low-carbon energy system. Focus will be put on diversification of routes and sources, upgrading of energy infrastructure, development of indigenous resources and energy efficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Clean technology is another important element to this.
Role of the EU: The EU has continuously sought to improve the energy security of its Member States through a variety of policies and actions. Most recently, in response to the crisis in Ukraine and the request by the European Council, the European Commission has tabled a European Energy Security Strategy (see the press release and the MEMO) as a basis for further discussion with Heads of States and Governments at the June European Council. The G7 Energy summit (Rome 5-6 May 2014) has built upon the Commission’s efforts to develop energy emergency plans for winter 2014-2015 at regional level, to exchange best practices for assessing energy security vulnerabilities, for IEA to prepare options for individual and collective actions of G7 in the field of gas security, and to supply technical assistance and facilitate exchanges with Ukraine and other European countries seeking to develop indigenous hydrocarbons, renewables and improve energy efficiency.
On climate change, leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to limit effectively the increase in global temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and express their strong determination to adopt in 2015 a global agreement, ahead of the Climate Summit of the United Nations General Assembly in September and the upcoming COP2015 in Paris.
Role of the EU: the EU continues to pioneer global climate action thanks to its ambitious and legally binding framework. It remains fully committed to a multilateral legally binding approach to tackling climate change and to reshape the global climate agenda, working towards the UN climate conferences in Lima in 2014 and in Paris in 2015. The EU is on track with its domestic preparations on an ambitious 2030 climate and energy framework. The European Heads of State and Government agreed to take final decision on this as quickly as possible, and no later than October 2014, which means that the EU would be ready for the first quarter of 2015 at the latest.
Significant financial resources are mobilised to help developing countries deal adequately with climate change, with substantial co-benefits in terms of energy security. For example, the EU has allocated 400 million EUR to promote access to sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL) in Africa, building on the ACP-EU Energy Facility and the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund.
The European Union is the largest contributor of climate finance to developing countries and the world's biggest aid donor, collectively providing more than half of global official development assistance (ODA). The EU and its Member States pledged €7.2 billion in "fast start" climate finance over 2010-2012, almost one-third of the total pledged by developed countries. Despite difficult economic circumstances, the EU met and even surpassed its commitment by providing €7.34 bn in fast start finance. This money is being spent on concrete climate actions in developing countries.
Climate change is being increasingly integrated into the EU's broader development strategy. 20% of the resources dedicated to international development aid from the new multiannual financial framework of the EU as well as 20% of the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020 are to be allocated to climate-relevant actions.
More info on 2030 climate and energy goals for a competitive, secure and low-carbon EU economy.
4. Development
Finally, the Thursday 5 June working lunch will be devoted to development issues with a view to taking stock of progress and reconfirming previous G7 commitments, such as the Muskoka initiative on maternal, new-born and child health, the GAVI alliance (global alliance for vaccines and immunization), the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, the Deauville Partnership, tax evasion and illicit flows of finance.
Role of the EU: Despite the economic and financial context in Europe, the EU remains the biggest donor in the world – more than half of global development aid is provided by Europeans: Over the last ten years, the EU and its Member States have committed around 45 billion euro per year to development aid. This support has paid off: since 2004, the EU has contributed to the enrolment of more than 13 million boys and girls at school, to the vaccination of around 18 million children and to providing more than 70 million people with access to water around the world.
Food security remains in the centre of the EU's development policy. Since 2013, the EU has stepped up its efforts to fight against world hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, with a new policy framework that delivers on the EU's commitment to help partner countries reduce stunting amongst children under five years of age by at least 10% (7 million) by 2025. Under-nutrition will also be contained through investment in rural development, sustainable agriculture, public health, water and sanitation, social protection and education.
On 20 May, the EU announced that it will provide €25 million per year in the period 2014-2020 to fund vaccines and immunisation programmes worldwide through the GAVI alliance – more than double than previously committed. Since 2003, the European Commission has committed over €83 million to the GAVI Alliance, coming in part from the Development Co-operation Instrument (DCI) and in part from the European Development Fund (EDF). Thanks to donors like the EU, close to half a billion children have been immunised since 2000, resulting in 6 million lives saved.
The leaders will also discuss the post-2015 agenda aiming at completing unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals. This would include a focus on eradications of extreme poverty, promoting development and on balancing environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainable development, including climate change.
Role of the EU: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) remain at the core of EU development policy and actions. The EU has implemented the 1 billion euro MDG initiative, launched at the 2010 MDG summit, targeting the most off-track MDGs: hunger, maternal health, child mortality and access to water and sanitation. The EU supports nearly 70 actions in 46 countries, with a focus on Least Developed Countries.
On 2 June 2014, the European Commission adopted a Communication to contribute to the EU position in international negotiations on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as the follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The proposal calls for tackling issues of global concern such as poverty, inequality, health, food security, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, sustainable energy, decent work, inclusive and sustainable growth, sustainable consumption and production, biodiversity, land degradation and sea and oceans. It will now be discussed by Council of Ministers and the European Parliament and the outcome will guide the EU's position in the negotiations at UN level.
5. The EU as G7/G8 member
The European Union is a full member in G7/G8 Summits and is represented by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
In 1977, representatives of the then European Community began participating in the London Summit. The first G7 summit was held two years earlier, in 1975 in Rambouillet (France). Originally, the EU had a limited role to those areas in which it had exclusive competences, but the EU’s role has grown with time. The European Commission was gradually included in all political discussions on the summit agenda and took part in all summit working sessions, as of the Ottawa Summit (1981). Commission President Barroso, who attended the G8 for the first time in Gleneagles in 2005, is participating for the 10th time, while Council President Van Rompuy has been attending the G8/G7 since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty (2009).
The Commission and the European Council have all the responsibilities of membership. The Summit Communiqué is politically binding for all G7 members.
The Presidency will continue in its rotation to Germany in 2015 (Summit 4-5 May 2015), Japan in 2016, Italy in 2017, Canada in 2018, France in 2019, and the USA in 2020.
Useful links
G7 2014 section on President Van Rompuy's website:
http://www.european-council.europa.eu/g7brussels
G7/G8/G20 section on President Barroso's website:
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/g20/index_en.htm
President Van Rompuy on Twitter and on Facebook
President Barroso on Twitter
Full video coverage of the G7 will be available for download in broadcast quality from the Council TV newsroom www.eucouncil.tv, and live events will be broadcast on Europe by Satellite (http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/ebs/schedule.cfm ) Photos covering the event will be available for download in high resolution from the Council Photo Library http://www.consilium.europa.eu/photo and the European Commission's audiovisual services (http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/photo/index.cfm
Source
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Saturday, May 24, 2014
Parliament divided over Sunday voting
Friday 23 May 2014
Parliament gave a divided reaction on Friday to comments by home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk that European elections should be held on Sunday in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has been stopped by Brussels from publishing the official results of Thursday's European parliament elections ahead of Sunday's vote in most of the rest of the EU.
Plasterk says that moving EU elections to Sunday could increase turnout, although he is careful to point out that there must be a solution for people who want to respect the Sunday rest.
Interesting
Coalition partner the right-wing Liberal VVD thinks it is 'an interesting thought' because most EU countries vote on Sunday, the Nos reports.
However, the party's MP Joost Taverne said an alternative would have to be found for people who do not want to vote on Sunday on principle. They could vote by mail or a polling station could be opened on a week day for them.
The Socialists agreed with him, but took issue with the timing of Plasterk's comments. 'We've just been criticised by Brussels for our election day which really has nothing to do with the European Commission,' one of its MPs said.
Nor do the Socialist think moving election day would increase turnout.
Both the small Christian parties - SGP and ChristenUnie - are critical of the idea. 'People who do not vote on Thursday are unlikely to do so on Sunday,' the Nos quotes SGP party leader Kees van der Staaij as saying.
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Friday, September 27, 2013
COMECE organises a Conference on the Common good
Tuesday, 1 October, 19:00 @ Chapel for Europe
A fundamental aim of the European project has been the pursuit of and protection of the common good. Nation states have willingly and knowingly sacrificed some of their sovereignty with a view to attaining the greater good of the whole European family.
The discussion as to what constitutes the common good remains at the heart of the European political discourse. Father Patrick Riordan will explore for us Catholic thinking on this concept, as relevant today as it was seventy years ago.
Read more and register
Source
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Speech: Towards universal prosperity and well-being within our planetary boundaries
Reference: SPEECH/13/137 Event Date: 19/02/2013
Export pdf 
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Other available languages : None
European Commission
Janez Potočnik
European Commissioner for Environment
Speech: Towards universal prosperity and well-being within our planetary boundaries
Ministerial roundtable discussion on "Environmental challenges within sustainable development and the UNEP's contribution to Sustainable Development Goals, Promoting sustainable consumption and production", at the 27th Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme / Nairobi, Kenya
19 February 2013
Eradicating poverty and ensuring that prosperity and well-being are sustainable are two of the most pressing challenges the world faces today.
These challenges are universal and inter-related and need to be addressed together by all countries. I always advocated that it is not sufficient to address them separately – a unified international policy framework is absolutely necessary.
We now have the opportunity to develop such an overarching policy framework - with global goals – for post 2015. The European Commission will set out its views about this overarching framework at the end of this month in more detail.
In our view, such a framework should set out a path from poverty towards prosperity and well-being, for all people and all countries, with progress remaining within planetary boundaries. Global goals should act as "guiding lights", giving direction for action needed for sustainable development for all. This objective is within our reach within one generation.
Key to success of such framework and a major novelty is universality. It needs to steer action not only in the development of the poorest economies but also to steer economic transformation in developed and emerging economies. It should encourage innovative approaches to enable people to get out of poverty; it should encourage universal aspiration towards prosperity and well-being, and at the same time ensure we don't threaten these very aspirations by breaching planetary boundaries.
I would to mention the elements that make up such an overarching framework for post 2015
Firstly; building on the experiences of the MDGs, we know that setting clear and precise human development goals and targets can have enormous transformative effect. We have to finish the work started by the MDGs, and establish new, modernised goals, learning from the MDGs, establishing "Floors to Living Standards" under which no citizen should fall by 2030. These updated MDGs should be qualitative as well as quantitative, and apply to each and every citizen irrespective of where they live.
Secondly, the new framework should not focus simply on alleviating poverty, it also needs to focus on empowerment; ensuring that all citizens have the basic tools to pull themselves out of poverty; through energy, IT, infrastructure and sustainable energy and agriculture. This is where joint initiatives of UN agencies can help: to provide the tools and build capacity for policy that ensures integration of sustainable development thinking into all relevant policy areas.
Thirdly, we know that ending poverty and ensuring a decent life requires also equity, justice, democratic governance, and human rights.
Fourth, the Good Stewardship of Natural Resources must be a key element in ensuring that developing countries reach their potential. Climate change, biodiversity loss, the degradation of oceans, freshwater resources and land and soil have negative impact especially the poor. Resources, the "pillars of life" the EU talked about in the run up to Rio, should be exploited in a sustainable manner but also on the basis of open, transparent governance.
Finally, Peace and Security also have to figure in the post-2015 framework. It is a fact that the countries affected by violent conflict in recent years have almost universally failed to achieve a single MDG. This does not mean that the new Framework should seek to re-invent existing mechanisms to resolve conflicts; it should focus on prevention.
Following the pathway to sustainability is a must for all to pursue. Goals will guide and provide stimulus all along that pathway. Goals should be set on a 2030 timescale and address the overarching objectives of sustainable development: poverty eradication, changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns and protecting and managing the natural resource basis.
On the EU side, we are joining forces between the environment and the development side, along with the foreign affairs community. We believe moving out of silos is the only way to arrive at a meaningful framework to help eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development for all.
Let me for a moment talk about sustainable production and consumption. UNEP played a key role in that work internationally and has built up good expertise. Rio+20 finally adopted the 10 year framework and appointed UNEP as secretariat. So it makes only sense that we talk today about future UNEP work in this area.
From the EU side we have been very active already for the last two decades, developing labelling tools, promoted the use of environment management systems, green public procurement and other instruments designed to influence the behaviour of consumers and producers. The EU and its Member States have also implemented legislation that results in less wasteful, more efficient and safer production methods. Persistence is called for on SCP-policies: our labelling instrument dates back to 1989 only in recent years it becomes more visible on the market.
In recent years we have put strong emphasis on resource efficiency, which has the potential to be the key to environmental, economic and social challenges. Energy is one example, where efficiency gains can avoid negative impact on the environment, help competitiveness of industry and maintain affordable price levels for consumers, also in the long run.
Food is another example where resource efficiency can be the key to more sustainable production and consumption. This can be through avoiding the huge levels of food waste both on the production and consumption side, by promoting agricultural practices that reduce impact on soils and require less water and fertilizer. If pursued in a comprehensive manner, this will help to provide nutrition for a fast increasing world population, help to keep prices in check, and remain within boundaries of what nature allows.
As the UNEP paper shows, efforts need to be made on a range of policies, through a range of approaches, at national and international level. SCP policies need to be holistic if they are to be effective.
SCP policies need to have a strong resource efficiency focus. A lot of work remains to be done to turn a concept like resource efficiency into practical policy advice, integrate it into programmes designed to support developing countries, and into policy and legislation in any country.
Thank you.
word Other available languages : None
European Commission
Janez Potočnik
European Commissioner for Environment
Speech: Towards universal prosperity and well-being within our planetary boundaries
Ministerial roundtable discussion on "Environmental challenges within sustainable development and the UNEP's contribution to Sustainable Development Goals, Promoting sustainable consumption and production", at the 27th Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme / Nairobi, Kenya
19 February 2013
Eradicating poverty and ensuring that prosperity and well-being are sustainable are two of the most pressing challenges the world faces today.
These challenges are universal and inter-related and need to be addressed together by all countries. I always advocated that it is not sufficient to address them separately – a unified international policy framework is absolutely necessary.
We now have the opportunity to develop such an overarching policy framework - with global goals – for post 2015. The European Commission will set out its views about this overarching framework at the end of this month in more detail.
In our view, such a framework should set out a path from poverty towards prosperity and well-being, for all people and all countries, with progress remaining within planetary boundaries. Global goals should act as "guiding lights", giving direction for action needed for sustainable development for all. This objective is within our reach within one generation.
Key to success of such framework and a major novelty is universality. It needs to steer action not only in the development of the poorest economies but also to steer economic transformation in developed and emerging economies. It should encourage innovative approaches to enable people to get out of poverty; it should encourage universal aspiration towards prosperity and well-being, and at the same time ensure we don't threaten these very aspirations by breaching planetary boundaries.
I would to mention the elements that make up such an overarching framework for post 2015
Firstly; building on the experiences of the MDGs, we know that setting clear and precise human development goals and targets can have enormous transformative effect. We have to finish the work started by the MDGs, and establish new, modernised goals, learning from the MDGs, establishing "Floors to Living Standards" under which no citizen should fall by 2030. These updated MDGs should be qualitative as well as quantitative, and apply to each and every citizen irrespective of where they live.
Secondly, the new framework should not focus simply on alleviating poverty, it also needs to focus on empowerment; ensuring that all citizens have the basic tools to pull themselves out of poverty; through energy, IT, infrastructure and sustainable energy and agriculture. This is where joint initiatives of UN agencies can help: to provide the tools and build capacity for policy that ensures integration of sustainable development thinking into all relevant policy areas.
Thirdly, we know that ending poverty and ensuring a decent life requires also equity, justice, democratic governance, and human rights.
Fourth, the Good Stewardship of Natural Resources must be a key element in ensuring that developing countries reach their potential. Climate change, biodiversity loss, the degradation of oceans, freshwater resources and land and soil have negative impact especially the poor. Resources, the "pillars of life" the EU talked about in the run up to Rio, should be exploited in a sustainable manner but also on the basis of open, transparent governance.
Finally, Peace and Security also have to figure in the post-2015 framework. It is a fact that the countries affected by violent conflict in recent years have almost universally failed to achieve a single MDG. This does not mean that the new Framework should seek to re-invent existing mechanisms to resolve conflicts; it should focus on prevention.
Following the pathway to sustainability is a must for all to pursue. Goals will guide and provide stimulus all along that pathway. Goals should be set on a 2030 timescale and address the overarching objectives of sustainable development: poverty eradication, changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns and protecting and managing the natural resource basis.
On the EU side, we are joining forces between the environment and the development side, along with the foreign affairs community. We believe moving out of silos is the only way to arrive at a meaningful framework to help eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development for all.
Let me for a moment talk about sustainable production and consumption. UNEP played a key role in that work internationally and has built up good expertise. Rio+20 finally adopted the 10 year framework and appointed UNEP as secretariat. So it makes only sense that we talk today about future UNEP work in this area.
From the EU side we have been very active already for the last two decades, developing labelling tools, promoted the use of environment management systems, green public procurement and other instruments designed to influence the behaviour of consumers and producers. The EU and its Member States have also implemented legislation that results in less wasteful, more efficient and safer production methods. Persistence is called for on SCP-policies: our labelling instrument dates back to 1989 only in recent years it becomes more visible on the market.
In recent years we have put strong emphasis on resource efficiency, which has the potential to be the key to environmental, economic and social challenges. Energy is one example, where efficiency gains can avoid negative impact on the environment, help competitiveness of industry and maintain affordable price levels for consumers, also in the long run.
Food is another example where resource efficiency can be the key to more sustainable production and consumption. This can be through avoiding the huge levels of food waste both on the production and consumption side, by promoting agricultural practices that reduce impact on soils and require less water and fertilizer. If pursued in a comprehensive manner, this will help to provide nutrition for a fast increasing world population, help to keep prices in check, and remain within boundaries of what nature allows.
As the UNEP paper shows, efforts need to be made on a range of policies, through a range of approaches, at national and international level. SCP policies need to be holistic if they are to be effective.
SCP policies need to have a strong resource efficiency focus. A lot of work remains to be done to turn a concept like resource efficiency into practical policy advice, integrate it into programmes designed to support developing countries, and into policy and legislation in any country.
Thank you.
.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
JRS calls for human rights protection at EU borders
FRONTEX operations at the border in Greece (copyright FRONTEX)
(9 July 2012) -- A group of five NGOs in Brussels sent a letter to the Civil Liberties committee of the European Parliament calling for human rights concerns to be addressed in a new legislative proposal for a European border surveillance system.
On December 12, 2011, the European Commission presented its project to establish a European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) that would lead to an integrated management system for external borders, in cooperation with Frontex (see COM [2011] 873 final). This proposal raises serious concerns among non-governmental organizations working in the areas of immigration and asylum.
The EUROSUR proposal is presented by the European Commission as a strictly technical tool, when in fact it is a very political issue and has far reaching implications on fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers. The legislative proposal, which states as its objective the improvement of the situational awareness and reaction capability of Member States and Frontex when preventing irregular migration and cross border crime at the external land and maritime borders, does not provide sufficient protections for migrants and does not demonstrate a pressing need for such costly surveillance systems in the midst of pan-European austerity.
We are concerned that the proposal:
- Conflates fight against cross border crime and irregular immigration: migrants and asylum seekers are not criminals and should not be seen as a threat to internal security.
- May be ineffective in preventing irregular migration: According to the findings in the CLANDESTINO project report irregular border crossings are the least frequent pathway into irregularity and while external control measures to address irregular migration such as border surveillance have very little effect in discouraging irregular migration, they do contain severe human costs.
- Does not provide for effective safeguards for the fundamental rights of asylum seekers who are entitled to a specific protection and a complete examination of their asylum claim: mixed flows trying to reach the borders include asylum seekers who should have access to all the procedures available at national level. The non refoulement principle that is already enshrined in international customary law allows no exception. Hence it is of utmost importance to develop effective mechanisms that allow for intercepted persons to make an asylum claim and get access to a fair asylum procedure.
- Does not refer to any obligation of search and rescue: it was included in the 2008 Commission Communication but the 2011 proposal, while creating important technical tools for detection, does not give any priority to search and rescue issues. We consider that the Eurosur project should be an opportunity to extend Frontex and Eurosur mandates to search and rescue operations. The proposal does not provide for any clear measures that would foresee employment of the system for mitigating the risk of deaths at sea and for reducing the human cost associated with border control systems.
- Rejects EU’s responsibility to third countries, leading to an externalisation of borders policy: well established principles such as the right to leave a country, the right to claim asylum and the principle of non refoulement will not be guaranteed any more if refugees and migrants are intercepted and sent back to where they came from.
- Does not guarantee sufficient protection of personal data: there is an important risk that personal data will be misused and that the principles of necessity and proportionality will not be respected.
- Relegates the European Parliament to the background: multilateral agreements must not be free of any kind of control and evaluation by the European Parliament.
Based on the above, JRS and its partners hope to use this opportunity to establish a legal basis within the EUROSUR surveillance system proposal to guarantee fundamental rights for all migrants and asylum seekers.
JRS and the other co-signatories aim to hold discussions with MEPs regarding recent proposals in the field of European Union’s border management such as EUROSUR, Eurodac and Smart borders, that aim to turn sea and land borders into zones of heavy surveillance, to the detriment of fundamental rights and have been drafted without proper impact assessment, cost benefit analysis or democratic public debate.
The full letter is available HERE
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