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Le Parlement européen a approuvé mercredi (9 juin) une résolution demandant une levée temporaire des brevets vaccinaux, tandis que la Commission est restée ferme dans son opposition à de telles mesures.

Die grossen Public Viewings sind für die diesjährige Euro alle abgesagt. Dafür springen kleine Anbieter in die Bresche. Blick hat die Übersicht, wo es in deiner Nähe ein Public Viewing gibt.

La Genevoise Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini réagit aux obligations accrues de réservation des CFF pour le transport de petites reines.

Written by Kristina Grosek.

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The International Labour Organization (ILO) introduced the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, as part of their efforts to eradicate this unacceptable phenomenon. The day is observed annually on 12 June, and this year the focus is on the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. It is also an opportunity to consider measures taken at international and EU level.

Child Labour

The UN defines child labour as work performed by children who are under the minimum age legally specified for that kind of work, or work that, because of its detrimental nature or conditions, is considered unacceptable for children and is prohibited. Not all work performed by children should be considered child labour. Forms of work that are beneficial to a child’s personal and social development, that do not interfere with schooling and childhood, but rather provide useful experience and skillsets should be encouraged.

Worst forms of child labour. The biggest concern within the scope of child labour, according to ILO Convention No 182, these forms of labour are prohibited for any person below the age of 18 and must be eliminated as a matter of urgency. They include all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery; involvement of children in commercial sexual exploitation; involvement of children in illicit activities; and work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children (Article 3).

Global trends. There has been a significant decline in the number of children between the ages of 5 and 17 involved in child labour, from an estimated 246 million children worldwide in 2000, but the pace slowed considerably from 2012 to 2016 and in the past four years, the number increased by 8.4 million. According to latest global estimates, a total of 160 million children were engaged in child labour in early 2020, and nearly half of them (79 million) carry out hazardous work, endangering their health, safety and moral development. The Covid‑19 crisis is likely to cause a substantial rise in child labour, with 8.9 million more children predicted in child labour by the end of 2022. Over half of all child labour is in Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest rate of child labour, with 24 % of children employed as child labourers, a total of nearly 87 million. Next is Asia and the Pacific, where although a steady decline has been seen since 2008, 48.7 million children remain in child labour. Globally, the largest number of child labourers (71 %) are in the agricultural sector. Although the phenomenon is more commonly associated with non-EU countries, and reliable data are lacking, there is evidence that child labour also persists in the EU and Europe.

Root causes. It is believed that child labour is commonly driven by family and community poverty, paired with lack of access to decent work for adults and youth (income insecurity, inadequate wages), weak social protection and lack of free, quality, public education and other public services.

Future goals. The ILO’s initial goal was to eliminate the worst forms of child labour by 2016. However, despite its efforts, supported by countries all over the world, and notable progress, the goal has still to be achieved. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and Goal 8 in particular, set the target of eliminating all forms of child labour by 2025. To meet this, according to the latest projections, progress needs to be 18 times faster than in the past 20 years. Immediate action is required to reduce the negative impact of the Covid‑19 crisis on child labour. The risk of child labour in growing crises, conflicts, and disasters should be addressed. Social protection needs to be universal, and children’s education safeguarded and advanced. It is important to address the risk of child labour in both domestic and global supply chains.

Act now: End child labour! This year’s Day Against Child Labour is the first since universal ratification of ILO Convention No 182 on the worst forms of child labour. It is also the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, declared by the UN General Assembly in July 2019. The ILO is responsible for its implementation, and all member states and stakeholders are invited to raise awareness of the importance of eradicating child labour, working towards the goal of eliminating it by 2025. A week of action runs from 10 to 17 June 2021, starting with the publication of the new global estimates on child labour (2016‑2020).

International legal framework for combating child labour

The ILO has been committed to the abolition of child labour as one of its main goals since 1919, playing a crucial role in raising awareness of the importance of eliminating child labour, as well as in establishing recognised standards. Three international conventions establish the legal framework for national action against child labour. ILO Convention No 138 on the minimum age for admission to employment and work, adopted in 1973, has been ratified by 173 countries, including all European Union (EU) Member States. This crucial document lays down standards for the minimum age for employment, calling on the parties to set the minimum age at 15 years (Article 2(3)), or at least 18 for hazardous work (Article 3(1)). It also emphasises the importance of taking all necessary steps to ensure the effective abolition of child labour. ILO Convention No 182 on the worst forms of child labour, adopted in 1999, has been ratified by 187 countries, including all EU Member States, and is known for being the fastest ratification in the history of the ILO. It calls on members to ensure immediate and effective measures to secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency (Article 1). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) adopted in 1989, has been ratified by 196 countries, including all EU Member States. In the framework of prohibiting child labour, the CRC confers upon children the right to protection from economic exploitation, as well as from performing any work likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development (Article 32). Although it does not specify a minimum age for employment, it urges parties to stipulate one, as well as to regulate hours and conditions of employment, and provide penalties and sanctions.

EU action to combat child labour

The EU’s strong commitment to eliminating child labour is reflected in Article 32 of the 2012 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (CFR), which prohibits the employment of children and stipulates that the minimum age of employment may not be lower than the minimum school-leaving age. The main legal instrument prohibiting child labour in the EU is Council Directive 94/33/EC. It allows Member States to set the minimum age for employment below the minimum school-leaving age only exceptionally, in Article 4(2). Transposition of the directive into national law was uneventful, as most Member States already had legislation providing for the prohibition of child labour. There is also an external dimension to the fight against child labour, and to the EU’s full commitment to its eradication. Building upon a document from 2010, the Commission staff working document, Trade and Worst Forms of Child Labour, SWD(2013) 173 provides the framework for understanding the complexity of the issue, emphasising the link between trade and child labour, and pointing out the positive impact of economic growth on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. More recently, a Commission staff working document, SWD(2017) 147, addresses child labour in the context of promoting sustainable garment value chains through EU development action. In its recent communication on the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Commission confirms its strong commitment to elimination of child labour and the ‘zero tolerance’ approach already announced in the Commission’s political guidelines. The Council of the EU has also reaffirmed its strong commitment to eliminating child labour, particularly its worst forms, and stressed the importance of eradicating the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, including child soldiers.

The European Parliament has condemned child labour and its various forms within and outside the EU in a number of resolutions, and called for measures that would facilitate its elimination. For example, in 2010, Parliament called for all future trade agreements to provide for a ban on the exploitation of child labour. Subsequent resolutions, on the EC-Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (2011) and on child labour in the cocoa sector (2012) repeated that call, with specific reference to forced child labour, while the 2013 resolution on the global cotton value chain referred to a traceability mechanism for goods produced through child or forced labour. A Parliament resolution on the EU flagship initiative on the garment sector (2017) calls on the Commission to propose binding legislation on due diligence obligations for supply chains in the sector, including standards for the elimination of forced and child labour. More recently, in its resolution on children’s rights in view of the EU strategy on the rights of the child (March 2021), Parliament calls on the Commission and Member States to end, in law and in practice, all child labour and all other forms of work likely to harm children’s health and safety. It also calls on the Commission to embed children’s rights in the upcoming EU sustainable governance framework, and recommends adopting cross-sectoral mandatory due diligence and ensuring that all EU policies are child-friendly.

Read this at a glance note on ‘World Day Against Child Labour‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Wenn es nur nach dem Wert der Spieler geht, scheidet die Schweiz erneut im Achtelfinal aus. Blick stellt die Marktwerte aller EM-Teams im Ranking vor.

Une nouvelle collection d'art du patrimoine anglais vise à refléter la longue histoire des Africains en Angleterre.

In the run-up to the UN Food Systems Summit in September, Germany's agriculture ministry launched its preparatory process at a conference this week where politicians, agriculture and health experts exchanged their views on future food production. However, the dialogue was criticised for missing the voices of marginalised people. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Az EU-s digitális Covid-igazolványról, a jogállamiságról, a belarusz szankciókról és a biológiai sokféleségről is szavaztak a héten Strasbourgban.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2021 - EP

Die zunächst in Indien entdeckte Corona-Variante Delta ist Analysen zufolge wesentlich ansteckender als der in Grossbritannien entdeckte Alpha-Typ.

Serbie : une loi sur mesure pour faire passer « Belgrade on Water »
Serbie : les habitants de Voïvodine se mobilisent contre la prospection pétrolière
Serbie : plainte pénale contre le pollueur chinois Zijin

/ Radio Slobodna Evropa, Serbie, Economie

Serbie : une loi sur mesure pour faire passer « Belgrade on Water »
Serbie : les habitants de Voïvodine se mobilisent contre la prospection pétrolière
Serbie : plainte pénale contre le pollueur chinois Zijin

/ Radio Slobodna Evropa, Serbie, Economie

US-Präsident Joe Biden will die deutsche Kanzlerin Angela Merkel in wenigen Wochen im Weissen Haus empfangen. Merkels Besuch in Washington sei für den 15. Juli geplant, teilte das Weisse Haus am Freitag mit.

Die EU-Staaten haben sich kurz vor dem Beginn der Sommerurlaubszeit auf eine Lockerung der Grenzwerte für Corona-Reisebeschränkungen verständigt.

Die Konjunkturforscher von BAK Economics gehen für 2021 von einer kräftigen wirtschaftlichen Erholung aus. Die erwartete Erholung ab dem Frühjahr sei nun klar sichtbar. Für das zweite und dritte Jahresviertel zeichne sich eine breit abgestützte V-förmige Erholung ab.

Over 600 million people in Africa require treatment for an NTD, making up 35% of the global burden. Credit: Uniting to Combat NTDs

By Thoko Elphick-Pooley
HOVE, United Kingdom, Jun 11 2021 (IPS)

As world leaders come together in the UK for the G7, the global response to COVID-19 and how we can build a better defence system against infection is at the forefront of discussions.  Whilst we applaud the incredible global efforts in tackling COVID-19 and support calls for vaccines to be shared equitably across the world, we also urge G7 leaders not to abandon efforts to tackle existing epidemics such as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), HIV/AIDs, malaria, TB and polio.

The gains that have been made fighting these diseases must not be lost or we risk disease resurgence that will be even more costly to address, which could lead to a disastrous disease epidemic with mass consequences.

Diseases like blinding trachoma, leprosy, intestinal worms, Guinea worm disease and elephantiasis; they blind, disable, and can even be fatal. These diseases are preventable and treatable, yet they still affect 1.7 billion people around the world

As demonstrated by COVID-19, health crises don’t pop up overnight. They are a consequence of systemic underinvestment in global health, lack of strong disease surveillance systems capable of detecting disease outbreaks, global data sharing protocols, weak health systems compounded by a lack of pandemic preparedness backed by sustainable financing for global health.

COVID-19 has shown us that it doesn’t matter whether you are a low, medium or high-income country. If you lack the essential medical supplies, lives will be lost. If you have a critical gap in health workforce and infrastructure, other essential health services will suffer as resources get diverted to fighting a pandemic. Moreover, diseases do not respect borders.

This is why we must not abandon efforts to tackle existing epidemics. Take neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), for instance, coined as such because of persistent neglect. NTDs is the collective name for a group of 20 infectious diseases and conditions. Diseases like blinding trachoma, leprosy, intestinal worms, Guinea worm disease and elephantiasis. They blind, disable, and can even be fatal. These diseases are preventable and treatable, yet they still affect 1.7 billion people around the world. They are a chronic epidemic that rarely make it to the top of anyone’s agenda. They affect the most vulnerable communities in low-resource settings, primarily in Africa. 

Over 600 million people in Africa require treatment for an NTD, making up 35% of the global burden. Across the continent, 12 countries are on track to eliminate an NTD in the next three years – an extraordinary feat based on years of necessary action.

Vulnerable African communities currently face a triple burden; the pandemic has had a devastating impact on health services; cuts to NTD treatments will make them more vulnerable to tropical diseases, and the prospect of these individuals receiving a COVID-19 vaccine before 2023 is highly unlikely. This triple threat makes some communities in Africa more vulnerable to future outbreaks and increases the risk of disease resurgence, undermining efforts to improve global health security. 

It is in the interest of all the G7 countries to sustain investments that directly underpin our safety, security and economic success – and to help shape a recovery plan that promotes the health and prosperity of individuals globally. Only then will we be able to prepare for and tackle future outbreaks of deadly infections.

We welcome the focus of world leaders on One Health, which is a collaborative effort to achieve health for people, animals and the environment at the local, national and global level. We urge G7 leaders to go a step further, beyond focusing on zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance, which simply isn’t enough to truly build pandemic preparedness.

Future health threats could develop from different origins, patterns, nature or impact. All aspects of One Health must be included if we are to improve global health security, including tackling other diseases, such as NTDs.

This will be a win-win for people and countries everywhere. Investments in NTDs have been a success story with 43 countries having eliminated at least one NTD, including 17 in Africa and 600 million people no longer requiring treatment for them. But the UK government’s recent exit from supporting NTD programmes, particularly during a pandemic, undermines years of progress and will deeply impact millions of Africans.

Now, 184 million tablets in 25 African countries are at high risk of expiring in 2021 and 2022 due to the funding cuts. By failing to place tackling NTDs and disease epidemics at the forefront of the global health security agenda, we risk our children’s lives and their future. Poverty will increase and access to education will be impacted. COVID-19 has shown the entire world how highly connected we are and now it is time for disease control to be dealt with collectively.

 

Thoko Elphick-Pooley is Executive Director of Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases

 

Ce samedi 12 juin, la population  est appelée à se rendre aux urnes afin d’élire les 407 députés de l’Assemblée populaire nationale. Un  scrutin rejeté par le mouvement contestataire Hirak et une partie de l’opposition. Les législatives anticipées du 12 juin sont rejetées par le mouvement contestataire Hirak et une partie de l’opposition, sur fond […]

L’article Déclaration signée par des opposants rejette le scrutin du 12 juin est apparu en premier sur .

Az oroszok vendégeként kezdi meg a szereplést szombaton a részben budapesti rendezésű Európa-bajnokságon a belga labdarúgó-válogatott, amelyet a szakértők egy része a végső győzelem legnagyobb esélyesei között tart számon.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Written by Clare Ferguson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

© European Union 2021 – Source : EP/DAINA LE LARDIC

The June I 2021 plenary session took place in Strasbourg once more (although still in hybrid form), some 15 months after the previous session was held there, with coronavirus-containment measures restricting the Parliament’s activity throughout that period. A number of important debates took place, including on European Council and European Commission statements on the conclusions of the special meeting of the European Council on 24 and 25 May 2021, and on preparation for the G7 and EU-US Summits. Members also debated the state of play on implementation of the Own Resources roadmap and Parliament’s scrutiny of the Commission and Council assessments of the national recovery and resilience plans. Debates were also held on the rule of law situation in the European Union, including the application of the conditionality regulation. Members discussed the follow-up to the Porto Social Summit, as well as the situation of women in politics. Debate was held on systematic repression in Belarus and its consequences for European security in the light of Belarus’ interception of a civilian plane. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell, made statements on the situation in Afghanistan and in Cuba. Parliament also voted on the proposed EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and on amendments to information systems required for operation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. In a formal ceremony, Parliament awarded the annual Lux Audience Award to a Romanian documentary, Collective, directed by Alexander Nanau.

EU Digital Covid Certificates

Members approved by an overwhelming majority the proposed EU Digital Covid Certificate for EU nationals as well as the parallel proposal covering third-country nationals. Parliament agreed to an accelerated procedure to consider these proposals. The co-legislators agreed on a compromise on the certificate proposal, now named the ‘EU Digital Covid Certificate’, and the system should be in operation by 1 July 2021. Parliament has ensured that the testing required is more affordable and accessible, through the allocation of around €100 million for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. If necessary, EU countries may still impose duly justified additional restrictions with 48 hours advance notice. The second proposal covers travel for third-country nationals within the EU.

European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021-2027

The European Parliament approved the interinstitutional (trilogue) agreement on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) 2021‑2027 (without a vote) at early second reading. The ESF+ budget for social inclusion is greatly needed to provide resources to improve youth employability and equal opportunities for children at risk of poverty in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The compromise reached between the co-legislators after some disagreement allocates an €88 billion EU budget for employment, education and social inclusion measures (almost 8 % less than under the previous multiannual financial framework, MFF).

Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument 2021‑2027 – Global Europe

Members endorsed, at second reading, the final text agreed between the Parliament and Council on the regulation establishing the new single financing instrument Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument 2021‑2027 (NDICI, also known as Global Europe) in the 2021‑2027 EU budget. As agreed, the proposal allocates €70.8 billion (in 2018 prices) under the 2021‑2027 MFF and brings together the 10 previous funds for external action along with the European Development Fund. The agreement enhances Parliament’s oversight of the strategic direction of the funding, including ending assistance to countries that do not respect democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Establishing the instrument for financial support for customs control equipment

Parliament formally adopted (without a vote) an early second-reading agreement on establishing the instrument for financial support for customs control equipment. The instrument will be used to purchase, maintain and upgrade detection equipment for customs controls at external EU borders. Parliament has succeeded in amending the proposal to ensure the equipment has optimal cybersecurity and safety standards. The regulation now takes effect retroactively, as of 1 January 2021.

EU Ombudsman’s status

Following 2019 proposals to update the EU Ombudsman’s Statute, to align it with the Lisbon Treaty and strengthen the role of this guardian of institutional accountability and transparency, Members debated a new European Parliament regulation governing the Ombudsman’s duties, in the presence of Emily O’Reilly, the current European Ombudsman. Members adopted a resolution based on the Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee’s report, to which is annexed an amended text for the European Ombudsman’s statute. This new text follows informal consultations with the Council, which had indicated it would be in a position to give consent to the regulation. Once formally received, the Parliament will vote on final adoption of the new statute.

State of the SMEs Union

Over 60 % of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which employ 100 million people, have reported a fall in turnover in 2020. In a joint debate on the State of the SMEs Union, Members called on the European Commission to take action to reduce barriers and red tape for SMEs. Parliament had requested that the European Commission set ambitious targets for the reduction of the administrative burden on SMEs by June of this year, and would also like to see better assessment of the costs and benefits for SMEs of proposed EU legislation in future.

Cyber-attacks in the EU

Members heard Council and Commission statements on recent cyber-attacks on EU and national public and private institutions, particularly in light of the EU digitalisation agenda, as part of a joint debate, including an oral question on the future EU cybersecurity strategy. The 230 000 daily new malware infections detected by the ENISA cybersecurity agency between January 2019 and April 2020, give an idea of the scale of the issue. Members also adopted a resolution on the EU’s cybersecurity strategy for the digital decade.

European Citizens’ Initiative ‘End the cage age’

With nearly 1.4 million signatures, the European citizens’ initiative, ‘End the cage age‘ has gained sufficient support to oblige the European Commission to propose legislation to ban the use of the remaining cages, farrowing crates, stalls and pens still authorised in the EU for a range of livestock. Members debated and adopted a resolution, based on an Agriculture & Rural Development (AGRI) report, proposing to phase out cages in farming, possibly by 2027.

Parliament’s right of inquiry

In 2012, Parliament proposed to revise the regulation of its right of inquiry, whereby a majority in Parliament may set up a temporary committee of inquiry to investigate alleged contraventions or maladministration in the implementation of Union law. Although the Parliament has the right of initiative, adoption of the regulation is subject to a special legislative procedure requiring Council and Commission consent, which has not been forthcoming to date. Seeking to break the deadlock on strengthening Parliament’s right of inquiry, the Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Committee sought assurance from both the Commission and the Council that they will engage in good-faith political dialogue with the Parliament to reach agreement. While both Council and Commission representatives claimed to be ready to cooperate with Parliament on this file, both underlined that they could not agree to the text unless Parliament changed several aspects.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

Members confirmed the mandate for negotiations by the Regional Development (REGI) Committee on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Plenary round-up – June I 2021‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

TASR: Szlovákiában laboratóriumi vizsgálatok során bebizonyosodott az új koronavírus ún. kolumbiai változatának (B.1.621) jelenléte – közölte a TASR-rel Daša Račková, az SZK Közegészségügyi Hivatalának szóvivője.