Meeting in Athens, the European Latin-American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) adopted an emergency resolution entitled “Femicide in the European Union and Latin America” by Gloria Flórez (Andean Parliament) and Raül Romeva i Rueda (European Parliament). The civil society ALOP, CIFCA, Grupo Sur, Oidhaco together with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, welcomed the resolution calling on Member States […]
EU and Latin America “Join Forces and Fight Femicide”
“Join forces and fight femicide,” was the headline declaration at the launch of International Women’s Day in the European Parliament. Led by the Greens / EFA Group, with the support of civil society groups ALOP, CIFCA, Oidhaco, Groupo Sur and the Heinrich Boell Foundation, the day was dedicated to finding solutions to end femicide in Europe […]
Nine Million European Women Suffer Violence in Silence
Nine million European women, equivalent to the whole Austrian population, have suffered some form of sexual violence; and one in five (22%) acknowledged that their partner, or previous partner, perpetrated violence against them. These findings were published this week by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency and the European Council, to highlight International Women’s Day. The […]
MEPs May Withhold TTIP Consent If NSA Snooping Continues
The European Parliament should withhold its consent to an EU-US trade deal unless it fully respects EU citizens’ data privacy, says an inquiry report on US National Security Agency (NSA) and EU member states surveillance of EU citizens, approved by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday. It adds that data protection rules should be excluded […]
Single EU Patent Protection Agreed
European Union Justice Ministers have reached agreement in record time on a European Commission proposal (IP/13/750) to complete the legal framework for Europe-wide patent protection. The proposal will update EU rules on the jurisdiction of courts and recognition of judgments and pave the way for a specialised European patent court – the Unified Patent Court – […]
Reding ‘Re-Orients’ Justice Policies, Fair Trial for All Demanded
The European Commission has presented a package of proposals to further strengthen procedural safeguards for citizens in criminal proceedings. The aim is to guarantee fair trial rights for all citizens, wherever they are in the European Union. The proposals aim to guarantee the respect for the presumption of innocence and the right to be present […]
Washington – Reding’s Christmas Dinner With The In-Laws… and about that puppy that got run over on the driveway.
The NSA was there, on almost every item of the agenda. Much like Christmas dinner with the in-laws, it would be impolite to get too upset about that time Uncle Sam reversed over the new puppy in the driveway. And so, cousin NSA sat in the corner as the grown-ups talked about how bad the […]
The Slim Summit. Barroso Gets Refit And Focused On SMEs
David Cameron is always convinced the EU is losing a few pounds, but more evidence of health fads at the Commission emerged post-Summit. Gone was mention of a well-toned financial Six-Pack, but, wait for it, we’re all buzz with REFIT… Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, is King of the Political Treadmill, but everyone […]
Colombia, Peru and UAE May Get Right To Visit EU Without Visas
Citizens of Colombia, Peru and the United Arab Emirates should be able to travel to the Schengen area without a visa, said the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday, amending a draft update of the EU visa regulation to this effect. The Commission’s initial proposal envisaged a visa waiver only for citizens of five Caribbean island […]
Civil Liberties MEPs Prepare Stronger Data Protection For EU
A major overhaul of current EU data protection rules, to put people in control of their personal data while at the same time making it easier for companies to move across Europe, was voted by the Civil Liberties Committee on Monday. Responding to mass surveillance cases, MEPs inserted stronger safeguards for data transfers to non-EU […]