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Nach verstärkten Grenzkontrollen zwischen Marokko und den spanischen Enklaven Ceuta und Melilla schweigt die spanische Regierung zu angeblichen Völkerrechtsverletzungen, so eine Quelle der NGO No Name Kitchen gegenüber EURACTIV.

La stratégie numérique de l’Allemagne, promise pour le premier semestre 2022, a été reportée à la fin du mois d’août. Le projet, obtenu par EURACTIV, ne répond pas aux attentes, selon les experts. Le ministère compétent a promis de nouveaux ajustements.

Csütörtökön (július 7.) 2.578 ukrán állampolgár lépte át a szlovák-ukrán határt: 642 férfi, 1.467 nő és 479 gyerek – tájékoztatta a TASR-t Zuzana Eliášová, a belügyminisztérium szóvivője. 176-an kértek átmeneti menedéket.

Die EU-Berichterstatterin des Europäischen Parlaments für den Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, warnte vor der Gefahr, dass Russland die derzeitigen Unruhen auf dem westlichen Balkan und die anhaltenden Proteste in Nordmazedonien für seine Zwecke nutzen könnte.

Les principaux dirigeants européens ont fait part de leur tristesse après l'attaque à l'arme à feu contre l'ancien Premier ministre japonais Shinzo Abe vendredi (8 juillet).

522337 Participants during the opening of the two-day training course in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kunduz Rysbek

On 5-6 July, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek organized the training course “Intelligence-Led Policing: from Theory to Practical Implementation” in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Seventeen law enforcement officials from the Criminal Investigation Department and the Republican Training Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic broadened their knowledge of the intelligence-led policing, crime analysis, assessments and decision-making procedures. Participants also discussed its strategic and operational components, and assessed the possible implementation of the intelligence-led policing model in Kyrgyzstan. 

“Analysis and operational information are of particular importance as they help us to combat national and transnational crimes more effectively. This type of work is extremely specific and requires constant modernization on both legislative and practical levels. In this regard, international expertise and best practices are particularly valuable,” said Kylych Kadurkulov, Police Colonel and Director of the Republican Training Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Eduard Lokotunin, Police Affairs Officer on Combating Illicit Drugs and ILP Project Manager, emphasized the preventive nature of the intelligence-led policing approach, its ability to address the complexities and transnational nature of crime, and improve day-to-day proactive planning and overall police management.

This training course builds on the OSCE Guidebook on Intelligence-led Policing and provides trainees with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of its principles, as well as evaluate practical steps for their implementation in Kyrgyzstan.

The training course was organized in the framework of the OSCE extra-budgetary project “Building Intelligence-led Policing capacities on regional and national levels in the OSCE area”. The project aims to enhance the use of intelligence-led policing in the OSCE region. The training course is open to all interested OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation should they request its capacity-building support.

Written by Clare Ferguson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

The war in Ukraine was again an important point on the agenda of the July 2022 plenary session, with Members debating the conclusions of the European Council meeting that took place on 23‑24 June 2022, as well as a long list of Council and Commission statements, including on facilitating exports of Ukrainian agricultural products, and on relations of the Russian government and diplomatic network with extremist, populist, anti-European and other European political parties. Parliament also debated statements on the Czech Presidency’s programme of activities for the next six months, and a ‘This is Europe’ debate was held with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsokakis. Members addressed European Union initiatives to address inflation, implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and taxing energy companies’ windfall profits. Members rejected a motion to oppose the inclusion of nuclear and gas as environmentally sustainable economic activities in the EU taxonomy. A debate on the activities of the European Investment Bank took place in the presence of its President, Werner Hoyer. Members also considered the consequences of the recent heat waves and drought in the EU. Looking further afield, Members debated the United Kingdom’s unilateral introduction of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and respect of international law, and the United States Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights. Debates took place on the treatment of refugees at the Spanish-Moroccan border, and on the post-Cotonou Agreement. Finally, Members debated and voted on a number of legislative files.

Digital single market

Parliament approved two important legislative proposals – the digital markets act and the digital services act – following a political agreement reached between the co-legislators. The digital markets act is the EU’s answer to tackling the dominance of a few large platforms that act as gatekeepers, controlling access to digital markets, and distorting competition. Through its three main provisions, the legislation should provide a definition of a large platform, will oblige them to ensure their services are interoperable, and will ban them from giving preference to their own products in search results or re-using personal data. The European Commission will enforce the law, with the possibility to levy fines of up to 20 % of a firm’s worldwide turnover. The new digital services act should boost consumer protection through rules promoting a safer and more transparent online environment. Parliament has ensured that the new law makes the platforms hosting online search engines, social media and marketplace platforms responsible for protecting users against harmful and illegal content. Platforms will also be obliged to be more transparent and accountable, with larger platforms subject to stricter rules. The European Commission will share enforcement with national authorities, according to the size of the platform concerned.

ReFuelEU aviation initiative

Returning to the ‘Fit for 55’ package aimed at cutting EU emissions, Members adopted Parliament’s position on the RefuelEU aviation initiative. While the initiative seeks to increase availability of sustainable aviation fuels at EU airports, a Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) report sought to widen the scope, proposing that more sustainable fuels are made available at more airports and for more aircraft. The decision supports a wider definition of renewable fuel, to include electricity, hydrogen and even used cooking oil, while excluding unsustainable food and feed crop-based fuel, such as palm oil, and encouraging further research into alternatives.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Crisis measures in the fisheries and aquaculture sector

In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Members approved an agreement reached between the co‑legislators on additional crisis support for the EU fishery and aquaculture sectors. Given the urgency to act, Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) had swiftly approved and tabled a report on the proposal to provide support for the seafood sector (which is hard-hit by rising fuel prices and trade disruption), by using amounts left over from the 2014‑2020 budget.

Croatia’s adoption of the euro on 1 January 2023

Members overwhelmingly adopted a Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) report on Croatia’s pathway to its adoption of the euro, which is expected to take place on 1 January 2023. Concurring with European Commission and European Central Bank assessments that price stability, fiscal sustainability, exchange rate fluctuations and long-term interest rates in the country prove that Croatia is ready to adopt the euro, Parliament’s opinion will now be forwarded to the Council, which is expected to give the final green light on Croatia adopting the euro later in July.

2021 Reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia

Members approved Foreign Affairs (AFET) Committee reports on the Commission’s 2021 assessment of accession prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo. The AFET report on Bosnia and Herzegovina underlined the pressing need for a broader strategic and security approach to the Western Balkans, calling for elections and electoral reform to go ahead in the country as planned. Parliament voted in favour of granting Kosovo’s citizens access to the EU visa-free travel scheme. However, the AFET report on Kosovo‘s intention to apply for EU membership in 2022 stressed that, as for other new applicants, there is no fast-track procedure. While judicial independence and reform is one issue to resolve before Kosovo can advance its European ambitions, another is the normalisation of relations with Serbia. While the committee reconfirmed unequivocal support for the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Members noted that the AFET report on Serbia‘s progress towards accession in 2021 obviously underlines the country’s ambivalent attitude to EU policies and values and its reluctance to stand against Russia, and called for the country to align with the EU position.

Better regulation

As Parliament is committed to making EU laws and policies simpler and easier for people and businesses, Members voted a Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) report seeking to strengthen EU strategy on better law-making. Parliament insists on the need for transparency and openness, particularly as regards the Regulatory Scrutiny Board and the ‘one in, one out’ approach, whereby each new piece of legislation adopted must be accompanied by the removal of an older or outdated law. The JURI committee report also calls for children’s rights to be mainstreamed throughout EU legislation.

Question time: Increasing EU ambition on biodiversity ahead of COP15

Parliament strongly supports the current initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity in the EU, and advocates EU-wide mandatory pesticide reduction. During plenary ‘question time’, scheduled to allow closer scrutiny of the European Commission’s activities, Members questioned Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius on EU biodiversity protection, ahead of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biodiversity, scheduled for December 2022.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

Members confirmed, without vote, three mandates for negotiations with the Council: one from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee on the proposal for a regulation on general product safety; and two from the Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) Committee, on the proposal for a regulation on the scope of eligible assets and investments, the portfolio composition and diversification requirements, rules on the borrowing of cash and other funding; and on a proposal for a regulation regarding 11 legal acts in the field of national accounts.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Plenary round-up – July II 2022‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

MEPs adopted new digital rules, discussed how to tackle the rising cost of living and called for action on mental health during the 4-7 July plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs adopted new digital rules, discussed how to tackle the rising cost of living and called for action on mental health during the 4-7 July plenary session.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Mexican workers harvest produce on a farm in the western U.S. state of California. The number of temporary agricultural workers from Mexico has increased in recent years in the United States and with it, human rights violations. CREDIT: Courtesy of Linnaea Mallette

By Emilio Godoy
MEXICO CITY, Jul 8 2022 (IPS)

Eduardo Reyes, originally from Puebla in central Mexico, was offered a 40-hour workweek contract by his recruiter and his employer in the United States, but ended up performing hundreds of hours of unpaid work that was not authorized because his visa had expired, unbeknownst to him.

Hired by recruiter Vazquez Citrus & Hauling (VCH), Reyes and five other temporary workers reached the United States between May and September 2017, months before starting work for Four Star Greenhouse in the Midwest state of Michigan.

In 2018, they worked more than 60 hours per week, received bad checks, and never obtained a copy of their contract, even though U.S. laws require that they be given one.

When they complained to Four Star and to their recruiter about the exploitative conditions, the latter turned them over to immigration authorities for deportation in July of that year because their visas had expired, which they had not been informed of by their agent.

In December 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) authorized the arrival of 145 workers to the Four Star facilities in Carleton, Michigan. They were to earn 12.75 dollars per hour for 36 hours a week between January and July 2018.

Reyes’ case is set forth in complaint 2:20-CV-11692, seen by IPS, filed in the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by six Mexican workers against the company and its manager, whom they accuse of wage gouging, forced labor and workplace reprisals.

This story of exploitation has an aggravating factor that shows the shortcomings of the U.S. government’s H-2A temporary agricultural workers program, or H-2A visa program.

The United States created H-2 visas for unskilled temporary foreign workers in 1943 and in the 1980s established H-2A categories for rural workers and 2B for other labor, such as landscaping, construction, and hotel staff.

These visas allow Mexicans, mainly from rural areas, to migrate seasonally to the U.S. to work legally on farms included on a list, with the intermediation of recruiting companies.

In 2016, the US Department of Transportation fined VCH, based in the state of Florida, for 22,000 dollars for a bus accident in which six H-2A workers were killed while returning from Monroe, Michigan to Mexico.

Two years later, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division banned VCH and its owner for three years due to program violations in the state of North Carolina, such as failure to reimburse travel expenses and payroll and workday records. However, both continued to operate in the sector.

The workers’ odyssey begins in Mexico, where they are recruited by individual contractors -workers or former workers of a U.S. employer, colleagues, relatives or friends in their home communities – or by private U.S. agencies.

Structural problem

Reyes’ case illustrates the problems of labor exploitation, forced labor and the risk of human trafficking to which participants in the H-2A program are exposed, without intervention by Mexican or U.S. authorities to prevent human rights violations.

Advocates for the rights of the seasonal workers and experts pointed to worsening working conditions, warned of the threat of human trafficking and forced labor, and complained about the prevailing impunity.

According to Lilián López, representative in Mexico of the U.S.-based Polaris Project, the design and operation of the program result in a high risk of human trafficking and forced labor, due to factors such as the lack of supervision and interference by recruiters.

“Economic vulnerability puts migrants at risk, because many workers go into debt to get to the United States, and that gives the agencies a lot of power. They can set any kind of requirement for people to get the jobs. Sometimes recruiters make offers that look more attractive than they really are. That is fraud,” she told IPS in Mexico City.

The number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline operated by Polaris in the US reflects the apparent increase in abuses. Between 2015 and 2017, 800 people on temporary visas, 500 of which were H-2A, called the hotline, compared to 2,890 people between 2018 and 2020 – a 360 percent increase.

Evy Peña, spokesperson for Mexico’s Migrant Rights Center, said temporary labor systems are designed to benefit employers, who have all the control, along with the recruiters.

“From the moment the workers are recruited, there is no transparency. There is a lack of oversight by the DOL, there are parts of recruitment that should be overseen by the Mexican government. There are things that the Mexican government should work out at home,” she told IPS from the northern city of Monterrey.

She said the situation has worsened because of the pandemic.

The United States and Mexico have idealized the H-2A program because it solves the lack of employment in rural areas, foments remittances that provide financial oxygen to those areas, and meets a vital demand in food-producing centers that supply U.S. households.

But the humanitarian costs are high, as the cases reviewed attest. Mexico’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has 369 labor placement agencies registered in 29 of Mexico’s 33 states. For overseas labor recruitment, seven operate – including four in Mexico City -, a small number compared to the thousands of visas issued in 2021.

For its part, the DOL reports 241 licensed recruiters in the US working for a handful of companies in that country.

The ones authorized in Mexico do not appear on the US list and vice versa, in another example of the scarce exchange of information between the two partners.

The number of H-2A visas for Mexican workers is on the rise, with the U.S. government authorizing 201,123 in 2020, a high number driven by the pandemic. That number grew 22 percent in 2021, to a total of 246,738.

In the first four months of the year, U.S. consulates in Mexico issued 121,516 such visas, 18 percent more than in the same period of 2021, when they granted 102,952.

In 2021, the states with the highest demand for Mexican labor were Florida, Georgia, California, Washington and North Carolina, in activities such as agriculture, the operation of farm equipment and construction.

The United States and Mexico agreed to issue another 150,000 visas for temporary workers in an attempt to mitigate forced migration from the south, which will also include Central American seasonal workers.

Details of the expansion of the program will be announced by Presidents Joe Biden and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at a meeting to be held on Jul. 12 at the White House, with migration as one of the main topics on the agenda.

Mexican farm workers wait to be tested for COVID-19 in 2020 in Immolakee, a town in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida. The pandemic hit H-2A visa holders, who are mainly engaged in temporary agricultural work, hard. CREDIT: Doctors Without Borders

Indifference

Lidia Muñoz, a doctoral student at the University of Oregon in the United States who has studied labor recruitment, stresses that there are no policies on the subject in Mexico, even though the government is aware of the problem.

“There are regulations for recruitment agencies that are not followed to the letter,” she told IPS from Portland, the largest city in the northwestern state of Oregon. “Most recruiters are not registered. The intermediaries are the ones who earn the most. There is no proper oversight.”

Article 28 of Mexico’s Federal Labor Law of 1970 regulates the provision of services by workers hired within Mexico for work abroad, but in practice it is not enforced.

This regulation requires the registration of contracts with the labor authorities and the posting of a bond to guarantee compliance, and makes the foreign contractor responsible for transportation to and from the country, food and immigration expenses, as well as full payment of wages, compensation for occupational hazards and access to adequate housing.

In addition, Mexican workers must be entitled to social security for foreigners in the country where they offer their services.

While the Mexican government could resort to this article to protect the rights of migrants, it has refused to apply it.

Between 2009 and 2019, the Ministry of Labor conducted 91 inspections of labor placement agencies in nine states and imposed 12 fines for about 153,000 dollars, but did not fine any recruiters of seasonal workers. Furthermore, the records of the Federal Court of Conciliation and Arbitration do not contain labor lawsuits for breach of that regulation.

Mexico is a party to the International Labor Organization (ILO) Fee-Charging Employment Agencies Convention, which it apparently violates in the case of temporary workers.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) does not know how many H-2A workers it has assisted through consular services. Likewise, it does not know how many complainants it has advised.

The Mexican consulate in Denver, Colorado received three labor complaints, dated Jul. 25, Aug. 12 and Oct. 28, 2021, which it referred to “specialized allies in the matter, who provided the relevant advice to the interested parties,” according to an SRE response to a request for information from IPS.

The consulate in Washington received “anonymous verbal reports” on labor issues, which it passed on to civil society organizations so that “the relevant support could be provided.”

Consular teams were active in some parts of the US in 2021. For example, Mexican officials visited eight corporations between May and September 2021 in Denver, Colorado.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania they visited 12 companies between April and August, 2021. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin they visited 26 companies between June 2021 and April of this year, and in Washington, DC six workplaces were visited between August and October 2021. However, the results of these visits are unknown.

Mexico, meanwhile, is in non-compliance with the ILO’s “General principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment” of 2016.

These guidelines stipulate that hiring must be done in accordance with human rights, through voluntary agreements, free from deception or coercion, and with specific, verifiable and understandable conditions of employment, with no attached charges or job immobility.

Ariel Ruiz, an analyst with the U.S.-based Migration Policy Institute, is concerned about the expansion of the H-2A visa program without improvements in rights.

“There are labour rights violations before the workers arrive in the US, in recruitment there are often illegal payments, and we keep hearing reports of employers intimidating workers,” he told IPS from Washington.

“There are also problems in access to health services and legal representation” in case of abuse, added the analyst from the non-governmental institute.

Judicialization

In the last decade, at least 12 lawsuits have been filed in US courts by program workers against employers.

Muñoz, the expert from Oregon, said the trials can help reform the system.

“There have been cases that have resulted in visas for trafficking victims. But it is difficult to see changes in the United States. They may be possible in oversight. Legal changes have arisen because of wage theft from workers,” she said.

López, of Polaris, said the lawsuits were a good thing, but clarified that they did not solve the systemic problems. “What is needed is a root-and-branch reform of the system,” she said.

The United States has made trade union freedom in Mexico a priority. Peña asked that it also address the H-2A visa situation.

“If they’re serious about improving labor rights, they can’t ignore the responsibility they have for migrant workers. It’s like creating a double standard,” she said.

With regard to the expansion of the temporary visa program to Central Americans, the experts consulted expressed concern that it would lead to an increase in abuses.

This article was produced with support from the organizations Dignificando el Trabajo and the Avina Foundation’s Arropa Initiative in Mexico.

Related Articles

• Coronavirus, New Threat for Mexican Migrant Workers in the U.S.
• Migrant Farm Workers, the Main Victims of Slave Labour in Mexico

Un ULM est tombé en panne dans les airs de la campagne jusserande. Il n’y a pas de blessés.

522355 Communication and Media Relations Section Alexandra Taylor

Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Youth and Security Maria Raczynska and OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues Lara Scarpitta visited the Polish-Ukrainian border on 4 and 5 July 2022 where they gathered information on the situation of refugees from Ukraine, as 1.2 million (94 % of whom are women and children), are officially registered, with access to health care, education and employment.

“In Poland, society, government, and local administration have displayed enormous solidarity and compassion to the victims of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. But the conflict and needs are far from over. We must do whatever we can to put an end to the war and ensure it does not happen again. At the same time, we must also remember that those young people who seek shelter and our support, will be those who shape the future,” Raczynska said.

“I visited reception centres and transit points at train stations. The emergency is far from over. There are still hundreds of women and children arriving from Ukraine daily. Poland deserves praise for taking on a major responsibility in the face of the refugee crisis caused by this war,” Scarpitta said.

She also underlined the need to address the risks of human trafficking in light of the number of women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine and strengthen response to these challenges.

However, Scarpitta cautioned that a second large wave of refugees can be expected after the summer months, caused largely by the escalation in the armed conflict and the economic situation in Ukraine, but also the lack of fuel and some basic goods.:

“The situation for the neighboring host countries is particularly demanding: Rental prices for housing have sky rocketed, there is a chronic shortage of childcare facilities and the education system is already under strain as is struggles to accommodate additional children.”

Lack of access to childcare represents an additional obstacle for women accessing the labour market, making some women and children vulnerable to prostitution and exploitation, including trafficking.

“I was glad to see the high level of awareness of the risks of trafficking in human beings, especially for young girls and boys who arrived unaccompanied. Services for victims of sexual and gender-based violence need to be strengthened, though,” said the OSCE Senior Gender Adviser.

At the same time, Scarpitta expressed her appreciation for the work that the UNHCR, NGOS and local authorities are doing to provide support and safe spaces for the most vulnerable.

“The war has taken a massive toll on every single person, but in particular women and girls. More assistance is needed both in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries. The OSCE will remain engaged in these efforts,” Scarpitta said.

Le Conseil fédéral a dévoilé les revenus des barons des grandes entreprises en mains publiques. Il y a des surprises. Notre analyse.

ASHGABAT, 8 July 2022 – A conference marking 30 years since Turkmenistan signed the Helsinki Final Act, and began its co-operation with the OSCE, took place in Ashgabat yesterday. The conference was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in close co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Opening the conference, Deputy Chairperson of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, stated: “As a participating State, Turkmenistan  is committed to fruitful co-operation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in strengthening security in the OSCE region." 

The Foreign Minister emphasized that Turkmenistan's priorities in co-operation with the OSCE include the creation of efficient mechanisms of prevention and neutralization of international conflicts, countering political and religious extremism, transnational threats, drug trafficking and cross border crime, as well as the development of a modern model of international co-operation in economic, energy and environmental spheres.

In her video message, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid stressed: “This is a good opportunity to mark a true milestone in the co-operation between the OSCE and Turkmenistan and to look to the future.”

She also commended Turkmenistan’s efforts and contribution to peace and security in the OSCE area by strengthening regional co-operation and promoting economic connectivity across the Caspian Sea.

John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, added: “OSCE co-operation with Turkmenistan has come a long way in three decades, and we see great prospects for continuing and strengthening our important dialogue for the benefit of Turkmenistan and the whole OSCE region.”

Addressing the session on co-operation in the area of human dimension, Lara Scarpitta, OSCE Senior Advisor on Gender Issues, stressed the importance of OSCE commitments to promoting gender equality.

The conference brought together representatives of the Centre's key partner institutions and organizations in the country, including ministries, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and civil society organizations.

Many high-level officials and leading experts also participated, including Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to the Republic of Austria and the Head of the Delegation of Turkmenistan to the OSCE, the Ombudsperson of Turkmenistan, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, representatives of the Defence Ministry, the State Border Service, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, as well as representatives of the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, institutions of higher education and Keyik Okara public organization.

The participants highlighted the achievements of the OSCE and Turkmenistan partnership across all three dimensions of security. On 8 July 1992, Turkmenistan signed the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE’s landmark document, and became a participating State of the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which was transformed into the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) three years later.

Established in 1999, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat is currently assisting Turkmenistan in fulfilling its OSCE commitments across three dimensions of security. 

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, will organize sporting events in the coming week to commemorate this occasion.

It’s a special this week: He kept us hanging on like a yoyo, in the end it happened in slo-mo but eventually BoJo had to go, go.

Az Ukrajnát támadó orosz erők rakétacsapást mértek a Donyeck megyei, stratégiai jelentőségű Kramatorszk város központjára, a támadásnak az eddigi információk szerint egy halálos áldozata és hat sebesültje van – közölte Pavlo Kirilenko a megye kormányzója.

Az áldozatok száma még nőhet. Közölte, hogy hat ház rongálódott meg, köztük egy szálloda és egy többszintes épület. Olekszandr Honcsarenko kramatorszki polgármester szavai szerint jelenleg a hatóságok vizsgálják a támadás következményeit, és a mentőszolgálatok dolgoznak a városban.

Szerhij Bratcsuk, a déli Odessza megye katonai adminisztrációjának sajtótitkára arról adott hírt, hogy az orosz erők rakétacsapást mértek a régióra, és eltalálták a Moldova lobogója alatt, a Fekete-tenger part menti részén sodródó – üres és legénység nélküli -, Millennial Spirit nevű tartályhajót. Kifejtette, hogy az oroszok két H-31 típusú lokátorromboló rakétát lőttek ki egy Szu-30-as repülőgépről. Ezek egyike csapódott a hajóba. Figyelmeztetett ugyanakkor arra, hogy némi dízel üzemanyag maradt a tartályhajóban, ami kigyulladhat.

Jurij Ihnat, az ukrán légierő szóvivője az Ukrajinszka Pravda hírportálnak nyilatkozva kijelentette, hogy az orosz hadsereg radarromboló rakétákkal próbálja megsemmisíteni az ukrán légvédelem állásait, de az ukrán fegyveres erők aktívan fellépnek ellenük. “Különböző irányokban az ellenség továbbra is használja a H-31P és H-58 típusú, levegő-föld radarromboló rakétákat az ukrán légvédelem rakéta- és rádiómérnöki egységei ellen, megpróbálva elpusztítani légierőnk pozícióit. A légvédelmi egységek ugyanakkor minden ellenintézkedést megtesznek annak megakadályozására, hogy ezek a rakéták elérjék céljukat” – hangoztatta a szóvivő. Emlékeztetett arra, hogy az ukrán légierő megsemmisített két Kalibr típusú rakétát, amelyeket az orosz erők a Fekete-tenger felől lőttek ki a déli régiókra. Támadó repülőgépek keleti és déli irányban támadták meg az orosz csapatokat, légi tűzzel sújtva állásaikat. Az ukrán légierő megsemmisített egy orosz lőszerraktárt, továbbá két parancsnoki és megfigyelő állást, legfeljebb tíz egység páncélozott harcjárművet és élőerőt.

Az ukrán vezérkar csütörtöki helyzetjelentésében arról számolt be, hogy Oroszország igyekszik megtörni az ukrán fegyveres erők ellenállását, és teljes ellenőrzést teremteni a Donyec-medencei Luhanszk megye fölött, ennek érdekében csapatokat csoportosít át a térségbe. A Donyeck megyei Szlovjanszk irányában az orosz hadsereg folytatja a rohamműveleteket, Kramatorszk és Bahmut térségében pedig több települést tartanak folyamatos tűz alatt.

Eközben a Kijev megyei Perejaszlav településen elbontották Ukrajna és Oroszország “újraegyesítésének” emlékművét – közölte Vjacseszlav Szaulko, a kistérség elöljárója. “A perejaszlaviak ma végleg lerombolták az Oroszországgal való örök barátság szovjet mítoszát: ma reggel az újraegyesítés 300. évfordulójára emelt emlékmű hivatalosan is a múlté lett. Biztonságosan lebontottuk, és biztonságos tárolóhelyre szállítottuk” – írta bejegyzésében Szaulko.

Mihajlo Fedorov ukrán digitális fejlesztési miniszter pedig arról számolt be, hogy az interneten felmérést indítottak a kijevi Haza Anyácska szobor pajzsán lévő szovjet címer jövőbeli sorsáról. A monumentális, kardot és pajzsot tartó nőt ábrázoló szobrot még 1981-ben emelték a második világháború hőseinek emlékére.

Az EP jóváhagyta egymilliárd euró hitel folyósítását Ukrajna számára
Az Európai Parlament (EP) strasbourgi plenáris ülésén jóváhagyta egymilliárd euró európai uniós makroszintű pénzügyi hitel folyósítását Ukrajna számára, a pénz a külső finanszírozási szükségletek fedezésében segíti majd az Oroszországgal háborúban álló országot. A tájékoztatás szerint ez az első részlete annak a kilencmilliárd eurós makroszintű pénzügyi támogatásnak, amelyet az Európai Bizottság javasolt május közepén Ukrajna újjáépítésére, valamint nemzetközi hitelek visszafizetésére. A most bejelentett támogatás kifizetésére egy részletben kerül sor, ha felhasználása megfelel az uniós elvárásoknak, beleértve a fokozott átláthatóságot és a felhasználásáról szóló jelentéstételt. A támogatás nyújtásának az is előfeltétele, hogy Ukrajna tiszteletben tartsa a hatékony demokratikus mechanizmusokat.

The post Orosz agresszió: leszedhetik a Haza Anyácska szobor pajzsán lévő szovjet címert appeared first on .

Alors que le droit à l’avortement a volé en éclats aux États-Unis, quelque 11’000 femmes ont pratiqué une interruption de grossesse en 2021 en Suisse.

Written by Kjeld van Wieringen.

The proposed European chips act, presented by the European Commission in February 2022, aims to mobilise €43 billion in ‘policy-driven investment’ for the EU’s semiconductor sector by 2030. The Commission expects long-term private investment to exceed this. The plan serves to enable immediate EU coordination against supply disruptions, strengthen and scale up production and innovation throughout the EU semiconductor value chain, and further enhance the Union’s technological leadership, practical applications and digital sovereignty in this crucial field.

The global semiconductor value chain is characterised by chokepoints and critical dependencies, including on more advanced chips from Taiwan and South Korea, US intellectual property in chip design automation, Japanese wafers and Chinese chip assembly. Europe has strong capacities in research and equipment manufacturing, in addition to some production capacity of (less advanced) chips with larger transistors, often destined for the automotive sector, as well as (chemical) inputs.

The future effectiveness of the EU chips act could benefit from further emphasis on certain key challenges to strengthen and safeguard Europe’s position in the global chip value chain. Internally, reinforcing European chemical input and back-end manufacturing could be advanced by protecting European chemical suppliers against Chinese subsidies and by reshoring back-end facilities to Europe. Bilaterally, attracting and engaging in foreign semiconductor investment could see the use of relevant forums, partnerships and agreements, as well as relevant fast-track permits. Globally, enhancing foreign dependencies on the EU would require further reinforcement of existing European centres of excellence including in innovative research and equipment manufacturing.

The EU chips act, if provided with the right resources, could help to improve the EU’s position in the global semiconductor value chain significantly by 2030. Meanwhile, Intel’s €33 billion investment and Taiwanese interest in European chip manufacturing are also cause for optimism.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Strengthening EU chip capabilities‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Die Fortschritte bei der Suche nach den Überresten von rund 6.000 Menschen, die nach dem Sturz des Regimes in Albanien vermisst werden, sind aufgrund von Unstimmigkeiten zwischen den Strafverfolgungsbehörden noch immer nicht greifbar.

Tausende von Arbeitnehmern versammelten sich am Mittwochnachmittag in Lissabon und zogen in einer landesweiten Demonstration für Lohn- und Rentenerhöhungen angesichts der steigenden Inflation zum Parlament.