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Der Rat hat am 27. November 2014 Schlussfolgerungen zur Internet-Governance angenommen. Er hat darin die Erklärung der National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika vom 14. März 2014, in der sie ihre Absicht verkündet hat, spätestens bis September 2015 Schlüsselfunktionen des Internet-Domänennamensystems zu übertragen, begrüßt. Der Rat hat außerdem die Notwendigkeit bekräftigt, die Verwaltung der IANA-Funktion rechtzeitig und nach gründlicher Vorbereitung auf die Multi-Stakeholder-Gemeinschaft zu übertragen, wobei diese Funktion den Eigeninteressen von Unternehmen oder Regierungen nicht untergeordnet werden darf.  

Aufgrund der Bedeutung der Übertragung der Verwaltung der IANA-Funktionen und der damit zusammenhängenden gemeinschaftsübergreifenden Arbeit zur Verbesserung der Rechenschaftspflicht der ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) verfolgt der Rat den genannten Prozess aufmerksam.  

Der Rat würdigt und begrüßt die bislang erzielten Fortschritte auf der Grundlage der Beiträge der einschlägigen Beteiligten, einschließlich Regierungen, die sich in der knappen Frist bereitwillig Zeit genommen haben, um einen Beitrag zu den Beratungen zu leisten. Der Rat befürwortet in diesem Zusammenhang den im Gang befindlichen offenen Multi-Stakeholder-Prozess zur Lösung dieser komplexen Fragen und betont, dass dafür gesorgt werden muss, dass der endgültige Vorschlag sorgfältig ausgearbeitet ist.  

Der gegenwärtige Vertrag über die IANA-Funktionen läuft am 30. September 2015 aus, und der Rat nimmt Kenntnis von der Komplexität des Übergangsprozesses. Der Rat ersucht die globale Multi-Stakeholder-Gemeinschaft, weitere Fortschritte bei der Entwicklung des Übergangsprozesses zu erzielen und darauf hinzuarbeiten, dass das Internet als einheitliches, offenes, neutrales, freies und unfragmentiertes Netz erhalten bleibt. Der Rat weist zugleich darauf hin, dass sich jede ungerechtfertigte Verzögerung dieses Prozesses nachteilig auf die weltweiten Diskussionen über die Internet-Governance auswirken könnte.

Place: European Convention Centre (KIRCHBERG building), Luxembourg
Time: Meeting starts at 9.30 on 18 June and at 10.00 on 19 June

 All times are approximate and subject to change

All items are in public session, except for certain items under any other business

Thursday, 18 June (09.30) - Employment and Social Policy  

08.15

Doorstep by Uldis Augulis, Minister for Welfare

09.30

Adoption of the agenda
Adoption of non-legislative A Items
Adoption of legislative A Items

09:45

European Semester 2015: Contribution to the European Council (Brussels, 25-26 June 2015)

12.00

Proposal for a Council decision on the employment guidelines of the  member states 

12.10

Youth employment

12.30   

Closing the gender gap in pensions - Council conclusions

Proposal for a directive on improving the gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges and related measures 

Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation

13.00

AOB

13.15

Press conference

followed by Working lunch - Equality between women and men: strategic orientations up to 2020 

Friday, 19 June (10.00)  -  Health and Consumer Affairs

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Doorstep by Guntis Belēvičs, Minister for Health of Latvia

10.10

Medical and in-vitro diagnostic devices

12.00

AOB

13.00

Press conference

VIENNA, 16 June 2015 – Journalists’ safety is a cornerstone of free media, not least in times of conflict, and must be ensured and strengthened, participants said today at a two-day conference on journalists’ safety and conflict reporting in Vienna. The attendees also stressed the importance of tackling the issue of propaganda, pointing to free and independent journalism as one tool.

The conference “Journalists’ Safety, Media Freedom and Pluralism in Times of Conflict”, organized and hosted by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, brought together some 400 journalists, media experts, and government and civil society representatives from OSCE participating States. The participants discussed journalists’ safety and journalism ethics, conflict reporting, measures to deal with propaganda, and media regulation. 

Keynote speaker Roy Gutman, Middle East Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers and Pulitzer Prize winner for International Reporting for his coverage of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993, said journalism plays a vital role in exposing the origins of conflicts and stressed the need for knowledge of humanitarian laws for journalists.

“Covering conflicts as a journalist is always a challenge but the hardest thing is to determine who’s telling the truth and who’s lying,” Gutman said. “One must be aware that it often takes time to find your compass as a journalist in these extreme conditions, and perhaps the best way of doing that is to have knowledge of humanitarian laws.”

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, during his speech at the closing plenary session, stressed the importance of condemning any attack on members of the media.

“Violence against journalists in its various forms is a harsh violation of the freedom of expression and of the media, the very foundations of every democratic society,” Dačić said

“It is our deepest belief that freedom of expression is a prerequisite for a free and democratic society,” Dačić said. “Therefore, it is very important to condemn most vehemently every manifestation of violence against media representatives and freedom of the media.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said that safety of journalists must be ensured at all times, before, during and after times of conflict. She also stressed measures to deal with the vicious tool of propaganda, which is always part of conflict coverage.

“We need to join our forces and voices to ensure journalists’ safety at all times, and especially in times of conflict,” Mijatović said. “At the same time, we must counter propaganda and the best way to do that is ensuring free media and promoting good, independent journalism.”

During the conference the attendees put forward suggestions and proposals on what could and should be done to make life safer for media in conflict zones. Based on the discussions at the conference, the Representative will issue her recommendations on journalists’ safety, media freedom and pluralism in times of conflict.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

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Parlamentsrechte in Europa im Vergleich: Internationale Militäreinsätze und Beschaffungsprozesse

Provides an overview of Mauritius, including key events and facts about this ethnically diverse Indian Ocean island nation

Négy évre több millió eurós frakció-zsebpénzt, több felszólalási időt, befolyásosabb szakbizottsági helyeket hozhat Marine Le Pennek és képviselőtársainak, hogy többszöri nekifutás után a francia Nemzeti Front elnökének vezetésével újabb eurószekptikus frakció alakult kedden az Európai Parlamentben. Magyar képviselő nincs közöttük.

Ha a civilizációs kapcsolatokat vizsgáljuk, a nyugati társadalom egészen primitív is tud lenni. Norvégia szerint minden iráni diák azért akar náluk tanulni, hogy utána atomfegyvert építhessen.

Le président du Soudan, Omar el-Béchir, a quitté lundi 15 juin l’Afrique du Sud vers le Soudan, ignorant une décision de la Haute Cour de Pretoria ordonnant son arrestation à la demande de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). La demande d’arrestation formulée par la CPI à l’encontre du président du Soudan avait également été présentée aux autorités sud-africaines le 26 mai 2015. Celles-ci avaient néanmoins choisi d’inviter Omar el-Béchir et avaient publié un décret garantissant l’immunité des chefs d’État présents au vingt-cinquième sommet de l’Union africaine (UA).

Rappelons que le président du Soudan est poursuivi par la CPI pour crimes de guerre, crimes contre l’humanité en 2009 et génocide en 2010 au Darfour ayant conduit à plus de 300 000 morts. Jusqu’à présent, il ne s’était déplacé que dans les pays africains non membres de la CPI ou ne respectant pas ses décisions. Lors de la Coupe du monde de football de 2010 en Afrique du Sud, il ne s’était pas déplacé, craignant d’être arrêté. Ce déplacement et cette invitation cherchent à narguer la CPI et à montrer la solidarité des chefs d’État africains entre eux. L’invitation d’Omar el-Béchir en Afrique du Sud, à l’occasion de la réunion de l’Union africaine définie souvent comme un syndicat de chefs d’État africains, a été émise par le gouvernement sud-africain pour signifier notamment son attachement à l’UA, sa défiance vis-à-vis de la CPI et affirmer sa position d’une Afrique aux Africains.

Cet imbroglio juridique, diplomatique et géopolitique est révélateur du dilemme entre le droit et la realpolitik, tant sur le plan interne à l’Afrique du Sud que sur les relations entre la justice internationale et les autorités politiques africaines.

Sur le plan juridique, la condamnation pour crimes de guerre, contre l’humanité ou génocide suppose de la part des États membres une coopération. La CPI, créée en 1998 et opérationnelle depuis 2002, comprend 123 États (sur 193 membres des Nations unies) et 33 États africains sur 54. Elle n’a pas les moyens d’arrêter ceux qui ont été condamnés et son action suppose une coopération de la part des États membres. Le décret pris par le gouvernement sud-africain d’accorder une immunité au président du Soudan n’est pas juridiquement valable. Aux yeux de la CPI, ce déplacement nargue la justice internationale. Les crimes contre l’humanité et les génocides sont imprescriptibles et la CPI est une instance juridictionnelle internationale dont les décisions l’emportent sur les droits nationaux. L’Afrique du Sud est un État de droit caractérisé par l’indépendance de la justice, le respect de la Constitution et le respect de ses engagements auprès de la justice internationale – en tant que signataire du Traité de Rome ayant institué la CPI -, l’importance de la société civile, malgré certaines dérives depuis l’arrivée au pouvoir de Jacob Zuma.

Sur le plan politique, le Congrès national africain (ANC) – parti dominant au pouvoir – ainsi que les autorités politiques, à commencer par le président Jacob Zuma, veulent montrer leur indépendance vis-à-vis de la CPI, affirmer leur appartenance à l’Union africaine et leur solidarité avec les autres responsables africains. De nombreux chefs d’État ne reconnaissent pas en effet la légitimité de la CPI considérant qu’elle condamne prioritairement des Africains. Le président en exercice de l’UA, Robert Mugabe, a sur ce point une position très ferme. Jusqu’à présent, la CPI n’a pas condamné de présidents en exercice. C’est l’Afrique du Sud et l’Union africaine qui avaient invité Omar el-Béchir et c’est le gouvernement sud-africain qui voulait assurer l’immunité des chefs d’État.

Les enjeux géopolitiques sont également importants. Bien que les puissances occidentales soient hostiles à Omar el-Béchir et que les États-Unis (qui n’ont pas adhéré à la CPI) aient appuyé fortement l’indépendance du Soudan du Sud – jeune pays aujourd’hui en guerre – Omar el-Béchir, âgé de 71 ans, vient d’être réélu chef d’État avec plus de 94% des voix. Il est, malgré les dérives et le maintien du conflit au Darfour, plutôt un élément de stabilisation dans une région touchée par le maintien du conflit au Darfour, les affrontements avec le Soudan du Sud et les risques de montée de mouvements djihadistes. Certaines puissances voient en lui, aujourd’hui, un moindre mal.

Omar el-Béchir a quitté l’Afrique du Sud, allant à l’encontre du droit national et international. La realpolitik l’emporte donc sur le droit. Ce déni de justice a un double impact : il détériore l’image de la nation arc-en-ciel mais aussi celle de la CPI.

A Tanács 2014. november 27-én következtetéseket fogadott el az internetirányításról. A Tanács e következtetéseiben üdvözölte az Amerikai Egyesült Államok Nemzeti Távközlési és Információs Hivatalának (NTIA) 2014. március 14-én kiadott nyilatkozatát, melyben a Hivatal bejelentette azon szándékát, hogy legkésőbb 2015 szeptemberéig átruházza az internetes domainneveket illetően ellátott legfontosabb feladatait. A Tanács újólag megerősítette, hogy az internetes számkiosztó hatóság (IANA) gazdálkodói szerepét időben és megfelelően előkészítve át kell ruházni az érdekeltek közösségére olyan módon, hogy ez a tevékenység ne válhasson szűk körű gazdasági vagy kormányzati érdekérvényesítés áldozatává.  

Tekintettel arra, hogy az IANA gazdálkodói szerepének átruházása jelentős lépés, és az ehhez kapcsolódóan az ICANN (Bejegyzett Nevek és Számok Internetszervezete) nagyobb mértékű elszámoltathatósága érdekében végzett, több közösséget érintő munka is jelentős feladat, a Tanács kiemelt figyelmet fordít a folyamatra.  

A Tanács elismeri és üdvözli az eddig elért eredményeket, amelyek az érintettek – köztük kormányok – hozzájárulásainak köszönhetők, akik a szoros határidők ellenére is időt szenteltek a tárgyalásokon való részvételre. A Tanács támogatja a számos érdekelt részvételével zajló, nyílt, a sokrétű problémák megoldását célzó folyamatot, és hangsúlyozza, hogy a végleges javaslatot körültekintően kell kidolgozni.  

Az IANA jelenlegi feladatait meghatározó szerződés 2015. szeptember 30-án jár le, és a Tanács tudatában van annak, hogy az átállás összetett folyamat. A Tanács felkéri az érdekeltek globális közösségét, hogy vigyék tovább az átállási folyamatot, és tegyenek erőfeszítéseket annak érdekében, hogy az internet megmaradjon egy egységes, nyitott, semleges, szabad és széttagolatlan hálózatnak. A Tanács egyúttal megjegyzi, hogy a folyamat bármilyen jellegű indokolatlan késleltetése kedvezőtlenül befolyásolhatja az internetirányításról világszerte folyó megbeszéléseket.

VIENNA, 16 June 2015 – In view of the upcoming 32nd round of the Geneva International Discussions which is scheduled for 30 June to 1 July, Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Herbert Salber, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, as well as UN Senior Political Affairs Advisor Hailu Mamo held consultations with participants in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, Tskhinvali and Moscow.

The co-chairing teams focused in their consultations on the agenda of the upcoming round, on security as well as on humanitarian questions such as missing persons, internally displaced persons and cultural heritage. They used the opportunity to travel to the Gali district, to Akhalgori and to meet with representatives of international organizations and the civil society.

Referring to the March round which had turned out to be difficult, Ambassador Gnaedinger encouraged participants to work in a constructive and result-oriented manner during the 32nd round. “I’m convinced that the Geneva Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms have significantly contributed to security on the ground and that co-chairs and participants share a responsibility for achieving progress in the process,” underlined Gnaedinger.  

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Promoting greater political participation for migrants was the focus of a conference organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the European University Institute (EUI), on 18 and 19 June 2015 in Florence.

The conference "Exploring challenges to political participation of migrants in the OSCE region" gathered some 30 senior public officials and academics from across the OSCE region as well as the representatives of ODIHR and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.

"The participation of all members of society, including migrants, in political decision-making is crucial to the legitimacy of democratic political systems," said Marcin Walecki, Chief of ODIHR's Democratic Governance and Gender Unit. "ODIHR supports OSCE participating States in sharing their experiences and know-how in broadening political participation opportunities for migrants."

The event provided a forum for participants to exchange good practices and analyze challenges and lessons learned in implementing relevant OSCE commitments and international standards focused on the political participation of migrants.

"Opportunities for migrants’ political participation depend on non-discrimination in the exercise of political liberties, access to citizenship status, and voting rights for non-citizen residents," said Professor Rainer Bauböck, Chair in Social and Political Theory at EUI’s Department of Political and Social Sciences.

The conference was organized as part of ODIHR’s broader support to participating States in implementing relevant OSCE commitments in the areas of democratic governance and migrant integration.

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Gut ein Jahr nach der Europawahl ist der französischen Front National die Gründung einer Rechtsaußen-Fraktion im Europaparlament gelungen. Die neue…

On 16 June 2015, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Council General Secretariat and the ECI Campaign gathered the opinions of stakeholders and the wider public in a conference on "The European Citizens' Initiative and the Promise of Participatory Democracy". The aim of the conference was to take stock of the three years since the creation of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), and to give impetus to discussions on how to make the instrument more efficient and user friendly.

Opening the conference, the Latvian Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica set out the situation: "The past three years have shown that the European Citizens' Initiative is part and parcel of the EU's democratic structures. However the experience of stakeholders and the recent report from the Commission have clearly highlighted that there are still issues which need to be addressed quickly if the ECI is to continue to be seen as a viable instrument". 

"The European Citizens' Initiative is a real force for mobilising and inspiring public opinion. Six million people have demonstrated this through their signatures", said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica. 

Kalniņa-Lukaševica underlined the importance which Latvia attaches to participatory democracy, having one of the most innovative and successful e-petition platforms in Europe, ManaBalss.lv. 

The ECI is the world's first tool of transnational, participatory and digital democracy. Nevertheless, none of the three initiatives, which secured the required one million signatures, have resulted in a legislative proposal, raising a number of questions. 

The conference was the first public debate on the ECI in the Council, bringing together those from the institutions, stakeholders, and the wider public with the twin aim of reviewing the role of participatory democracy in the EU and refining a set of joint recommendations for improving the instrument. 

The discussions at the conference highlighted that some progress can be achieved through immediate action, without legislative changes, by means of raising public awareness about the initiative and its procedures. Another suggestion is to provide greater assistance to the organisers of initiatives.

More political impetus and possible legislative changes are needed to address the structural problems, such as the too tight deadlines for collecting signatures. Measures should also be taken in simplifying or digitalising the signature collection procedures. The conference conclusions will be published on 18 June ECI campaign website.

AMENDMENTS 20 - 72 - Draft opinion Trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Tuesday 16 June 2015, 11.00-12.30 (registration from 10.40) EPC Auditorium (3rd floor), 14-16 Rue du Trône, 1000 Brussels
The European Policy Centre, in cooperation with the the European Commission's Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), is pleased to invite you to this Policy Dialogue on 16 June, with :
Kori Udovički
Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government
Simon Mordue
Director for (...)

/ Belgique et Luxembourg, Balkans

Length of video : 196'
You may manually download this video in WMV (2.2Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

L'Union des marchés des capitaux (UMC) devrait stimuler l'allocation efficace de l'épargne pour financer les entreprises, protéger les investisseurs transfrontaliers et créer une nouvelle chaîne finançant l'économie réelle, ont déclaré les députés de la commission des affaires économiques et monétaires dans une résolution ce mardi.
Commission des affaires économiques et monétaires

Source : © Union européenne, 2015 - PE

The public inquiry into the death by radiation poisoning of Russian ex-intelligence services officer Alexander Litvinenko is to take video testimony from Dmitri Kovtun, one of two men he met in a sushi bar in London just hours before being taken ill.

DUSHANBE, 16 June 2015 – The annual forum of the OSCE–Tajikistan Task Force took place today in Dushanbe, where high-ranking officials from the OSCE and the Tajik government as well as representatives of civil society highlighted their recent major achievements and identified priorities for national and regional co-operation in 2016.

The meeting explored opportunities to intensify the OSCE’s assistance to Tajikistan to foster comprehensive security in the OSCE’s three dimensions. The participants particularly focused on support to the provinces of Tajikistan, particularly in the economic and environmental dimension. New threats to security such as combating Violent Extremism and Radicalization that lead to Terrorism (VERLT) were also discussed.

“The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan appreciates co-operation with the OSCE and its active role in the further democratization of our society,” said the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidi. “The annual Task Force Meetings are a remarkable example of the excellent co-operation between our country and the OSCE. We believe that this is the most appropriate mechanism for assessing the results of co-operation and a long-term planning.”

Markus Mueller, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, said: “This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, and the 21st anniversary of the opening of an OSCE presence in Tajikistan. The OSCE presence in Tajikistan was established precisely to support the country’s commitments to the Helsinki Final Act and subsequent documents. The security challenges in the last 21 years have evolved, but the principle from 40 years ago that a security threat to one country poses a threat to all others remains true today more than ever.”

The annual forum has been meeting in this format since 2007 to discuss the OSCE's work in Tajikistan. 

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