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VIENNA, 16 June 2015 – In view of the upcoming 32nd round of the Geneva International Discussions which is scheduled for 30 June to 1 July, Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Herbert Salber, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, as well as UN Senior Political Affairs Advisor Hailu Mamo held consultations with participants in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, Tskhinvali and Moscow.

The co-chairing teams focused in their consultations on the agenda of the upcoming round, on security as well as on humanitarian questions such as missing persons, internally displaced persons and cultural heritage. They used the opportunity to travel to the Gali district, to Akhalgori and to meet with representatives of international organizations and the civil society.

Referring to the March round which had turned out to be difficult, Ambassador Gnaedinger encouraged participants to work in a constructive and result-oriented manner during the 32nd round. “I’m convinced that the Geneva Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms have significantly contributed to security on the ground and that co-chairs and participants share a responsibility for achieving progress in the process,” underlined Gnaedinger.  

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Promoting greater political participation for migrants was the focus of a conference organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the European University Institute (EUI), on 18 and 19 June 2015 in Florence.

The conference "Exploring challenges to political participation of migrants in the OSCE region" gathered some 30 senior public officials and academics from across the OSCE region as well as the representatives of ODIHR and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.

"The participation of all members of society, including migrants, in political decision-making is crucial to the legitimacy of democratic political systems," said Marcin Walecki, Chief of ODIHR's Democratic Governance and Gender Unit. "ODIHR supports OSCE participating States in sharing their experiences and know-how in broadening political participation opportunities for migrants."

The event provided a forum for participants to exchange good practices and analyze challenges and lessons learned in implementing relevant OSCE commitments and international standards focused on the political participation of migrants.

"Opportunities for migrants’ political participation depend on non-discrimination in the exercise of political liberties, access to citizenship status, and voting rights for non-citizen residents," said Professor Rainer Bauböck, Chair in Social and Political Theory at EUI’s Department of Political and Social Sciences.

The conference was organized as part of ODIHR’s broader support to participating States in implementing relevant OSCE commitments in the areas of democratic governance and migrant integration.

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Gut ein Jahr nach der Europawahl ist der französischen Front National die Gründung einer Rechtsaußen-Fraktion im Europaparlament gelungen. Die neue…

On 16 June 2015, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Council General Secretariat and the ECI Campaign gathered the opinions of stakeholders and the wider public in a conference on "The European Citizens' Initiative and the Promise of Participatory Democracy". The aim of the conference was to take stock of the three years since the creation of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), and to give impetus to discussions on how to make the instrument more efficient and user friendly.

Opening the conference, the Latvian Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica set out the situation: "The past three years have shown that the European Citizens' Initiative is part and parcel of the EU's democratic structures. However the experience of stakeholders and the recent report from the Commission have clearly highlighted that there are still issues which need to be addressed quickly if the ECI is to continue to be seen as a viable instrument". 

"The European Citizens' Initiative is a real force for mobilising and inspiring public opinion. Six million people have demonstrated this through their signatures", said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica. 

Kalniņa-Lukaševica underlined the importance which Latvia attaches to participatory democracy, having one of the most innovative and successful e-petition platforms in Europe, ManaBalss.lv. 

The ECI is the world's first tool of transnational, participatory and digital democracy. Nevertheless, none of the three initiatives, which secured the required one million signatures, have resulted in a legislative proposal, raising a number of questions. 

The conference was the first public debate on the ECI in the Council, bringing together those from the institutions, stakeholders, and the wider public with the twin aim of reviewing the role of participatory democracy in the EU and refining a set of joint recommendations for improving the instrument. 

The discussions at the conference highlighted that some progress can be achieved through immediate action, without legislative changes, by means of raising public awareness about the initiative and its procedures. Another suggestion is to provide greater assistance to the organisers of initiatives.

More political impetus and possible legislative changes are needed to address the structural problems, such as the too tight deadlines for collecting signatures. Measures should also be taken in simplifying or digitalising the signature collection procedures. The conference conclusions will be published on 18 June ECI campaign website.

AMENDMENTS 20 - 72 - Draft opinion Trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Tuesday 16 June 2015, 11.00-12.30 (registration from 10.40) EPC Auditorium (3rd floor), 14-16 Rue du Trône, 1000 Brussels
The European Policy Centre, in cooperation with the the European Commission's Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), is pleased to invite you to this Policy Dialogue on 16 June, with :
Kori Udovički
Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government
Simon Mordue
Director for (...)

/ Belgique et Luxembourg, Balkans

Length of video : 196'
You may manually download this video in WMV (2.2Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

L'Union des marchés des capitaux (UMC) devrait stimuler l'allocation efficace de l'épargne pour financer les entreprises, protéger les investisseurs transfrontaliers et créer une nouvelle chaîne finançant l'économie réelle, ont déclaré les députés de la commission des affaires économiques et monétaires dans une résolution ce mardi.
Commission des affaires économiques et monétaires

Source : © Union européenne, 2015 - PE

The public inquiry into the death by radiation poisoning of Russian ex-intelligence services officer Alexander Litvinenko is to take video testimony from Dmitri Kovtun, one of two men he met in a sushi bar in London just hours before being taken ill.

DUSHANBE, 16 June 2015 – The annual forum of the OSCE–Tajikistan Task Force took place today in Dushanbe, where high-ranking officials from the OSCE and the Tajik government as well as representatives of civil society highlighted their recent major achievements and identified priorities for national and regional co-operation in 2016.

The meeting explored opportunities to intensify the OSCE’s assistance to Tajikistan to foster comprehensive security in the OSCE’s three dimensions. The participants particularly focused on support to the provinces of Tajikistan, particularly in the economic and environmental dimension. New threats to security such as combating Violent Extremism and Radicalization that lead to Terrorism (VERLT) were also discussed.

“The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan appreciates co-operation with the OSCE and its active role in the further democratization of our society,” said the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidi. “The annual Task Force Meetings are a remarkable example of the excellent co-operation between our country and the OSCE. We believe that this is the most appropriate mechanism for assessing the results of co-operation and a long-term planning.”

Markus Mueller, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, said: “This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, and the 21st anniversary of the opening of an OSCE presence in Tajikistan. The OSCE presence in Tajikistan was established precisely to support the country’s commitments to the Helsinki Final Act and subsequent documents. The security challenges in the last 21 years have evolved, but the principle from 40 years ago that a security threat to one country poses a threat to all others remains true today more than ever.”

The annual forum has been meeting in this format since 2007 to discuss the OSCE's work in Tajikistan. 

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Borisz Nyemcov Kijevben, a Majdanon

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Francia, osztrák, lengyel, olasz, holland, belga és brit részvétellel alakul meg az új szélsőjobboldali EP-frakció. Jobbikos képviselő nem csatlakozott a csoporthoz.

Francia, osztrák, lengyel, olasz, holland, belga és brit részvétellel alakul meg az új szélsőjobboldali EP-frakció. Jobbikos képviselő nem csatlakozott a csoporthoz.

MINSK, 16 June 2015 – Strengthening OSCE engagement with Belarus was the focus of a two-day visit to Minsk by OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Michael Georg Link which concluded today.

Zannier and Link met President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Viktor Guminsky and other members of the National Assembly. Zannier also met with Defence Minister Andrei Ravkov.

“I am pleased that we are launching a new package of projects in Belarus in all three OSCE dimensions of security”, the OSCE Secretary General said. These projects include, among others, assisting Belarus to dispose of highly toxic liquid rocket fuel components; building capacity to prevent floods through ecosystem restoration; and establishing mentoring networks for the economic empowerment of women.

“I look forward to productive cooperation and engagement with our Belarusian partners in all relevant areas,” he said.

ODIHR Director Link added, “I am pleased that the new OSCE package includes several projects in the human dimension, and ODIHR looks forward to working with Belarus on their implementation.”

Zannier also discussed the crisis in and around Ukraine and praised Belarus’ support for efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. “I commend Belarus’ ongoing commitment to facilitate the political process by hosting meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group and its Working Groups.” Three of the four Working Groups are meeting today in Minsk.

The ODIHR Director held a separate meeting with the Head of the Central Electoral Commission, Lidia Yermoshina. “ODIHR is ready to deploy an election observation mission for the upcoming presidential elections and looks forward to a timely invitation,” he said.

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The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) should boost the efficient allocation of savings to fund businesses, protect cross-border investors and create a new channel to finance the real economy, said economic and monetary MEPs in a resolution on Tuesday. They want CMU building blocks such as diverse investment choices, risk mitigation and clear investment information across the EU to be in place by 2018 to complement bank financing
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

A NATO kivonja a szolgálatból az első Boeing E-3A Sentry légtérellenőrző (AWACS) repülőgépét. A gépet üzemeltető egység tájékoztatása szerint a szóban forgó példány számára júliusban lett volna esedékes egy nagyobb lélegzetvételű karbantartás, melynek költsége mintegy 15 millió euró lett volna, így a költségvetési megszorítások miatt a gép selejtezéséről döntöttek.