An Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between India and Colombia will be signed on 15.10.2024 at 4PM at the National Media Centre, New Delhi.
The signatories representing India and Colombia will be Dr. L. Murugan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and His Excellency Mr. Jorge Enrique Rojas Rodriguez, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia respectively.
Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between India and Colombia; To Boost Co-Production and Strengthen Cultural Ties Colombia becomes the 17th country to sign such agreement with India
Posted On: 14 OCT 2024 8:33PM by PIB Delhi
The Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between India and Colombia will be signed on 15.10.2024 at 4PM at the National Media Centre, New Delhi.
The signatories representing India and Colombia will be Dr. L. Murugan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and His Excellency Mr. Jorge Enrique Rojas Rodriguez, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia respectively.
About the agreement
The agreement between India and Columbia is expected to benefit producers from both the countries in pooling their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources for the co-production. It will also lead to exchange of art and culture among the two countries and create goodwill and better understanding among the people of both the countries thereby boosting cultural ties between the two countries.
Currently, India has co-production treaties with 16 countries, resulting in 29 projects over the last five years. Colombia is the 17th country with which India is signing a Co-Production Agreement.
Question for written answer E-001960/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Konstantinos Arvanitis (The Left)
According to the DG SANTE horizontal inspection (as described in the document on the subject with Ref. 2023-7655 General Follow Up Audit)[1], there appear to be serious issues in the control system implemented by the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food in the sectors of farming, livestock production, veterinary issues and fisheries.
The above-mentioned document highlights distortions, shortcomings and structural problems, in particular the fragmentation, overlapping responsibilities and understaffing of the control mechanisms, the absence of a single, coherent and simplified control framework, the ensuing lack of coordination and supervision and the risk-shy approach to imposing effective sanctions and administrative measures. The corresponding deficiencies have made for a landscape of arbitrariness and impunity.
It goes without saying that the above factors jeopardise consumer protection, because of gaps in ensuring the import, production and distribution of safe food, and shortcomings in the certification of suitability, quality checks and the improvement of food quality.
The EU and its Member States have an obligation to protect consumers and ensure they are not misled as to the safety, composition, labelling and price of food. In view of this:
1.Has the Commission received a reply from the relevant Ministry and has it been informed of any compliance measures taken to date?
2.What steps will it take to ensure that these distortions are remedied?
Submitted: 4.10.2024
[1] As stated in the Ministry’s document (Ref. No: 39/90413 – 28/03/2024)
Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, today participated in a fireside chat organised by the US India Strategic Partnership Forum as part of the India Leadership Summit 2024. He was joined by Mr. Ryan Roslansky, the CEO of LinkedIn, and Mr. Marvin Krislov, the President of Pace University.
Speaking at the event, Shri Pradhan said that as the National Education Policy 2020 moves towards completing five years, India is giving unprecedented impetus to embracing new technologies, learning in Indian languages, and enhancing research and employability skills. He shared his thoughts on India’s progress in various aspects of education, which is driving learners towards competency and knowledge-based enterprises. The Minister also highlighted how India can embrace new opportunities for developing a future-ready, responsible generation of global citizens.
Shri Pradhan further stated that the world needs to come together to solve global challenges, and India is ready to play its role. From opening doors for foreign universities to set up campuses in India to moving towards a paradigm of prioritizing competency over degrees, India will fulfill the aspirations of its society and become a growth engine for the world, he added.
€2 million support unlocks early-stage development of vaccine manufacturing.
Investment to accelerate development of vaccines against tuberculosis, HIV, Ebola and other diseases
Early-stage vaccine development in Rwanda by Akagera Medicines Africa Limited will be supported by €2 million financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB Global). The new backing will accelerate research and development as well as manufacturing of new vaccines to treat infectious diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, Lassa fever, and Ebola.
The new financing will also be used to strengthen technical skills and expertise of Rwanda based teams to support home-grown discovery, manufacturing, and development of vaccine delivery systems within Rwanda.
The latest health financing from the EIB Global is part of the wider EU Global Gateway initiative for Africa and is designed to unlock crucial investment to improve access to public healthcare. EIB Global supports high impact investment to enhance healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing across Africa, strengthen health resilience on the continent, and support equitable access to healthcare in Africa.
Africa bears the highest disease burden globally and more home-grown or continent based solutions need to be supported. Vaccination is a critical activity to ensure and guide investments in universal health and has a crucial role to play in achieving 14 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Akagera Medicines, Africa was established in Rwanda in July 2022 to develop the pharmaceutical sector in Rwanda and elsewhere in Africa. The company is majority-owned by the Republic of Rwanda through the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).
Speaking at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, where the financing announcement was made, Michael Fairbanks, Chief Executive Officer of Akagera Medicines said: “We are a public private partnership and enjoy the support of Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in Norway, the Gates Foundation, and the National Institute of Health in Washington. With the significant support of the European Investment Bank, we are now a clinical company and moving faster to build human capacity and specialized infrastructure in Africa to support vaccine development. “
RSSB CEO, Regis Rugemanshuro said: “European Investment Bank’s financial support to Akagera Medicines represents an important contribution to the realization of Rwanda’s vision to become a biotech hub, and to the vision of Africa becoming self-reliant in vaccine and medicine manufacturing. RSSB is looking forward to deepening partnerships with EIB and other international institutions to build resilient healthcare ecosystems in Rwanda and in Africa.”
EIB Vice President, Thomas Ostros said: “The partnership with Akagera demonstrates the European Investment Bank’s close cooperation with public and private partners to accelerate development of innovative solutions for combating deadly diseases and scaling up healthcare financing and delivery. The EIB is committed to further strengthening our partnership with local and international players, to scale up investment and support innovative technology together.”
EU Ambassador to Rwanda Belen Calvo Uyarra, said: “Through Global Gateway, the EU is focused on advancing equitable access to health products and local manufacturing in Africa. This investment by EIB with Akagera Medicines marks another important milestone on this journey.”
The financing to Akagera complements other EU initiatives in Rwanda and the region under the Global Gateway Flagship – Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+), which focus mainly on supporting the necessary ecosystem for vaccine manufacturing.
This is supported by the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund (EU-AITF), established to increase investment in infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa dedicated to projects in Africa with the aim of reducing poverty and fostering economic growth in the region.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner in Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027, around one third of the overall target of this EU initiative. With Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to local people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.
About Akagera:
Akagera Medicines develops novel liposomal formulations of drugs to treat tuberculosis, RSV, influenza, avian flu, and HIV. The clinical stage company was founded in 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. It is well-funded, majority-owned by the people of Rwanda through the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), registered as a Delaware corporation, and has laboratories in Boston and San Francisco. Akagera registered a 100%-owned subsidiary in Kigali in 2022 to do manufacturing and clinical trials. Founding board members include Ambassador Dr. Albrecht Conze, Dr. Paul Farmer, and Dr. Donald Kaberuka. Dr. Daryl Drummond and Dr. Dimitri Kirpotin are cofounders who translate their successful delivery system from oncology to infectious diseases.
Question for written answer E-001741/2024/rev.1 to the Commission Rule 144 Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI)
On 7 December 2023, Greece and Türkiye signed the Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations. Türkiye, however, instead of toning down its aggressiveness, is unfortunately doing the exact opposite. It has fully and officially adopted the ‘Blue Homeland’ (or ‘Mavi Vatan’ in Turkish) doctrine which, although it does not refer to it, is reminiscent of the concept of ‘living space’.
In fact, not content with issuing a plethora of declarations, since September 2024 it has also incorporated the doctrine into the teaching material used in its schools. The new 9th-grade geography textbook includes, on page 62, a section devoted to ‘Mavi Vatan’, with maps, military aircraft and historical information.[1] Furthermore, it refers to the National Oath of 1920, sworn by the most extreme elements in the country, which declares that ‘the lawful frontiers of Türkiye include regions such as Western Thrace, the Dodecanese and Northern Iraq’. The first two of these regions belong to Greece!
In view of this:
1.Has notice been taken of these facts?
2.What is the Commission’s reaction to the above references by Türkiye, in its teaching material, to territories belonging to the Union?
The EU’s priorities for the 5-year institutional cycle are outlined in the European Council’s Strategic Agenda. Subsequently, the European Commission sets its priorities in the president’s political guidelines, which are a first step in operationalising the EU priorities outlined in the Strategic Agenda. These priorities will then be translated into concrete initiatives included in the Commission’s annual work programmes, before being submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in the form of legislative (and non-legislative) proposals. This briefing outlines the main policy priorities for the EU in the coming years, and analyses the differences in views of the European Council and the European Commission. With some exceptions, the European Council’s and the Commission’s policy priorities generally converge, as both documents, although organised differently, focus on three main priorities: democracy, security and competitiveness. When comparing them with the political priorities of the previous institutional cycle, it becomes evident that democracy and defence have gained in importance, while climate and energy are less salient than before. The analysis shows that the political guidelines pay significantly more attention to social issues than the Strategic Agenda. Conversely, the two policy clusters ‘external policies’ and ‘climate and energy’ receive more attention in the Strategic Agenda. However, external policy in general now feeds into all policy areas, intertwining with internal policies. While this is more explicit in the Strategic Agenda, the emphasis on Europe’s role in the word runs like a red thread through both documents, reflecting a major shift away from past political priorities. The comparison identifies the topics that are missing from one or the other document, points out where different approaches are being taken on specific policy issues and where particular concepts have changed since the last institutional cycle. The briefing also outlines the specific initiatives mentioned in the political guidelines by policy cluster, notably those with a timeline.
The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) worked on a number of legislative packages and proposals tabled by the European Commission during the 2019-2024 legislative term, including several proposals for legislative acts that were not concluded during the term. This paper gives a short overview of the key legislative files dealt with in TRAN over the past five years.
Question for written answer E-001963/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Anna Maria Cisint (PfE), Aldo Patriciello (PfE), Silvia Sardone (PfE), Roberto Vannacci (PfE)
The irregular immigrants invading Europe pose a threat, since the Islamic extremists behind acts of violence and attacks arrived via the Mediterranean and Balkan routes.
Israel’s efforts to defend itself against terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen make the Balkan route – the main land-based migratory path into the EU – a source of even greater danger, as a potential entry route for highly hazardous material. With many of the arrivals heading to north-eastern Italy, this is one of the areas most at risk.
Bosnia appears to be the Achilles’ heel, while some EU support dressed up as humanitarian aid could indirectly help fuel this influx.
Faced with these new risks, action must be taken to stem these flows and cut off the funds that are supporting this ‘asylum tourism’.
In view of the above:
1.Does the Commission intend to take action – and how will it do so – to protect Europe’s borders and regulate access from Bosnia and elsewhere, perhaps even by providing police?
2.Will it take steps to thwart this lucrative traffic by revising the rules on pushbacks and improving centres in third countries?
Question for written answer E-001938/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Arkadiusz Mularczyk (ECR)
There is a growing global crisis in apiculture which is reflected in very high bee mortality. Against this backdrop, the situation in the European Union is becoming increasingly alarming. On Thursday, 12 September, ENVI Committee members rejected the Commission’s proposal to cut the maximum residue levels of certain pesticides and fungicides in imported food. The Committee rejected the proposal because these agricultural chemicals are not permitted in the EU. Imported products containing residues of substances not permitted in the EU should also therefore be covered by the ban on these products entering the EU market. This decision is of great importance as it bans the entry into the EU of agricultural products containing chemicals that are not permitted on our market.
Beekeepers warn that beeswax that has been contaminated with banned pesticides, such as the carcinogen Prepargite, are still entering the EU market, which is directly threatening the health of bees and of people consuming honey.
In connection with the above, I would like to address the following question to the Commission (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante)):
What should the control authorities do when they identify the presence of banned, illegal and highly carcinogenic pesticides such as Prepargite in beeswax intended for direct contact with bees in hives or direct contact with honey intended for human consumption, bearing in mind that there are currently no prescribed limits on pesticides in beeswax?
Question for written answer E-001967/2024 to the Council Rule 144 Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI)
From the date when she was sworn in on 12 May 2024 until the present, President Gordana Siljanovska, as ‘President of Macedonia’, has been engaged in violating the Prespa Agreement. From the very first of her meetings in the city of Skopje with ambassadors of Member States (Czechia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia, Germany, Croatia and Sweden) and representatives of European bodies [the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the OSCΕ and the European External Action Service (EEAS)], among others, she issued official communications that referred to the country as ‘Macedonia’.
Five hundred incidents of this kind have been recorded; they are not merely violations, but constitute systematic ‘material breaches’, according to the international terminology[1]. It should be borne in mind that, pursuant to the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, for a bilateral treaty, when one party is in ‘material breach’ of the treaty the other party is entitled to request the suspension and termination of that treaty (Article 60(1)).
In view of the above:
1.Is the Council aware of the contempt for the Prespa Agreement, the Member States and the European institutions shown by President Siljanovska, who is a head of state, and what is more, of a country that is a candidate for accession?
2.How does it intend to formally express its displeasure?
Question for written answer E-001966/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Nikolaos Anadiotis (NI)
From the date when she was sworn in on 12 May 2024 until the present, President Gordana Siljanovska, as ‘President of Macedonia’, has been engaged in violating the Prespa Agreement. From the very first of her meetings in the city of Skopje with ambassadors of Member States (Czechia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Slovakia, Germany, Croatia and Sweden) and representatives of European bodies [the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the OSCΕ and the European External Action Service (EEAS)], among others, she issued official communications that referred to the country as ‘Macedonia’.
Five hundred incidents of this kind have been recorded; they are not merely violations, but constitute systematic ‘material breaches’, according to the international terminology[1]. It should be borne in mind that, pursuant to the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, for a bilateral treaty, when one party is in ‘material breach’ of the treaty the other party is entitled to request the suspension and termination of that treaty (Article 60(1)).
In view of this:
1.Is the Commission aware of the contempt shown by President Siljanovska for the Prespa Agreement, the Member States and the European institutions, despite the fact that she is a head of state, and what is more, of a country that is a candidate for accession?
2.How does it intend to formally express its displeasure?
Question for written answer E-001939/2024 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule 144 Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos (NI)
A new cycle of barbarous attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank has been launched by the occupying state, Israel, in conjunction with the massacre and genocide of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, using tanks, drones and helicopters.
The Israeli army attack has left a large number of Palestinians in the West Bank dead and wounded, while Israeli settlers are carrying out murderous attacks. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Army has killed more than 40 000 Palestinians, and the number of those wounded has risen to more than 94 000. Incalculable damage has been done to buildings. In many cases, it has not even been possible to provide health care, and the population are stricken by hunger, thirst and disease.
Israel’s aggression is supported by the EU, the United States and NATO, which defend Israel’s so-called ‘right to defend itself’, equating the perpetrator with the victim.
Israel’s aim is to expel the Palestinians from their territories by force and maintain the barbaric occupation.
Will the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy state what his position is on the following matters:
1.the unacceptable escalation of Israeli atrocities against Palestinians following the recent military operations in the West Bank aimed at permanently expelling the Palestinians from their territories;
2.the call for condemnation of the criminal policy of Israel, which has murdered thousands of Palestinians, and for the ending of the EU’s economic, political and military cooperation with it?
Members adopted the report prepared by Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP) on the European Commission’s proposal for a decision to mobilize the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) to support 513 displaced Belgian workers from the Match-Smatch supermarket.
The EGF would contribute with the amount of 2 660 000 € to the financing of personalized services for the workers. The vote on the report is planned for 14 October 2024.
Question for written answer E-001956/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Irene Tinagli (S&D), Jonás Fernández (S&D), Nikos Papandreou (S&D), Carla Tavares (S&D), René Repasi (S&D), Evelyn Regner (S&D), Elisabetta Gualmini (S&D), Aurore Lalucq (S&D)
Debt sustainability analysis (DSA) plays a key role in the reformed EU fiscal rules. DSA is used to assess how much fiscal adjustment is required to ensure that the public debt ratio is on a plausible downward trajectory. For the first round of ‘reference trajectories’ submitted to Member States in June 2024, the Commission used its existing DSA framework based on the last Debt Sustainability Monitor. It assumes a constant short-run fiscal multiplier of 0.75, a fast dissipation of the output effect of fiscal adjustment, and that fiscal consolidation efforts by trading partners do not spill over into domestic economic activity.
Against this background:
1.Can the Commission provide a justification for these assumptions?
2.How does the Commission justify its hypothesis according to which fiscal adjustment by a given government only affects domestic economic activities and does not spill over into other countries, considering its oft-repeated emphasis on the importance of accounting for how individual fiscal stances affect the euro area aggregate as a whole?
3.Can the Commission explain whether including spillover effects into other countries in the methodology could alter the results of the DSA, and if so, how?
Question for written answer E-001962/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 André Rougé (PfE), Rody Tolassy (PfE)
Fruit production in Guadeloupe has slumped since 2013, by about 50 %, according to a study published by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Statistical Service on 1 October 2024. Production volumes have been particularly poor since 2020: the number of producers has fallen 18% and crop areas 23% in the last three years.
Several factors are at play here: crop areas have shrunk, diseases such as yellow dragon (also known as ‘citrus greening’) have been circulating and producers have aged. As a result, Guadeloupe has become largely dependent on imports to meet its own demands: 75 % of the fruit consumed there has been produced elsewhere.
This state of affairs undermines Guadeloupe’s food sovereignty and the very survival of many farms. Generational renewal is insufficient to compensate for ageing producers’ departure from the industry, and climate events and diseases affect most crops except export bananas.
Against that backdrop, is the Commission planning to take specific steps to support Guadeloupe’s farming sectors, specifically, stronger action to tackle the problem of yellow dragon disease and measures to encourage young farmers to join the industry?
Following the vote on the 978 budgetary amendments to the Council’s reading of the 2025 EU Budget on 7 October, the Committee on Budgets, at its 14 October meeting, adopted a report prepared by the General Rapporteur on the 2025 budget (Section III – Commission), Mr Victor Negrescu (S&D), and the Rapporteur for other sections, Mr Niclas Herbst (EPP), which will reflect and accompany the outcome of the budgetary vote.
The Resolution and the budgetary amendments will be debated and adopted in the European Parliament’s plenary sitting in Strasbourg on 21-24 October.
The first conciliation meeting between the Council and the Parliament is scheduled for 5 November.
Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English
Federal Department of Home Affairs
Bern, 14.10.2024 – On 14 and 15 October 2024, Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider is in Madrid on a working visit, focused on sharing experience on the digital transformation of healthcare. The visit by the Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) included a meeting on Monday with the Spanish Health Minister Mónica García Gómez. The second day of this working visit is dedicated to equality and the fight against violence against women.
The talks between Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and her counterpart Mónica García Gómez focused on healthcare digitalisation, and in particular on the electronic patient record. The ministers discussed the opportunities and challenges arising in this area. Spain’s institutional organisation, as in Switzerland, is decentralised, and the country has extensive experience with electronic health records, use of which has been standard practice for Spanish patients since 2015. Other topics covered were primary care and the ongoing negociations between Switzerland and the European Union concerning a health agreement.
In addition, the Head of the FDHA met with the Health Minister for the autonomous community of Madrid, Fátima Matute Teresa, to discuss the application of electronic health records in practice. Federal Councillor Baume-Schneider also discussed the topic of digital transformation in healthcare with doctors, researchers, patients and officials.
Combating violence against women
The second day of the working visit to Spain is devoted to the topic of gender equality and efforts to combat violence against women. After a planned exchange at the Ministry of Equality Federal Councillor Baume-Schneider will be visiting the COMETA Control Centre, which is responsible for electronic monitoring of offenders. COMETA receives and coordinates alarms triggered by monitoring devices when restraining orders are breached (offenders entering an exclusion area). This system helps to protect victims and to prevent gender-based domestic violence.
MEPs in the Trade Committee voted on Monday to support a loan of up to €35 billion to Ukraine as the EU’s contribution to the G7’s support initiative.
The Trade Committee voted by 31 in favour, 4 against and no abstentions on the Commission proposal to support Ukraine with an exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan of up to €35 billion. This is the EU’s contribution under the G7’s initiative to support Ukraine with up to $50 billion (approximately €45 billion) to address Ukraine’s urgent financing needs in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression.
The repayment of this exceptional MFA loan and of the loans from other G7 countries will come from the extraordinary revenues made from immobilised Russian Central Bank assets, and enabled by the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, newly established under the Commission’s proposal.
The future revenues from frozen Russian assets, as well as possible contributions from EU member states and other countries, are set to be made available to Ukraine through the mechanism in order to assist the country in repaying the exceptional MFA loan, as well as loans from other G7 partners considered as eligible by the Commission. These funds will only be used for servicing and repaying eligible loans and the MFA loan.
The new MFA loan is undesignated, allowing Ukraine to allocate the funds as it deems appropriate. The management and control systems outlined in the Ukraine Plan, along with specific measures to prevent fraud and other irregularities, will also apply to the MFA loan. The new MFA funds will be made available by the end of 2024, and disbursed until the end of 2025. The MFA loan is conditional upon Ukraine’s continued commitment to uphold effective democratic mechanisms, respect human rights, and further policy conditions to be set out in a memorandum of understanding.
Quote
”Using profits from immobilised Russian assets sends a clear signal that the burden of rebuilding Ukraine must be shouldered by those responsible for its destruction, namely Russia. The new macro-financial assistance and loan cooperation mechanism supports Ukraine to maintain important basic functions in society. Making Russia pay is an important step. Ukraine is not only fighting for its own existence and freedom, but also ours. This proposal underscores the EU’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and economic resilience,” rapporteur Karin Karlsbro (Renew, SE) said.
Next steps
Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal during its 21-24 October session. The Council endorsed the proposal last week, and it plans to adopt the regulation by written procedure after Parliament’s vote. The regulation is expected to enter into force on the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Background
In September, the Commission announced a €35 billion EU loan for Ukraine as part of a plan by G7 partners to issue loans of up to $50 billion (€45 billion). Future revenues coming from the frozen Russian state assets would finance the loans. Approximately 210 billion euros assets from the Central Bank of Russia are held in the EU and have been frozen under sanctions imposed over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. EU governments decided to set aside the extraordinary revenues from these assets, and use them to support both military efforts and reconstruction in Ukraine. Setting up the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism underlines the EU’s continued support to Ukraine.
Priority question for written answer P-002037/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Friedrich Pürner (NI)
For years, the EU Member States have faced shortages of important medicines, including antibiotics, insulin, painkillers and syrups lowering fever. In Germany, supply shortages are now even affecting isotonic saline solutions, which are needed for infusions, rinses and surgery, among other things.
The shortage of medicines is a persistent public health problem.
In light of this, the Commission adopted a set of actions in 2023 to address the shortage of medicines and strengthen security of supply in the EU, which included a reform of pharmaceutical legislation.
1.Is the Commission aware of this situation in Germany and are other EU Member States also facing a shortage of isotonic saline solution? If so, which, and how big is the deficit in each country and in the EU as a whole?
2.What is the impact of these supply shortages on patients and users and how are prices affected?
3.What precautionary measures and early warning systems does the European Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, have in place in order to prevent shortages or minimise deficits as far as possible?
Question for written answer E-001976/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Julien Leonardelli (PfE)
At a time when the sowing season has already started, producers of coriander in the Occitania region in France have been displeased to learn, by means of an order of the regional prefect, that common agricultural policy subsidies, including those for the organic sector, would be subject to a particularly strict cap: EUR 2 700 per holding for applications including the crop code ‘AAR-précision 004 coriandre, cumin’. EUR 20 000 per holding had originally been budgeted for that subsidy, and farmers based their investments on that figure.
That cap is seriously harmful to coriander producers in the Occitania region. It seems all the more unjustified and incomprehensible given that coriander production has shot up in France recently (from 1 850 hectares to 3 520 hectares between 2019 and 2020, an increase of81 %). What is more, markets in France and the other Member States of the European Union are currently gaining ground back, including in the light of the state of affairs in Ukraine.
Will the Commission reconsider its position and propose a significant increase to the subsidy cap for this year?
Question for written answer E-001969/2024 to the Commission Rule 144 Pascal Arimont (PPE)
According to the German Professional Beekeepers Association (Deutscher Berufs- und Erwerbsimkerbunds e. V.), adulterated honey in supermarkets remains a major problem. The association had samples of honey from German supermarkets tested in a laboratory, which showed that 25 out of 30 samples had been diluted with cheap sugar syrup. The association noted that the typical sugar profiling methods – NMR, IRMS and LC/MS testing – did not reveal any anomalies in the 30 samples. Only DNA sequencing was able to prove that 80 % of the samples were inauthentic[1]. Beekeepers suspect that fructose syrup produced by genetically modified bacteria was added to the honeys.
The European Parliament and the Council have adopted a reform of the EU Honey Directive, whereby the countries of origin will have to appear on the label of honey blends in descending order by weight with the percentage share of each origin. Nonetheless, the Member States can decide that, for honey placed on the market in their territory, only the percentages of the four largest shares need to be indicated, provided that these countries represent more than 50 % of the blend. What is more, the detection of this fraud highlights the need for comprehensive and better analyses to combat the import of cheap, counterfeit products.
What is the Commission’s response to the findings of the above-mentioned investigation and what measures is it proposing to better and more efficiently detect such fraud in the future?
1. EU law requires Member States to ensure proper waste management, including to prepare for reuse or recycle at least 65%[1] and not landfill more than 10%[2] of their municipal waste by 2035. Incineration with energy recovery can provide appropriate treatment of non-recyclable residual waste[3] by extracting energy and valuable materials, diverting it from landfilling or illegal dumping, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution. To align waste infrastructure with the recycling targets, overcapacity in residual waste treatment should be avoided. No information indicates that this incinerator would contribute to incineration overcapacity or cause significant damage to the EU’s environmental objectives.
2. Decisions on the type and location of waste treatment plants are in the competence of the Member States and are part of their waste management plans to implement EU waste legislation, ensuring a high level of environmental protection and the application of the principles of the waste hierarchy, proximity, self-sufficiency and polluter-pays. Without prejudice to the Commission’s role as guardian of the Treaties, Member States are primarily responsible to ensure compliance with EU law, including as regards assessing possible environmental impacts of projects and verifying individual cases of potential breaches of the rules.
3. The waste hierarchy lays down a priority order favoring waste prevention and preparing for re-use, followed by recycling, and only then recovery, including energy recovery, while the least preferred option is disposal, such as incineration without energy recovery and landfilling of waste[4]. The Commission considers that the place of energy recovery in the waste hierarchy is still valid.
[1] Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives, OJ L 312, 22.11.2008, p. 3-30, as amended by Directive (EU) 2018/851 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 109-140.
[2] Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste, OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p. 1-19, amended by Directive (EU) 2018/850 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018, OJ L 150, 14.6.2018, p. 100-108.
[3] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘The role of waste-to-energy in the circular economy’, COM(2017) 34 final.
The political guidelines[1] of the President of the Commission announced the development of a water resilience strategy to ensure water resources are properly managed, water scarcity addressed and the competitive innovative edge of the water industry enhanced by a circular economy approach.
The aim, inter alia, is to better support Member States in strengthening their water security, as water is increasingly under stress from uses and climate change.
It will build on ongoing efforts to tackle water scarcity and droughts and enhance drought management, taking into account the impacts of climate change[2], including through a working group on water scarcity and droughts[3], as well as the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy[4].
The Commission has been assessing the severity of droughts[5], drought impacts[6] and future drought risks[7] and offered support to Member States to either establish or improve national and regional drought observatories by leveraging the European Drought Observatory of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
The EU is also providing significant support to water resilience investments. Between 2021 and 2027, some EUR 13 billion of Cohesion Policy funds[8] will be invested in water management. Moreover, the Common Agricultural Policy[9] supports more efficient irrigation and measures to render farming more sustainable for ground and surface water.
Horizon Europe[10] also supports research and innovation on water resilience[11], through partnerships, Missions and the Work Programme .
[2] In the context of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1-73, as amended by Commission Directive 2014/101/EU of 30 October 2014, OJ L 311, 31.10.2014, p. 32-35.
The Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in 2022, aims to drive global biodiversity conservation through 23 targets and four overarching goals. As COP16 approaches in October 2024, the study looks at overall progress in implementation since COP15 and examines the major issues at stake, including a review of the state of implementation at national level, establishing a financial mechanism and adopting a multilateral agreement on digital sequence information. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).
World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October to promote awareness and action in support of those who suffer from hunger. What is more, over 2.8 billion people – around one third of the world’s population – were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. The average cost of such a diet continues to increase globally reaching 3.96 purchasing power parity dollars per person per day in 2022. Read our infographic to dig deeper into the topic.
Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English
The foreign ministers of the five German-speaking countries met today in Luxembourg to discuss cross-border and multilateral cooperation. They also discussed the role of the United Nations Security Council, which Switzerland is chairing for the second time this October, in the current geopolitical context.
Source: International Criminal Court (video statements)
On 10 October 2024, ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC was honoured to provide the keynote address at the “Nuremberg Forum 2024 – For Every Child: Protecting Children’s Rights in Armed Conflict”.
In his speech, he outlined a renewed approach by the Office of the Prosecutor to crimes against and affecting children. If heard and seen, children can be powerful partners in delivering justice for international crimes.
The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.
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Good afternoon. Let me start off with a couple of updates. First, I will start off with Gaza and then with Lebanon.
We are aware of the disturbing reports about an Israeli attack on the grounds of a hospital complex in central Gaza.
The Secretary-General condemns the large number of civilian casualties in the intensifying Israeli campaign in northern Gaza, including at schools sheltering displacing Palestinians civilians.
He strongly urges all parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law and emphasizes that civilians must be respected and protected at all times.
Humanitarian assistance into Gaza is woefully inadequate and is at the lowest level in months. The Secretary-General underscores that the parties must ensure the safe and secure delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, at the level of which they need it. There must be a safe environment as well, for the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza which is to be completed – and more details on polio in a moment.
Today, a team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – alongside colleagues from the World Health Organization, the UN Mine Action Service, and the UN Human Rights Office – visited the Al Aqsa hospital in Gaza to assess people’s needs following last night’s attack. And Al Aqsa hospital was also meant to be used as one of the polio vaccination sites.
Out of the hundreds of displaced families sheltering in the courtyard, some 40 families were affected, half of whom lost their shelter and other belongings in the fire.
Aid organizations are mobilizing the humanitarian response. Among the assistance most urgently needed are tents and tarpaulins, bedding, hygiene kits, clothing, children’s supplies, kitchen kits, as well as food. The assessment noted that patients at Al Aqsa hospital were referred to nearby medical facilities due to an influx of trauma injuries following the strike on UNRWA’s school in Nuseirat.
Despite all of this, the second round of the polio vaccination campaign began in the middle area of the Gaza Strip. Over the coming 12 days, colleagues at UNRWA, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other aim to vaccinate around 590,000 children under ten years of age with a second dose of the novel oral polio vaccination type 2.
This follows a first round – as you will recall – which was successfully implemented from 1-12 September, which reached more than 559,000 children, or an estimated 95 per cent of eligible children at governorate level, that’s according to independently conducted post-campaign monitoring.
As with the first round, the second round will have three phases, each involving three campaign days and one catch-up day.
The polio vaccination campaign began, as I mentioned. UNRWA renews its urgent request to all parties to the conflict to implement the necessary humanitarian pauses in Gaza for the second round of vaccination to be successful.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that escalating violence in northern Gaza is having a disastrous impact on food security for thousands of Palestinian families. WFP says that the main crossings into the north have been closed and no food entering since 1 October.
Food distribution points, as well as kitchens and bakeries in North Gaza, have been forced to shut down due to airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders.
The last of WFP’s food supplies in the north – that includes canned food, wheat flour, high-energy biscuits, and nutrition supplements — have been distributed to shelters, health facilities and kitchens in Gaza City and three shelters in North Gaza.
If the conflict continues to escalate at the current scale, it is unclear how long these limited food supplies will last, and the consequences for fleeing families will obviously be dire.
Turning north to the situation in Lebanon, I can tell you that the Secretary-General is in very frequent contact with Force Commander of UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission and that’s Lt. General Aroldo Lázaro.
The Secretary-General is extremely appreciative of the courage and dedication of the more than 10,000 uniformed peacekeepers and civilian staff serving in the mission.
Our UNIFIL colleagues continue to monitor the situation. On Sunday, the mission detected 1,557 instances of firing across the Blue Line – that’s the highest number in one day since 8 October 2023 – 1,441 of these originated from south of the Blue Line, primarily striking areas in Sector East of the UNIFIL area of operations.