Feed aggregator

Alors que le Parlement européen a voté l’interdiction des importations d’huile de palme en 2021, la France a donné son feu vert à une bioraffinerie de Total, suscitant de violentes réactions.  

381700 Communication and Media Relations Section

The role of armed and security forces in democratic societies was the focus of a seminar organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre from 14 to 18 May 2018 in Bucharest. The discussion brought together more than 50 participants, including senior officers from the armed forces, senior government officials, representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and representatives of academia and civil society, from Romania and other OSCE participating States.

Democratic control of the armed and security forces, parliamentary oversight and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law for armed forces personnel, as well as migration challenges in relation to the work of the armed forces were the main topics of discussion.

Participants also gathered in working groups to share experiences and best practices in applying the inter- and intra-state level commitments and principles enshrined in the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, a landmark document adopted in 1994 detailing the governance of the security sector and the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies.

“The Code of Conduct has provided continued guidance for Romania and serves as a toolbox for the region,” said George Ciamba, State Secretary at Romania’s Foreign Ministry, as he opened the event. “Importantly, the Code is something to speak about more and not less, and this seminar is an excellent opportunity to exchange good practices in the region.”

Andrej Benedejčič, Chairperson of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) and Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the OSCE, said: “One of the fascinating aspects of the Code is that even though it has never been revised since its adoption, it has not lost its relevance as a unique norm-setting framework document.”

Marcel Peško, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, emphasized that “the Code of Conduct is a visionary document. Besides raising awareness, this seminar creates an opportunity to engage in forward looking dialogue and to build trust.”

The Code of Conduct contains key principles and commitments for the 57 OSCE participating States related to security relations between States and to the control of all armed and security forces within a state.

The seminar was held in line with an FSC decision according to which the OSCE Secretariat is requested to organize at least one specialized seminar or workshop annually in order to facilitate better implementation and promote awareness of the Code of Conduct and support outreach in its regard. 

The seminar was co-hosted by the OSCE and Romania, with donor support provided by Germany and Switzerland.

Bruxelles espère toujours convaincre la Hongrie et la Pologne de signer un hypothétique accord sur l’immigration et la répartition des réfugiés.

381424 Kunduz Rysbek

On 11 May 2018, a public dialogue was organized by the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic (CEC) and the public foundation Civic Platform, with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, to discuss ways to improve the electoral legislation and to identify the main strategic directions of electoral reform.  

The event brought together election administration officials, Members of Parliament, representatives of the government and civil society, as well as international organizations.

Nurjan Shaildabekova, Chair of the CEC, stressed that “On the way to building democracy, it is important to capitalize on what has already been achieved within the electoral reform framework and to take it even further”.

The discussion focused on the improvement of mechanisms of legal relations between the electorate and candidates, political parties and law enforcement agencies. The effectiveness of tools to prevent violations of the electoral legislation was also debated.

The Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Pierre von Arx, said that electoral reform is a continuous process: “We enjoy a fruitful partnership with the CEC and will continue to support electoral reform in the future. After all, elections are not just about voting on the election day, they are about a sense of citizenship and a sense of responsibility for the vote that one casts.”

The participants of the public dialogue also discussed the achievements of the Electoral Reform Working Group, which is currently developing a draft strategy on improving the electoral system for the consideration of the National Council for Sustainable Development led by the President. The Working Group, set up in 2013 by presidential decree, was instrumental in initiating and pushing forward the ongoing electoral reform.

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek will build upon its multi-year efforts to strengthen transparent, fair and free elections in Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of ODIHR Election Observation Missions’ recommendations, the Programme Office will continue its assistance in improving the country’s electoral system.

Plus le thermomètre du climat montera, plus les pauvres seront touchés par les effets conjugués du réchauffement. Un article de notre partenaire, le Journal de l'environnement. 

Bayer CropScience kontra Bizottság
Mezőgazdaság
The General Court confirms the validity of the restrictions introduced at EU level in 2013 against the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid because of the risks those substances pose to bees

Bayer CropScience v Commission
Agriculture and fisheries
The General Court confirms the validity of the restrictions introduced at EU level in 2013 against the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid because of the risks those substances pose to bees

Bayer CropScience / Commission
Agriculture
Le Tribunal de l’UE confirme la validité des restrictions introduites au niveau de l’UE en 2013 à l’encontre des insecticides clothianidine, thiaméthoxame et imidaclopride en raison des risques pour les abeilles

Karel de Grote - Hogeschool Katholieke Hogeschool Antwerpen
Jogszabályok közelítése
A fogyasztókkal kötött szerződésekben alkalmazott tisztességtelen feltételekről szóló uniós irányelv alkalmazható oktatási intézményre

Karel de Grote - Hogeschool Katholieke Hogeschool Antwerpen
Approximation of laws
The EU directive on unfair terms in consumer contracts may apply to an educational establishment

Karel de Grote - Hogeschool Katholieke Hogeschool Antwerpen
Rapprochement des législations
La directive de l’Union sur les clauses abusives dans les contrats conclus avec les consommateurs peut s’appliquer à un établissement d’enseignement

Length of video : 99'
You may manually download this video in WMV (1.2Gb) 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, 2018 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 89'
Sie können dieses Video manuell herunterladen im WMV (1Gb)-Format

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, 2018 - EP

Au lendemain du scandale Facebook, la Commission européenne augmente la pression sur les dirigeants européens pour qu’ils approuvent une loi controversée sur la vie privée, dans l’impasse depuis plus d’un an.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg's EU charm tour has gone awry before it began over plans to hide from public scrutiny.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and German chancellor Angela Merkel will meet for the second time in just one month in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday to discuss current global issues of Iran, Syria and Ukraine. The meeting could signal a shift in EU-Russia relations, amid a deepening US-European crisis of confidence, Russian state broadcaster RT reported.

"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" European Council Donald Tusk asked on Wednesday, as EU leaders were trying to come up with a reply to the US president's questioning of the transatlantic relationship.

Le prix, dont la 2 édition a été lancée ce mercredi 16 mai, récompense des personnalités politiques ayant porté des projets innovants en lien avec la participation politique, la citoyenneté ou encore la biodiversité.

French energy giant Total said on Wednesday it might quit a $2bn natural gas project in Iran if it could not secure a waiver from US sanctions. It follows a decision on Monday by Danish shipping operator Maersk Tankers to wind down business in Iran by November. German insurer Allianz said on Tuesday it was also prepared to curtail Iran-related business to avoid US sanctions.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the UN has "collapsed" and described the international body as "finished" because of its lack of response to Israel's use of force against demonstrators in Gaza, where over 60 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded during protests earlier this week. Irish premier Leo Varadkar blamed the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem for the violence.