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Americas Lockheed Martin won a $46 million order by the US Navy, which provides non-recurring engineering for the development, integration, testing, and deployment of the MH-60 aircraft product line system configuration 26 fleet release for all MH-60 air platform variants, to include baseline management integrated management planning, integrated development environment support, support equipment baseline management, […]

Die am DIW Berlin angesiedelte forschungsbasierte Infrastruktureinrichtung Sozio-oekonomisches

Panel (SOEP) sucht zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine

studentische Hilfskraft (w/m/div)

für 15 Wochenstunden.

 

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

“The Teachers’ Lounge” by German director Ilker Çatak won the 2024 LUX European Audience Film Award on Tuesday, in a ceremony in Parliament’s hemicycle in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

“The Teachers’ Lounge” by German director Ilker Çatak won the 2024 LUX European Audience Film Award on Tuesday, in a ceremony in Parliament’s hemicycle in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Der Film „Das Lehrerzimmer“ des deutschen Regisseurs Ilker Çatak erhielt am Dienstag auf einer Zeremonie im Plenarsaal des Europäischen Parlaments in Brüssel den LUX-Publikumspreis 2024.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2024 - EP

“The Teachers’ Lounge” by German director Ilker Çatak won the 2024 LUX European Audience Film Award on Tuesday, in a ceremony in Parliament’s hemicycle in Brussels.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Leide Aparecida Souza, president of the Association of Residents of the Genipapo Settlement in the rural area of Acreúna, a municipality in central-western Brazil, stands next to breads and pastries from the bakery where 14 rural women work. The women's empowerment and self-esteem have been boosted by the fact that they earn their own income, which is more stable than from farming, and provide an important service to their community. CREDIT: Marina Carolina / IPS

By Mario Osava
ACREÚNA/ORIZONA, Brazil , Apr 16 2024 (IPS)

A bakery, fruit pulp processing and water pumped from springs are empowering women farmers in Goiás, a central-eastern state of Brazil. New renewable energy sources are driving the process.

“We work in the shade and have a secure, stable income, not an unsteady one like in farming. We cannot control the price of milk, nor droughts or pests in the crops,” said Leide Aparecida Souza, who runs a bakery in the rural area of Acreúna, a municipality of 21,500 inhabitants in central Goiás."The Network is the link between the valorization of rural women, family farming and the energy transition. We chose family farmers because they are the ones who produce healthy food." -- Jessyane Ribeiro

The bakery supplies a variety of breads, including cheese buns and hot dog buns, as well as pastries, cakes and biscuits to some 3,000 students in the municipality’s school network, for the government’s school feeding program, which provides family farming with at least 30 percent of its purchases. Welfare institutions are also customers.

The bakery is an initiative of the women of the Genipapo Settlement, established in 1999 by 27 families, as part of the agrarian reform program implemented in Brazil after the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, which has so far settled 1.3 million families on land of their own.

Genipapo, the name chosen for the settlement, is a fruit of the Cerrado, the savannah that dominates a large central area of Brazil. Each settled family received 44 hectares of land and local production is concentrated on soybeans, cassava and its flour, corn, dairy cattle and poultry.

Six solar panels will reduce the costs of the women’s bakery, installed on the former estate where 27 families were given land in Acreúna, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, as part of the country’s ongoing agrarian reform program. CREDIT: Mario Osava / IPS

 

Bakery empowers rural women

The women of the Association of Residents of the Genipapo Settlement decided to create a bakery as a new source of income 16 years ago. They also gained self-esteem and autonomy by earning their own money. In general, agricultural and livestock income is controlled by the husbands.

Each of the women working at the bakery earns about 1,500 reais (300 dollars) a month, six percent more than the national minimum wage. “We started with 21 participants, now we have 14 available for work, because some moved or quit,” Souza said.

A year ago, the project obtained a solar energy system with six photovoltaic panels from the Women of the Earth Energy project, promoted by the Gepaaf Rural Consultancy, with support from the Socio-environmental Fund of the Caixa Econômica Federal, the regional bank focused on social questions, and the public Federal University of Goiás (UFG).

Gepaaf is the acronym for Management and Project Development in Family Farming Consultancy and its origin is a study group at the UFG. The company is headquartered in Inhumas, a city of 52,000 people, 180 km from Acreúna.

Due to difficulties with the inverter, a device needed to connect the generator to the electricity distribution network, the plant only began operating in March. Now they will see if the savings will suffice to cover the approximately 300 reais (60 dollars) that the bakery’s electricity costs.

 

Iná de Cubas stands next to the biodigester that she got from the Women of the Earth Energy project in the municipality of Orizona, in the center-east of the Brazilian state of Goiás. The biogas generated benefits the productive activities of small farmers in rural settlements, as do solar plants on a family or community scale. Image: Mario Osava / IPS

“It’s not that much money, but for us every penny counts,” Souza said. Electricity is cheap in their case because it is rural and nocturnal consumption. Bread production starts at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. from Monday to Thursday, according to Maristela Vieira de Sousa, the group’s secretary.

The industrial oven they use is low-consumption and wood-burning. There is another, gas-fired oven, which is only used in emergencies, “because it is expensive,” said de Sousa. Biogas is a possibility for the future, which would use the settlement’s abundant agricultural waste products.

Alternative energies make agribusiness viable

Iná de Cubas, another beneficiary of the Women of the Earth Energy project, has a biodigester that supplies her stove, in addition to eight solar panels. They generate the energy to produce fruit pulp that also supplies the schools of Orizona, a municipality of 16,000 inhabitants in central-eastern Goiás.

The solar plant, installed two years ago, made the business viable by eliminating the electricity bill, which was high because the two refrigerators needed to store fruit and pulp consume a lot of electricity.

The abundance of fruit residues provides the inputs for biogas production, an innovation in a region where manure is more commonly used.

The refrigerators in which Iná de Cubas keeps the fruit and fruit pulp that she prepares for sale to schools in Orizona in central Brazil consume a great deal of electricity. CREDIT: Mario Osava / IPS

“I only use an additional load of animal feces when I need more biogas,” said Cubas, who gets the manure from her neighbor’s cows, since she does not raise livestock.

On her five hectares of land, Cubas produces numerous species of fruit for her cottage industry.

In addition to typical Brazilian fruits, such as cajá or hog plum (Spondias mombin), pequi or souari nut (Caryocar brasiliense) and jabuticaba from the grapetree (Plinia cauliflora), she grows lemons, mangoes, oranges, guava and avocado, among others.

For the pulp, she also uses fruit from neighbors, mostly relatives. The distribution of her products is done through the Agroecological Association of the State of Goias (Aesagro), which groups 53 families from Orizona and surrounding areas.

Agroecology is the system used on her farm, where the family also grows rice, beans and garlic. The crops are irrigated with water pumped from nearby springs that were recovered by the diversion of a road and by fences to block access by cattle, which used to trample the banks.

“The overall aim is to strengthen family farming, the quality of life in the countryside, incomes, and care for the environment, and to offer healthy food, without poisonous chemicals, especially for schools,” explained Iná de Cubas.

Biodigesters made of steel and cement, solar energy for different purposes, including pumping water, rainwater collection and harvesting, are part of the “technologies” that the Women of the Earth Energy project is trying to disseminate, said Gessyane Ribeiro, Gepaaf’s administrator.

In the area where Iná de Cubas lives, the project installed five biodigesters and seven solar pumps for farming families, in addition to solar plants in schools, she said.

 

The eight solar panels on the roof of the Cubas family’s house, in the rural area of Orizona, make small agro-industrial processes viable, adding value to the wide diversity of native fruits from different Brazilian ecosystems, such as the Cerrado savannah and the Amazon rainforest, along with species imported throughout the country’s history. CREDIT: Mario Osava / IPS

 

Network of rural women

The Women of the Earth Energy Network, brought together by the project and coordinated by Ribeiro, operates in six areas defined by the government based on environmental, economic, social and cultural similarities. In all, it involves 42 organizations in 27 municipalities in Goiás.

The local councils choose the beneficiaries of the projects, all implemented with collective work and focused on women’s productive activities and the preservation of the Cerrado. All the beneficiaries commit themselves to contribute to a solidarity fund to finance new projects, explained agronomist Ribeiro.

“The Network is the link between the valorization of rural women, family farming and the energy transition,” she said. “We chose family farmers because they are the ones who produce healthy food.”

“We offer technological solutions that rely on the links between food, water and energy, to move towards an energy transition that can actually address climate change,” said sociologist Agnes Santos, a researcher and communicator for the Network.

Recovering and protecting springs is another of the Women’s Network’s activities.

 

Two solar panels run a pump installed in a spring in the forest to pump the water needed by the 29 cows owned by Nubia Lacerda Matias’ family in Orizona, in the state of Goiás, near Brasilia. Thus the cows stopped drinking water in the springs, which are now fenced off, vital to protect the water source for local families living downstream. CREDIT: Mario Osava / IPS

Nubia Lacerda Matias celebrates the moment she was invited to join the movement. She won a solar pump, made up of two solar panels and pipes, which bring water to her cattle that used to damage the spring, now protected by a fence and a small forest.

“It’s important not only for my family, but for the people living downhill” where a stream flows, fed by various springs along the way, she said.

But the milk from the 29 cows and corn crops on her 9.4-hectare farm are not enough to support the family with two young children. Her husband, Wanderley dos Anjos, works as a school bus driver.

Iná de Cubas’ partner, Rosalino Lopes, also works as a technician for the Pastoral Land Commission, a Catholic organization dedicated to rural workers.

In his spare time, Lopes invents agricultural machines. He assembles and combines parts of motorcycles, tractors and other tools, in an effort to fill a gap in small agriculture, undervalued by the mechanical industry and scientific research in Brazil.

La vague de chaleur mensuelle s’est poursuivi en mars et les scientifiques peinent à expliquer l'ampleur du réchauffement récent.

Since the Security Council first recognized conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) as a threat to international peace and security in 2008, the UN has developed an increasing number of pathways to prevent and respond to such crimes. One of these is the annual report of the secretary-general on CRSV, which includes an annexed list of perpetrators who are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of CRSV violations in contexts on the agenda of the Security Council. In addition, perpetrators of CRSV may also be designated in UN sanctions regimes. Yet while both of these processes aim to prevent and respond to CRSV, they are not always coherent with one another.

This paper analyzes the relationship between the annual reports of the secretary-general on CRSV and sanctions designations to provide recommendations to enhance their complementarity. It provides an overview of the CRSV annual report and the process for listing parties. It then focuses on designations in sanctions regimes for crimes related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including the level of coherence between the reporting of the secretary-general and designations in sanctions regimes. Next, the paper analyzes the reporting and political barriers that inhibit more regular designations for SGBV in sanctions regimes. Finally, it provides recommendations to the UN and member states on how to improve the coherence, coordination, and effectiveness of these processes, including the following.

For member states:

• Explicitly list SGBV as a criterion within all sanctions regimes for contexts where sexual violence may be taking place.
• Prioritize utilizing existing SGBV-related criteria as appropriate with available evidence.
• Provide additional resources for panels of experts.
• Increase coherence between the parties listed in the annual reports on CRSV and the individuals and entities designated in sanctions regimes.
• Organize an annual field visit for sanctions committees to the context in question.
• Create a standing capacity within the UN to engage with designated parties, with the aim of encouraging compliance and facilitating de-listing.

For the UN Secretariat and panels of experts:

• Establish a platform for regularly coordinating and sharing information between the office of the special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict and panels of experts.
• Institute more structured handover processes between incoming and outgoing members of panels of experts.
• Provide more robust training on SGBV for panels of experts.
• Strengthen CRSV expertise and capacity within the Security Council Affairs Division.

Dauer des Videos : 59'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2024 - EP

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2024 - EP

VIENNA, 16 April 2024 – At the 24th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, OSCE leaders and anti-trafficking experts called on the 57 OSCE participating States to move beyond awareness-raising campaigns, underscoring the urgent need to re-evaluate prevention efforts in the face of evolving trafficking tactics.  

With participation from national authorities, international and civil society organizations, and the private sector, the annual Alliance conference is a landmark event within the global anti-trafficking community.

In his opening remarks, Chair-in-Office of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Malta Ian Borg stated, “Malta is prioritizing combating trafficking in persons for our Chairpersonship of the OSCE this year. Addressing this significant threat to our security begins with the political will that is necessary to develop robust systems that empower the vulnerable members in our societies.” Underscoring the need for a joint effort to overcome this widespread issue, Chair-in-Office Borg added, “These challenges cannot be tackled by one participating State alone. As Chair of the OSCE, Malta remains committed to enhancing our collective OSCE efforts to effectively prevent this heinous crime.”

This year, there was a strong focus on uncovering lesser-known forms of trafficking, such as trafficking for forced criminality and the resulting blurred lines between victim and perpetrator. The need to update prevention efforts to target the vulnerabilities traffickers exploit – gender, social and economic inequalities, and inherent and circumstantial vulnerabilities – in their trafficking tactics was also explored during the conference.

“If we are to ever defeat trafficking, and this undoubtedly must be our shared ambition, effective approaches to prevention must be the bedrock upon which our anti-trafficking efforts are built,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid. “Preventing trafficking in human beings from taking place is the best way to truly protect vulnerable groups and deprive traffickers of the illicit proceeds the crime generates.”

During panels and break-out sessions, participants discussed concrete ways to reshape trafficking prevention. These include bridging the gap between data and action, as well as measures that can put a stop to human trafficking in its existing forms while also preventing the emergence of new forms of trafficking. With survivor experts on each panel, the conference also underscored the importance of integrating the expertise of those with lived experience of human trafficking to improve and innovate effective prevention measures.

“Traffickers prey on the marginalized and most vulnerable. But we are witnessing an emerging trend where the demographic profile of trafficking victims is also expanding, at pace with the digital developments in which we are living,” said Dr. Kari Johnstone, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Human Trafficking. “We are witnessing an evolution of trafficking where it intersects or even merges with other crimes such as drugs, or fraud and scams where perpetrators are disguised behind victims.”

More than 800 participants from the OSCE region and beyond registered for this year’s Alliance conference, with a record-breaking 481 in-person registrations, underscoring the continued impact and relevance of the OSCE’s anti-trafficking work.

More information about the 24th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons can be found here

Le beurre est riche en graisses saturées, mais la margarine est un aliment ultra-transformé. Il est extrêmement difficile de distinguer la reine des pâtes à tartiner saines.

566791 Communication and Media Relations Section

Reiterating OSCE commitments to advance gender equality and promote the inclusion of youth in the peace and security agenda, the OSCE Gender Issues Programme with the financial support of the European Union and in close co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy launched the Young Women for Peace Initiative for Central Asia.

The opening event, held on 15 April 2024 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marked the start of a two-year programme designed to empower young women in Central Asia and enhance their involvement in peace and security processes. The participants of the programme - eighteen young women change-makers from the five Central Asian countries and Afghanistan selected through a competitive process - will undergo tailored capacity-building sessions, network with peers and mentors, and receive support for cross-border projects.

Opening the event, Lara Scarpitta, OSCE Senior Advisor on Gender Issues, underscored the importance of the initiative and the profound impact of empowering young women in peacebuilding efforts. “Young women are the future of peacebuilding! Investing in them means investing in peace. Our initiative recognizes that young women face double obstacles in being both young and a woman, and takes action to empower them to play an active role in peacebuilding and conflict resolution,” she said.

Marilyn Josefson, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic stated: “Today’s launch highlights the vital role that youth and women have as change-making actors in our societies. Their unique perspectives, resilience and innovative ideas are essential in shaping sustainable and inclusive peace processes. Their energy, passion and fresh viewpoints also help us to challenge conventional wisdom and inspire creative solutions to age-old conflicts.”

During the event, participants had the opportunity to discuss concrete strategies and approaches to enhance the meaningful participation of young women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. They also identified the challenges and opportunities for young women peacebuilders in Central Asia, as well as their expectations and recommendations for the international community on how to support their work.

Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, emphasized the crucial role of young women in conflict prevention and resolution, stating that "their meaningful participation is essential for fostering peaceful and stable societies in the Central Asian region." He stressed the importance of investing in networks and providing support to young women.

The opening was also attended by the representatives of the UN Agencies, donors, and civil society organizations working on youth engagement and gender equality in Central Asia.

Following the opening event, participants of the Young Women for Peace Initiative will engage in a four-day comprehensive capacity-building program aimed at enhancing their peacebuilding skills. The program will include sessions to deepen their understanding of OSCE initiatives, facilitate networking among women change-makers across borders, assess individual and group needs for further mentorship, share best practices in gender and peacebuilding leadership, and develop essential skills in network building.

The Young Women for Peace Initiative is part of the OSCE’s Networking Platform for Women Leaders including Peacebuilders and Mediators launched by the OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in December 2021. It is implemented under the multi-year ExB project “WIN for Women and Men on strengthening comprehensive security through innovating and networking for gender equality”.

Credit: David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images

By Inés M. Pousadela
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Apr 16 2024 (IPS)

The Darién Gap is a stretch of jungle spanning the border between Colombia and Panama, the only missing section of the Pan-American Highway that stretches from Alaska to southern Argentina. For good reason, it used to be considered impenetrable. But in 2023, a record 520,000 people crossed it heading northwards, including many children. Many have lost their lives trying to cross it.

People are also increasingly taking to the seas. A new people trafficking route has opened up across the Caribbean Sea via the Bahamas. Growing numbers of desperate migrants – mostly from conflict-ridden Haiti but also from more distant countries – are using it in an attempt to reach Florida. It’s risky too. In November 2023, at least 30 people died when a boat from Haiti capsized off the Bahamas.

The pattern is clear: as is also the case in Europe, when safer routes are closed off, people start taking riskier ones. Millions of people in Latin American and Caribbean countries are fleeing authoritarianism, insecurity, violence, poverty and climate disasters. Most remain in other countries in the region that typically present fewer challenges to arriving migrants – but also offer limited opportunities. The USA therefore remains a strong migration magnet. Its tightening immigration policies are the key reason people are heading into the jungle and taking to the sea.

Dynamic trends

Out of the staggering 7.7 million Venezuelans who’ve left their country since 2017 – greater than the numbers of displaced Syrians or Ukrainians – almost three million have stayed next door in Colombia, with about 1.5 million in Peru, close to half million in both Brazil and Ecuador, and hundreds of thousands in other countries across the region.

Latin American host countries are relatively welcoming. Unlike in many global north countries, politicians don’t usually stoke xenophobia or vilify migrants for political gain, and states don’t usually reject people at borders or deport them, and instead try to provide paths for legal residence. Overall they’ve been pragmatic enough to strike a balance between openness and orderly entry. As a result, a high proportion of Venezuelan migrants have acquired some form of legal status in host countries.

But host states haven’t planned for long-term integration. They face typical global south challenges, such as high levels of inequality and many unmet social needs. That’s why those moving towards the USA include many Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who were already living in other countries. They are mostly driven by the lack of opportunities, although in the case of Haitians language barriers and racial discrimination are also significant motivators.

While the USA has tightened its migration policies, its porous southern border – the longest border between global north and global south – remains inviting for many. In its 2022 fiscal year, US authorities had a record 2.4 million encounters with unauthorised migrants at the border. Many had come a long way, having crossed the Darién Gap and then headed across Central America and Mexico.

Dangerous journeys

People do so at great risk. According to the United Nations’ Missing Migrants Project reported at least 1,275 people died or went missing during migration in the Americas in 2023.

It’s unclear how many people have perished so far in the Darién Gap. In many cases, deaths go unreported and bodies are never recovered. The crossing can take anywhere from three to 15 days. As they cross rivers and mountains, people suffer from the jungle’s harshness and difficult weather.

According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), much of the danger is because the Darién is one of the world’s most humid regions and doesn’t have any proper infrastructure. People can easily slip and fall on its steep paths or drown in rushing rivers. Hired guides can leave people stranded. Those who can’t keep up can get disoriented and lost. The difficult terrain forces many to leave their supplies along the way, including food and drinking water.

Migrants also often cross paths with local criminal groups that steal from them, kidnap them or commit rape. In December 2023, MSF recorded a seven-fold increase in monthly incidents of sexual violence. But despite the dangers, the number of people crossing in 2023 almost doubled compared to 2022.

The Darién Gap is only the gateway to Central America – the start of a much longer journey. The dangers don’t stop. Many end up staying somewhere in Mexico, but others keep marching northwards and face many hazards trying to reach the USA – drowning , or dying of heat exposure and dehydration in the desert during the day, or of hypothermia at night. Migrants have also died of asphyxiation in botched migrant smuggling operations. They are often blackmailed by smugglers and experience human rights abuses, including lethal violence, from Border Patrol agents.

US policies

Starting in early 2021, the administration of President Joe Biden made several changes to US immigration policies, such as rescinding the travel ban on primarily Muslim-majority and African countries, restoring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme and granting Venezuelans living in the USA Temporary Protection Status, among other things.

But it was only in May 2023 that the Biden administration finally lifted Title 42, a public health order that, under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration used to immediately expel those caught crossing the border, with no right to apply for asylum. At the same time, however, the government issued several new rules that became known as the ‘asylum ban’. Before showing up at the border, people are now required to make an appointment with a smartphone app or have proof they have previously sought and failed to obtain asylum in the countries they’ve travelled through on their way to the USA. If they don’t comply with these requirements, they’re automatically presumed ineligible for asylum and can be subjected to expedited removal.

Civil society points out that it’s very difficult to get an appointment. The app frequently fails and many migrants don’t have smartphones, adequate wi-fi or a data plan. They face language and education barriers and are exploited by people pretending to help. Barriers to seeking asylum have risen to the point that advocates view them as violating the Refugee Convention’s principle of non-refoulment, according to which people can’t be returned to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

Election politics

Pressure is intensifying as the USA’s November 2024 presidential election approaches.

Republican governors of southern states such as Texas have made a show of bussing newly arrived migrants to far-off cities run by Democrats, dumping them there with no support, treating them as pawns in a political game. Congress Republicans have also repeatedly delayed backing support to Ukraine unless new border control measures are enacted in return.

In October 2023, Biden announced plans to strengthen the southern border and resume deportation flights to Venezuela, which had been paused. But no one has gone lower than Donald Trump, who recently told a rally that ‘immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country’ – a straightforward use of white supremacist rhetoric. His comments have grown increasingly dehumanising – he has repeatedly referred to migrants as ‘animals’.

In his 2023 State of the Union speech, President Biden responded to Trump directly, stating he refused to ‘demonise immigrants’. But in the same breath he urged Republicans to pass a bipartisan immigration bill they’re currently blocking, which would further tighten asylum rules, expand funding for border operations and give the president authority to empower border officials to summarily deport migrants during spikes in illegal immigration. The bill continues to be rejected by hardcore Republicans who see it as not strict enough.

For migrants and asylum seekers, the prospects look bleak. As far as their rights are concerned, the election campaign is a race to the bottom. A Trump victory could only bring further bad news – but a Biden win is unlikely to promise much progress. Election results aside, people will keep taking to the sea or venturing through the jungle, the barbed wire and the desert. Politicians need to recognise this reality and commit to upholding the human rights of all who strive to find a future in the USA.

Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

 

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Donald Trump a comparu lundi devant un tribunal de New York pour un procès sans précédent dans l'histoire des États-Unis : il est le premier ancien président du pays à faire l'objet d'une procédure pénale.

Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Annastiina Papunen.

The special European Council meeting on 17-18 April will be an important step towards agreeing on the EU’s political priorities for the 2024-2029 period. The three main priorities are likely to centre on ‘a strong and secure Europe’, ‘a prosperous and competitive Europe’ and ‘a free and democratic Europe’. EU leaders are also expected to adopt lengthy conclusions related to competitiveness, notably addressing the single market and the capital markets union. They will also address the war in Ukraine, and hold a strategic debate on EU-Türkiye relations. They may also discuss developments in the Middle East following Iran’s attack on Israel.

1.     General

This will be the first meeting for two new members of the European Council: the new prime minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, as well as Simon Harris, the new Taoiseach (i.e. prime minister) of Ireland.

2.     Special European Council meeting, 17-18 April Strategic Agenda 2024-2029

EU leaders will dedicate a substantial part of their discussions to the next long term priorities of the European Union, to be set out in the strategic Agenda 2024-2029. The process has intensified recently and the main priorities have now been identified.

Process. In June 2023, European Council President Charles Michel invited EU leaders to start the reflection process on the priorities for the next institutional cycle, which will feature in the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029. The first step in the reflection process was a discussion at the informal European Council meeting in Granada, Spain on 5‑6 October 2023. The second step was a series of meetings, each with a small number of EU leaders representing a mix of geographical regions in the EU, political party affiliations and diversity of opinion. Four meetings took place in late 2023: on 13 November in Berlin, 14 November in Copenhagen, 16 November in Zagreb, and 29 November in Paris. A second series of small group meetings has taken place more recently, on 2 April in Vilnius, 3 April in Bucharest, 11 April in Warsaw, and 12 April in Vienna. Whilst many EU leaders have participated in only one of these meetings, some have participated in two, notably Robert Abela, Nikos Christodoulides, Nikolay Denkov, Mette Frederiksen, Luc Frieden, Kaja Kallas, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Karl Nehammer, Petteri Orpo, Mark Rutte and Donald Tusk. Charles Michel, together with the Secretary-General of the Council, Thérèse Blanchet, has attended all of these meetings. On the other hand, the Commission President, also a member of the European Council, has not been involved thus far.

Priorities. EU leaders will discuss the current outline for the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, which in the view of Charles Michel is converging around the common goal of transforming ‘Europe into a strong, resilient and more prosperous union’. The current working draft is based on three main broad priorities:

1. ‘A strong and secure Europe’, including the topics of the EU’s international role, security and defence, migration, and enlargement.
2. ‘A prosperous and competitive Europe’, addressing many topics including competitiveness, innovation, digital, energy, climate change, food security and social policy
3. ‘A free and democratic Europe’, concentrating on the rule of law, and promoting democracy and fundamental values.

These main priorities, notably the ones mentioned under ‘A strong and secure Europe’, also reflect the main concerns of EU citizens – the war in Ukraine, immigration and the international situation – as expressed in the autumn 2023 Eurobarometer survey.

The draft Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 shows both similarities with and differences from the Strategic Agenda 2019-2024. Whilst the issue of migration is salient in both, an enhanced focus on security and defence as well as on enlargement is apparent in the 2024-2029 draft. As for the rule of law, it clearly has a prominent position in the 2024-2029 agenda compared to the current one, which hardly mentions it.

In the context of long-term EU priority-setting, Michel stressed that the EU needs to ensure that its financial decisions reflect its ambitions. Indeed, the draft Strategic Agenda 2024-2029 specifies that ‘the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) should take these priorities into account’.

Competitiveness

In the face of growing geopolitical and trade challenges, many Member States have underlined the need for greater focus on European competitiveness in the coming years. EU leaders are thus likely to hold a lengthy discussion on the future directions. The High-level report on the future of the Single Market, requested by the European Council in June 2023 and drawn up by former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, will feed into the debate. Amongst the means proposed to support EU companies and incentivise investment, Letta mentions US style tax credits. He also advocates a joint industrial policy at EU level.

As a concrete measure stemming from the debate, EU leaders are expected to call for a horizontal Single Market Strategy by June 2025, an idea also raised by 15 Member States in a non-paper in January 2024. Building on previous initiatives designed to strength the Single Market, the strategy would put special focus on SMEs. There also seems to be political momentum for introducing a ‘European competitiveness deal‘ to encourage growth, productivity and innovation in Europe. In addition, EU leaders may insist on the need to reduce strategic dependencies and increase investments in infrastructure/connectivity. In that context, access to capital, notably for SMEs, as well as concrete measures aimed at advancing the capital markets union (CMU) will be central points for discussion. Possible measures on the latter range from harmonising national insolvency frameworks and corporate tax law to designing new products to mobilise investment. Considering the role of digital transformation for European competitiveness, EU leaders are also expected to request a joint communication on ways of strengthening the EU’s leadership in global digital affairs.

EU-Türkiye relations

In recent years, the European Council’s discussions on Türkiye have been overshadowed by other external relations issues, e.g. the war in Ukraine. Previously, Türkiye was regularly on the European Council agenda in connection with, i) the migration crisis; ii) Syria; and iii) illegal activities in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as with the key issue of the Cyprus settlement. Reunification of the island of Cyprus was the prominent subject in the Cypriot President’s speech to the European Parliament in June 2023. EU leaders will most likely reiterate their commitment to resolving the problem within the United Nations framework, in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and consistent with the EU’s principles and acquis.

In June 2023, the European Council requested the High Representative and the Commission to submit a report on the state of play of EU-Türkiye relations. Based on this report, presented in November 2023, EU leaders will hold a strategic debate on EU-Türkiye relations. Reportedly, Germany wants work to be ‘taken forward’ on political, economic and trade relations with Türkiye, whilst Greece wants a balance between engaging with Türkiye and addressing Cyprus’s concerns.

Ukraine

Following a wave of missile attacks on cities and infrastructure, EU leaders may discuss developments in Ukraine, and notably the need to supply Ukraine with, inter alia, anti-aircraft defence systems. The European Parliament expressed its support for President Zelenskyy’s reiterated requests, by postponing the discharge for the Council’s 2022 budget, to pressure Member States to provide additional air defence systems. Moreover, considering the importance of sanctions against Russia in the EU’s response to the invasion of Ukraine, EU leaders may discuss a recent decision by the Court of Justice of the EU annulling the inclusion of two Russian oligarchs on a list of individuals under sanctions, and its likely consequences. Member States can still appeal the Court’s decision; whether or not to do so, could be part of EU leaders’ discussion.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘Outlook for the special European Council meeting on 17-18 April 2024‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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