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The European Union (EU) has nine outermost territories shared between France, Spain and Portugal. Although geographically distant, these overseas territories are an essential part of the EU.

To end violence against women, MEPs call on the EU to accede to and all member states to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

To end violence against women, MEPs call on the EU to accede to and all member states to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

Le ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique est à pied d’œuvre pour préparer la prochaine Conférence nationale des universités. Le rendez-vous qui se tiendra prochainement devra discuter, entre autres, des projets de Tayeb Bouzid sur l’utilisation de l’anglais et la révision du système LMD. Périscoop

The post L’anglais et le système LMD comme priorité pour Tayeb Bouzid appeared first on .

MEPs on Thursday demanded new "free, inclusive and transparent" elections as soon as possible in Bolivia, after the president Evo Morales resigned under pressure from post-electorion protests and the military forces. MEPs reminded interim president Jeanine Áñez that she is obliged to quickly call new presidential elections, pointing out that this is "the only way out of the current crisis".

Outgoing EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will have access to some of the executive's resources for five years after leaving office, a commission spokeswoman said Thursday. Juncker can have an office provided by the commission, access to non-confidential information, such as figures and latest policy developments, and press articles. Juncker will also have access to a commission driver if he is called to perform as former commission chief.

Image by Paula Kaspar from Pixabay

By Esther Ngumbi
ILLINOIS, United States, Nov 28 2019 (IPS)

Recently, Italy declared a State of Emergency because of record-breaking flooding while on 11 November, it did not rain anywhere on the continent of Australia, also breaking a record.

These are not the first record-breaking events of 2019. In July, Alaska, recorded temperature of 90 degrees, shattering previous records. During the same month, Mexico experienced a record-breaking hailstorm. In the preceding month, France experienced record-breaking temperatures, with a heat wave pushing the temperatures to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, as all the new record-breaking events, it is hard not to pause for a moment and wonder about the next record-breaking event and how many more we will see as climate change grows to be a bigger and bigger problem. What would it be? Where? When?  Who would be most impacted?

It is also clear that both wealthy and developing countries as well as the rich and poor are at risk, though the poor see a disproportionate impact on their daily lives. Collectively, humanity is at risk

One thing that is clear is that the impact of climate change has no boundaries. Every one of us regardless of the geographical region in which we live is prone to be impacted by climate change. It is also clear that both wealthy and developing countries as well as the rich and poor are at risk, though the poor see a disproportionate impact on their daily lives. Collectively, humanity is at risk.

What struck me most with the Italy record-breaking event is the areas and sectors affected most—tourism, museums and many other historically important and world famous monuments.  Impacted too by this event was Venice’s regional council building.

This departure from the traditional impact of climate change begs for the need to think outside the box and broaden our take on the impact climate change will have now and, in the years, to come. It also begs that we prepare, and act with a sense of urgency to mitigate climate change in order to prevent other catastrophic outcomes.

How then do we facilitate this thinking out of the box about climate change? How do we ensure that collectively, humanity understands that the impacts of climate change are borderless?  How best do we prepare for this new normal?

As a scientist, I know well that science has some of the answers.

We can turn to the power of predictive data to help determine where possible extreme events linked to a changing climate, such as flooding, excessive heating and droughts, would happen.  Sophisticated algorithms and statistical techniques such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive modelling come into play to analyze data related to rainfall patterns, land temperature and other factors.

Data can then be used to send early warning about upcoming climate change-related events. By providing timely information based on predictive data, we can reduce risks and better prepare for effective response and early interventions.

One of the areas where predictive data is used is in predicting hurricanes. With data collected from various satellites including National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellites, the National Hurricane Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather service is able to forecast hurricanes. Once forecasted, the agency issues warning and public advisories.  As a result, early actions are taken.

Of course, the use of predictive data is not a silver bullet. We must continue other urgent measures including broadening the framing around climate change discussions so that everyone understands what is at stake when we choose not to care. This includes nurturing all the voices that are speaking out and calling for the need to act with urgency.

Importantly, there is need to listen to fresh ideas and voices coming from all regions of the world. One way to bring fresh thinking into the climate change discussion is to encourage more diverse experts from all regions of the world to contribute their ideas and thoughts by either writing opinion pieces or appearing in radio and TV interviews.

As such, the work by OpEd Project and the Aspen Institute New Voices program, that groom experts from developing countries so that they can contribute their thoughts in global discussions about climate change and other emerging challenges must be lauded. Such programs should continue.

Clearly, 2019, marks the beginnings of new normal. As such we must strive to think outside the box as we continue reaching out to everyday citizens from every part of the world with the message that everyone — regardless of their geographical location, their wealth and class, and stance on climate change –stands to be affected. We must act with urgency.

 

Dr. Esther Ngumbi is an Assistant Professor at the Entomology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She is a Senior Food security fellow with the Aspen Institute and has written opinion pieces for various outlets including NPR, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Aljazeera and New York Times. You can follow Esther on Twitter @EstherNgumbi.

The post Climate Change-Related New Record-Breaking Events: It’s Time to Think Outside the Box appeared first on Inter Press Service.

After the opening by the Head of Agency and keynote speeches by European Commission Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, General Claudio Graziano, attendees of EDA’s 2019 Annual Conference witnessed a lively and inspiring high-level strategic debate on the future of European defence featuring three Defence Ministers: François Bausch of Luxembourg, João Gomes Cravinho of Portugal, and Thomas Starlinger of Austria.

Moderated by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, the debate showed a common understanding on the fact that all EU Member States' armed forces have a lot to gain from enhanced defence cooperation and a more coherent and integrated capability planning and development framework in Europe, both in terms of efficiency (cost savings) and interoperability. "We lack efficiency and could be much more effective and save money if we worked closer together", said Minister Bausch.

All the required tools for moving into that direction are now in place with the revised Capability Development Plan (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), "but the crucial task laying ahead of us now is to create a smooth and efficient workflow among them", including with the European Commission's new DG on Defence Industry & Space, "and to implement and use them in the right way", said Minister Starlinger. Three aspects are particularly important in this respect, the Austrian Defence Minister added: first, that Member States remain in the driving seat when it comes to prioritisation of the defence capabilities needed; second, that we don't reinvent the wheel and, instead, use the tools, processes and assets we have already in place; and third, that we ensure there is coherence among the various EU defence initiatives and the actors driving them.

Portuguese Minister Gomes Cravinho thought that the successful setting up of CARD, PESCO and the EDF showed that the EU was "on the right track" at a technical level.On the political level, however, more needs to be done to move towards a more common defence policy in Europe, he stressed. The need for progress on the political level, especially with a view to shaping a common defence policy, was highlighted by all participants. Things are moving into the right direction with the new EU tools which show that, in the capability domain, "we are going from a national, industrial driven process to a multilateral, European approach", said Minister Starlinger.

The three Ministers also agreed that EU defence cooperation was in no way directed against NATO,"which will remain the cornerstone of our collective defence" as Minister Bausch put it, but that, on the contrary, a stronger European defence will also strengthen NATO. "NATO's efficiency will also rely on how successfully EU countries can strengthen their respective defences", said the Luxembourg Minister.

Asked what the most urgent next steps would be in order to move the Europe of Defence forward, the three Ministers agreed once more: it is the need to develop a common defence policy in Europe which goes beyond purely national interests, "because no country alone can face the new challenges ahead of us". 
 

More information:

• Welcome speech by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq
• Speech by Michel Barnier (European Commission Chief Negotiator)
• Speech by General Claudio Graziano, Chairman of EU Military Committee

440462 Marina Živaljević

On 27 November, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro Maryse Daviet congratulated the management, employees and citizens on the anniversary of National Public Broadcaster (RTCG) for 75 years of Radio and 55 years of Television of Montenegro.

“On behalf of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, it is my great pleasure to convey to you and your colleagues sincere congratulations on the anniversary marking 75 years of Radio and 55 years of Television. Moreover, I take this opportunity to wish the Public Service Broadcaster a successful completion of the digitalization process,” said Daviet in a Letter of Congratulations sent to RTCG Director-General Božidar Šundić.

Daviet said that the digitalization process had been a very comprehensive and important endeavour, which will now provide the RTCG with the much needed signal quality and faster information flow.

“I am confident that the RTCG will continue to improve its programmatic content, and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro will remain a partner in the process,” said Daviet.

C'est la salle de conférence du ministère du travail et de la fonction publique qui a servi de cadre au lancement du projet « Sauvons les médias traditionnels, médias sociaux et la presse en ligne ».

La cérémonie s'est déroulée devant une forte mobilisation des professionnels des médias et des consommateurs de la presse.
Donner un nouveau sens au métier de journalisme au Bénin à travers la vulgarisation du code du numérique. C'est le combat de l'actuelle mandature de l'Observatoire de l'éthique et de la déontologie dans les médias (Odem).
Le président du comité d'organisation du lancement dudit projet, Adrien Tchomakou, a déclaré que « l'avènement du numérique crée de bouleversements dans le secteur des médias, tant sur le fonctionnement des organes de presse que sur leur devenir ». Il indique que « la convergence numérique entraîne petit à petit une confusion des métiers ».
« L'émergence de nouveaux acteurs, la multiplication des nouveaux supports et services de communication numérique, le changement du comportement des consommateurs amènent à repenser le modèle de la presse béninoise », a-t-il indiqué.
La Présidente de l'UPMB, Zakiath Latoundji, salue l'initiative. Elle confie que L'Upmb se réjouit de cette initiative et ajoute qu'« Un projet de vulgarisation du code du numérique et des médias ne peuvent qu'être salué ». Zakiath Latoundji souligne que « L'objectif est de permettre l'appropriation du code à tout le monde. L'approche utilisée est à saluer. L'UPMB reste disponible à soutenir l'initiative ».
Saturnin Hounkpè, 1er Vice président CNPA, fait le constat qu'aujourd'hui le numérique prend le dessus sur tout. Déplorant la situation, il souligne que « Ce que nous observons est que notre mode de gestion disparaît ». « Je voudrais rassurer l'Odem que nous sommes disponibles à soutenir l'action », a-t-il ajouté.
Le président de l'Odem, Eric Sounnouvi, explique sa vision du projet. « L'arrivée du numérique a été accueillie avec tous les problèmes. Les déviances constatées risquent de mettre à mal la cohésion, la stabilité de l'Etat », a-t-il indiqué.
« Les professionnels des médias, vous les voyez professionnels dans leur rôle mais quand ils sont sur les réseaux sociaux, c'est les déviances totale, l'amateurisme », a-t-il déploré.
« Nous avons pensé qu'il faut vulgariser le livre 6 du code du numérique », a-t-il indiqué. A l'entendre, il s'agira de mettre un numéro vert à la disposition des consommateurs pour leur permettre d'opiner. Il sera question aussi de la création des clubs de redevabilité médias consommateurs. Le projet entend aussi et surtout vulgariser le code du numérique en son livre 6 et à le traduire en cinq langues afin de permettre aux radios locales de l'utiliser pour sensibiliser les populations à la base.
« Nous savons que la liberté de la presse est un des fondamentaux de la démocratie. Mais cette liberté doit être encadrée pour éviter des dérapages››.
‹‹Je ferai tout mon possible pour les accompagner dans cette mission », a promis Arlette Dossou-Yovo, la marraine du projet.

G.A.

Jogerősen 180 ezer forint pénzbüntetésre ítélte a bíróság azt a polgárőrt, aki az önkormányzati választások éjszakáján – miután a parókián italozott – megrongálta a Trianon-emlékművet a Heves megyei Ecséden – tudatta a megyei főügyészség.

“A településen szabadidejében polgárőrként tevékenykedő vádlott 2019. október 13-án, vasárnap egy baráti társaság tagjaként a helyi parókián tartózkodott, ahol nagyobb mennyiségű szeszes italt fogyasztott, mialatt az aznapi önkormányzati választások eredményére várakozott. Mivel ezek csak késő este váltak ismertté, már 23 óra is elmúlt, mikor az erősen ittas férfi hazaindult” – idézte fel az eseményeket az ügyészség.

Hozzátették: útja az egyik téren 2017-ben felállított, süttői mészkőből készült Trianon-emlékmű mellett vezetett el. “A vádlott itt megállt, majd indulatosan rángatni kezdte az embermagasságú díszoszlopot, mely végül ledőlt a talapzatáról és a térkőből készült burkolatra zuhant”; az alkotás részét képező Szent Korona megrongálódott, annak több darabja letört.

Az ügyészség tudatta: a vádlott mintegy 800 ezer forint kárt okozott a helyi önkormányzatnak.

A Hatvani Járási Ügyészség rongálás bűntettével vádolta a tettét beismerő elkövetőt, akit soron kívüli eljárásban állítottak bíróság elé, ahol pénzbüntetésre ítélték, az önkormányzat polgári jogi igényét ugyanakkor egyéb törvényes útra utasították. A 49 éves helyi férfi vállalta a kártérítést és “ígéretet tett arra is, hogy testületi ülésen kér bocsánatot viselkedéséért” – olvasható a közleményben.

To return to stability, Bolivia needs to hold new “free, inclusive and transparent” elections as soon as possible, MEPs said on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

To return to stability, Bolivia needs to hold new “free, inclusive and transparent” elections as soon as possible, MEPs said on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

To return to stability, Bolivia needs to hold new “free, inclusive and transparent” elections as soon as possible, MEPs said on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

To return to stability, Bolivia needs to hold new “free, inclusive and transparent” elections as soon as possible, MEPs said on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

To return to stability, Bolivia needs to hold new “free, inclusive and transparent” elections as soon as possible, MEPs said on Thursday.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

440456 Marina Živaljević

At the initiative of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality, the Montenegrin Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced the Government’s intention to pilot gender responsive budgeting in the next cycle of the agro budget within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The initiative, supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, was presented at a press conference on 26 November 2019 in Podgorica.

Nada Drobnjak, Chairperson of the Gender Equality Committee, said that gender responsive budgeting is a powerful instrument of economic policy and a tool to transform society. It makes sense to pilot gender responsive budgeting within the agro budget. While 65 per cent of rural women work on farms, only 13 percent are landowners. “Women’s entrepreneurship must be supported and nurtured. Gender responsive budgeting will help break barriers and enable women to participate equally in agro-budget programmes,” said Drobnjak.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Maryse Daviet, said that the Mission has worked closely with the Parliament. The way budgets are constructed, in both politics and life, is at the core of most issues. “Today is an important day. Gender responsive budgeting is a tool to ensure that the needs of men and boys, women and girls are addressed fairly,” said Daviet.

Đuro Žugić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that accepting the OSCE’s recommendations and analysis is a deliberate step to focus budget allocations in order to improve the position of women in the countryside.

Bojan Paunović, Director General of the State Budget Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, said that the department started in early 2019 to implement the multi-annual budgetary framework and its further programme development. “Through this reform process, gender responsive budgeting is envisaged to be an integral part of the programme budget and its entire cycle,” said Paunović.

The OSCE-engaged expert in gender issues, Marija Risteska, said that the analysis showed that gender budgeting was a tool to evaluate how policies affect men and women.  Based on her assessment, she recommended to include a gender perspective into the Ministry's sectoral analysis and to take measures that would meet the needs of rural women.

The European economy is one of the biggest in the world. We tend to forget that we have more than 500 million consumers and an economy worth 15.9 trillion euros, meaning more than China and almost as much as the...

Minden uniós tervezetnek ezentúl figyelembe kell vennie, hogy 1,5 fok alatt maradjon a globális felmelegedés mértéke és ne csökkenjen a biodiverzitás

In an interview with EURACTIV, Michaela Pichler, secretary-general of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC), spoke about the importance of whole grains, but also about the lack of industry standards, labelling and promotion of whole grain foods.