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THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: 

RECALLING the new global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its 70th session on 25 September 2015 and STRESSING the key objectives of the General European Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 'Living well, within the limits of our planet' (the seventh Environment Action Programme - 7th EAP) [1]; 

RECALLING its conclusions of 16 December 2015 on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 [2]; 

RECALLING its conclusions on the European Court of Auditors' Special Report No. 01/2017 entitled 'More efforts needed to implement the Natura 2000 network to its full potential' [3]; 

NOTING that, while hosting some of the most densely populated areas in the world, Europe also has a very rich and diverse natural heritage, which is an inherent and vital component of Europe's natural, social, cultural and economic capital, and must therefore be protected, cared for and conserved for the benefit of nature, people and the economy; 

UNDERLINING that the Nature Directives [4] are essential components of European nature protection and that they have so far played a vital role in the attainment of this objective; and RECONFIRMING their important role in achieving the targets of the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity targets, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change; 

RECOGNISING that the conservation status of a number of species and habitats protected under the Nature Directives, despite many efforts, continues to be under serious pressure from unsustainable practices in economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and infrastructure as well as the impact of climate change and of alien invasive species; 

STRESSING that the comprehensive evaluation of the Nature Directives known as the 'Fitness Check' undertaken by the Commission under its commitment to Better Regulation, in consultation with the Member States and a diverse range of stakeholders, including citizens, has found that, as a cornerstone of broader EU biodiversity policy, the Nature Directives are fit for purpose but that achieving their objectives and realising their full potential can only be accomplished by substantially improving their implementation[5]; 

OBSERVING that the Fitness Check has identified important gaps in the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Nature Directives and has identified the need for further action, including working in partnership with different stakeholder communities in the Member States and across the EU to deliver practical results on the ground, enhancing the integration of nature objectives into other policy areas, improving knowledge and access to data, strengthening enforcement and allocating additional resources; 

RECOGNISING that the Fitness Check has shown that where targeted action takes place on a sufficient scale, the status of species and habitats improves, sometimes leading to remarkable recoveries; 

UNDERLINING that Europe's natural heritage is inextricably linked to the quality of life of its citizens and to various sectors of Europe's economy and that investing in nature conservation and its sustainable use offers opportunities and value for nature, people and the economy; 

WELCOMING the establishment of a 'European Natura 2000 Day' to be celebrated on 21 May each year through awareness-raising events and networking activities to be organised all over the EU; 

1.         WELCOMES the Commission's Communication on an Action Plan[6] to help improve and boost the implementation of the Nature Directives and the delivery of their objectives, as well as to strengthen their coherence with socio-economic objectives and to mobilise engagement with national, regional and local authorities, stakeholders and citizens; 

2.         HIGHLIGHTS the importance of further stakeholder engagement at national, regional and local level, given the strong territorial dimension of the Nature Directives; 

3.         WELCOMES the role that the EU institutions can play in supporting the delivery of the Action Plan, and in particular the Committee of the Regions as regards outreach and building ownership at regional and local level; 

4.         While taking into account economic, social, cultural and regional requirements, in line with the Habitats Directive, ACKNOWLEDGES the potential of the Action Plan to contribute to improving the practical implementation of the Nature Directives and moving closer towards the EU 2020 goal of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services[7], thus benefitting Europe's nature, people and economy; 

5.         RECOGNISES that the four priority areas of the Action Plan respond to the findings of the Fitness Check, and thereby: 

Under Priority A: Improving guidance and knowledge and ensuring better coherence with broader socioeconomic objectives

6.         Without jeopardising the conservation objectives and requirements set within the Nature Directives, RECOGNISES that the flexibility of implementation approaches that take into account specific national circumstances contributes to the reduction and progressive elimination of unnecessary conflicts and problems between nature protection and socioeconomic activities, as well as to addressing the practical challenges resulting from the application of the annexes to the Directives; 

7.         In this context, WELCOMES the fact that the Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States, will update, develop and actively promote clear guidance and knowledge in all official languages of the EU to support the implementation of the Nature Directives, including updating by 2018 the guidance document on species protection rules and species action plans, whilst ensuring greater coherence between Europe's broader socioeconomic objectives and nature policy and engaging with stakeholders, land and marine users to explore smarter participative approaches; 

8.         WELCOMES the Commission's initiative to develop guidance on the integration of ecosystem services into decision-making, allowing for potential positive impacts on human wellbeing as well as sustainable economic growth and social development; 

9.         WELCOMES the support mechanism that the Commission will establish to help Member State authorities address key challenges in applying the Nature Directives' requirements related to permitting procedures, without jeopardising the application of the principle of subsidiarity, and ENCOURAGES national, regional and local authorities to make full use of these opportunities; 

10.      AGREES that traditional, practical and scientific knowledge and access to data and information is key for the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation measures and, ultimately, the Nature Directives, and that continued efforts at all levels are needed to deliver improvements in these areas, including through effective and efficient monitoring and appropriate reporting by the competent authorities, and through public online access to knowledge and information necessary for the implementation of the Nature Directives; 

Under Priority B: Building political ownership and strengthening compliance

11.      While taking into account the dynamic nature of ecosystems, RECOGNISES that the completion and effective management of the Natura 2000 network and the establishment and implementation of the necessary conservation measures for all sites are key actions towards achieving the Directives' objectives, and are primarily a responsibility of Member States, therefore CALLS UPON national, regional and local authorities to increase efforts in these areas; 

12.      ACKNOWLEDGES the Commission's commitment to increase support to Member States in achieving this objective and the crucial role of stakeholder awareness and cooperation; in this regard, RECOGNISES the beneficial role of stakeholder platforms in promoting good practices and practical solutions under the Nature Directives; 

13.      UNDERSCORES the need to build and maintain political ownership for the implementation of the Nature Directives and to strengthen compliance, and WELCOMES the Commission's support to improve synergies between relevant EU Directives, Regulations, programmes and other policies; 

14.      WELCOMES the voluntary, dedicated bilateral dialogues between the Commission and Member States within the framework of the new Environmental Implementation Review process, aimed at addressing structural problems,  responding to the needs of Member States and reflecting data submitted by them; CONSIDERS that the Environmental Implementation Review process complements and is without prejudice to compliance; 

15.      UNDERLINES the importance of focussed discussions at the biogeographical level to share experience, expertise and solutions regarding structural and cross-border challenges, as well as thematic discussions across those biogeographical regions and the importance of investing in capacity-building with a view to enhancing implementation and gaining experience on transboundary management of species; and WELCOMES the development of roadmaps as a possible tool for cooperative action in the context of the Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process; 

16.      UNDERLINES that improving the conservation status of protected species and habitats requires concerted action by Member States, especially in certain cases such as when considering migratory species, and RECOGNISES that Species and Habitats Action Plans may, among other tools, be appropriate to reach this goal and SUPPORTS their further development and implementation in collaboration with relevant international Conventions and Agreements; 

Under Priority C: Strengthening investment in Natura 2000 and improving synergies with EU funding instruments

17.      RECOGNISES that funding shortages are a key obstacle preventing the Natura 2000 network from delivering its benefits in full and are a major factor undermining the effective implementation of the Nature Directives, and, therefore, UNDERLINES the need to ensure predictable, adequate, regular and targeted EU financing; in this regard, ENCOURAGES the Commission to reflect on ways to better integrate nature protection into EU funding; 

18.      RECOGNISES the need to further improve multiannual financial planning for investment in nature, and, having regard to Article 8 of the Habitats Directive, AGREES that there is a need to update and improve the Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAFs), notably through a simplified template, in view of the next programming period, taking into account the experience of the current PAFs; 

19.      CALLS on the Commission and the Member States to more effectively integrate Natura 2000 and wider biodiversity with the common agricultural policy, cohesion policy, common fisheries policy, integrated maritime policy and research and innovation policy, and RECOGNISES the potential of these policies to positively contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the Nature Directives; 

20.      RECOGNISES the strategically important role of the LIFE programme and WELCOMES the Commission proposal for an increase in dedicated funding for nature and biodiversity within the current LIFE envelope, increasing opportunities for investment in Natura 2000 and other green infrastructure; 

21.      HIGHLIGHTS the particularly important role of the European Agricultural Rural Development Fund under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and WELCOMES Commission plans to evaluate the impact of the CAP on biodiversity until 2019 that take into account proportionate control and verification requirements and also ensure compliance with the delivery of environmental outcomes, in order to further develop schemes that are adapted to the needs of Natura 2000 as well as of other high-value nature areas, including through results- and value-based payment approaches and training for farmers through Farming Advisory Services; 

22.      HIGHLIGHTS the importance of an updated needs assessment for the implementation of the Nature Directives, and of assessing the actual use of financial allocations for biodiversity protection, including Natura 2000, with a view to ensure their effective use during the current multiannual financial framework, and REITERATES its call for the Commission to analyse the effectiveness of the integrated approach for biodiversity financing [8]; 

23.      RECALLS its conclusions on the European Court of Auditors' Special Report, acknowledging the need for funding schemes to be tailored more effectively to the specific objectives of Natura 2000 and agreeing with the recommendation that the Commission establishes cross-cutting Natura 2000 indicators for all relevant EU funds for the next programming period and HIGHLIGHTS the need for Member States to include indicators and targets for the relevant funds specific to Natura 2000 and to allow for more precise and accurate tracking of the results generated by Natura 2000 funding; 

24.      UNDERLINES the importance of stimulating private sector investment in nature, and NOTES the support for biodiversity-related projects under the Natural Capital Financing Facility (NCFF), as well as the development of pilot projects to promote private land stewardship and better involvement of the finance sector; 

25.      WELCOMES the development of guidance to support strategic deployment of green infrastructure that contributes to the goals of the Nature Directives, particularly through better connectivity of Natura 2000 in a cross-border context; and in this regard REITERATES its call on the Commission to put forward a proposal for a trans-European network for green infrastructure (TEN-G) [9]; 

26.     Under Priority D: Better communication and outreach, engaging citizens, stakeholders and communities

27.      UNDERSTANDS that the success of the Action Plan ultimately depends on the awareness and engagement of Europe's citizens and all other stakeholders, including land-owners, and on the strengthening of links between natural and cultural heritage, and hence SUPPORTS the Action Plan's objective of strengthening and promoting such engagement at all levels, particularly at the local level and through the involvement of young people with the European Solidarity Corps; 

28.      NOTES that Member States are responsible for the implementation of the Nature Directives and ENCOURAGES the Commission, alongside national, regional and local authorities, to promote and implement the Action Plan in order to help them attain the objectives of the Nature Directives; 

29.      RECOGNISES that the timeframe for delivery of the Action Plan is short and therefore URGES the Commission to monitor its delivery across the 15 actions identified therein, in close collaboration with the Member States and the EU institutions, in particular the Committee of the Regions, the European Environment Agency, and all other relevant stakeholders.

[1]       Decision No 1386/2013/EU of 20 November 2013. 
[2]       15389/15. 
[3]      9645/17.
[4]      Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive) - OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7 and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds (Birds Directive) - OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7. 
[5]      15671/16 - SWD(2016) 472 final (Commission Staff Working Document: Fitness Check of the EU Nature Legislation (Birds and Habitats Directives).
[6]       8643/17 - COM(2017) 198 final + ADD 1 - SWD (2017) 139 final. 
[7]       9658/11 - COM(2011) 244 final. 
[8]       15389/15 - Council conclusions on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, paragraph 13.
[9]      15389/15 - Council conclusions on the Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, paragraph 30.

The Council adopted conclusions on the EU action plan for nature, people and the economy. The plan will improve the implementation of the nature directives so that they deliver their full potential. Ministers expressed support for the EU action plan, which aims to address several identified implementation gaps identified through four priority areas and 15 concrete actions. These conclusions signal the EU's strong commitment to protecting species and natural habitats and to making progress towards the EU 2020 goal of halting and reversing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The conclusions also call for EU actors at all levels to step up joint cooperation for real progress. 

The 20 June is celebrated as World Refugee Day. On 20 June the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri made the following statement on the right to asylum:

"World Refugee Day is a day for us to focus on solidarity and on the rights of individual refugees worldwide. We have an obligation to receive asylum seekers and not to force them to return to a country in which they would be in danger of persecution. This principle reflects the commitment of the international community to ensure to all persons the enjoyment of human rights. June 20th is a day for us to commemorate the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees. The right of asylum is one of the fundamental values underpinning our Union and one, which like solidarity among the Member States, we must protect at all costs".

Further information
Press statement - full text:
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Au lendemain du second tour des législatives, les 17 élus de la France insoumise s’apprêtent à former un groupe parlementaire à l’Assemblée. Mais les députés d'extrême gauche entendent avant tout devenir le porte-voix des abstentionnistes.

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EU Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs meet in Luxembourg on 20 June 2017 to prepare the June European Council, approve the Council's programme for the next 18 months and discuss which legislative projects should be boosted in 2018. In the afternoon, ministers discuss the state of play of Brexit negotiations and, in the margins of the Council meeting, the relocation of the EU agencies currently located in the UK.

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Just weeks after winning nationwide presidential polls, new President Aleksandar Vucic already appears to be preparing his campaign for the all-important municipal elections in the Serbian capital.

Auteur de l’article « La Turquie, entre coup d’État et référendum » paru dans le numéro d’été 2017 de Politique étrangère (2/2017), Ahmet Insel, chroniqueur au quotidien Cumhuriyet et ancien professeur à l’université Galatasaray d’Istanbul, répond à trois questions en exclusivité pour politique-etrangere.com.

1) Quelles ont été les grandes étapes de la vie politique turque depuis le coup d’État de juillet 2016 ?

La proclamation de l’état d’urgence, quatre jours après le coup d’État avorté, a ouvert la voie au règne général de l’arbitraire. Le gouvernement, en violant les limites que la Constitution impose au champ de compétence de l’état d’urgence, utilise depuis lors ce pouvoir exceptionnel pour purger massivement l’administration des éléments indésirables, et fermer des écoles, des universités, des journaux, des fondations et des associations par simple décision administrative, sans aucun recours possible. La seconde étape a été le projet d’amendement constitutionnel, préparé à la va-vite avec le soutien inattendu du leader du parti d’extrême droite, le Parti d’action nationaliste (MHP), qui instaure un régime hyper-présidentiel et donne au président élu tous les pouvoirs, y compris le contrôle de la justice et la possibilité de gouverner par décrets.

Ces amendements constitutionnels ont été soumis au référendum le 16 avril 2017 et adopté avec une très faible majorité. Le rapport des observateurs de l’Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE) souligne l’énorme inégalité entre les partisans du « oui » et ceux du « non » lors de la campagne référendaire, la suspension du droit au rassemblement sous prétexte d’état d’urgence, la détention des députés du parti d’opposition, le Parti démocratique des peuples (HDP), et de graves irrégularités lors du dépouillement des bulletins avec la bénédiction des autorités judiciaires chargées de surveiller les élections.

La campagne référendaire a aussi donné l’occasion au président Erdogan d’entamer une vive polémique avec l’Union européenne (UE), notamment avec l’Allemagne et les Pays-Bas à la suite de la limitation par ces pays des meetings de soutien au « oui » organisés avec la présence des ministres du gouvernement du Parti de la justice et du développement (AKP). Les accusations de nazisme et de fascisme prononcées par Erdogan à l’encontre des dirigeants de ces deux pays ont renforcé dans l’opinion publique européenne la conviction qu’il est désormais impossible de poursuivre le processus d’adhésion de la Turquie à l’UE.

Enfin la détention d’une dizaine des députés du HDP – notamment de ses co-présidents –, la nomination des administrateurs judiciaires dans trois quarts des municipalités dirigées par le parti pro-kurde et la mise en détention des maires élus, ainsi que la reprise des opérations militaires contre les positions tenues par le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) ont éloigné encore plus l’espoir d’une reprise des négociations pour résoudre pacifiquement le problème kurde.

2) Concrètement, quels effets immédiats perçoit-on dans la vie politique turque à la suite du référendum d’avril 2017 ?

Le référendum prévoit la mise en application du nouveau régime en deux étapes. D’une part, il permet tout de suite au président de devenir membre d’un parti politique ; d’autre part, il impose de former dans les 30 jours le nouveau Conseil des magistrats et des procureurs. Il s’agit des dispositions que Tayyip Erdogan tenait le plus à faire entrer en vigueur. En effet, début mai, il a adhéré de nouveau à l’AKP et lors d’un congrès extraordinaire le 21 mai, il est redevenu président de ce parti. Ainsi, concrètement, la Turquie a actuellement un président de la République qui est aussi président du parti majoritaire au Parlement, et un Premier ministre qui est vice-président de l’AKP et en même temps le président du groupe parlementaire de ce parti. La séparation – ne serait-ce que symbolique – entre les pouvoirs législatif et exécutif n’existe plus. Erdogan est un chef de parti qui bénéficie en même temps de l’irresponsabilité politique reconnue aux présidents de la République ! Nommé président du parti, il a tout de suite modifié les membres des instances dirigeantes de l’AKP qui s’est transformé totalement en un parti personnel.

Fin mai, la nomination des 11 membres du nouveau Conseil des magistrats et des procureurs a été effectuée. Tayyip Erdogan en a nommé quatre et sa majorité parlementaire, les sept autres. Désormais les nominations et les avancements des magistrats seront entièrement sous contrôle de Tayyip Erdogan. Depuis le coup d’État, le quart du corps judiciaire a été limogé et les nouvelles nominations dans les postes vacants de juges se font par des procédures spéciales accélérées, avec une forte majorité des avocats membres de l’AKP parmi les nouveaux nommés.

Les autres dispositions prévues dans les amendements constitutionnels acceptés entreront en vigueur à la suite de la future élection présidentielle de 2019. Les résultats du référendum ont revigoré l’opposition qui espère pouvoir garder l’unité du camp du « non » pour l’élection présidentielle à venir, espoir qui s’avère pour le moment être un vœu bien difficile à réaliser. En revanche le référendum a révélé la polarisation extrême de la Turquie, divisée en deux parts égales : d’un côté les partisans d’Erdogan qui lui vouent un véritable culte ; de l’autre ceux qui lui manifestent une haine profonde. Le reflet de cette polarisation est très visible dans la répartition géographique des résultats du référendum.

3) Comment qualifier le régime mis en place par Erdogan et quelles évolutions peut-on anticiper ?

Le régime qui est mis en place est bien plus qu’un simple autoritarisme mais il n’est pas non plus une dictature classique. Il s’agit d’une autocratie élective. C’est une autocratie, parce que tous les pouvoirs, sans exception, sont concentrés dans les mains d’une seule personne. La justice est sous le contrôle personnel d’Erdogan ainsi que le pouvoir religieux, via la Direction des affaires religieuses. Enfin l’armée est totalement chamboulée par les purges successives depuis 2008. Actuellement 40 % des généraux de l’armée turque sont en détention et environ 10 % des officiers ont été limogés.

Tayyip Erdogan exprime de plus en plus ouvertement sa volonté de poursuivre une politique de réislamisation de l’espace public. Il fait notamment généraliser progressivement des cours de religion dans l’enseignement et soutient activement le développement des écoles religieuses. Pour assurer sa réélection en 2019, il poursuit l’absorption du parti d’extrême droite par l’affichage d’une posture islamo-nationaliste. Lors du congrès extraordinaire de l’AKP, il a fait inscrire dans les statuts « quatre principes » : un seul État, une seule nation, une seule patrie et un seul drapeau. Deux autres principes, sans être prononcés, s’ajoutent en creux aux quatre autres : une seule langue (le turc) et une seule religion (islam sunnite). Et un seul chef, cela va sans dire !

La fermeture officieuse de la perspective d’adhésion à l’UE, les nouvelles tensions avec certains membres de l’OTAN comme l’Allemagne ou l’Autriche, les échecs successifs dans la politique extérieure, et la disparition de la sécurité juridique réduisent l’attractivité de la Turquie pour les investisseurs étrangers. Or la Turquie a un besoin structurel de l’apport de capitaux extérieurs pour assurer sa croissance. Le gouvernement essaye de compenser le désamour croissant des investisseurs internationaux pour la Turquie par l’apport des capitaux du Golfe et sans trop regarder l’origine des fonds qui arrivent dans le pays. L’année dernière, la ligne « erreur et omission » de la balance des paiements affichait environ dix milliards de dollars, c’est-à-dire l’équivalent d’un peu moins d’un mois d’exportations.

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Retrouvez l’article d’Ahmet Insel sur Cairn.

S’abonner à Politique étrangère.

Im Kampf gegen Fettleibigkeit werden immer restriktivere Regelungen für bestimmte Lebensmittel eingeführt. Einzelhändler warnen vor neuen Handelshürden.

The post Händler warnen vor Regulierung: Sind Zucker und Fett der neue Tabak? appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

La Banque mondiale a annoncé, dans un communiqué publié le 13 juin dernier, avoir approuvé un prêt de 500 millions de dollars (446,3 millions d'euros), destiné "à l'appui deq politiques de développement axées sur l'environnement des affaires et l'entrepreneuriat".

Cet article Tunisie : un prêt de 500 millions de dollars pour améliorer le climat des affaires est apparu en premier sur JeuneAfrique.com.

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EU Foreign Affairs ministers meet on 19 June 2017 in Luxembourg to discuss the implementation of the EU Global Strategy, the external aspects of counter-terrorism, EU-NATO cooperation, Iraq and the external aspects of migration. After the Council, the Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting is taking place.

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EU Ministers for Environment meet in Luxembourg on 19 June 2017 and are expected to restate the commitment of the EU and its member states to the Paris Agreement and its full implementation. Ministers are looking at the progress made and holding a policy debate on the two legislative proposals to cut greenhouse gas emissions in sectors not covered by the ETS: the effort-sharing regulation and the regulation on land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). Also, the Council is adopting conclusions on the EU Plan for nature, people and the economy.

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Cyber-Bedrohungen und Hackerangriffe auch auf Regierungen und Behörden nehmen zu. Die EU-Außenminister wollen künftig auf böswillige Attacken von Drittstaaten reagieren.

The post EU will Drittstaaten bei Cyber-Angriffen mit Sanktionen strafen appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

An dem Wettbwerb teilnehmen können alle Schülerzeitungen der oben genannten Schularten. Die Publikationen müssen im Schuljahr 2016/17 erscheinen oder bereits erschienen sein.

Dabei werden drei Kategorien bewertet: „Journalistischer Einzelbeitrag (Artikel)“, „Kreativität und Gestaltung“ und „Informationsvielfalt“. Es erfolgt eine Trennung nach Schularten. Die Siegerteams erhalten je 300 Euro Preisgeld.

Um mitzumachen, schicken Sie bitte fünf Exemplare einer im Schuljahr 2016/2017 erschienenen Schülerzeitung bis 31. Juli 2017 zusammen mit dem Teilnahmeformular ( Formular zum Download) an die HSS.

Nach Bewerbungsschluss wählt eine unabhängige Fachjury, bestehend aus Medienprofis, die besten Schülerzeitungen aus. Die Gewinner werden im November in München im Rahmen einer Siegerehrung ausgezeichnet.

Eine große Herausforderung für die Arbeit einer politischen Stiftung in Israel und den Palästinensischen Gebieten ist es, die historische Verantwortung Deutschlands gegenüber Israel mit den außenpolitischen Positionen der Bundesrepublik zum Nahostkonflikt in Einklang zu bringen.

On Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June 2017, the two-day event regarding the “The Unknown Balkans” took place at The Hub Events.

Attendees were able to discuss with more than 25 speakers (academics, diplomats, journalists and politicians) coming from EU countries and also the Western Balkans, on issues related to the region of Southeast Europe, with particular emphasis on Kosovo, FYROM and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Besides the conference panels, there were two short films and photo exhibitions as well, with pictures from the 3 countries.

Thanos Veremis, Vice President of ELIAMEP, Luan Shllaku, Executive Director of the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society, and Ioannis Armakolas, Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia, Research Fellow Stavros Kostopoulos & Head of the Southeast Europe Program at ELIAMEP started the event with the introductory remarks.

The first day of the conference, Friday 2 June included panels for the “Skopje 2014” program in FYROM,  the possibilities of an exit from the political crisis in FYROM, on issues of democracy & the new authoritarianism in the Balkans and finally on the overall strategy of the European Union regarding the Balkan region. Among the speakers and coordinators on the first day of the event were Dimitris Kourkoulas, Dusan Reljic, Tobias Flessenkemper, Maria – Eleni Koppa, Dane Taleski, Zoran Ilievski, Alexandros Mallias, Tasos Teloglou, Patrik Svensson, Yannis Papageorgiou and others.

On the second day of the conference, Saturday 3 June, a debate was held on the problems of managing the cultural heritage in the Balkans, as well as a photo exhibition of the photographer Maria Katsaouni. Among the speakers were Dimitris Moschopoulos, Skender Boshtrakaj, Hajrula Ceku and Dzenan Sahovic.

Finally, the documentaries “Kosovo Rising” and “Home” (which won the 2017 BAFTA Short Film Awards) were screened. After the debates, discussions with the producers of the two documentaries Alexia Euripidou & Stephen Nugget and Shpat Deda respectively, took place.

 

The agenda of the event is available here.

The video of the event is available here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credits @Marianna Katsaouni

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1 - 61 - Entwurf einer Stellungnahme Maßnahmen gegen Einschränkungen des Handlungsspielraums der Zivilgesellschaft in Entwicklungsländern
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2017 - EP

As a follow-up to the Commission’s European Defence Action Plan acknowledging that European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) may be used by Member States in the defence sector, the European Defence Agency publishes the “EDA’s ESIF web-platform” to provide any potential defence-related stakeholder (including MoDs, industry, research-and-technology organisations, academia, clusters) both with:

• an interactive analytical mapping on ‘sources’ of regional, national, and transnational calls for proposals under Structural Funds and
• respective contact details of the hundreds ESIF managing authorities ultimately in charge for funding allocation.

For the financial framework running till 2020, ESIF are made up of 5 specific funds totaling more than 450 billion euros, matched nationally by additional 180 billion euros. In the defence sector, ESIF may co-fund productive investment projects, and support the modernisation of the defence supply chains.

EDA’s work supporting access to ESIF is focused on the two main funds (together commonly referred as “Structural Funds”):

• the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) and its “Interreg” share, which can support - inter alia - defence activities and dual-use activities in research and innovation at regional, national and transnational/cooperative level; 
• the European Social Fund (ESF), which can support the development and enhancement of key skills and competencies (KSC) for defence.

With regard to the ERDF, EDA has been technically assisting successfully funded pilot R&T project applications. Concerning ESF for KSC, an EDA’s procedure aimed at supporting free-of-charge the application to the ESF for selected pilot KSC-related projects  is currently underway through Ministries of Defence.

The ESIF web-platform complements the successful  EDA’s “COSME web-platform” launched one year ago to facilitate access to finance, grants and free-of-charge advisory services for defence-related SMEs and clusters. For further details: esif@eda.europa.eu or cosme@eda.europa.eu 

 

More information:

• The EDA’s ESIF platform is available at www.eda.europa.eu/esif
• The EDA’s “COSME platform” is available at www.eda.europa.eu/cosme.
• An overview of main EU funding programmes is available at www.eda.europa/eufunding
• EDA’s work on Access to EU funding.  

 

Today marks the start of the sixth European Air Transport Training (EATT2017). Hosted by Portugal, several hundred military personnel from Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom will train from June 19 to 30 at Air Base 11 (AB11) in Beja. This multinational exercise was initiated within the framework of the European Air Transport Fleet Programme of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and will be executed by the newly founded European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) and supported by the European Air Transport Command (EATC). 

The overall objective of this exercise is to achieve a high level of interoperability among air transport capable EDA Member States by exposing their crews to a complex operational environment, in which to practice their procedures and tactics and to gain  the necessary qualifications to perform tactical operations in current theatres of conflict and humanitarian relief.

EATT2017 is set up to give the participating aircrews a variety of training, from basic tactical elements like practicing assault landings and air drop procedures to complex multi-ship combat mission profiles. The planning and execution is assisted by mentors, ensuring proper application of the common tactical guidelines. In parallel, training of Combined Air Terminal Operation (CATO) personnel is taking place on the ground, dealing with cargo preparation, loading of aircraft, and administrative procedures. 

Around 100 paratroopers from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal will be deployed daily by mission aircraft. From the multi-organisational staff to the multi-national contingents, EATT2017 focuses on the overarching goal of increasing the interoperability of European airlift assets through training based on agreed common procedures. With already over 100 crews having received European tactical airlift training and over 2,000 hours flown in the past five years, EATT2017 follows in this spirit, and is a tangible example of improving Europe’s military airlift provision for a strong European defence.

Assets and staff from seven Member States participate in EATT2017: Germany (C-160 Transall and A400M Atlas), France (C-130H Hercules), the Netherlands (C-130H Hercules), Poland (C295), Portugal (C-130H Hercules), Romania (C-27J), and United Kingdom (C-130J Hercules). 

 

More information:

• EATF project page
• EATT2017 Factsheet

A l'issue du second tour des élections législatives françaises qui s'est tenu ce dimanche 18 juin, le parti du président de la République Emmanuel Macron, La République en Marche (LRM), obtient la majorité absolue avec 319 sièges. Premier parti d'opposition, Les Républicains obtiennent 126 sièges, suivis du Parti socialiste et ses alliés avec 46 sièges et la France insoumise avec 16 sièges. Le Front national décroche pour sa part 8 sièges. Ces résultats ont été largement commentés par la presse européenne, pour qui la situation politique en France est historique.

Der Glücksspielstaatsvertrag wird dieses Jahr evaluiert. Er soll das Glücksspiel in legale Bahnen lenken und den Jugendschutz garantieren. Eine soeben erschienene interdisziplinäre Studie will richtungsweisend für die Novellierung sein.

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