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In dieser Notiz für die Medien werden die geplanten Briefings und praktische Unterstützung für Medienschaffende, die vom 6.-9. Juni über die Europawahl berichten, näher erläutert.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2024 - EP

Ez a médiatájékoztató ismerteti a június 6-9-i európai parlamenti választásokról tudósító újságírók számára elérhető tájékoztatókat és gyakorlati segítséget.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2024 - EP

This media advisory outlines the briefings and practical assistance available to journalists covering the 6-9 June European elections.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

This media advisory outlines the briefings and practical assistance available to journalists covering the 6-9 June European elections.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Find here information on electoral rules, poll opening and closing times and candidates for the 2024 European election in EU member states, as well as useful figures.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Find here information on electoral rules, poll opening and closing times and candidates for the 2024 European election in EU member states, as well as useful figures.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Find here information on electoral rules, poll opening and closing times and candidates for the 2024 European election in EU member states, as well as useful figures.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Find here information on electoral rules, poll opening and closing times and candidates for the 2024 European election in EU member states, as well as useful figures.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

L'ANC a dominé l'Afrique du Sud au cours des 30 dernières années, mais il doit désormais se tourner vers l'avenir.

L'ANC a dominé l'Afrique du Sud au cours des 30 dernières années, mais il doit désormais se tourner vers l'avenir.

L'ANC a dominé l'Afrique du Sud au cours des 30 dernières années, mais il doit désormais se tourner vers l'avenir.

Sean White, a former Irish Defence Forces Brigadier General, with over 38 years of active military service, has been appointed EDA Director for Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE) as of June 2024. In his capacity as ISE Director, he will oversee the work of the ISE Directorate and its respective units: Industry Strategy and EU Policies; Critical Enablers; Single European Sky; and Operations, Training and Exercises.

“In the context of the European Defence Industrial Strategy and the ongoing work related to the implementation of the Strategic Compass, I am looking forward to leading and promoting the work of the ISE Directorate and its units. This work is especially important in contributing to the promotion and strengthening of the Union’s Defence Technological and Industrial Base as well as focusing on the 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities”, Mr White said upon taking up his duties.

Before joining EDA, Mr. White’s most recent appointment was as Director of Communications Information Systems and Cyber Defence at the rank of Brigadier General in the European Union Military Staff.  

During his wide-ranging military career Mr White held domestic and overseas appointments in a variety of military command, staff and senior leadership roles, as well as focusing on specific projects involving financial services design, information technology consultancy, information management design, CIS procurement, and medical operations delivery. In his most recent position as Director of CIS & Cyber Defence of the EUMS, he worked closely with colleagues in the EEAS to promote the military dimension of the new EU Policy on Cyber Defence particularly as it pertains to the proposed establishment of an EU Cyber Domain Coordination Centre.  

In addition, he has also worked with military and industrial stakeholders in the functional military analysis related to the proposed next-generation EU Command and Control System for the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC). His previous international military service included three tours of duty in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and one each in Somalia (UNOSOM), Kosovo (KFOR) and Chad (EUFOR TChad/RCA).

Mr White is originally from Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo, and was educated at Summerhill College. He holds a Master’s Degree in Information Management and Technology from the United Kingdom Defence Academy (Cranfield University), a Master’s Degree in Leadership, Management and Defence Studies and a Higher Diploma in Information Management and Technology from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the National University of Ireland Galway and Data Protection qualifications from the Irish Law Society and King’s Inns Dublin. 

 

Written by Velina Lilyanova.

To protect the EU’s financial interests and detect fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest, it is necessary to know who benefits from EU funds. However, publicly available data are currently fragmented and often incomplete, complicating the process of identifying the final beneficiaries of EU funding. The European Parliament and its Committee on Budgetary Control have consistently called for transparency in the allocation and use of EU funds. The ultimate goal is to enable the tracing of funds, and ensure targeted and effective EU spending. When it comes to the EU’s Next Generation EU recovery instrument and its main component, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Parliament has maintained its focus on ensuring transparency.

The RRF is a temporary instrument designed to release substantial financial support to EU Member States within a limited time (December 2026 at the latest). It is performance-based: unlike other EU spending programmes, RRF payments to Member States are not linked to the eligibility of a beneficiary, project, and declared costs, but to the satisfactory achievement of predefined milestones and targets. Funds enter the national budget and are further distributed within the Member State. Because of these characteristics, as well as its size and the timing and purpose of the instrument’s creation (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), public interest in how RRF funds are spent is high. Parliament has thus sought to increase the transparency of RRF implementation by introducing the requirement for Member States to report regularly on the 100 largest final beneficiaries of RRF funds, and publish the data on dedicated national online portals. Information as to where and on what RRF funds are spent is meant to increase the transparency of how the EU helps address common challenges, and improve its credibility. This is especially important as alleged cases of fraud emerge in the media and are reported by the European Public Prosecutors Office.

Since 2023, data on the top 100 recipients has been accessible on the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. Member States are expected to continue updating the data twice a year. While all have complied, there is some concern that in practice the definition of ‘final recipient’ used in the RRF Regulation does not guarantee the desired level of transparency.

Read the complete briefing on ‘The 100 largest recipients of Recovery and Resilience Facility funds‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Au Kosovo, les statues et mémoriaux aux martyrs de l'UÇK saturent l'espace public, mais rien ou presque ne rappelle le destin des milliers de civils tombés durant la guerre de 1999 pour la liberté et l'indépendance. Hormis de rares musées privés. Reportage dans ces lieux méconnus, chargés d'émotion.

- Articles / Bombardements OTAN, Courrier des Balkans, Kosovo, Histoire, Société

Passionnée de sciences et étudiante en politique, comment Claudia Sheinbaum est-elle devenue la première femme présidente du Mexique ?

La Corée du Nord a lâché des centaines de ballons transportant des déchets en Corée du Sud, ravivant ainsi les souvenirs de la guerre de propagande que se livrent les deux parties depuis plus de 60 ans.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, says Small Island Developing States need concrete commitments for climate finance. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS

By Alison Kentish
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, Jun 3 2024 (IPS)

Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland is calling for concrete commitments to climate finance that will acknowledge the multi-dimensional vulnerability faced by the world’s small island developing states (SIDS).

There are 33 small states in the Commonwealth family, 25 of which are SIDS.

Speaking to IPS news on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda, Baroness Scotland said these nations are struggling with the devastating impacts of climate disasters and economic crises.

“This meeting (SIDS4) is pivotal, especially as we approach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline. The small states have been disproportionately affected year after year. The aspirations and hopes for the small island developing states meeting were exceptionally high,” stated the Secretary-General.

SIDS4 was held from May 27 to 30 and small island developing states leaders used the platform to address their shared challenges and propose joint solutions. The four-day conference, held every decade, featured main and side events by United Nations organizations, the private and public sector, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, youth leaders, and academia—all working towards a sustainable future for SIDS.

Baroness Scotland says the sense of urgency for action underscores the reality of life on many small island developing states, which are at the forefront of climate disasters and facing unprecedented challenges despite contributing the least to the climate crisis.

“We have witnessed a surge in climate disasters, occurring with alarming frequency. The impact is profound and the need for climate finance is urgent,” she told IPS.

A Confluence of Crises: Climate Change,  COVID-19 and Economic Shocks

The Commonwealth Secretary General says SIDS were already battling with the impacts of climate change when the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated their challenges, dealing devastating blows to their tourism-reliant economies. She says climate change has introduced new diseases, straining health systems and the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has triggered a global economic crisis, heightening food insecurity.

She says international financial institutions must factor in these realities and recognize the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities faced by SIDS.

“When a hurricane comes and takes everything that you have worked hard for, it does not take the debt with it and dump it in the ocean. It leaves you with more debt at a higher rate.”

“We are not just asking for sympathy or charity. We are asking for concrete actions and commitments to help us adapt to the changing climate and build resilience in the face of disasters.”

SIDS Leaders: An Urgent, Joint Message

The Secretary-General cited the sense of urgency felt and articulated by SIDS leaders such as Prime Ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados and Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda.

“Our leaders are stepping up,” she said. “All of our leaders of the small island developing states are saying, ‘we have to move.”

As the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting approaches, the Secretary-General is hoping to see a continuation of the momentum gained at the SIDS meeting. She stressed the importance of SIDS4 commitments being part of concrete actions at upcoming regional and international meetings, including the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, the Pacific Islands Forum and the United Nations General Assembly.

The Path Forward

The theme of hope echoed throughout the conference and Baroness Scotland says she too, is hopeful for a resilient future for SIDS, but she says some of that optimism rests on the equitable distribution of climate finance. She says SIDS receive only 1.5% of the UN’s climate funding, despite being disproportionately affected by climate change.

“We are asking for a fair share of the resources that are available to address the climate crisis,” she said. “We are asking for a recognition of our vulnerability and a commitment to help us build a more sustainable future.

There has been a push for specific, actionable plans that can be implemented across various regional meetings and global forums.

The Commonwealth is doing its part. She points to the Climate Finance Access Hub, located in Mauritius, as a source of pride. Through this initiative, member states receive assistance in applying for climate funds, but using data from a number of the world’s leading scientific bodies, including the British Space Agency.  A number of small islands, including Fiji, have benefited from the Hub.

“We managed to get USD 5.7 million for Fiji to create a nature-based seawall,” she said. “And USD 21.8 million for Antigua, Dominica, and Grenada. This is real money, but our countries need to do more to implement the changes.”

At SIDS4 there has been a concerted effort to ensure that while the vulnerabilities of small island developing states are recognized, their strength and resolve are brought to the fore. The conference showcased their struggles, but also their resilience and the fact that with concrete action from the international community, SIDS can have a bright future.

“We are not just talking about the next meeting or the next conference,” Baroness Scotland says. “We are talking about the future of our nations and the future of our people. We are talking about the need for urgent action to address the climate crisis and build a more sustainable world for all.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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IPS UN Bureau, IPS UN Bureau Report, Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), Antigua, Barbuda, Climate Change Justice, Climate Justice

Related Articles

• Uniting for Climate Action: UN, World Bank and UNDRR Leaders Push for Climate Finance, Justice and Nature-Based Solutions for SIDS
• Small Island Nations Demand Urgent Global Action at SIDS4 Conference
• Countdown to Critical Conference for Small Island Developing States

A rendőrség ismételten figyelmeztet arra, hogy az alkoholfogyasztás utáni vezetés rendkívül veszélyes, és súlyos következményekkel járhat. A múlt hétvégén Debrecenben három sofőr is a jogosítványát veszítette, miután ittas állapotban balesetet okozott.

A balesetek sorozata szombaton este kezdődött. Egy 24 éves férfi a Monostorpályi úton elvesztette az uralmát a járműve felett, és több fának is nekicsapódott. Szerencsére a balesetben senki sem sérült meg. Alig egy órával később, a 48-as főúton egy 37 éves férfi sodródott le az útról egy körforgalomban, és egy szalagkorlátnak ütközött. A sofőrrel szemben kiderült, hogy nem sokkal korábban egy másik autónak is nekiment, de itt sem történt személyi sérülés.

A harmadik baleset a Nyíl utcán történt, ahol egy 45 éves férfi figyelmetlenül akart kihajtani a parkolósávból a forgalomba, és nem vette észre a mögötte haladó autót. Az ütközésben ketten megsérültek.

Mindhárom sofőrnél pozitív eredményt mutatott az alkoholszonda, sőt, kettőjüknél a véralkoholszint a bűncselekményi értékhatár közel négyszerese volt. A rendőrök a helyszínen elvették a jogosítványukat, és járművezetés ittas állapotban elkövetett vétség miatt büntetőeljárást indítottak ellenük.

A debreceni rendőrök a hétvége folyamán további három ittas sofőrt is kiszűrtek a forgalomból, akik balesetet szerencsére nem okoztak. Hazánkban zéró tolerancia van érvényben az ittas vezetéssel szemben, ami azt jelenti, hogy a gépjárművezetőknek szigorúan tilos alkoholt fogyasztaniuk a volán mögött ülve, és vezetés előtt egyaránt. A rendőrség hangsúlyozza, hogy az ittas vezetés rendkívüli kockázatot jelent, nemcsak a sofőrre, de a többi közlekedőre is.

The post Három ittas sofőr okozott balesetet Debrecenben egy éjszaka alatt appeared first on Biztonságpiac.

Written by Tarja Laaninen.

As social media has become the main gateway to information for many young people, how will it influence the youth vote in the 2024 European elections? The turnout among young people in the 2019 European elections was relatively high, and many hope for a repeat performance in June this year. But ahead of the 2024 elections, the main European institutions have largely ‘excluded’ themselves from one of the most popular video-sharing platforms among young people – TikTok – over data security concerns. Social media in itself is a difficult phenomenon to study, as recommendation algorithms mean that everyone sees different content.

Social media as a new campaign front in elections

According to Eurostat, 84 % of young people in the EU used the internet to participate in social media networks during 2022. Social media platforms have thus become a significant channel for political campaigning. As an example, the spring 2023 parliamentary elections in Finland were dubbed the ‘first TikTok elections‘, with some of the young candidates gaining publicity – and a seat in the parliament – quite possibly thanks to their visibility in the social media used by teens and young adults. Back then, some 70 % of 18-21 year-olds said they had seen political advertising on TikTok. Social media platforms are also the dominant news sources for 16-24 year-olds. TikTok, as the 24/7 news channel for many young people, has surged in popularity in recent years in Europe, particularly against rivals such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Fact-checking services have found that social media platforms’ recommendation systems have a ‘funnelling effect‘, promoting a narrow selection of videos and narrowing the range of views to which users are exposed. There are concerns, but not yet enough research, as to whether social media and its recommendation algorithms are pushing users into bubbles, echo chambers with like-minded users, or even to ‘rabbit holes’ towards increasingly extreme content.

Young people’s participation in European elections and their media habits

The European Youth Forum has been campaigning to lower the voting age to 16; this is a national competence, however, and is therefore for the Member States to decide. In the 2024 European elections, four Member States (Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria) will allow their citizens to vote from the age of 16, and in Greece the voting age is 17.

After declining ever since the first European elections in 1979, electoral turnout in the 2019 elections rose by 8 percentage points compared with 2014, reaching 50.6 %. This increase was driven by a surge in youth participation. The results of a Eurobarometer survey on youth and democracy published on 13 May 2024 show that 64 % of young people (aged 15 to 30) plan to vote in the upcoming European elections. However, 19 % of young people say they are not interested in politics and 13 % say they are not interested in voting. Although voting was considered the most effective action for making their voices heard by decision-makers, ‘engaging in social media’ came in second place, selected by 32 % of the young respondents.

A 2023 European Parliament study highlights that ‘young people have never withdrawn from politics or become inactive, but engage in various forms’. Social media is the preferred channel for young people’s online political engagement, offering the possibility to mobilise a massive number of people, at an incredible speed, across borders. On social media, young people inform themselves about politics and current affairs that they consider relevant to them.

The Eurobarometer News & Media Survey 2023 showed that, while older respondents have a preference for using the website of the news source (of a newspaper etc.) to access news, younger respondents are more likely read articles or posts that appear in their online social networks, or content shared by friends on messaging apps. Compared with the previous survey conducted in 2022, the use of TikTok as an online social media platform had increased across all age groups.

Examples of EU policies affecting social media ahead of the elections

In its meeting of 15 May 2024, the European Commission discussed the danger of disinformation accelerating ahead of the June elections. ‘Disinformation is on the rise, cheaper to produce with artificial intelligence and more widely distributed through social media’, Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová warned. The Commission had identified narratives that are pushed to undermine trust in media and election processes, and warned about deepfake video or audio clips trying to discredit candidates shortly before the elections.

In February 2023, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council banned their staff from using TikTok on their devices using work-related apps, owing to cyber security concerns. The Parliament also blocks the app on its internal Wi-Fi. However, during the winter and spring of 2024, ahead of the European elections, many of the candidates and the Parliament finally went back on the app, considering their presence on TikTok to be essential if they want to reach young voters.

The Commission has taken numerous actions regarding social platforms under the recent Digital Services Act – for example, requesting more information from X on its content moderation activities, in particular curtailing its team of content moderators and reducing linguistic coverage from eleven EU languages to seven. The Commission has also opened probes into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok. Although critical voices in the fact-checking community point out that these probes are too late to make a change ahead of the European elections, they will be useful for the future.

A strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation, signed by 44 companies – including Google, Meta and TikTok – was set up in 2022. The signatories committed to taking action in several areas to combat disinformation, inter alia setting up a rapid response system to ensure swift cooperation during election periods. Originally among the signatories, X later withdrew from the code in May 2023.

A year ahead of the elections, the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) established a Task Force on the 2024 European Elections. The EDMO fact-checking network, covering all 27 EU Member States, has been publishing daily, weekly and monthly reports analysing disinformation narratives and trends linked to the European elections at national, regional and European level, as well as investigations to counter disinformation. Examples of disinformation circulating ahead of the elections include the EU ‘forcing people to eat insect food‘ against their will, and various themes linked to the Green Deal, such as the EU wanting to ban repairing cars older than 15 years. In Germany, false stories about how to use voting ballots have been circulating that would actually make the vote invalid.

On 21 May 2024, the Council approved conclusions on safeguarding elections from foreign interference, providing an overview of the various mechanisms that the EU has at its disposal. On 10 May, Eurostat also launched a temporary fact-checking service for the election period.

Possible future steps

According to the 2023 News & Media Eurobarometer, 79 % of young Europeans (aged between 15 and 24) follow influencers – content creators who post content on social media and video-sharing platforms – while only 14 % of those aged over 55 do so. In the meeting of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Ministers on 14 May 2024, the Council adopted conclusions on the rise of influencers as part of the EU’s media ecosystem, noting that influencers are having an increasing impact on the online content and information that people consume on a daily basis in the EU. While this impact is often positive, it can potentially be harmful, both to individuals’ mental health and at a societal level in areas such as democracy. The Council conclusions stress that influencers need media literacy skills to understand the potential negative impact of sharing mis- and disinformation, online hate speech, cyberbullying and other illegal or harmful content.

Among the recommendations proposed by the EU Youth Conference – held in March 2024 in Ghent, Belgium, as part of the 10th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue – is a proposal to implement critical thinking workshops in schools, enabling youngsters to gain long-term critical thinking and media literacy skills. The youth representatives also proposed that the EU should, in cooperation with the Member States, establish a campaign for young people on how to identify quality information and fight disinformation.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Youth, social media and the European elections‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

L'homme d'affaires, qui fut le « banquier du DPS », est emprisonné au Monténégro depuis son extradition de Grande-Bretagne le 30 avril. Duško Knežević promet de tout révéler sur Milo Đukanović... À condition d'être remis en liberté.

- Le fil de l'Info / Courrier des Balkans, Monténégro, Corruption Monténégro, Défense, police et justice, Politique intérieure