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Orchestre Jigeen Ñi want to inspire a new generation of musicians in their country, one song at a time.

Orchestre Jigeen Ñi want to inspire a new generation of musicians in their country, one song at a time.

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To foster Georgia’s regulatory framework against the increasing security risks revolving around virtual assets, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities organized a study visit for officials from the National Bank of Georgia and the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia to Riga, Latvia, for an exchange with regulators, supervisors, and representatives from non-profit organizations and the private sector from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

From 19 to 23 February, more than 15 facilitators and 10 participants from Georgia and the Baltic countries discussed Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) licensing processes, risk assessment, monitoring and supervision of these types of entities, practical cases, regulatory frameworks, and innovative strategies for combating illicit activities within the virtual asset and cryptocurrency space.

The exchange offered a platform for in-depth discussions on how Georgian supervisory authorities can learn from their Baltic counterparts to effectively oversee VASPs and mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing. Supporting Georgia and other Participating States on this goal through such initiatives is an ongoing commitment of the OSCE.

"With the increasing number of Virtual Assets Service Providers, national supervisory and legislative authorities should have the available information to best decide on their path for regulation. The OSCE stands ready to provide continued technical support to Georgia in its decision to regulate the sector, and we will continue to provide expertise in the area of VASP supervision to the National Bank of Georgia and other relevant authorities," highlighted Vera Strobachova-Budway, Acting Senior Economic Officer at the OSCE.

The study visit also identified current challenges and opportunities in the crypto-regulatory landscape and will serve to improve and strengthen the Georgian VASP supervision framework, as well as enhance compliance with FATF and other international standards.

Georgian participants highlighted that the study visit paved the way for a more effective and collaborative approach to VASP supervision and regulation in Georgia, and added that learning from the experiences of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would allow their country to avoid mistakes and shape a better plan of action when it comes to virtual assets.

During the interactive sessions, facilitators from the Financial Crime Investigation Service of Lithuania, Financial Intelligence Unit of Estonia, Bank of Latvia, Lithuanian Center of Excellence in Anti-Money Laundering, Latvia's Blockchain Association, Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau of Latvia, Economic Crime Police of Latvia, Cybercrime Police of Latvia, and the Finance Association of Latvia shared their experiences regarding the regulatory framework related to crypto-assets and the supervision of VASP. The Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia provided the venue for the working sessions.

The study visit is part of the OSCE extra-budgetary project on “Innovative policy solutions to mitigate money-laundering risks of virtual assets”, funded by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland and Romania. The project is designed to support the OSCE participating States in building national authorities’ capacities to mitigate criminal risks related to virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.

Amazon is one step closer to being banned from the European Parliament after the employment committee complained of a lack of cooperation in recent years — what is the process, and when can a final decision be expected?

Die umstrittene Ernennung des CDU-Europaabgeordneten Markus Pieper zum neuen EU-Mittelstandsbeauftragten hat Bedenken über mögliche Interessenskonflikte der EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen geweckt.

Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

Experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report of the Election Expert Team deployed to Estonia for the March 2023 parliamentary elections from 19 to 22 February in Tallinn.

During the visit, the experts met with representatives from the state authorities and civil society organizations to discuss the ODIHR’s findings and recommendations on bringing election legislation and practice further into line with OSCE commitments and other international standards. The experts also discussed how ODIHR could support the implementation of the report’s recommendations if requested by the Estonian authorities.

The report’s recommendations focus on internet voting, including the transparency of processing of the internet vote, as well as issues related to campaign spending limits, transparency requirements for advertisers, comprehensive regulation of third-party campaigning, and increasing the capacity for campaign finance oversight. The report also recommends taking measures to reduce divisive rhetoric that has a negative impact on national minorities and ensure full political rights for long-term residents with undetermined citizenship.

All OSCE participating States have committed to promptly follow up on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.

Il s'agit de Kevin Olguín, le véritable "Baby Bandito", qui dans la série s'appelle Kevin Tapia. Le jeune homme, qui avait 21 ans au moment du braquage, s'avérera crucial pour les enquêteurs dans l'élucidation de l'affaire

Désormais, le sujet phare à Bruxelles semble être la compétitivité industrielle et la manière dont elle peut être plus étroitement liée aux politiques environnementales. Et le commissaire européen chargé du Pacte vert pour l’Europe (Green Deal) Maroš Šefčovič a un plan.

EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen ließ die Möglichkeit offen, dass sich einige Parteien der konservativen EKR nach den Wahlen im Juni ihrer Mitte-Rechts-Europäischen Volkspartei im neuen Europäischen Parlament anschließen könnten.

The next European Commission that will be appointed after June's EU election will focus on implementing green laws adopted in the current mandate and boost investments in clean tech to meet the EU’s 2030 climate goals, a top official has said.

According to the European Commission, CBAM is supposed to prevent "carbon leakage". In other words, it seeks to prevent European industries relocating to jurisdictions with less stringent environmental policies, while also incentivising carbon pricing and industrial decarbonisation abroad.

Ahead of the European elections on 6-9 June, the European Parliament signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding with ENEX - the European News Exchange.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Ahead of the European elections on 6-9 June, the European Parliament signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding with ENEX - the European News Exchange.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Ahead of the European elections on 6-9 June, the European Parliament signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding with ENEX - the European News Exchange.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Ahead of the European elections on 6-9 June, the European Parliament signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding with ENEX - the European News Exchange.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

South Africans and Ethiopians are among those who will no longer have to pay a $30 fee to enter.

Newsletter - 26-29 February 2024 - Strasbourg plenary session

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Le Tamil Nadu interdit la friandise sucrée rose parce qu'elle contient un agent cancérigène, et d'autres pays envisagent de faire de même.

Le Tamil Nadu interdit la friandise sucrée rose parce qu'elle contient un agent cancérigène, et d'autres pays envisagent de faire de même.

Un accord sur le remboursement des États membres pour leurs dons à l’Ukraine reste hors de portée, Paris et Berlin ne cédant pas sur leurs demandes de refonte de la Facilité européenne pour la paix (FEP) en fonction de leurs priorités nationales.