"Az Egyesült Államok társadalma a választás óta eltelt három hét alatt teljesen felbolydult, megzavart méhkaptárként viselkedik."
"Trump szavazói... nem rasszisták, szexisták és idegengyűlölők. Többségük egyszerűen úgy érzi: az ország vezetői, a médiaelit, az „establishment” a globalizáció időszakában mind gazdaságilag, mind kulturálisan cserbenhagyta őket."
A többi a mai Figyelőben...
"Az Egyesült Államok társadalma a választás óta eltelt három hét alatt teljesen felbolydult, megzavart méhkaptárként viselkedik."
"Trump szavazói... nem rasszisták, szexisták és idegengyűlölők. Többségük egyszerűen úgy érzi: az ország vezetői, a médiaelit, az „establishment” a globalizáció időszakában mind gazdaságilag, mind kulturálisan cserbenhagyta őket."
A többi a mai Figyelőben...
https://www.facebook.com/events/205240999913518/
Trump vs. Clinton: Elnökválasztási est a Pázmányon november 8-án 18 órától
Helszín: Pázmány Jogi Kar, 1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 28. E3
Szerinted mi lesz a vége? És mi lesz utána? Miért fontos nekünk itt, Európában az amerikai elnökválasztás végeredménye?
Az eseményen részt vesz, és az az aktuális helyzetbe betekintést enged:
Ádány Tamás tanszékvezető e. docens, PPKE JÁK Nemzetközi Közjogi Tanszék
Fehér Zoltán diplomata, külpolitikai elemző (Boston)
Pintér Károly e. docens, PPKE BTK Angol-Amerikai Intézet
https://www.facebook.com/events/205240999913518/
Trump vs. Clinton: Elnökválasztási est a Pázmányon november 8-án 18 órától
Helszín: Pázmány Jogi Kar, 1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi u. 28. E3
Szerinted mi lesz a vége? És mi lesz utána? Miért fontos nekünk itt, Európában az amerikai elnökválasztás végeredménye?
Az eseményen részt vesz, és az az aktuális helyzetbe betekintést enged:
Ádány Tamás tanszékvezető e. docens, PPKE JÁK Nemzetközi Közjogi Tanszék
Fehér Zoltán diplomata, külpolitikai elemző (Boston)
Pintér Károly e. docens, PPKE BTK Angol-Amerikai Intézet
A mai Figyelő címlapsztorijának részeként "Amerika voksol - A gazdaság dönt" címmel írtam elemzést az amerikai elnökválasztás hajrájáról és a gazdaság szerepéről az amerikaiak döntésében. A múlt hét közepén készült cikk végén ezt írtam: "Ha a következő napokban nem történik semmi drámai, Hillary Clinton nagy többséggel nyerheti meg a 2016-os amerikai elnökválasztást és válhat az Egyesült Államok első női elnökévé." Hát, múlt hétvégén történt drámai: az FBI-bejelentés a Clinton-e-mailekkel kapcsolatos nyomozás újranyitásáról. Ez azóta csökkentette Clinton előnyét, ezért visszatérek a Köz-Gazdaság folyóiratban szeptember végén tett prognózisomhoz: szoros eredményt várok. Mindazonáltal továbbra is Clinton győzelmét tartom valószínűnek.
A mai Figyelő címlapsztorijának részeként "Amerika voksol - A gazdaság dönt" címmel írtam elemzést az amerikai elnökválasztás hajrájáról és a gazdaság szerepéről az amerikaiak döntésében. A múlt hét közepén készült cikk végén ezt írtam: "Ha a következő napokban nem történik semmi drámai, Hillary Clinton nagy többséggel nyerheti meg a 2016-os amerikai elnökválasztást és válhat az Egyesült Államok első női elnökévé." Hát, múlt hétvégén történt drámai: az FBI-bejelentés a Clinton-e-mailekkel kapcsolatos nyomozás újranyitásáról. Ez azóta csökkentette Clinton előnyét, ezért visszatérek a Köz-Gazdaság folyóiratban szeptember végén tett prognózisomhoz: szoros eredményt várok. Mindazonáltal továbbra is Clinton győzelmét tartom valószínűnek.
More than 12,000 people have already signed a petition asking the Geneva-based giant Trafigura to sell only gasoline and diesel that comply with European standards around the world.
The Swiss trader business model of producing and selling highly polluting high sulfur fuels in Africa has also been politically critical. In Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, the responsible authorities and members of the government have had to answer many questions and criticisms about the health consequences of poor sulfur standards and poor quality fuels.
Swiss commodity trading companies take advantage of weak fuel standards in Africa to produce, deliver and sell diesel and gasoline, which is damaging to people’s health. Their business model relies on an illegitimate strategy of deliberately lowering the quality of fuels in order to increase their profits. Using a common industry practice called blending, trading companies mix cheap but toxic intermediate petroleum products to make what the industry calls “African Quality” fuels. These intermediate products contain high levels of sulphur as well as other toxic substances such as benzene and aromatics.
By selling such fuels at the pump in Africa, the traders increase outdoor air pollution, causing respiratory disease and premature death. This affects West Africa, in particular, because this is the region where the authorised levels of sulphur in fuels remain very high. West Africa does not have the re ning capacity to produce enough gasoline and diesel for its own consumption, and so it must import the majority of its fuels from Europe and the US, where fuel standards are strict, Public Eye`s investigation September 2016 analyse writes.
To draw attention to this swiss illegal traffic, thanks to Public Eye's "Return to sender" action, the container Irene Rainbow, with on board a container marked "Return to sender" ", Filled with polluted air from the Ghanaian capital traveled 7,000 kilometers separating Accra from the port of Anvers and was then transported to Geneva, where it was handed to Trafigura.
Tag: dirty dieselSwitzerlandThe EDA is now inviting participants to the third conference of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which will take place from 22-24 November in Rome (Italy).
Building on the progress made during the previous conferences, experts from national administrations, industry and academia are encouraged to continue to work in three parallel working groups: (1) Energy Management, (2) Energy Efficiency focusing on buildings, and (3) Renewable Energy.
The Conference will take place in the Hotel Roma Aurelia Antica, Rome.
Registration is open until 06 November 2016. After which, registration will be permitted for conference attendance, but accommodation at the conference facility may not be available.
For more information and registration, please click here.
Background
On 17 October, the Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructures (PCEI) expert group, established in May of this year, met at the EDA under the chairmanship of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence.
The Ministries of Defence (MoDs) of Cyprus and Greece offered to take the lead on this project within the framework of the EDA.
Colonel Georgios Drosos, Head of the Infrastructure & Environment Department of the Hellenic MoD, was appointed as the group chairman. He stressed that the group’s main objective was “to assess how EU legislation on the Protection of European Critical Energy Infrastructure can be applied by the defence sector in a holistic way”.
Each and every part of defence critical infrastructure needs to be protected appropriately to ensure that the overall energy supply chain can function properly. As Colonel Drosos said, maintaining and improving regional energy security and sustainability within the EU will contribute to achieving this goal. The expert group’s chairman also stressed that possible shortfalls can be addressed by developing “projects of common interest for the defence sector”.
Collaboration between defence and research
To promote joint efforts and scientific collaboration between the defence sector and the research community, Professor Athanasios Konstandopoulos, chairman of the board of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) was appointed as the co-chairman of the group. Professor Konstandopoulos pointed out that “the task of securing Energy Strategic Autonomy in a highly connected world presents challenges and creates opportunities for strengthening collaboration between the research community and the defence sector”. He called on stakeholders “to face the challenges and exploit the opportunities.”
To accomplish its goals, the PCEI expert group will use the expertise of EDA Member States’ Ministries of Defence, national academic and research centres as well as EDA’s partners: the European Commission DG ENERGY, Joint Research Centre, and the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence.
Air Commodore Peter Round, EDA Capability Armaments and Technology (CAT) Director, stated that “EDA aims through the PCEI Experts Group to identify common capability and research shortfalls and to address them collectively to help to achieve resilience of Armed Forces in Europe.”
Denis Roger, EDA European Synergies and Innovation (ESI) Director, emphasized that “in times of crises, it is imperative to ensure the continued availability of secure and sustainable energy supplies and we are glad that EDA can contribute to this vital work by exploring the defence element of critical energy infrastructure.”
The PCEI expert group is supported within EDA at an inter-directorate level (CAT and ESI) by CAT Project Officer Protect, Constantinos Hadjisavvas, and ESI Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems, Richard Brewin.
Way Ahead
The next PCEI experts group meetings will be hosted by Cyprus in January 2017 and by Greece in March 2017. The meetings will be open to all the participating Member States of the Agency, the Agency’s partners as well as other international organisations.
Background
Securing Energy Strategic Autonomy for European Defence (SESAED) is becoming more vital than ever for national and international security and economic prosperity due to the increased number of terrorist attacks, and the emerging threats from hybrid and asymmetrical warfare as well as vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards across Europe.
Hence, Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructures was identified as one of the component areas to be examined as part of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which was jointly launched by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission in October 2015.
In May 2016, the PCEI Experts Group was established to explore PCEI further from a defence point of view. The Cypriot and the Hellenic Ministries of Defence (MoDs) offered to take the lead on this project within the framework of EDA. In this effort academic and research support is provided by the KIOS Research Center, the Cyprus University of Technology, the European University Cyprus, the Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas CERTH and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
More information :
A mai napon jelent meg a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem folyóiratának, a Köz-Gazdaságnak szeptember 28-án adott interjúm az amerikai elnökválasztásról, amelyet az alábbi linken olvashatnak el:
A mai napon jelent meg a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem folyóiratának, a Köz-Gazdaságnak szeptember 28-án adott interjúm az amerikai elnökválasztásról, amelyet az alábbi linken olvashatnak el:
The new European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG) is established today, October 6, 2016.
This successor of the former Frontex (from French: Frontières extérieures for "external borders") is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, tasked with border control of the European Schengen Area, in coordination with the border and coast guards of Schengen Area member states. Frontex was established in 2004 as the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders, and primary responsible for coordinating border control efforts.
In response to the European migrant crisis of 2015-2016, the European Commission proposed on December 15, 2015, to extend Frontex's mandate and to transform it into a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard Agency. On 18 December 2015, the European Council roundly supported the proposal, and after a vote by the European Parliament, the Border and Coast Guard was officially launched on 6 October 2016 at the Bulgarian external border with Turkey.
To enable the Agency to carry out its tasks, its budget would be gradually increased from the €143 million originally planned for 2015 up to €238 million in 2016, €281 million in 2017, and will reach €322 million (about US$350 million) in 2020. The staff of the agency would gradually increase from 402 members in 2016 to 1,000 by 2020.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency is not a new body. It does not replace Frontex and it retains the same legal personality. What the Commission draft Regulation aims to do is to strengthen the mandate of the EU border agency, to increase its competences and to better equip it to carry out its operational activities. The new tasks and responsibilities of the Agency need to be reflected by its new name. It coordinates its work alongside the European Fisheries Control Agency and European Maritime Safety Agency with regard to coastguard functions.
The permanent staff of the Agency will be more than doubled between 2015 and 2020. The new proposal provides for a reserve of European border guards and technical equipment. The Agency will be able to purchase its own equipment (this is not a novelty). However - and this is new - the Member States where this equipment is registered (this refers mainly to big equipment items such as patrol vessels, air crafts, etc. which need a flag of state) will be obliged to put it at the Agency's disposal whenever needed. this will make it possible for the Agency to rapidly deploy the necessary technical in border operations. A rapid reserve pool of border guards and a technical equipment pool will be put at the disposal of the agency, intending to remove the shortages of staff and equipment for the Agency's operations.
A monitoring and risk analysis centre will be established, with the authorisation to carry out risk analysis and to monitor the flows towards and within the EU. The risk analyses includes cross-border crime and terrorism, process personal data of persons suspected to be involved in acts of terrorism and cooperate with other Union agencies and international organisations on the prevention of terrorism. A mandatory vulnerability assessments of the capacities of the Member States to face current or upcoming challenges at their external borders will be established. The Agency is able to launch joint operations, including the use of drones when necessary. The European Space Agency's earth observation system Copernicus provides the new Agency with real time satellite surveillance capabilities alongside the current Eurosur border surveillance system.
ember States will be able to request joint operations, rapid border interventions, and deployment of the EBCG Teams to support national authorities when a Member State experiences an influx of migrants that endangers the Schengen area. In such a case, especially when a Member State’s action is not sufficient to handle the crisis, the Commission will have the authority to adopt an implementing decision that will determine whether a situation at a particular section of the external borders requires urgent action at the EU level. Based on this decision, the EBCGA will be able to intervene and deploy EBCG Teams to ensure that action is taken on the ground, even when a Member State is unable or unwilling to take the necessary measures.
The right to intervene is a point of contention between a number of EU Members and the Commission, especially those Members whose borders form the external borders of the EU, such as Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Poland. They want to ensure that intervention is possible only with the consent of the Member States, whose external borders necessitate the presence of the ECBGA. Greece’s Alternate Minister for European Affairs, Nikos Xydakis, stated in an interview that while Greece is supportive of a common European action and of changing Frontex’s mandate, it wants the ECBGA to take complete charge of migration and refugee flows.
Tag: FRONTEXEBCGThe European Defence Agency (EDA) currently has several job openings in the different directorates: 15 temporary agents, five seconded national experts and one contractual agent. The profiles we’re looking for include director, head of unit, project officer and assistant positions across all EDA directorates. Candidates must apply via the EDA website.
Among the vacancies, you will find the position of Director Capability, Armament and Technology, Head of Unit Human Resources, Head of Unit Industry Strategy and Wider EU Policies, Policy Officer Industry Relations and Support, Project Officer Rotary Wing, Project Officer Maritime Capabilities or Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive and many more. Do not miss this chance and consult the EDA job portal for an overview of all open posts. Starting dates vary between March and October 2017.
The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives including its annual Work Programme and its rolling three-year Work Plan. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.
More information:
Written by Suzana Elena Anghel,
koya979 / Shutterstock.com
At three recent European Councils (December 2012, December 2013 and June 2015), the Heads of State or government have called for a deepening of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) namely by strengthening its crisis management dimension and further developing civilian and military capabilities. The June 2016 European Council reverted to security and defence policy with particular attention to the strengthening of the relationship with NATO, including on the development of complementary and interoperable defence capabilities.
But what are the achievements? Is there a way of measuring progress made over the past years? Is there a gap between intentions/declarations and deeds? What are the challenges and how to address them?
The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) will address these questions at a roundtable discussion on ‘The European Council and CSDP: success or failure?’ on 27 September 2016, 13h30-15h00, in the European Parliament’s Library main reading room in Brussels. Participants at this roundtable debate are: Elmar Brok MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, General Jean-Paul Perruche, Former Director-General of the European Union Military Staff, Professor Alexander Mattelaer, Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and Elena Lazarou, Policy Analyst, EPRS.
Registration
If you do not have an access badge to the European Parliament and are interested in attending the event, it is essential to register by Friday 23 September, using this link.
At the event the EPRS study on ‘The European Council and CSDP: Orientation and Implementation in the field of Crisis Management’ will be presented and discussed. This study assesses the planning, command and control of civilian and military CSDP missions and operations, progress made in developing civilian and military capabilities, particularly rapid response capabilities in the form of the EU Battlegroups, as well as challenges encountered during the force generation process, areas in which the European Council repeatedly called for further progress to be made.