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Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Medical devices – E-000690/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000690/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Niels Fuglsang (S&D)

    Medical devices are governed by two EU regulations whose overall objective is to ensure patient safety: the Medical Devices Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation.

    It appears, however, that the legislation is configured in a way that makes re-use difficult and creates unnecessary financial and administrative burdens.

    Here is a real-life example: a municipal assistive products centre wants to repair a wheelchair by replacing a broken armrest. The new armrest is the same as the old one, but the product number is different. The repair can’t be done because in this case the municipality would assume the role of ‘manufacturer’, along with the product liability for the wheelchair as a whole, including the motor, wheels and batteries. The upshot of this is that medical devices that are otherwise in order are not being reused.

    With the above in mind:

    • 1.Is the Commission aware of this problem?
    • 2.Is this an area in which the Commission intends to change the rules to ensure patient safety and focus on the opportunities to promote a more circular economy?

    Submitted: 13.2.2025

    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Inconsistencies in published occupational-accident statistics – P-000848/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-000848/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Alexander Bernhuber (PPE)

    Referencing by the Commission in its reporting focuses on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular in the area of ‘safety and health at work’. The questioner has noticed inconsistencies in published occupational-accident statistics, however, which raise questions as to quality assurance relating to the underlying data, as there are also extreme fluctuations in values within the EU. With regard to United Nations data, information is needed on verification, on quality (about which there are doubts) and on how discrepancies are dealt with.

    • 1.Does the Commission, in particular Eurostat, independently verify the data provided by the United Nations and, if so, are the verification results made publicly available?
    • 2.In the specific case of ‘Occupational Accident Statistics’, has the Commission ever identified discrepancies or voiced the suspicion that the published data may be incorrect or incomplete, and how can the Commission explain the fact that in Romania, for instance, there are only 71 ‘non-fatal occupational injuries per 100 000 workers’ and in France 2 800 and in Denmark over 3 000 ‘non-fatal occupational injuries per 100 000 workers’?
    • 3.How does the Commission intend to proceed in this case in order to ensure the quality and plausibility of the data, and what measures are in place for verification or for coordination with data providers, e.g. with national statistical offices, the ILO or the United Nations?

    Submitted: 26.2.2025

    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 – implementing acts – P-000847/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-000847/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Birgit Sippel (S&D)

    The success of the eIDAS wallet provided for in Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 depends on the trust users place in this new digital identity system. The recent implementing act proposals from the Commission risk undermining that trust and violating the agreement with the European Parliament. The eIDAS system has to deliver the highest level of privacy and security, which means ensuring that users have control over their data and the transparency of the entire ecosystem.

    In the implementing act on identity matching, the current Commission proposal contradicts the eIDAS Regulation and the agreement with Parliament.

    • 1.Why is the Commission pushing for an extension of user identification to the provision of private services without an appropriate reference thereto in the basic act? Or could the Commission indicate what part of the basic act it is basing its position on?
    • 2.How does the Commission justify the extension of the obligation for relying party registration to private services, despite the fact that private sector access to centralised systems for identity matching via unique identifiers is explicitly not mentioned in Article 11a Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 as a possible use case.

    You may reply with additional information in an annex.

    Submitted: 26.2.2025

    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Committing International Child Exploitation Pleads Guilty in Miami Federal Court

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – An Italian national living in Miami who used social media and money to entice minors, including four United Kingdom girls ages 14 to 16, to make and send him sexually explicit images of themselves has pled guilty to producing child sexual abuse material and committing international promotional money laundering in furtherance of his child exploitation crimes.

    During a court hearing in the Southern District of Florida, Marco Pagano, 41, admitted the following: From about March 2023 to April 2024, Pagano engaged in illegal online exchanges with minors, including four girls living in the United Kingdom. As to those four minors, Pagano used his online payment system accounts more than 180 times to send thousands of dollars from the United States to the girls abroad. In exchange, Pagano demanded that the four minors produce illegal pornographic photographs and videos and send those to him through a social media application. These included images of the minor girls performing sexual acts on one another.

    Sentencing is set for June 9, at 9:00 a.m., in Miami before United States District Court Judge Robert N. Scola. Pagano faces up to life in prison.

    United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement.

    FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller is prosecuting it.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    Anyone with information relating to child sexual exploitation or abuse is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20360.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Monday Briefings, Secretary-General & other topics – Daily Press Briefing

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

    – Monday Briefings
    – Secretary-General
    – Occupied Palestinian Territory
    – Syria
    – Democratic Republic of the Congo/Peacekeeping
    – Democratic Republic of the Congo
    – South Sudan
    – Biodiversity
    – International Days
    – Jane

    MONDAY BRIEFINGS
    On Monday there will be a briefing here by Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, whom as you know is the Permanent Representative of Denmark, but she will be here in her capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of March. She will of course brief on the Council’s programme for the month. The briefing will be in person only, so if you want to ask questions you will need to have your backside in the seats. You can obviously follow it on the webcast.
    Then, at 2:15 p.m., there will be a briefing here on the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Speakers will include Akan Rakhmetullin, the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and President of the Meeting, and he will be joined by Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

    SECRETARY-GENERAL
    You will have seen that early this morning, the Secretary-General in his remarks expressed his deep concern about information received in the last 48 hours by UN agencies — as well as many humanitarian and development NGOs — regarding severe cuts in funding by the United States. The consequences, he said, will be especially devastating for vulnerable people around the world.
    The Secretary-General expressed his hope that these decisions can be reversed based on more careful reviews, adding that in the meantime, every United Nations agency stands ready to provide the necessary information and justification for its projects.
    The Secretary-General also announced that next Tuesday, he will be in Cairo to join the Extraordinary Summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the issue of the reconstruction of Gaza.

    OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
    And turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that since last month, our humanitarian partners have screened more than 100,000 children under the age of five for malnutrition, enrolling those who need it for treatment. They also continue to distribute nutrient supplements to infants and young children.
    For its part, UNRWA [the Relief and Works Agency] tells us that more than half a million people across the five governorates of the Gaza Strip have received blankets, mattresses, floor mats, clothes, and other items including tarpaulins for rain protection.
    Turning to the West Bank, our colleagues at OCHA remind us that the ongoing Israeli forces’ operation has entered its sixth week. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced in Jenin and Tulkarm.
    On 25 and 26 of this month, OCHA and its partners led a mission to assess the needs of people displaced in Jenin and Tulkarm. Many of these families have been displaced multiple times. They lost their livelihoods and are no longer able to cover the basic needs of their families. Access to food is limited, with some displaced people reporting a reduction in meals consumed each day.
    Children in schools have lost more than one month of learning and have been subjected to high levels of anxiety and distress.
    In a report published yesterday, partners called for the protection of children and their right to live and access education, healthcare and other basic services.
    Meanwhile, Israeli settlers continue to attack Palestinian communities across the West Bank. Since 2020, settler-related incidents targeting Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities have increased almost sevenfold.
    Documented incidents rose to 330 in 2024 – compared to just 50 in 2020.

    Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20February%202025

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw4yCJbG0vw

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Concludes Seventy-Seventh Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Reports of Croatia, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda and the United Kingdom

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon concluded its seventy-seventhsession after adopting concluding observationson the reports of Croatia, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda and the United Kingdom under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights .

    The concluding observations will be transmitted to the States concerned and made available on the webpage of the session   on the afternoon of Monday, 3 March.

    Laura-MariaCraciunean-Tatu, Committee Chair, said that during the intense session, in addition to engaging with five States parties, the Committee had considered two follow-up reports; adopted three lists of issues on Cabo Verde, North Macedonia and Turkmenistan; conducted work on communications under the Optional Protocol; and discussed one draft and two future general comments and one statement.

    Ms. Craciunean-Tatu said that this session, the Committee had welcomed four new members, and would formally welcome its fifth, Peijie Chen (China), in its next session. Despite the discontinuance of formal hybrid meetings, the Committee continued to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in person and remotely outside of formal meeting time. Ms. Craciunean-Tatu expressed thanks to all those who worked to promote and protect the rights enshrined in the Covenant.

    During the session, she said, the Committee adopted assessments on the follow-up reports to concluding observations for Serbia and Uzbekistan. The assessments would be transmitted to the States concerned and made available publicly in the weeks to come. The Committee urged other States to submit follow-up reports which were overdue or due.

    Under the Optional Protocol, the Committee adopted decisions relating to 48 individual communications. It found violations of the Covenant in three cases concerning the right to housing; declared admissible one case on alleged violation of the right to work of a human rights defender; and declared inadmissible two cases on alleged unequal pay for overtime in teaching-related activities and alleged wage discrimination. The Committee further discontinued the consideration of 42 cases concerning the right to housing. Finally, it adopted a follow-up progress report on individual communications.

    Ms. Craciunean-Tatu saidthe Committee had adopted a Statement on Tax Policy and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It hoped that this statement would guide States parties, both domestically and in the context of international tax cooperation, to observe increasingly inclusive and transparent tax policy-making processes, thus encouraging the implementation of tax systems that supported the enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the Covenant, with a focus on disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

    Regarding general comments, the Committee completed a second reading of the draft general comment on the environmental dimension of sustainable development, and continued discussing the scope of two general comments on drug policy and on armed conflict as they related to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. These discussions would continue at the next session.

    During the session, Ms. Craciunean-Tatu said, the Committee held an informal meeting with States on 20 February and engaged in discussion on all aspects of its work. In addition to the numerous contacts the Committee had with civil society organizations, it also held this morning its annual meeting with non-governmental organizations, in which it heard their views on several important topics, including strategic litigation and the right to a clean and healthy environment.

    Ms. Craciunean-Tatu also said that the Committee had held informal meetings with other stakeholders, including with treaty body members, United Nations agencies and the Special Rapporteurs on climate change and in the field of cultural rights. The engagement of all concerned was deeply appreciated.

    In its next session, she said, in addition to reviewing the reports of seven States parties, the Committee would adopt lists of issues on the reports of Eswatini, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova and Tunisia. It would also adopt assessments on the follow-up reports of El Salvador and Luxembourg.

    This session, the Committee reaffirmed its decision to implement a simplified reporting procedure and had requested the Secretariat to prepare a structured implementation plan, Ms. Craciunean-Tatu said. However, until such a plan was operationalised, she encouraged States parties to submit reports under the regular reporting procedure, including long overdue reports.

    The Committee had not yet held dialogues with 24 States parties that had not submitted their initial reports, of which five were overdue for more than 10 years. In total, 51 States’ periodic reports were also overdue, at least 16 of which for more than 10 years. The capacity building programme established pursuant to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/268 (2014) was available to offer support to States requiring technical assistance in this regard, including with respect to the establishment of national mechanisms for reporting implementation and follow-up.

    Ms. Craciunean-Tatu invited all States to ratify the Covenant and encouraged States that were parties to the Covenant but had not acceded to or ratified the Optional Protocol to do so, and to enter the declarations for its articles 10 and 11. She welcomed the accession, two weeks ago, of Albania to the Optional Protocol.

    In closing, Ms. Craciunean-Tatu thanked the Committee and all who had contributed to the busy session. The Committee looked forward to, in its next session, holding dialogues with States, pursuing other work, and engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to achieve the effective promotion and protection of all the rights enshrined in the Covenant.

    In its seventy-eighth session, to be held from 8 September to 3 October 2025, the Committee will review the reports of Australia, Chile, Colombia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Netherlands, Russian Federation and Zimbabwe.

    ___________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

    CESCR25.007E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump, VP Vance Are Standing Up for Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance will always stand up for the interests of the American people and those who respect the United States’ position in the world — and will never allow the American people to be taken advantage of.
    President Trump: “Let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards — but without us, you don’t have any cards.”
    More than half (52%) of Ukrainians want a quick end to the war and believe Ukraine “should be open to ceding some territory in exchange for peace,” according to a November Gallup poll.
    Since martial law was declared in Ukraine, 1,000,050 Ukrainians have been drafted into military service. In October 2024, Ukraine announced it would be drafting another 160,000 — bringing the total number of conscripted Ukrainians to 1,160,050.
    The average age of Ukrainian troops is 43 years old.
    “Even if the West did come through with all the weapons they have pledged, ‘we don’t have the men to use them,’ one of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s close aides told Time’s Simon Shuster, revealing that the average age of a Ukrainian soldier has already reached 43.”

    One of Zelenskyy’s closest aides told TIME in 2023 that he is “[deluding] himself … We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.”
    The Ukrainian army is facing rising desertions as “ill-trained and exhausted soldiers [go] AWOL,” with the military further strained by struggles in recruiting and the “arrests of respected and popular combat officers.”
    President Trump: “You’re gambling with World War III.”
    Zelesnkyy himself has acknowledged that the situation in Ukraine could lead to WWIII, and that without U.S. aid, they would lose: “A third world war could start in Ukraine, continue in Israel, and move on from there to Asia, and then explode somewhere else.”
    President Trump: “I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets.”
    President Trump gave anti-tank javelin missiles to Ukraine, while Obama gave non-lethal aid only, including blankets.
    EURACTIV: “Poroshenko asks Obama for weapons, obtains blankets”
    President Trump approved lethal weapons sales to Ukraine in 2017: “The new arms include American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, U.S. officials said.”
    President Trump approved a $39 million sale of defensive lethal weapons to Ukraine in 2019: “The new package will include Javelin anti-tank weapons, with one U.S. official saying it includes 150 missiles and two launchers.”

    Vice President Vance: “You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.”
    Zelenskyy was called out for campaigning against President Trump in Pennsylvania.
    “Zelenskyy was flown to Pennsylvania in an Air Force C-17 plane.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Business, innovation and sustainability: the International Cooperation Forum 2025 debates the future of international cooperation

    Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in English

    The fourth International Cooperation Forum (IC Forum), which focused economic development, ended today at ETH Zurich. Participants including federal councillors Guy Parmelin and Ignazio Cassis discussed the importance of local initiatives and cooperation between the private and public sectors. The IC Award was also presented to three Swiss companies for their innovations in the field of development cooperation. Over 1,500 people took part in the forum, both in person and online.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Global Gateway: Partnership between EBID and EIB to promote climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Union (EU), today announce a €100 million financial partnership to support climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region.

    A project with a considerable impact on populations

    The EUR 100 million credit line signed under a EUR 150 million envelope is the EIB’s first operation with the EBID. It supports economic development, climate action and environmental sustainability in the ECOWAS region, which fills the financing gap in these areas and contributes to sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction.

    This facility affirms joint EBID and EIB targeted support for sustainable investments across the ECOWAS region, with particular support for sectors contributing to climate mitigation. The projects which will be financed by this operation target particularly renewable energy including small and medium-sized photovoltaic projects, sustainable agriculture and water treatment.

    A project with a strategic vision

    This project – targeting total investments of at least EUR 300 million – is in line with the strategic priorities of the ECOWAS region and is part of the European Union strategy in Africa under the Africa-European Union Green Energy Initiative as well as the Global Gateway strategy, a model for how Europe can build more resilient connections with the world. It also responds to the ECOWAS Vision 2050 ambitions linked to the environment, economic growth, private sector development and regional integration as well as the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy and the Action Plan for 2022-2030.It contributes to various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as sustainable agriculture, health and quality education, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy.

    “We appreciate this line of credit as an initiative of the European Investment Bank to help ECOWAS countries increase their growth and sustainable development,” said EBID Vice President Risk and Control, Dr. Mory Soumahoro. “This partnership demonstrates EBID’s commitment to supporting regional member countries’ access to sustainable sources of finance.”

    “I am very delighted to sign this first operation with the EBID to support economic development, climate action and environmental sustainability in the ECOWAS region. It will help to bridge the financial gap in this region while contributing to reduce poverty and ameliorate daily lives. “ said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. He added: “By contributing financially to this project, the EIB demonstrates its commitment to regional integration and developed infrastructure for the benefit of local populations.  Through EIB Global, our branch dedicated to development, we aim to support the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and key sectors in the region such as innovation, digital economy, renewable energy, water, agriculture and transport.”

    “More than half a billion people in Africa still lack access to electricity. Our long-standing goal is to change that. The partnership between the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) is a clear demonstration of our commitment to supporting sustainable development and climate action in Africa. By mobilising €300 million for projects that promote clean energy, we are empowering people in the ECOWAS region to build a greener and more prosperous future.” – Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships

    The EIB loan will also be accompanied by technical assistance program of the EIB with climate action focused training and capacity building This is closely aligned with the EIB and EBID initiatives supporting sustainable development.

    Background information:

    EIB Global

    The European Investment Bank (EIB), whose shareholders are the Member States of the European Union (EU), is the EU’s long-term financing institution. It finances the implementation of investments which contribute to the major objectives of the EU.

    BEI Global is the specialist arm of the EIB Group dedicated to developing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of the Global Gateway strategy. It aims to support 100 billion euros of investment by the end of 2027 – around a third of the overall target of this EU strategy. Within Team Europe, EIB Global promotes strong and targeted partnerships, alongside other development finance institutions and civil society. BEI World brings the BEI Group closer to populations, businesses and institutions through its offices around the world.

    High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

    About EBID

    ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is the development finance institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprising fifteen (15) Member States namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Based in Lomé, Togolese Republic, the Bank is committed to financing developmental projects and programmes covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows. EBID intervenes through long, medium, and short-term loans, equity participation, lines of credit, refinancing, financial engineering operations, and related services. www.bidc-ebid.org

    Global Gateway: Partnership between EBID and EIB to promote climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region
    Global Gateway: Partnership between EBID and EIB to promote climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region
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    Global Gateway: Partnership between EBID and EIB to promote climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region
    Global Gateway: Partnership between EBID and EIB to promote climate action and environmental sustainability projects in the ECOWAS region
    ©EIB
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: At a Glance – Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia: Economic indicators and trade with EU – 28-02-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    This infographic provides insight into the economic performance of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia compared with the European Union (EU) and examines the trade dynamics between them. The growth rate for Morocco and Egypt, although decreasing from 2023, remains at 2.8 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. The GDP growth rate of Tunisia and the EU is up compared to 2023, but still below 2 percent, standing at 1.6 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively. In the past two years, Egypt has experienced a rapid increase in inflation and fluctuations in its exchange rate. The inflation rate for 2024 was 33.3%. Trade in goods and services shows a steady and sustained increase from 2007 to the present. Among the three states compared, Morocco is the primary partner in trade for goods, while Egypt leads in services.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Designation of the Port of Licata under Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 – E-000266/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. All Member States, including Italy, have submitted the list of designated ports authorised for landing and transhipment of fisheries products for 2025, in compliance with Article 5(3) of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008[1].

    2. It is up to the Member States’ authorities to determine if the ports in their territories are suitable for inclusion in the list of designated ports under Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008. Italian authorities have not designated the Port of Licata as designated port in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008.

    • [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1005/oj/eng
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Bluetongue epidemic – challenges facing sheep farmers in Portugal – E-002643/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The Commission is not aware of any specific request from the Portuguese Government for the deployment of additional EU resources related to spread of bluetongue virus.

    As referred to in reply to Written Questions E-001845/2024, E-002156/2024, E-002019/2024 and E-001850/2024 bluetongue virus being a subject to optional eradication, EU funding for Bluetongue Virus, including vaccination, is not planned for the 2025-2027 period for eradication programmes in accordance with EU rules[1], nor for emergency measures. Financial resources are allocated to the control and eradication of other major priority animal diseases.

    As mentioned in reply to Written Questions E-001819/2024, P-002410/2024; E-002019/2024 and E-002156/2024 , support to farmers can be provided under the common market Organisation, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans, rural development programmes, and in line with Union state aid rules.

    2. CAP financial rules[2] already allow farmers who have been unable to fulfil all their CAP requirements due to exceptional and unforeseeable events outside their control not to lose CAP support. The application of this concept is decided by Member States based on relevant evidence and the legal requirements for its application.

    • [1] Regulation (EU) 2021/690 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing a programme for the internal market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics (Single Market Programme) and the work programmes (adopted as Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 2098 of 2.8.2024 for 2025-2027).
    • [2] Articles 3(2) and 59(5)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013, OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 187.
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Measures to suspend the Mularroya project and prevent the undermining of Special Protection Areas and the Water Framework Directive – E-002708/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Under Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, where a question on the interpretation of acts of the institutions is raised in a case pending before a court or tribunal of a Member State against whose decisions there is no judicial remedy under national law, that court or tribunal shall bring the matter before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

    The CJEU has declared that a court or tribunal against whose decisions there is no judicial remedy under national law is required, where a question of Community law is raised before it, to comply with its obligation to bring the matter before the Court of Justice, unless it has established that the question raised is irrelevant or that the Community provision in question has already been interpreted by the Court or that the correct application of Community law is so obvious as to leave no scope for any reasonable doubt[1].

    Therefore, national courts against whose decisions there is no remedy under national law and which refuse to refer to the CJEU a preliminary question on the interpretation of EU law that has been raised before them are obliged to give reasons for their refusal in the light of the exceptions provided for in the case-law of the CJEU[2].

    In the judgment referred to by the Honourable Member, the Spanish Supreme Court (Court of last resort) stated that the arguments set out in the case and the judgments of the CJEU mentioned therein made it unnecessary to raise a preliminary question before the CJEU for the resolution of the appeal.

    Therefore, the Supreme Court did not have doubts on the interpretation of the relevant EU law that would make it necessary to bring the matter before the CJEU for the resolution of the appeal.

    The Commission does not intend to take further action.

    • [1] Judgment of the Court of Justice of 6 October 1982, in CILFIT v. Ministero della Sanità, C-283/81.
    • [2] Ullens de Schooten and Rezabek v. Belgium, 2011, § 62; Sanofi Pasteur v. France, 2020, § 70.
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Creation of a European body for certification and evaluation of environmental studies, to supervise EU-funded projects, or major projects, or projects in Natura areas – E-000099/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission does not envisage the establishment of a body with tasks as suggested by the Honourable Member.

    The Member States have the primary responsibility to monitor the application of the relevant legal provisions, including to ensure the compliance of national projects with applicable EU requirements.

    In accordance with Article 9a of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive[1], it is up to the Member States to ensure that the competent authorities perform any duties under that directive in an objective manner and do not find themselves in situations of conflict of interest.

    Article 9a also provides that where the competent authority is also the developer, Member States shall at least implement, within their organisation of administrative competences, an appropriate separation between conflicting functions when performing the duties arising from this directive. In its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission will continue monitoring the situation and may decide to take appropriate action.

    The Commission aims to swiftly follow up on systemic issues involving the application of EU law in EU countries. However, one-off instances of this are better dealt with at national level, as long as there are available remedies, including judicial ones. In these cases, it is up to the national courts to apply and enforce citizen rights under EU law.

    • [1] Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, OJ L 26, 28.1.2011, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU, OJ L 124, 25.4.2014.
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Suspension of shipping services in Spanish and European ports – E-000221/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    European ports, as critical gateways for international trade and important hubs of activity, are essential for the success of EU industry and economy as a whole.

    This has notably been recognised in the Commission’s priorities through the planning of a new strategy that will highlight the role that European ports and maritime industry will play in the future EU economy.

    All sectors, including maritime transport, need to contribute to the EU climate neutrality objective. While there may be many different economic and operational factors influencing shipping companies’ routes decisions, the Commission takes the possible risks of evasive behaviour very seriously.

    A specific preventive measure against such risks had already been agreed during co-decision: it consists in disregarding, for the purposes of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), stops by containerships at certain neighbouring container transhipment ports that meet specific criteria. Tanger Med and East Port Said have been identified as such ports.

    Furthermore, the EU ETS Directive[1] includes a reporting and review clause that obliges the Commission to monitor and to report every two years on the implementation of the ETS extension to maritime transport, notably with the objective to detect evasive behaviours at an early stage and if appropriate, to propose measures to ensure the effective implementation of the directive.

    The first report is expected in the coming weeks and the Commission will continue monitoring the situation very closely.

    • [1] Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Union and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (OJ L 275 25.10.2003, p. 32).
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – European maritime strategy and the prospect of the creation of an EU EEZ – E-000015/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive (2014/89/EU)[1] requires coastal Member States to adopt their maritime spatial plans by 31 March 2021. The Commission is committed to fostering enhanced coordination among Member States to ensure the sustainable management of maritime areas. This includes working towards coherent MSP across the EU, as required by the directive.

    Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) define the territorial scope of the EU Treaties by reference to the territories of Member States. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), it is for each coastal State to establish and delimitate its maritime zones (including with other States in case of adjacent waters). The EU has no competence regarding the establishment/proclamation and delimitation of maritime zones.

    2. The Seville Charter is a regional map created by an external party, which holds no legal significance. The adoption of a ‘European Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)’ by the EU is neither planned nor possible.

    While the delimitation of the EEZ is a matter falling under the competence of the Member States, in case of unilateral actions or provocations in breach of international law by a third country or countries, the EU will use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including in accordance with Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU, in order to defend its interests and those of the Member States[2].

    • [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/89/oj/eng
    • [2] European Council conclusions on external relations, 1 October 2020: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/10/01/european-council-conclusions-on-external-relations-1-october-2020/
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Support for traditional fishing with boat seines in Greece – E-000158/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The Commission recalls that the use of towed gears, including boat seines, is prohibited within 3 nautical miles of the coast or within the 50 m isobath where that depth is reached at a shorter distance from the coast[1]. Derogations can be granted under certain conditions by the Commission at the request of a Member State provided that the fisheries concerned are subject to a management plan.

    In December 2021, Greece informed the Commission of its decision to withdraw a request for derogation and not adopt the related management plan. Such decision of a Member State only ends the derogation process and does not constitute a violation of EU law. If the derogation from the prohibition for the use of boat seines is not requested, the adoption of the related management plan is no longer necessary.

    2. The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)[2] is designed to offer support to the fisheries sector in many ways, notably to contribute to the sustainable use and management of aquatic and maritime resources. Competent authorities can consider mobilising financing from the Greek EMFAF Programme to provide support to the fisheries sector concerned. The activation of EMFAF financial support should be in line with the objectives of the Greek EMFAF Programme as agreed between the Commission and Greece. Member States may equally grant state aid to undertakings in the fisheries sector in line with the Fisheries state aid guidelines[3].

    3. A Member State’s choice to withdraw a request for a derogation and subsequently not adopt the related management plan does not breach EU law. Therefore, the Commission does not have any grounds to intervene.

    • [1] Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006, eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006R1967
    • [2] https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/funding/emfaf_en
    • [3] Communication from the Commission, Guidelines for state aid in the fishery and aquaculture sector, OJ C 107, 23.3.2023, p. 1.
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – The environmental hazard posed to the Baltic Sea by Russia’s shadow fleet – E-002971/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission highlights that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.

    Coastal and flag States have to exercise their rights and fulfil their obligations in accordance with Unclos. The international legal regime regulating the passage of ships through straits is embodied in Unclos.

    While exercising rights of transit passage, ships must, inter alia, comply with generally accepted international regulations, procedures and practices for the prevention, reduction, and control of pollution from ships.

    Moreover, according to Articles 192 and 210 et seq., States have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment and cooperate on a global and regional basis for the same purpose.

    Moreover, under Unclos, flag States are responsible for ensuring that vessels, including shadow fleets, sailing under their flag comply with international insurance and certification requirements, vital for accountability and preventing environmental risks in the particularly sensitive sea are of the Baltic Sea.

    Denmark, as the coastal State responsible for the Danish Straits, has the authority under Unclos to adopt measures to prevent environmental hazards and ensure compliance with international regulations within its territorial seas.

    Member States are also required by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive[1] to include significant acute pollution events in their marine strategies.

    Where such pollution events occur, it is the prime responsibility of Member States to intervene and this includes cooperation with regional bodies such as Helcom to monitor and manage maritime activities that could pose risks to the Baltic Sea.

    • [1] 1 Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy, OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, p. 19-40.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Illegal fishing activity of Turkish vessels in Greek territorial waters near Alexandroupoli – E-000067/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye. Under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, the EU reporting mechanisms ensure structured communication between coastal and flag States, enabling action when vessels are suspected of engaging in Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Also, in line with the relevant Council Regulation (EC)[1], the Member State concerned has primary responsibility for control in its waters, including the adoption of enforcement measures and resource allocation.

    2. The Commission supports Greece through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and the European Fisheries Control Agency, which deploys the patrol vessel ‘Ocean Sentinel’, provides satellite imagery and aerial surveillance and coordinates inspection campaigns. The Commission intends to reinforce controls by improving synergies with the European Maritime Safety Agency and strengthening joint deployments in the Mediterranean.

    3. Alleged IUU fishing by Turkish vessels is monitored by the Commission and the Member States concerned. In this context, unequivocal commitment to good neighbourly relations, to international agreements and to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations’ Charter, as well as abstaining from unilateral actions which run counter to EU interests, violate international law and the sovereign rights of EU Member States, remains an essential requirement[2]. Türkiye’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) would improve cooperation with the EU on fisheries and maritime policy[3].

    • [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1224/oj/eng as recently modified by Regulation (EU) 2023/2842 of 22 November 2023.
    • [2] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/joint-communication-european-council-state-play-eu-turkiye-political-economic-and-trade-relations-0_en
    • [3] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/8010c4db-6ef8-4c85-aa06-814408921c89_en?filename=T%C3%BCrkiye%20Report%202024.pdf
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Supporting the EastMed pipeline to reduce energy dependence on non-EU countries – E-000560/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000560/2025/rev.1
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Afroditi Latinopoulou (PfE)

    The EastMed pipeline aims to transport natural gas from reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean region to Europe. Of vital importance for the EU’s energy strategy and geopolitical strength, the project will provide a reliable and strategically critical source of energy. The pipeline’s construction will enhance the EU’s autonomy and reduce its dependence on non-EU countries, such as Russia, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Qatar, which control key energy sources and routes.

    The EastMed pipeline is expected to have an initial capacity of 10 billion cubic metres per year (bcm/y), with the potential to expand to 12-20 bcm/y. It will be able to cover a significant portion of the EU’s needs and help reduce Russian energy imports by 30-40 % by 2040. In addition, it will further diversify the EU’s energy mix and contribute towards building a resilient energy system in Europe.

    In view of the above:

    • 1.What measures does the Commission intend to take to accelerate the EastMed pipeline project as a means of reducing dependence on Russian gas?
    • 2.Are there plans to support the EastMed pipeline project with European funding programmes that will speed up its construction and completion?
    • 3.What steps can the Commission take to ensure the pipeline project’s implementation in the face of emerging geopolitical threats of a hybrid nature from Türkiye, Russia and China?

    Submitted: 6.2.2025

    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Rules applied by the Commission to determine whether an impact assessment will precede a legislative proposal – E-000226/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    1. The Commission applies the principles spelled out in its ‘better regulation’ guidelines and ‘better regulation toolbox’[1]. It thereby follows the commitments made in the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-making[2].

    An impact assessment is prepared for Commission initiatives that are likely to have significant economic, environmental or social impacts and where the Commission has a choice between alternative policy options. These principles are applied consistently but where an impact assessment would be appropriate but cannot be done for reasons of urgency, an analytical document in the form of a staff working document presenting the evidence behind the proposal and cost estimates is prepared within three months of the initiative’s adoption.

    2. The Commission proposes new legislation only when the expected benefits outweigh the applicable costs. An impact assessment presents an objective analysis of evidence supporting the policy initiative, including the potential impacts of various options to address the identified problems and reach policy objectives. Therefore, there is no positive or negative outcome of an impact assessment. An impact assessment is an aid to policy-making and decision-making and not a substitute for it.

    • [1] https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/planning-and-proposing-law/better-regulation/better-regulation-guidelines-and-toolbox_en — in particular Tool #7 (What is an impact assessment and when it is necessary).
    • [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016Q0512(01)
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – VAT on artists’ rights and the EU’s requirements for Denmark – E-002722/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The value added tax (VAT) Directive[1] provides for the taxation of supplies of services made by taxable persons for consideration.

    However, as part of the derogations granted to Member States until the adoption of the definitive arrangements, Article 371 of the VAT Directive authorised Denmark, amongst other Member States, to continue to exempt the supply of services by authors, artists and performers but only those listed in Annex X, Part B, point (2), namely excluding assignments of patents, trademarks and other similar rights, and the granting of licences in respect of such rights, if the services in question were exempted in the respective Member States on 1 January 1978 and in accordance with the conditions applying on that date and have been applied continuously ever since.

    Nevertheless, this is an option granted to Denmark which can decide to tax those services. Once it opts to tax, there is no possibility to revert to the previous exemption and Denmark will be obliged to continue to apply VAT on the services concerned.

    It should be noted however that in some particular cases[2], the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that certain supplies of services by authors are not taxable transactions from a VAT point of view so there is no possibility for Member States to impose VAT on those amounts.

    • [1] Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax, OJ L 347, 11.12.2006, p. 1.
    • [2] Cases C-37/16, SAWP, ECLI:EU:C:2017:22, and C-51/18, Commission vs Republic of Austria, ECLI:EU:C:2018:1035.
    Last updated: 28 February 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Voice from the South: Dr. Anna Julia Cooper

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    “No profounder duty confronts a state than the necessity of constructing sane and serviceable citizens out of the material of childhood. No higher privilege awaits the individual in this land of opportunity than the privilege of contributing to such an end.”

    Dr. Anna Julia Cooper wrote these words ca. 1930 in her essay, “Educational Programs”. (Cooper, Portable, 190.)  Her life as a civil rights activist, essayist, an educator, an intellectual, and a philosopher on society and the law is an extraordinary catalog of outstanding achievements.

    Born in 1858 into slavery to Hannah Stanley Haywood in Raleigh, North Carolina, Anna Julia Haywood was freed in 1863, following the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. She enrolled in Saint Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute as a student, a school established by the Freedman’s Bureau, and began tutoring there at age 10 to help with her tuition. She married fellow student George A.C. Cooper when she graduated from high school. He died two years later, and she enrolled in Oberlin College in 1881, which she attended on scholarship. While there, she asked to attend the “gentlemen’s courses” which included higher mathematics, Latin, and Greek. (Cooper, Portable, xxiii.) She graduated from Oberlin with a B.A. in mathematics in 1884, and an M.A. in mathematics  in 1887.

    Mrs. A.J. Cooper. Photo by C.M. Bell, Washington, D.C. [between 1901 and 1903] Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/bellcm.15413/

    Cooper started teaching math and science at the M Street School, in Washington, D.C., after earning her M.A. from Oberlin. The school “provided a rigorous curriculum that surpassed the offerings of many white schools.” M Street offered a curriculum with academic, scientific, technical, and business tracks. Cooper published her book, A Voice from the South to a positive critical response. As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes of the essay “Woman vs. the Indian”, “Cooper… calls for the natural inherent rights of all people, or ‘the rights of humanity’ but also specifying groups typically denied these rights such as Blacks, women, Indians (or Native Americans), and the poor.” This comment on her philosophy of inherent rights applies not only to the essay, but to much of the book. Her thoughts and essays on society’s influence on the law, racial prejudice, feminism and education were followed by her more famous peers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, whom she corresponded with often.

    She traveled to conferences and cultural exchange programs, traveled to Nassau and throughout Europe, and spoke at the Pan-African Conference in London in 1900, where she was a member of the Executive Committee (Cooper, Portable, xl.) She was promoted to principal of the M Street School in 1901. While directing the school as the principal, she made academic and vocational tracks available to all students. However, she focused on strengthening the school’s curriculum on academics, “an approach often associated with Du Bois’s educational philosophy rather than Booker T. Washington’s emphasis on vocational training.” As principal, she made successful efforts to get students admitted to Brown, Mt. Holyoke, Harvard, Yale, and other Ivy League schools when the students passed entrance examinations.  She was removed from her position as principal by the head of the school board, who disapproved of her focus of the school curriculum on academics, despite community support for her to stay. She moved to teach at the Jefferson Institute in Missouri for a brief period while pursuing legal action for a return to her position at M Street and back pay. Her commitment to equal education predated Brown v. Board of Education.

    Eventually, Cooper returned to M Street School in 1910 to teach Latin, and continued her own studies, while adopting the five grandchildren of her brother. She published her translation of Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne in 1917. At the age of 66, she completed and defended her doctoral thesis, L’Attitude de la France à l’Egard l’Esclavage Pendant la Révolution at the Sorbonne; she was the first African-American woman to graduate from the school.

    Dr. Cooper returned to teaching at M Street School until 1930 when she retired. She became the president of Frelinghuysen University, the only other higher education facility for African Americans in D.C. at the time. When the school had insufficient funds to stay in operation, she ran it from her own home, while continuing to write and publish essays in The Crisis and the Washington Tribune.

    She worked and advocated throughout her career for equal rights in education and society for women and African Americans until her death at 105. Like some other civil rights activists we have featured in the blog in the past, she was not a lawyer, but her philosophical writing and educational work created changes in civil rights; the Library’s unique collections of her work allow readers to discover more. Her writing is printed in the U.S. passport, “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.”

    Sources

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy Applauds Senate Passage of Legislation to Protect Consumers and Strengthen Legal Transparency

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (February 27, 2025)—Today, the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 69. Sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy (R–Macon), SB 69 introduces much-needed regulations on Third-Party Litigation Financing (TPLF) to protect consumers and ensure greater transparency in Georgia’s civil justice system.

    “Our civil justice system should not be treated as a lottery where litigation financiers can bet on the outcome of a case to get a piece of a plaintiff’s award. SB 69 establishes critical safeguards for an industry that continues to expand each year,” said Sen. Kennedy. “In 2023, the U.S. commercial litigation industry controlled an estimated $15.2 billion in assets, yet there are no consumer protections in place for plaintiffs involved in these financing arrangements. This has allowed everyday Georgians to be exploited by predatory financiers, who profit at their expense.”

    Sen. Kennedy continued, “Through unregulated third-party financing, foreign-affiliated financiers are manipulating our legal system and influencing court outcomes. SB 69 will require litigation financiers to register with the state before operating in Georgia and will ban foreign adversaries from engaging in litigation financing here. Right now, these firms operate with virtually no oversight. It’s time we level the playing field and ensure that our legal system serves the people—not powerful financial interests. This bill is a vital step in tort reform and a victory for consumer protection.”

    Sen. Kennedy carried SB 69 on behalf of Governor Brian P. Kemp, who reaffirmed in his State of the State address last month that tort reform remains a top priority for the 2025 Legislative Session.

    For more information about the legislation, read it here.

    # # # #

    Sen. John F. Kennedy serves as the President Pro Tempore of the Georgia State Senate. He represents the 18th Senate District, which includes Crawford, Monroe, Peach and Upson counties, as well as portions of Bibb and Houston counties. He may be reached at (404) 656-6578 or by email at John.Kennedy@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: EU Leaders meeting on Ukraine and Security in London, UK

    Source: European Commission (video statements)

    EU Leaders meeting on Ukraine and Security in London, UK
    Commission President von der Leyen, and European Council President, António Costa.

    Follow us on:
    -X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
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    -Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

    Visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySIW0kFf9JA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: “Now is the time to make clear we, as a country, stand with Zelensky in working for a lasting just peace.”

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    by Green Party

    Responding to the “bullying” and “shameful” behaviour of President Trump towards President Zelensky, Green Party MP, Ellie Chowns, said:

    “What we witnessed today was bullying from one of the most powerful men in the world. It was the antithesis of the diplomacy needed in such a delicate moment. While many Brits watched on in horror with real fear, we call on the Prime Minister to make abundantly clear that he stands with Zelensky in working for a just peace and opposed to the strongman brinkmanship tactics of President Trump. Today’s shameful behaviour by the American administration- of inviting a leader to their country with the intention to bully and humiliate – must be clearly condemned. Now is the time to make clear we, as a country, stand with Zelensky in working for a lasting just peace.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Successful projects highlighted at Harbours Management Board

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    When The Highland Council’s Harbours Management Board met earlier today, (Friday 28 February) members expressed their delight that two projects are bringing benefits to the council, the fishing industry and their local communities.

    The Highland Council manages approximately ninety ports, harbours and marine facilities, ten of which provide Marine Gas Oil (MGO) bunkering facilities. There has been a notable increase in the size of commercial vessels using these facilities over the last few years, putting an increasing demand on the existing systems.

    A new faster fuel pump installed at Kyle Harbour in October 2024 is proving to be a great success, with fuel sales up and for the time it takes for vessels to refuel cut, making a stop to take on fuel far more attractive for all forms of boats.

    The previous pumps at Kyle had a maximum output of 15,000 litres an hour which was too low for some of the larger vessels due to strict turnaround times set by the contracting companies. The new pump has an output of between 24,000-28,000 litres per hour.

    Average monthly sales of fuel have increased:

    •           2022/23 = 378,698 litres;

    •           2023/24 = 558,303 litres; and

    •           2024/25 to date = 626,698 litres

    Chair of the Board, Councillor Michael Green said: “The income generated from fuel sales at our ports and harbours is an important income source for the Council. We are delighted that since the pump went into operation on 16 October 2024 there has been a total of 1,115,638 litres sold. By investing in modern infrastructure , such as the high-capacity fuel pump at Kyle Harbour, the Council is not only meeting the evolving needs of the maritime industry but also driving economic growth. The Harbours Board, along with the Highland Council is embracing a new entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrating a dynamic customer-led approach to business that prioritises efficiency, innovation and community benefit.

    Another important source of income are fish landings at council run harbours and the Board discussed figures that put Kinlochbevie to the fore of harbours across Scotland.

    Details of fish landings into all Scottish Harbours are collected by the Scottish Government and published is detailed within Appendix 1. The information provides useful and interesting information on the health of the fishing industry and harbours.

    Although the full report for individual harbours is not yet available on the Scottish Government website, statistics for Kinlochbervie have been published.

    The report ranks the council-run harbour as 6th overall in landings by tonnage with 7,923T landed. The total tonnage landed in 2024 was up by 30% compared to 2023, making it the highest % increase for tonnage in Scotland. Also ranked 6th overall in value of landings, the total value of landings last year was up by 21% compared to 2023, again, the highest % increase for value in Scotland.

    Councillor Green said: “Successful fishing harbours are at the heart of the communities where they are located, offering employment, income and sales opportunities for the local economies. The figures for Kinlochbervie are excellent and show a thriving busy fishing harbour, very much at the heart of the local community.  I want to thank everyone working at the harbour and everyone who supports it for their hard work. We look forward to seeing figures for our other harbours when they are published.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Completes the Third Review Under the Extended Fund Facility

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    February 28, 2025

    • The IMF Executive Board completed the Third Review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility with Sri Lanka, providing the country with immediate access to SDR 254 million (about US $334 million) to support its economic policies and reforms.
    • Performance under the program has been strong. All quantitative targets for end-December 2024 were met, except the indicative target on social spending. Most structural benchmarks due by end-January 2025 were either met or implemented with delay. The recent successful completion of the bond exchange is a major milestone towards restoring debt sustainability.
    • Reform efforts are bearing fruit with the recovery gaining momentum. As the economy is still vulnerable, sustaining the reform agenda is critical to put the economy on a path towards lasting recovery and debt sustainability.

    Washington, DC: The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the third review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement, allowing the authorities to draw SDR 254 million (about US$334 million). This brings the total IMF financial support disbursed so far to SDR 1.02 billion (about US$1.34 billion).[1]

    The EFF arrangement for Sri Lanka was approved by the Executive Board on March 20, 2023 (see Press Release No. 23/79) in an amount of SDR 2.286 billion (395 percent of quota or about US$3 billion. The program supports Sri Lanka’s efforts to restore and maintain macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability while protecting the poor and vulnerable, rebuild external buffers, and enhance growth-oriented structural reforms including by strengthening governance.

    Following the Executive Board discussion on Sri Lanka, Mr. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director, issued the following statement:

    “Reforms in Sri Lanka are bearing fruit and the economic recovery has been remarkable. Inflation remains low, revenue collection is improving, and reserves continue to accumulate. Economic growth averaged 4.3 percent since growth resumed in the third quarter of 2023. By end-2024, Sri Lanka’s real GDP is estimated to have recovered 40 percent of its loss incurred between 2018 and 2023. The recovery is expected to continue in 2025. As the economy is still vulnerable, it is critical to sustain the reform momentum to ensure macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, and promote long-term inclusive growth. There is no room for policy errors.

    “Program performance has been strong with all quantitative targets met, except for the indicative target on social spending. Most structural benchmarks due by end-January 2025 were either met or implemented with delay.

    “Sustained revenue mobilization is crucial to restoring fiscal sustainability and ensuring that the government can continue to provide essential services. Boosting tax compliance and refraining from tax exemptions are key to maintaining support for economic reforms. To ease economic hardship and ensure the poor and vulnerable can participate in Sri Lanka’s recovery it is important to meet social spending targets and continue with reforms of the social safety net. Going forward, social support needs to be well-targeted towards the most disadvantaged so as to promote inclusive growth with limited fiscal space. Restoring cost-recovery electricity pricing without delay is needed to contain fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises. A smoother execution of capital spending within the fiscal envelope would foster medium-term growth.

    “The progress to advance the debt restructuring to restore Sri Lanka’s debt sustainability is noteworthy. The recent successful completion of the bond exchange is a major milestone towards restoring debt sustainability. Timely finalization of bilateral agreements with creditors in the Official Creditor Committee and with remaining creditors is a priority now.

    “Monetary policy should prioritize maintaining price stability, supported by sustained commitment to prohibit monetary financing and safeguard Central Bank independence. Continued exchange rate flexibility and gradually phasing out the balance of payments measures remain critical to rebuild external buffers and facilitate rebalancing.

    “Resolving non-performing loans, strengthening governance and oversight of state-owned banks, and improving the insolvency and resolution frameworks are important priorities to revive credit growth and support the economic recovery.

    “Prolonged structural challenges need to be addressed to unlock Sri Lanka’s long-term potential, including steadfast implementation of the governance reforms.”

                                                                    Sri Lanka: Selected Economic Indicators 2022-2030

     

    2022

    		  

    2023

    2024

    		  

    2025

    		  

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    Act. 

    Proj.

    		  

    Projections
                             

    GDP and inflation (in percent)

    		                      

    Real GDP

    -7.3

    -2.3

    4.5

    3.0

    3.0

    3.1

    3.1

    3.1

    3.1

    Inflation (average) 1/

    45.2

    17.4

    1.2

    3.8

    5.4

    5.2

    5.0

    5.0

    5.0

    Inflation (end-of-period) 1/

    58.6

    3.0

    -1.5

    7.8

    5.4

    5.2

    5.0

    5.0

    5.0

    GDP Deflator growth

    47.5

    17.5

    3.5

    4.9

    5.5

    5.3

    5.2

    5.1

    5.0

    Nominal GDP growth

    36.6

    14.8

    8.2

    8.1

    8.7

    8.5

    8.5

    8.4

    8.3

     

    Savings and investment (in percent of GDP)

    		                    

    National savings

    27.6

    33.8

    34.0

    31.7

    31.9

    32.1

    31.9

    31.7

    31.7

      Government

    -6.4

    -6.0

    -3.2

    -1.8

    -0.7

    0.0

    0.1

    0.3

    0.5

      Private

    34.0

    39.8

    37.2

    33.5

    32.6

    32.1

    31.7

    31.4

    31.2

    National investment

    28.6

    30.8

    32.1

    32.2

    32.5

    32.9

    32.7

    32.6

    32.5

      Government

    5.5

    3.7

    3.6

    4.4

    4.6

    4.7

    4.6

    4.6

    4.6

      Private

    23.1

    27.1

    28.5

    27.7

    27.9

    28.2

    28.1

    28.0

    28.0

    Savings-Investment balance

    -1.0

    3.1

    1.8

    -0.4

    -0.6

    -0.8

    -0.9

    -0.9

    -0.8

      Government

    -11.9

    -9.6

    -6.8

    -6.2

    -5.3

    -4.7

    -4.5

    -4.3

    -4.1

      Private

    10.9

    12.7

    8.6

    5.8

    4.7

    3.9

    3.6

    3.4

    3.2

     

    Public finance (in percent of GDP)

    		                    

    Revenue and grants

    8.4

    11.1

    13.7

    15.1

    15.3

    15.3

    15.2

    15.3

    15.3

    Expenditure

    18.6

    19.4

    19.3

    20.4

    19.8

    19.2

    19.1

    19.0

    18.8

    Primary balance

    -3.7

    0.6

    2.2

    2.3

    2.3

    2.3

    2.3

    2.3

    2.3

    Central government balance

    -10.2

    -8.3

    -5.6

    -5.4

    -4.6

    -4.0

    -3.8

    -3.7

    -3.5

    Central government gross financing needs

    34.1

    27.6

    22.1

    22.8

    19.7

    15.7

    13.2

    11.8

    11.6

    Central government debt

    115.9

    109.5

    99.5

    105.7

    106.4

    103.5

    100.2

    97.0

    93.9

    Public debt 2/

    126.3

    115.8

    104.6

    110.7

    110.9

    107.4

    103.7

    100.1

    96.8

     

    Money and credit (percent change, end of period)

    Reserve money

    3.3

    -1.5

    10.3

    9.7

    8.7

    8.5

    8.5

    8.4

    8.3

    Broad money

    15.5

    7.3

    10.0

    9.7

    8.7

    8.5

    8.5

    8.4

    8.3

    Domestic credit

    18.8

    -1.2

    6.1

    3.3

    2.8

    3.3

    4.0

    4.3

    4.9

    Credit to private sector

    6.4

    -0.8

    7.9

    7.5

    9.5

    9.5

    9.4

    9.4

    9.4

    Credit to private sector (adjusted for inflation)

    -38.8

    -18.2

    6.6

    3.7

    4.1

    4.3

    4.3

    4.3

    4.3

    Credit to central government and public corporations

    31.1

    -1.6

    4.7

    -0.1

    -3.1

    -2.9

    -2.2

    -2.2

    -1.5

     

    Balance of Payments (in millions of U.S. dollars)

    Exports

    13,107

    11,911

    12,772

    13,446

    14,090

    14,795

    15,638

    16,397

    17,192

    Imports

    -18,291

    -16,811

    -18,841

    -21,718

    -22,668

    -23,410

    -24,105

    -25,109

    -26,026

    Current account balance

    -737

    2,582

    1,824

    -409

    -538

    -751

    -864

    -952

    -922

    Current account balance (in percent of GDP)

    -1.0

    3.1

    1.8

    -0.4

    -0.6

    -0.8

    -0.9

    -0.9

    -0.8

    Current account balance net of interest (in percent of GDP)

    0.1

    4.2

    3.8

    1.7

    1.6

    1.5

    1.5

    1.3

    1.3

    Export value growth (percent)

    4.9

    -9.1

    7.2

    5.3

    4.8

    5.0

    5.7

    4.9

    4.9

    Import value growth (percent)

    -11.4

    -8.1

    12.1

    15.3

    4.4

    3.3

    3.0

    4.2

    3.7
                             

    Gross official reserves (end of period)

    		                          

    In millions of U.S. dollars

    1,898

    4,392

    6,122

    7,056

    9,303

    13,118

    14,710

    14,875

    15,175

    In months of prospective imports of goods & services

    1.2

    2.4

    2.9

    3.2

    4.1

    5.5

    5.9

    5.8

    5.7

    In percent of ARA composite metric

    16.6

    37.5

    50.3

    58.3

    75.4

    100.1

    108.8

    108.5

    108.7

    Usable Gross official reserves (end of period) 3/

    		                    

    In millions of U.S. dollars

    462

    2,956

    4,686

    7,056

    9,303

    13,118

    14,710

    14,875

    15,175

    In months of prospective imports of goods & services

    0.3

    1.6

    2.2

    3.2

    4.1

    5.5

    5.9

    5.8

    5.7

    In percent of ARA composite metric

    4.0

    25.3

    38.5

    58.3

    75.4

    100.1

    108.8

    108.5

    108.7

    External debt (public and private)

    In billions of U.S. dollars

    57.4

    54.1

    53.9

    54.9

    57.2

    61.2

    62.9

    63.3

    65.6

    As a percent of GDP

    77.0

    64.1

    54.4

    56.1

    62.9

    65.9

    64.0

    60.4

    58.9

     

    Memorandum items:

    Nominal GDP (in billions of rupees)

    24,064

    27,630

    29,893

    32,309

    35,123

    38,113

    41,343

    44,819

    48,551

    Exchange Rate (period average)

    322.6

    327.5

    302.0

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Exchange Rate (end of period)

    363.1

    323.9

    293.0

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Sources: Data provided by the Sri Lankan authorities; and IMF staff estimates.

    		                        

    1/ Colombo CPI.

    		                      
                                                                                                                                 

    2/ Comprising central government debt, publicly guaranteed debt, and CBSL external liabilities

    (i.e., Fund credit outstanding and international currency swap arrangements). The debt statistics

    currently assume the external debt restructuring to have been completed at end 2023.

    3/ Excluding PBOC swap ($1.4bn in 2022) which becomes usable once GIR rise above 3 months

    of previous year’s import cover.

    [1] SDR figures are converted at the market rate of U.S. dollar per SDR on the day of the Board approval.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Randa Elnagar

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/28/pr25053-sri-lanka-imf-completes-the-3rd-rev-under-the-eff

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: IMF and Ukrainian Authorities Reach Staff Level Agreement on the Seventh Review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    February 28, 2025

    • International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and the Ukrainian authorities have reached staff level agreement (SLA) on the Seventh Review of the 4-year, $15.5 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement. Subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board and consistent with its balance-of-payments needs, Ukraine would be expected to draw about US$0.4 billion (SDR 0.3 billion), bringing total disbursements under the program to US$10.1 billion.
    • Program performance remains strong. All end-December quantitative performance criteria (QPCs) have been met and understandings were reached on a set of policies and reforms to sustain macroeconomic stability. The structural reform agenda continues to make progress, with seven structural benchmarks met, another benchmark implemented with delay, and strong commitments to advance other key reforms.
    • The outlook remains exceptionally uncertain as the war continues to take a heavy toll on Ukraine’s people, economy, and infrastructure. Despite the challenging environment, the program remains on track on the back of critical external support.

    Warsaw, Poland: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Gavin Gray held discussions with the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv, Ukraine and Warsaw, Poland during February 20-28 on the Seventh Review of the country’s 4-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement. Upon the conclusion of the discussions, Mr. Gray issued the following statement:

    “IMF staff and the Ukrainian authorities have reached staff-level agreement on the Seventh Review of the EFF, subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, with Board consideration expected in coming weeks.

    “Ukraine’s four-year EFF Arrangement with the IMF continues to provide a strong anchor for the authorities’ economic program in times of exceptionally high uncertainty. Program performance remains strong with all quantitative performance criteria for end-December met, and important progress on the structural agenda due for this review. Reflecting a revised profile of balance of payments needs in 2025, Ukraine has requested to rephase access under its EFF program, shifting IMF financing to future reviews while the overall size of the program remains unchanged.

    “The economy has continued to show resilience despite the challenges arising from three years of war in Ukraine. Real GDP growth is estimated at 3.5 percent for 2024, but is expected to moderate to 2-3 percent in 2025, reflecting headwinds from labor constraints, damage to energy infrastructure, and the persistence of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Inflation has continued to rise, reaching 12.9 percent y/y in January, mainly due to rising food and labor costs. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) raised the policy rate by a cumulative 150 bps since December in response. Gross international reserves reached US$43 billion as of January 2025, reflecting continued large external official support. Risks remain exceptionally high given uncertainty on the war and the prospects for peace and recovery.

    “The 2025 budget targets a deficit (excluding grants) of 19.6 percent of GDP and remains the anchor for fiscal policy this year. It incorporates the additional revenue derived from the increase in tobacco excise taxes and enactment of this tax policy change is a requirement for completion of the review. Financing the large fiscal deficit will require significant and timely external support, notably from the G7’s ERA initiative, to support macroeconomic stability. Responding to high budget risks will require preparedness with offsetting measures; in particular broad-based, durable, and efficient revenue measures and accelerated implementation of Ukraine’s National Revenue Strategy (NRS)

    Restoring medium-term fiscal sustainability requires determined implementation of reforms to mobilize domestic revenues, tackle tax evasion and avoidance, and improve the investment climate. Tax policy reforms need also to be coupled with improvements in tax administration with continued reforms to the state customs service (SCS) and state tax service (STS). Restoring debt sustainability hinges on this revenue-based fiscal adjustment and continued implementation of the authorities’ debt restructuring strategy (where completing the treatment of the GDP warrants remains important). The upcoming 2026-2028 budget declaration that is to be submitted to Parliament in June will be an important opportunity to provide both the context and strategic objectives of the medium-term fiscal strategy.

    “Given the risks from rising inflation, the recent increases in the policy rate by the NBU are appropriate. Further action would be warranted if inflation accelerates further or inflation expectations deteriorate. The exchange rate should increasingly act as a shock absorber. Maintaining adequate reserves is a priority, particularly in view of risks to the outlook.

    “The independence, competence, and credibility of anti-corruption and judicial institutions should continue to be enhanced. Parliamentary adoption this week of the law establishing the High Administrative Court, a benchmark under the program, is a landmark step in this direction. Swift enactment of the law would pave the way for prompt establishment of the court.

    “Effective public investment management (PIM) is critical for post-war recovery, reconstruction, and growth against a backdrop of limited fiscal space and tough demographic realities. To tackle these challenges, the government of Ukraine is implementing a comprehensive PIM framework that is in line with best international practices. A strategy-driven and transparent approach is essential to overcome absorption capacity constraints and allocate scarce resources efficiently.

    “The financial sector remains stable, but continued vigilance is warranted given elevated risks. Developing financial markets infrastructure will be critical to support prompt reconstruction and recovery by facilitating much needed private investment, including attracting foreign capital. Comprehensive consultation and collaboration with financial market participants is essential to facilitate preparation of a prioritized reform agenda, which the NBU has begun in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.

    “The mission met with Finance Minister Marchenko, National Bank of Ukraine Governor Pyshnyy, other government ministers, public officials, and civil society. The mission thanks them and their technical staff for the excellent collaboration and constructive discussions.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Camila Perez

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New Zealand Police involved in global operation targeting AI-generated child sexual abuse material

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Kepal Richards, officer in charge of New Zealand Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand Team (OCEANZ):

    NZ Police have been involved in a global operation targeting AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    Operation Cumberland is the first operation of its kind, targeting a “professional” producer of fully AI-generated CSAM, based in Denmark, and the individuals across the world who paid for his content. Led by Danish law enforcement and supported by Europol, 25 arrests were made simultaneously across 21 countries on 26 February.

    The Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand Team (OCEANZ) are conducting enquiries into potential offending in New Zealand. At this time no arrests have been made in New Zealand.

    A significant amount of work has been undertaken internationally to track and identify individuals distributing the abuse material, which showed disturbing portrayals of computer-generated children of various ages.

    While there were no real-life child victims in this case, AI-generated abuse material is a growing issue for Police around the world and there is a growing focus on those responsible for its creation.

    Even when imagery doesn’t depict “real” victims, the material adds to an ecosystem that incites and glorifies the sexual abuse and harm of children. AI-generated child abuse material can be so realistic that resources are diverted from identifying real-life child victims, placing those children at ongoing risk of harm.

    New Zealand Police continue to work closely with our international partners to combat the exploitation of children.

    In New Zealand, creating, possessing, or distributing material that tends to promote or support the sexual exploitation of children is punishable under the Films, Videos, Publications and Classifications Act and those found doing so can expect to be identified and held to account.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –