NewzIntel.com

Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Security: Police appeal for information after death of a man in Soho

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives are seeking witnesses after a man fell from height in Brewer Street, Soho during the early hours of Saturday, 3 May.

    Officers were called to a residential property in Brewer Street at 02:02hrs that morning. Despite the best efforts of first responders, 22-year-old Ryley Harbord sadly died at the scene.

    His death is being treated as unexpected and is under investigation at this stage.

    Officers are appealing for anyone who saw or spoke to Ryley on the evening of Friday 2, May to come forward. They are particularly interested in hearing from those who had contact with him between 19:00hrs on Friday and 02:00hrs on Saturday.

    Detective Chief Inspector Anne Linton, who is leading the investigation, said:

    “First and foremost, our thoughts are with Ryley’s family as they come to terms with this tragic loss. This is an unimaginably difficult time for them.

    “Soho was bustling at the start of a Bank Holiday, which means there is a likelihood someone saw or spoke to Ryley. If this is you, you may hold really important information that helps us piece together the circumstances surrounding Ryley’s death and we would ask you to please get in touch with us as soon as possible.”

    Anyone who can help is asked to contact police via 101, quoting 217/3May, or if you wish to remain anonymous go through CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Greens on track for Senedd breakthrough as countdown begins

    Source: Green Party of England and Wales

    by Green Party

    With today (7 May) marking one year until the Senedd election, Wales Green Party has said it is on track to elect its first MS. Last night’s YouGov poll would see the party win its first seat in Caerdydd Penarth, according to a projection by Cavendish Consulting[1].

    Anthony Slaughter, party leader will top the list in the Caerdydd Penarth constituency. At last year’s Westminster election, the Green Party finished second in Cardiff South and Penarth, which forms half of the new Senedd constituency.

    Anthony said:

    “Living costs are out of control, public services are collapsing, and the climate and nature crises are being left to get worse. We’re on track to break through to the Senedd, where we’ll challenge the cosy consensus that has allowed things to get so bad.

    “I’m working flat out until the election to speak to residents, champion their needs, and campaign for the bold policies we need to turn things around.

    Candidate selections are currently underway across Wales, with announcements expected next month.

    Anthony Slaughter continued:

    “I’m excited about the people putting their names forward for the party next year – they would all make excellent Senedd members, and I’m looking forward to campaigning alongside them in the next year.”

    ENDS
    [1] https://x.com/CavendishCymru/status/1920060028683268448

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The Lindsay Chorale to Perform Free Concert at the Guildhall in Support of Mayor’s Charity

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    The Lindsay Chorale to Perform Free Concert at the Guildhall in Support of Mayor’s Charity

    7 May 2025

    Derry City and Strabane District Council is delighted to announce that renowned Saintfield-based choir, The Lindsay Chorale, will be performing a special concert at the Guildhall on Sunday 18th May.

    The event, which takes place from 3pm, hopes to raise much needed funds for the Mayor’s chosen charity, The BUD Club, a vital local organisation supporting children and young adults with additional needs.

    Established in 1997, The Lindsay Chorale is known for its rich repertoire of classical, sacred, and contemporary choral music. Their visit to Derry~Londonderry offers music lovers a unique opportunity to hear one of Northern Ireland’s most accomplished amateur choirs in the majestic surroundings of the Guildhall. Having previously performed with The Priests and for Derry Girls creator, Lisa McGee, audience members are in for a treat with this special afternoon of music.

    The choir will be led by Musical Director Keith Acheson on the day. Keith is an Irish composer and conductor based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After obtaining a BMus (Hons) in 1996 he was awarded a PhD in Composition from the Ulster University. Along with many pieces for choir, he has had work performed by the likes of the Ulster Orchestra, Gemini Ensemble, HuuJ Ensemble and Arco String Quartet.

    Taking to the famous Guildhall organ, Daniel Clements will accompany the choir and provide the decadent musical background that will add to the atmospheric afternoon.

    Speaking ahead of the event, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr, encouraged the public to come along and support the cause:

    “I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome The Lindsay Chorale to our beautiful Guildhall for what promises to be a very special afternoon of music and community spirit. This free concert is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy world-class choral singing while supporting a cause that is close to my heart. The BUD Club provides life-changing support for families across our district, and I would encourage everyone to come along, donate what they can, and enjoy a truly uplifting event.”

    The choir, which has performed across the UK and Ireland, also expressed their excitement about the upcoming concert:

    “We are honoured to be performing in the historic Guildhall and to be part of an event that supports such an inspiring local charity. Music has the power to connect communities, and we hope our performance will not only entertain but also make a meaningful contribution to the vital work of The BUD Club,” said Keith Acheson, Musical Director.

    The concert is free to attend, and no booking is required. The concert will start at 3pm, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Voluntary donations will be collected on the day in aid of The BUD Club.

    For more information about the Mayor’s charity, please visit:
     www.derrystrabane.com/about-council/mayor/mayor-s-charity

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Intermex Reports First-Quarter Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company to Host Conference Call Today at 9 a.m. ET

    MIAMI, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — International Money Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMXI) (“Intermex” or the “Company”), one of the nation’s leading global omnichannel money transfer services to Latin America and the Caribbean, today reported financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2025.

    Financial performance highlights for the first quarter of 2025:

    • Revenues of $144.3 million
    • Net income of $7.8 million
    • Diluted EPS of $0.25
    • Adjusted Diluted EPS of $0.35
    • Adjusted EBITDA of $21.6 million

    Bob Lisy, Chairman, President, and CEO of Intermex, stated “Intermex’s first quarter results reflect the strength and discipline of the Intermex business model, despite an economic and political backdrop that was difficult to anticipate. Year-over-year volume growth reflects our highly resilient consumer base and our ability to serve them effectively through our omnichannel strategy.”

    First Quarter 2025 Financial Results (all comparisons are to the First Quarter 2024)
    Year over year volumes grew at 3.7%, however total revenues for the Company were down 4.1% to $144.3 million. This was driven by a shift in retail consumer sending behavior as consumers sent fewer transactions, but in larger amounts transferred per transaction in the quarter. The reduction in service fees from lower transactions was partially offset by an increase in revenue primarily related to growth in digital channels. The Company’s user base generated 12.8 million money transfer transactions, down 5.2% from last year. The total principal amount transferred for the period was $5.6 billion, an increase of 3.7%.

    The Company reported net income of $7.8 million, a decrease of 35.5%. Diluted earnings per share were $0.25, a decrease of 28.6%. The decreases in net income and diluted earnings per share were driven primarily by the items noted above for revenues, partly offset by lower services charges from agents and banks. It is worth noting that while revenue was down from lower transactions, the higher year over year volume offset much of the interest and banking expense reductions that would otherwise typically be captured with a lower number of transactions. Lower income tax provision also positively impacted net income. Diluted earnings per share was positively impacted by the reduction in share count from the Company’s stock repurchase activity.

    Adjusted net income totaled $10.9 million, a decrease of 25.9%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share totaled $0.35, a decrease of 18.6%. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share were impacted by the items noted above, adjusted for certain items detailed in the reconciliation tables below following the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. Adjusted diluted earnings per share was positively impacted by the reduction in share count from the Company’s stock repurchases.

    Adjusted EBITDA decreased 15.0% to $21.6 million, attributable to the same items noted above, partially offset by the higher net effect of the adjusting items detailed in the reconciliation tables below following the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

    Adjusted and other non-GAAP measures discussed above and elsewhere in this press release are defined below under the heading, Non-GAAP Measures.

    Other Items
    The Company ended the first quarter of 2025 with $151.8 million in cash and cash equivalents. Net Free Cash Generated for the first quarter of 2025 was $10.3 million, up from the first quarter of 2024. Year-over-year Net Free Cash Generated primarily reflects the investments in assets placed into service as a result of the Company’s move to the new U.S. headquarters facility in the first quarter of 2024, partially offset by the decrease in net income.

    The Company incurred $1.2 million in transaction costs for the first quarter, primarily legal and professional fees incurred in relation to its previously announced evaluation of strategic alternatives. In addition, the Company incurred restructuring costs of approximately $0.3 million primarily related to the Company’s foreign operations.

    The Company repurchased 367,873 shares of its common stock for $5.0 million during the first quarter of 2025 through its underlying share repurchase program and a privately-negotiated transaction.

    Guidance
    Based on our first quarter 2025 financial results and the underlying market dynamics we have observed to date, the Company is revising its previously issued full-year guidance below. Current levels of uncertainty and volatility affecting market conditions and consumer behavior, have increased the difficulty of reliably forecasting short-term results.   Moreover, as previously announced, the Company is in the process of executing on a long-term strategy of investing in its digital business offerings to increase their contribution to the Company’s revenue and to increase its profitability.   Accordingly, the Company is discontinuing issuing quarterly guidance.

    Full-year 2025:
    •Revenue of $634.9 million to $654.2 million.
    •Diluted EPS of $1.53 to $1.65.
    •Adjusted Diluted EPS of $1.86 to $2.02.
    •Adjusted EBITDA of $103.6 million to $106.8 million.

    Non-GAAP Measures
    Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Earnings per Share, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Net Free Cash Generated, each a Non-GAAP financial measure, are the primary metrics used by management to evaluate the financial performance of our business. We present these Non-GAAP financial measures because we believe they are frequently used by analysts, investors, and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. Furthermore, we believe they are helpful in highlighting trends in our operating results, because certain of such measures exclude, among other things, the effects of certain transactions that are outside the control of management, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the jurisdictions in which we operate and capital investments.

    Adjusted Net Income is defined as Net Income adjusted to add back certain charges and expenses, such as non-cash amortization of certain intangible assets resulting from business and asset acquisition transactions, non-cash compensation costs, and other items outlined in the reconciliation table below, as these charges and expenses are not considered a part of our core business operations and are not an indicator of ongoing future Company performance.

    Adjusted Earnings per Share – Basic and Diluted is calculated by dividing Adjusted Net Income by GAAP weighted-average common shares outstanding (basic and diluted).

    Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Net Income before depreciation and amortization, interest expense, income taxes, and adjusted to add back certain charges and expenses, such as non-cash compensation costs and other items outlined in the reconciliation table below, as these charges and expenses are not considered a part of our core business operations and are not an indicator of ongoing future Company performance.

    Adjusted EBITDA Margin is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by Revenues.

    Net Free Cash Generated is defined as Net Income before provision for credit losses and depreciation and amortization adjusted to add back certain non-cash charges and expenses, such as non-cash compensation costs, and reduced by cash used in investing activities and servicing of our debt obligations.

    Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Earnings per Share, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, and Net Free Cash Generated are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income, net income, net income margin or earnings per share, as a measure of operating performance or cash flows, or as a measure of liquidity. Non-GAAP financial measures are not necessarily calculated the same way by different companies and should not be considered a substitute for or superior to U.S. GAAP.

    Reconciliations of Net Income, the Company’s closest GAAP measure, to Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA, and Net Free Cash Generated, as well as a reconciliation of Earnings per Share (Basic and Diluted) to Adjusted Earnings per Share (Basic and Diluted) and Net Income Margin to Adjusted EBITDA Margin, are outlined in the tables below following the condensed consolidated financial statements. A quantitative reconciliation of projected Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Diluted EPS to the most comparable GAAP measure is not available without unreasonable efforts because of the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying the amounts necessary under GAAP guidance for operating or other adjusted items including, without limitation, costs and expenses related to acquisitions and other transactions, share-based compensation, tax effects of certain adjustments and losses related to legal contingencies or disposal of assets. For the same reasons, we are unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information.

    Investor and Analyst Conference Call / Presentation
    Intermex will host a conference call and webcast presentation at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time today. Interested parties are invited to join the discussion and gain firsthand knowledge about Intermex’s financial performance and operational achievements through the following channels:

    • A live broadcast of the conference call may be accessed via the Investor Relations section of Intermex’s website at https://investors.intermexonline.com/.
    • To participate in the live conference call via telephone, please register HERE. Upon registering, a dial-in number and unique PIN will be provided to join the conference call.
    • Following the conference call, an archived webcast of the call will be available for one year on Intermex’s website at https://investors.intermexonline.com/.

    Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, which reflect our current views concerning certain events that are not historical facts but could have an effect on our future performance, including but without limitation, statements regarding our plans, objectives, financial performance, business strategies, projected results of operations, restructuring initiatives and expectations for the Company. These statements may include and be identified by words or phrases such as, without limitation, “would,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “continues,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “assumes,” “estimates,” “approximately,” “shall,” “our planning assumptions,” “future outlook,” “currently,” “target,” “guidance,” and similar expressions (including the negative and plural forms of such words and phrases). These forward-looking statements are based largely on information currently available to our management and our current expectations, assumptions, plans, estimates, judgments, projections about our business and our industry, and macroeconomic conditions, and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, estimates, contingencies, and other factors, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity. Such factors include, among others: changes in immigration laws and their enforcement, including any adverse effects on the level of immigrant employment, earning potential and other commercial activities; our success in expanding customer acceptance of our digital services and infrastructure, as well as developing, introducing and marketing new digital and other products and services; new technology or competitors that disrupt the current money transfer and payment ecosystem, including the introduction of new digital platforms; loss of, or reduction in business with, key sending agents; our ability to effectively compete in the markets in which we operate; economic factors such as inflation, the level of economic activity, recession risks and labor market conditions, as well as volatility in market interest rates; international political factors, including ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and the Middle East, political instability, tariffs, including the effects of tariffs on domestic markets and industrial activity and employment, border taxes or restrictions on remittances or transfers from the outbound countries in which we operate or plan to operate; volatility in foreign exchange rates that could affect the volume of consumer remittance activity and/or affect our foreign exchange related gains and losses; consumer confidence in our brands and in consumer money transfers generally; expansion into new geographic markets or product markets; our ability to successfully execute, manage, integrate and obtain the anticipated financial benefits of key acquisitions and mergers; cybersecurity-attacks or disruptions to our information technology, computer network systems, data centers and mobile devices applications; the ability of our risk management and compliance policies, procedures and systems to mitigate risk related to transaction monitoring; consumer fraud and other risks relating to the authenticity of customers’ orders or the improper or illegal use of our services by consumers, sending agents or digital partners; our ability to maintain favorable banking and paying agent relationships necessary to conduct our business; bank failures, sustained financial illiquidity, or illiquidity at the clearing, cash management or custodial financial institutions with which we do business; changes to banking industry regulation and practice; credit risks from our agents, digital partners and the financial institutions with which we do business; our ability to recruit and retain key personnel; our ability to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements, including those intended to prevent use of our money remittance services for criminal activity, those related to data and cybersecurity protection, and those related to new business initiatives; enforcement actions and private litigation under regulations applicable to money remittance services; changes in tax laws in the countries in which we operate; our ability to protect intellectual property rights; our ability to satisfy our debt obligations and remain in compliance with our credit facility requirements; public health conditions, responses thereto and the economic and market effects thereof; the use of third-party vendors and service providers; weakness in U.S. or international economic conditions; and other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, risks and uncertainties, including those described in the “Risk Factors” and other sections of periodic reports and other filings that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, we caution investors and all others not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date such statement is made and we undertake no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements.

    About International Money Express, Inc.
    Founded in 1994, Intermex applies proprietary technology enabling consumers to send money from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany to more than 60 countries. The Company provides the digital movement of money through a network of agent retailers in the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany; Company-operated stores; our mobile apps; and the Company’s websites. Transactions are fulfilled and paid through thousands of retail and bank locations around the world. Intermex is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with international offices in Puebla, Mexico, Guatemala City, Guatemala, London, England, and Madrid, Spain. For more information about Intermex, please visit www.intermexonline.com.

    Alex Sadowski
    Investor Relations Coordinator
    ir@intermexusa.com
    tel. 305-671-8000

    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
             
        March 31,   December 31,
    (in thousands of dollars)     2025     2024
    ASSETS   (Unaudited)    
    Current assets:        
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 151,764   $ 130,503
    Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $4,095 and $3,546, respectively     131,026     107,077
    Prepaid wires, net     32,577     49,205
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets     10,561     10,998
    Total current assets     325,928     297,783
             
    Property and equipment, net     52,603     50,354
    Goodwill     55,195     55,195
    Intangible assets, net     26,058     26,847
    Deferred tax asset, net     18     —
    Other assets     30,787     32,198
    Total assets   $ 490,589   $ 462,377
             
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY        
    Current liabilities:        
    Accounts payable   $ 23,410   $ 19,520
    Wire transfers and money orders payable, net     115,081     85,044
    Accrued and other liabilities     47,977     47,434
    Total current liabilities     186,468     151,998
             
    Long-term liabilities:        
    Debt, net     147,385     156,623
    Lease liabilities, net     17,493     18,582
    Deferred tax liability, net     —     250
    Total long-term liabilities     164,878     175,455
             
    Stockholders’ equity:        
    Total stockholders’ equity     139,243     134,924
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 490,589   $ 462,377
             
    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
    (in thousands of dollars, except for per share data)     2025     2024
        (Unaudited)
    Revenues:        
    Wire transfer and money order fees, net   $ 120,167   $ 126,921
    Foreign exchange gain, net     20,181     20,346
    Other income     3,962     3,145
    Total revenues     144,310     150,412
             
    Operating expenses:        
    Service charges from agents and banks     93,788     97,934
    Salaries and benefits     18,288     18,106
    Other selling, general and administrative expenses     10,989     9,953
    Provision for credit losses     2,066     1,595
    Restructuring costs     306     —
    Transaction costs     1,169     10
    Depreciation and amortization     3,629     3,228
    Total operating expenses     130,235     130,826
             
    Operating income     14,075     19,586
             
    Interest expense     2,700     2,702
             
    Income before income taxes     11,375     16,884
             
    Income tax provision     3,606     4,778
             
    Net income   $ 7,769   $ 12,106
             
    Earnings per common share:        
    Basic   $ 0.25   $ 0.36
    Diluted   $ 0.25   $ 0.35
             
    Weighted-average common shares outstanding:        
    Basic     30,587,949     33,675,441
    Diluted     30,831,633     34,188,814
    Reconciliation from Net Income to Adjusted Net Income
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
    (in thousands of dollars, except for per share data)     2025       2024  
        (Unaudited)
             
    Net Income   $ 7,769     $ 12,106  
             
    Adjusted for:        
    Share-based compensation (a)     2,112       2,153  
    Restructuring costs (b)     306       —  
    Transaction costs (c)     1,169       10  
    Other charges and expenses (d)     327       437  
    Amortization of intangibles (e)     711       977  
    Income tax benefit related to adjustments (f)     (1,466 )     (1,012 )
    Adjusted Net Income   $ 10,928     $ 14,671  
             
    Adjusted earnings per common share:        
    Basic   $ 0.36     $ 0.44  
    Diluted   $ 0.35     $ 0.43  

    (a) Represents share-based compensation relating to equity awards granted primarily to employees and independent directors of the Company.

    (b) Represents primarily severance, write-off of assets and, legal and professional fees related to the execution of restructuring plans.

    (c) Represents primarily financial advisory, professional and legal fees related to business acquisition transactions and strategic alternatives.

    (d) Represents primarily loss on disposal of fixed assets.

    (e) Represents the amortization of certain intangible assets that resulted from business and asset acquisition transactions.

    (f) Represents the current and deferred tax impact of the taxable adjustments to Net Income using the Company’s blended federal and state tax rate for each period. Relevant tax-deductible adjustments include all adjustments to Net Income.

    Reconciliation from Basic Earnings per Share to Adjusted Basic Earnings per Share
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
          2025       2024  
        (Unaudited)
    Basic Earnings per Share   $ 0.25     $ 0.36  
    Adjusted for:        
    Share-based compensation     0.07       0.06  
    Restructuring costs     0.01       —  
    Transaction costs     0.04       NM  
    Other charges and expenses     0.01       0.01  
    Amortization of intangibles     0.02       0.03  
    Income tax benefit related to adjustments     (0.05 )     (0.03 )
    Adjusted Basic Earnings per Share   $ 0.36     $ 0.44  

    NM—Amount is not meaningful

    The table above may contain slight summation differences due to rounding

    Reconciliation from Diluted Earnings per Share to Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
          2025       2024  
        (Unaudited)
    Diluted Earnings per Share   $ 0.25     $ 0.35  
    Adjusted for:        
    Share-based compensation     0.07       0.06  
    Restructuring costs     0.01       —  
    Transaction costs     0.04       NM  
    Other charges and expenses     0.01       0.01  
    Amortization of intangibles     0.02       0.03  
    Income tax benefit related to adjustments     (0.05 )     (0.03 )
    Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share   $ 0.35     $ 0.43  

    NM—Amount is not meaningful

    The table above may contain slight summation differences due to rounding

    Reconciliation from Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
    (in thousands of dollars)     2025     2024
        (Unaudited)
    Net Income   $ 7,769   $ 12,106
             
    Adjusted for:        
    Interest expense     2,700     2,702
    Income tax provision     3,606     4,778
    Depreciation and amortization     3,629     3,228
    EBITDA     17,704     22,814
    Share-based compensation (a)     2,112     2,153
    Restructuring costs (b)     306     —
    Transaction costs (c)     1,169     10
    Other charges and expenses (d)     327     437
    Adjusted EBITDA   $ 21,618   $ 25,414

    (a) Represents share-based compensation relating to equity awards granted primarily to employees and independent directors of the Company.

    (b) Represents primarily severance, write-off of assets and legal and professional fees related to the execution of restructuring plans.

    (c) Represents primarily financial advisory, professional and legal fees related to business acquisition transactions and strategic alternatives.

    (d) Represents primarily loss on disposal of fixed assets.

    Reconciliation from Net Income Margin to Adjusted EBITDA Margin
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
        2025     2024  
        (Unaudited)
    Net Income Margin   5.4 %   8.0 %
    Adjusted for:        
    Interest expense   1.9 %   1.8 %
    Income tax provision   2.5 %   3.2 %
    Depreciation and amortization   2.5 %   2.1 %
    EBITDA Margin   12.3 %   15.2 %
    Share-based compensation   1.5 %   1.4 %
    Restructuring costs   0.2 %   — %
    Transaction costs   0.8 %   — %
    Other charges and expenses   0.2 %   0.3 %
    Adjusted EBITDA Margin   15.0 %   16.9 %

    The table above may contain slight summation differences due to rounding

    Reconciliation of Net Income to Net Free Cash Generated
         
        Three Months Ended March 31,
    (in thousands of dollars)     2025       2024  
        (Unaudited)
             
    Net income for the period   $ 7,769     $ 12,106  
             
    Depreciation and amortization     3,629       3,228  
    Share-based compensation     2,112       2,153  
    Provision for credit losses     2,066       1,595  
    Cash used in investing activities     (5,313 )     (13,480 )
    Term loan pay downs     —       (1,641 )
             
    Net Free Cash Generated during the period   $ 10,263     $ 3,961  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Enphase Energy Launches IQ Balcony Solar System in Germany

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FREMONT, Calif., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, today announced the launch of the Enphase® IQ® Balcony Solar System in Germany. Designed for plug-and-play installation, the new system empowers apartment dwellers and homeowners with limited roof space to generate their own clean energy from balconies, patios, and small outdoor areas. It’s also a simple and affordable solution for fully off-grid use cases, offering reliable daytime power for alpine cabins, camping sites, mobile home setups, and more. The IQ Balcony Solar System includes Enphase IQ8HC™ Microinverters, IQ® Balcony Gateway, and other components.  

    Balcony solar systems – or “plug-in solar” systems – are rapidly expanding access to clean energy for residents without traditional rooftop space. According to SolarPower Europe, Germany registered 435,000 new balcony systems in 2024, compared to 276,000 in 2023. There are now 780,000 total balcony solar installations across the country, driven by significant regional subsidies. The Enphase IQ Balcony Solar System will help more people participate in the energy transition, supporting greater energy independence across Europe.

    The IQ Balcony Solar System offers the following key features:

    • Do-it-yourself installation: The system has an easy setup with plug-and-play connectors for self-installation and commissioning through the Enphase® App.
    • Off-grid operation: The system’s IQ Microinverters switch seamlessly between grid-tied and off-grid modes, so connected devices can stay powered during daytime grid outages, or function entirely off-grid when the sun is shining in rural or remote areas where grid power isn’t available.
    • Scalable solution: Homeowners can start with a small system and expand over time using an Enphase expansion kit as energy needs grow. Additional energy from the expansion kit can be harvested using the auxiliary socket.
    • Integrated connectivity: The system offers a simplified setup using Wi-Fi or cellular data, supported by a 5-year data plan for seamless monitoring and updates.
    • Highly reliable: The IQ8HC Microinverters come with an IP67 rating, while the IQ Balcony Gateway has an IP65 rating and a 5-year warranty.

    “Germany’s energy landscape is changing, and products like the Enphase IQ Balcony Solar System are making the shift easier and more accessible,” said Kevin Malek, CEO of solago, a bundler of solar energy products in Germany. “This system empowers people to generate their own clean energy – even without a traditional roof – while enjoying the safety, reliability, and simplicity that Enphase is known for.”

    The standard Enphase IQ Balcony Solar Kit includes two IQ8HC Microinverters, one IQ Balcony Gateway, IQ® Cables, and one AC Power Cable. Retailers can bundle it with solar panels and racking before it is sold. The scalable system can accommodate up to seven IQ8HC Microinverters and panels, enabling the system to evolve with energy needs. System owners can easily install the system on their own and commission it using the Enphase App, which also allows users to monitor and view their energy production.

    “The installation process was incredibly fast, and the setup was seamless,” said Doris Filipović, a customer in Germany using the Enphase IQ Balcony Solar System. “What I love most is being able to track the performance of each panel in real time through the Enphase App. It’s a great feeling to know exactly how much clean energy I’m producing every day – right from my balcony.”

    “Thanks to our easy-to-install IQ Balcony Solar System, more people in Germany can now increase their energy independence and participate in the clean energy transition,” said Sabbas Daniel, senior vice president of sales at Enphase Energy. “We’re excited to support improved solar accessibility in Europe, and we look forward to launching into other regions in the future.”

    The Enphase IQ Balcony Solar System is available for purchase today on the Enphase website or with select partners. Solar panels, shelves, and mounting hardware are not included in this kit and must be purchased separately. To learn more about Enphase’s IQ Balcony Solar System, visit the websites for homeowners and installers.

    About Enphase Energy, Inc.

    Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company based in Fremont, CA, is the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems that enable people to harness the sun to make, use, save, and sell their own power – and control it all with a smart mobile app. The company revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology and builds all-in-one solar, battery, and software solutions. Enphase has shipped approximately 81.5 million microinverters, and approximately 4.8 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in over 160 countries. For more information, visit https://enphase.com/.

    ©2025 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved. Enphase Energy, Enphase, the “e” logo, IQ, IQ8, and certain other marks listed at https://enphase.com/trademark-usage-guidelines are trademarks or service marks of Enphase Energy, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other names are for informational purposes and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to the expected capabilities and performance of Enphase Energy’s technology and products, including safety, quality, and reliability; the ability of more people to participate in the energy transition; Enphase Energy’s ability to support greater energy independence across Europe; and statements regarding the timing and availability Enphase Energy’s products in Germany. These forward-looking statements are based on Enphase Energy’s current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties including those risks described in more detail in Enphase Energy’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents filed by Enphase Energy from time to time with the SEC. Enphase Energy undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.

    Contact:

    Enphase Energy

    press@enphaseenergy.com

    This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Business – Sustainability start-ups Krosslinker and Ayrton Energy secure S$1 million each in catalytic funding at The Liveability Challenge 2025 Grand Finale

    Source: Eco-Business

    The 2025 Grand Finale witnessed another record-breaking year, attracting more than 1,200 submissions from over 100 countries competing for the top prize in two tracks: Decarbonisation and Cool Earth.

    Passive cooling using advanced aerogel technology and safe, cost-effective storage and transport to accelerate adoption of hydrogen as a clean fuel were the top winners at the Grand Finale.
    The Liveability Challenge, was presented by Temasek Foundation and organised by Eco-Business. 

    Singapore, 7 May 2025: Krosslinker and Ayrton Energy have emerged as the top winners at The Liveability Challenge (TLC) 2025 Grand Finale for their innovative solutions to drive decarbonisation and tackle climate challenges.

    The two groundbreaking projects were the standouts among eight finalists, each securing a S$1 million grant in catalytic funding to help advance and scale their solutions sustainably.

    The winner of the Cool Earth track was Singapore-based deep-tech start-up Krosslinker, which develops passive cooling technologies in the form of aerogel materials capable of reducing surface temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius and ambient temperatures by up to 5 degrees Celsius.

    The winner of the Decarbonisation track was Canada-based Ayrton Energy, which develops technology for safe and cost-effective hydrogen storage and transport, and addresses infrastructure challenges that currently hinder the widespread adoption of hydrogen energy.

    The two winners were selected after a competitive and rigorous judging session, where all eight finalists pitched their innovative solutions live to a judging panel at the Grand Finale, held at ParkRoyal Collection Marina Bay as part of Ecosperity Week.

    These pioneering climate solutions are integral in advancing progress towards the climate targets set under the Paris Agreement in 2015 – an urgent imperative as global temperatures reach dangerously new highs each year.  

    With rising heat, extreme weather events and ecological deterioration afflicting society and natural ecosystems, solutions must be mobilised to address these climate impacts while contributing to the global targets of reducing emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.

    This will require coordinated efforts across society, enabling regulatory frameworks and strategic investments to enable the large-scale deployment of innovative climate technologies.

    Presented by Temasek Foundation and organised by Eco-Business, TLC was launched in 2018 as a platform to search for the most disruptive and innovative solutions that solve the pressing sustainability challenges of today.

    Today, TLC is Asia’s largest sustainability solutions platform and since its first edition, has attracted thousands of applications globally, shortlisted and incubated 53 finalists, and deployed more than S$12 million in funding to help these startups, who have gone on to raise hundreds of millions more.  

    In its eighth edition, TLC searched for solutions across two tracks: Decarbonisation and Cool Earth. The Decarbonisation track seeks disruptive deep-tech solutions that provide scalable and impactful solutions to reduce carbon emissions across diverse industries. The Cool Earth track seeks groundbreaking innovations that specifically address the challenges posed by climate-induced extreme weather conditions.

    The eight shortlisted finalist teams – Ayrton Energy, CatAmmon, Cetogenix, CO2Tech, D-CRBN, Eztia Corp, Krosslinker and SXD, Inc – represent various countries including Singapore, Australia, Belgium and the United States.

    TLC’s strategic partners this year are Enterprise Singapore, OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund, TRIREC and Valuence Ventures. Amazon Web Services was the Tech for Good partner for the event.

    “We are very happy and excited [to have secured this award], but this is just the beginning. We have a very big job to do to make sure that we develop solutions that equitably reach everybody and not just the tech-savvy community. Many thanks to Temasek Foundation for all the inspiring work that you have been doing, and to all our investors who have specially flown in for this event. To all the fellow finalists who keep inspiring us – it’s such amazing work to solve some of the most difficult challenges in this world and committing to a cause rather than building easy solutions,” said Dr Gayathri Natarajan, Co-founder and CEO of Krosslinker Private Limited.  

    “We’re really excited to be able to have this funding support and cement our position in Singapore and Southeast Asia. I’m very grateful to Temasek Foundation for believing in the tech that we’re building, and in our ability to decarbonise these hard-to-abate sectors. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my fantastic team of nerds, as I like to call them back home, as well as the support that we have from our investors both locally and internationally,” said Dr Brandy Kinkead, Chief Technology Officer of Ayrton Energy Inc.

    “At Temasek Foundation, we believe in the urgency of supporting bold and deep-tech innovative solutions that can drive real progress in decarbonising our planet, and keeping our environment cool even with rising temperatures. Our catalytic funding reflects this important commitment – helping innovators move from promising innovations to operational prototypes with potential to scale. Beyond The Liveability Challenge, Temasek Foundation is growing our network of climate tech challenges across the region into China, Indonesia and Vietnam. By doing so, we aim to accelerate innovators’ paths to commercialisation and deliver real impact for both the people and the planet. Our heartiest congratulations to Krosslinker Private Limited and Ayrton Energy Inc on this exciting milestone,” said Heng Li Lang, Head of Climate and Liveability at Temasek Foundation.  

    “TLC has become a fixture in the global sustainability innovation ecosystem, providing a vital catalytic platform for promising start-ups with cutting-edge climate tech solutions from all over the world. By driving innovation, entrepreneurship, ecosystem collaboration and access to finance, it helps groundbreaking ideas move beyond the prototype stage to deliver real-world impact. In a world dangerously close to irreversible planetary thresholds, accelerating these solutions is no longer optional – it is critical,” said Jessica Cheam, Founder and CEO of Eco-Business.

    In addition to the two S$1 million in grants (S$1 million for each winner), a total of S$400,000 in investment and grant opportunities were awarded to the finalists by TLC’s strategic partners [see Appendix A].  

    The Grand Finale also hosted an Innovation Dialogue where speakers Mark Gainsborough, Chairman, Seatrium; Magdalene Loh, Director, Urban Systems and Solutions, Enterprise Singapore; and Dr Dazril Phua, Chief Operating Officer, Nandina REM, identified the solutions needed to advance climate tech solutions and innovation in Singapore and globally – including ecosystem building, policy and financial support and public private partnerships.

    Experts said that clear market signals and policy coherence were key to enabling climate technologies to scale. “Technology risk is (usually) the least of the problem. But is the market going to develop the way as expected and is there a supportive policy framework and regulation? Unfortunately, there are too many cases in the climate tech space where the market hasn’t developed as we expected because of an ever-changing policy and regulation landscape,” Mark Gainsborough, Chairman of Singapore-listed marine engineering company Seatrium, shared during the Innovation Dialogue.  

    Magdalene Loh, Director, Urban Systems and Solutions, Enterprise Singapore, noted that in addition to scaleability and exportability, climate tech solutions must be effectively priced to attract customers, and designed for easy integration into existing systems or processes.

    “Today, many of the climate tech solutions that we’re seeing do need to interact with existing infrastructure – existing systems that clients would already be used to. How would these tech solutions integrate? Many times, you need the buy-in internally within the organisation, not just with the innovation team. There are different facets of the clients to [consider] to secure buy-in as well,” Loh said.  

    For more information, visit The Liveability Challenge website at  www.theliveabilitychallenge.org.  

    About Temasek Foundation 

    Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programmes that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and beyond. Temasek Foundation’s programmes are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and contributions from other donors. These programmes strive towards achieving positive outcomes for individuals and communities now and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programmes strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and regional capabilities, advance science and protect the planet. 

    For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg 

    About Eco-Business 

    Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacific’s leading media organisation on sustainable development. Its independent journalism unit publishes high quality, trusted news and views that advance dialogue and enables measurable impact on a wide range of sustainable development and responsible business issues. Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore, with a presence in Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and correspondents across major cities in Asia Pacific. Visit www.eco-business.com  

    Appendix A

    Additional investment and grant opportunities:

    Singapore’s Krosslinker Private Limited received S$100,000 from OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund to develop urban cooling solutions using zero energy aerogel coating.

    Canada’s Ayrton Energy Inc received S$100,000 from TRIREC and S$100,000 from Valuence Ventures to develop safe hydrogen storage and transport which seamlessly integrates with existing liquid fuel infrastructure.

    Australia’s CO2Tech received S$100,000 from Enterprise Singapore to develop a cost effective and compact CO2 capture solution which converts emissions into carbon-negative and valuable products.

    Appendix B

    Comments from our Strategic Partners:

    Emily Liew, Assistant Managing Director, Innovation, Enterprise Singapore, said: “As the world races to address pressing environmental challenges, we need platforms such as The Liveability Challenge more than ever to uncover and support breakthrough climate innovations. Start-ups can leverage Singapore’s robust innovation ecosystem, infrastructure and strategic networks to validate and scale their climate solutions. Enterprise Singapore is committed to working with important partners such as Temasek Foundation to accelerate the development of innovative solutions for a sustainable future.”

    Axel Tan, Venture Partner, OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund, said: “Climate tech startups are pioneering vital solutions for a more liveable planet, but they face steep challenges in scaling. At the OCTAVE Well-being Economy Fund, we believe in backing these innovators by bridging capital, partnerships and purpose. Together with platforms like The Liveability Challenge, we can direct collective investment toward breakthrough technologies – accelerating the transition to a cleaner, more conscious and regenerative future.”

    Andrew Wong, Director, TRIREC, said: “The Liveability Challenge is crucial as it catalyses breakthrough innovations urgently needed to tackle escalating climate crises. By matching catalytic capital with the most promising solutions in climate change, the Challenge accelerates the commercialisation of transformative technologies, especially in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. This platform not only empowers innovators to scale their impact but also drives collective action toward a net-zero and a climate-resilient future worldwide. TRIREC looks forward to supporting ambitious climate founders.”

    Andrew Hyung, General Partner, Valuence Ventures, said: “At a time when the world’s attention is pulled in many directions and the climate crisis is too often set aside, The Liveability Challenge brings much needed focus. It unites visionaries, doers and believers to shape a future we all deserve. By turning urgency into momentum and bold ideas into real solutions, this platform reminds us that hope backed by action can still change everything.”

    Ashley Tan, International Head of Social Impact & Sustainability at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said: “We’re excited by the powerful sustainability solutions presented by winners Krosslinker Private Limited and Ayrton Energy Inc, and the other finalists. Together with Temasek Foundation and Eco-business, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is committed to making a positive environmental and social impact around the world. We will continue to provide the latest AI-driven technologies and bench of deep technical expertise to power innovative solutions in the cloud and solve the climate crisis’s most pressing decarbonisation and food security challenges of our time.”

    Appendix C

    Finalists for The Liveability Challenge 2025:

    1. Ayrton Energy Inc (Canada)  

    Solution: Safe hydrogen storage and transport that seamlessly integrates with existing liquid fuel infrastructure for scalable deployment that is up to 50 per cent lower cost 

    2. CatAmmon (Israel) 

    Solution: ”Cold” (400ºC) ammonia cracking, catalysed by Ruthenium – free, ceramic nanomaterials that achieves over 30 per cent reductions in cost for hydrogen generation 

     3.  Cetogenix (New Zealand)

    Solution: Transforming urban waste into renewable natural gas, green ammonia and other circular bioeconomy products with carbon intensities 19 times less than those of fossil equivalents 

    4.  CO2Tech (Australia) 

    Solution: Cost effective and compact CO2 capture solution capable of converting emissions into carbon negative and valuable products  

    5. D-CRBN (Belgium) 

    Solution: Plasma-based CO2 recycling with a fossil price parity  

    6. Eztia Corp (US)

    Solution: Cooling wearables that absorb body heat, reducing skin temperature by 10°C  

    7. Krosslinker Private Limited (Singapore)

    Solution: Cooling cities 24/7 with a zero energy aerogel coating: passive, powerful and planet friendly 

    8. SXD, Inc (US) 

    Solution: SXD uses its patent-published AI to co-design and scale zero material waste garments, driving 10 times the material savings, approximately 80 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and up to 55 per cent in cost savings.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Joint statement on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Joint statement on Artificial Intelligence and Freedom of Expression

    BRUSSELS, 7 May 2025 – Considering the vital impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has on freedom of expression, freedom of the media and the information ecosystem;acknowledging that the development and use of AI can be beneficial but raise serious human rights-related concerns;stressing the need to ensure that the design, development and deployment of AI are firmly anchored in international human rights law, principles and commitments;reaffirming human dignity, equality and human rights as guiding principles for the integrity of the information ecosystem,
    the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (“Mandate Holders”), gathering in Brussels, Belgium to mark World Press Freedom Day 2025, made the following statements:
    “The rapid development of artificial intelligence systems often proceeds without sufficient incorporation of human rights considerations. Developers primarily operate within frameworks of technical ethics and market effectiveness, while the human rights community engages too late in the process. We must shift from a risk-mitigation approach to one where freedom of expression and information integrity are foundational principles embedded from the earliest stages of AI development. This requires bridging the gap between technical innovation and human rights protection, and ensuring that AI systems enhance rather than undermine the information ecosystem that sustains our democracies.” – Pedro Vaca, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States (OAS).
    “There is a complex relationship between journalism and Big Tech, including AI. This is characterized by growing media dependency on platforms, concerns about journalist safety, and a struggle for news visibility, which affects both access to accurate, fact-based news, as well as the economic and financial sustainability of media outlets. In addition, we witness the unauthorized, unattributed, and uncompensated use of journalistic content to train AI systems. We should take advantage of this AI momentum to explore opportunities to create public information spaces where public interest information is prioritized, in support of democracy, peace and security.” – Jan Braathu, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media.
    “Africa faces further intensification of the global digital divide as AI technology thrives on high powered computer chips, electricity intensive data centres, strong research capacity and finance for the development of AI foundation models. These currently do not exist in Africa. The minority of Africans who have access to digital connectivity will only be using AI applications or AI built-into existing services, such as maps and video streaming. As most of the AI underlying foundation models are developed outside Africa, for reasons covered above, the consequence is that AI applications and AI built into other applications are therefore weak in African languages, African skin tones, African languages and African specificities. All this affects the tools available to African media and African citizens. This will lead to discrimination and the exacerbation of social inequalities, to African detriment.”- Geereesha Topsy Sonoo, Special Rapporteur for FOE and ATI with the African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights.
    “Like all technologies, AI comes with benefits as well as risks but undoubtedly it has come to stay. Governments, companies and above all civil society must work together to ensure that AI’s use is shaped by a people-centred human rights approach. AI’s success should be measured not by the speed of news, but by its quality, not by its capacity to increase profits, but its ability to restore public trust in information. With a true commitment to freedom of expression, AI could become the kind of tool the world needs for sustainable development that leaves no one behind.” – Irene Khan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
    The Freedom of Expression Mandate Holders reaffirm the importance of international fora and multi-stakeholder collaborations for dialogue on AI-related developments. Overcoming isolated conversations and merging AI discussions with the issues affecting Freedom of Expression and media freedom, the Mandate Holders will aim at providing guidance to a range of stakeholders on safeguards and approaches to leverage technology in ways that strengthen democratic processes and foster information integrity as a vital foundation of democracy, peace and security.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Greystone Housing Impact Investors Reports First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    OMAHA, Neb., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On May 7, 2025, Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP (NYSE: GHI) (the “Partnership”) announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

    Financial Highlights

    The Partnership reported the following results as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2025:

    • Net income of $0.11 per Beneficial Unit Certificate (“BUC”), basic and diluted
    • Cash Available for Distribution (“CAD”) of $0.31 per BUC
    • Total assets of $1.54 billion
    • Total Mortgage Revenue Bond (“MRB”) and Governmental Issuer Loan (“GIL”) investments of $1.18 billion

    The difference between reported net income per BUC and CAD per BUC is primarily due to the treatment of unrealized losses on the Partnership’s interest rate derivative positions. Unrealized losses of approximately $3.9 million are included in net income for the three months ended March 31, 2025. Unrealized losses are a result of the impact of decreased market interest rates on the calculated fair value of the Partnership’s interest rate derivative positions. Unrealized gains and losses do not affect our cash earnings and are added back to net income when calculating the Partnership’s CAD. The Partnership received net cash from its interest rate derivative positions totaling approximately $847,000 during the first quarter.

    In March 2025, the Partnership announced that the Board of Managers of Greystone AF Manager LLC declared a regular quarterly distribution to the Partnership’s BUC holders of $0.37 per BUC. The distribution was paid on April 30, 2025, to BUC holders of record as of the close of trading on March 31, 2025.

    Management Remarks

    “We continue to evaluate investment opportunities despite continuing market volatility,” said Kenneth C. Rogozinski, the Partnership’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Our successful Series B Preferred Units issuance provides low-cost, non-dilutive capital for us to deploy into accretive investment opportunities. In addition, the dedicated pool of capital that we have from the new BlackRock construction lending joint venture is a powerful tool for us to serve our affordable housing developer relationship base.”

    Recent Investment and Financing Activity

    The Partnership reported the following updates for the first quarter of 2025:

    • Advanced funds on MRB and taxable MRB investments totaling $21.5 million, offset by an MRB redemption of approximately $10.4 million.
    • Advanced funds on GIL and taxable GIL investments totaling $39.1 million.
    • GIL, taxable GIL, and property loan redemptions and paydowns totaling approximately $102.7 million.
    • Advanced net funds to joint venture equity investments totaling $5.6 million.
    • Received proceeds of $14.2 million upon sale of Vantage at Tomball, inclusive of return of capital and accrued preferred return.
    • Issued $20 million Series B Preferred Units with an annual distribution rate of 5.75% to an existing investor.

    In May 2025, the managing member of Vantage at Helotes sold the property to a governmental entity who in turn leased the property to a non-profit entity. That non-profit entity financed its purchase of the leasehold interest by issuing tax-exempt and taxable bonds. The Partnership received gross proceeds of approximately $17.1 million, inclusive of the return of capital contributions and accrued preferred return. The Partnership expects to recognize investment income of approximately $1.8 million and a gain on sale of approximately $163,000 in the second quarter of 2025, before settlement of final proceeds and expenses. The Partnership expects to recognize approximately $0.08 of net income per BUC, basic and diluted, and CAD per BUC, based on the number of BUCs outstanding on the date of sale.

    Investment Portfolio Updates

    The Partnership announced the following updates regarding its investment portfolio:

    • All MRB and GIL investments are current on contractual principal and interest payments and the Partnership has received no requests for forbearance of contractual principal and interest payments from borrowers as of March 31, 2025
    • The Partnership continues to execute its hedging strategy, primarily through interest rate swaps, to reduce the impact of changing market interest rates.
    • Six joint venture equity investment properties have completed construction, with three properties having previously achieved 90% occupancy. Four of the Partnership’s joint venture equity investments are currently under construction or in development, with none having experienced material supply chain disruptions for either construction materials or labor to date.

    Earnings Webcast & Conference Call

    The Partnership will host a conference call for investors on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Partnership’s First Quarter 2025 results.

    For those interested in participating in the question-and-answer session, participants may dial-in toll free at (877) 407-8813. International participants may dial-in at +1 (201) 689-8521. No pin or code number is needed.

    The call is also being webcast live in listen-only mode. The webcast can be accessed via the Partnership’s website under “Events & Presentations” or via the following link:
    https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=a4hicNZA

    It is recommended that you join 15 minutes before the conference call begins (although you may register, dial-in or access the webcast at any time during the call).

    A recorded replay of the webcast will be made available on the Partnership’s Investor Relations website at http://www.ghiinvestors.com.

    About Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP

    Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP was formed in 1998 under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act for the primary purpose of acquiring, holding, selling and otherwise dealing with a portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds which have been issued to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily, seniors and student housing properties. The Partnership is pursuing a business strategy of acquiring additional mortgage revenue bonds and other investments on a leveraged basis. The Partnership expects and believes the interest earned on these mortgage revenue bonds is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The Partnership seeks to achieve its investment growth strategy by investing in additional mortgage revenue bonds and other investments as permitted by its Second Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement, dated December 5, 2022 (the “Partnership Agreement”), taking advantage of attractive financing structures available in the securities market, and entering into interest rate risk management instruments. Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP press releases are available at www.ghiinvestors.com.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    Certain statements in this press release are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for “forward-looking statements” provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by use of statements that include, but are not limited to, phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “future,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “estimates,” “potential,” “continue,” or other similar words or phrases. Similarly, statements that describe objectives, plans, or goals also are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the control of the Partnership. The Partnership cautions readers that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, implied, or projected by such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: defaults on the mortgage loans securing our mortgage revenue bonds and governmental issuer loans; the competitive environment in which the Partnership operates; risks associated with investing in multifamily, student, senior citizen residential properties and commercial properties; general economic, geopolitical, and financial conditions, including the current and future impact of changing interest rates, inflation, and international conflicts (including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war) on business operations, employment, and financial conditions; uncertain conditions within the domestic and international macroeconomic environment, including monetary and fiscal policy and conditions in the investment, credit, interest rate, and derivatives markets; any effects on our business resulting from new U.S. domestic or foreign governmental trade measures, including but not limited to tariffs, import and export controls, foreign exchange intervention accomplished to offset the effects of trade policy or in response to currency volatility, and other restrictions on free trade; adverse reactions in U.S. financial markets related to actions of foreign central banks or the economic performance of foreign economies, including in particular China, Japan, the European Union, and the United Kingdom; the general condition of the real estate markets in the regions in which the Partnership operates, which may be unfavorably impacted by pressures in the commercial real estate sector, incrementally higher unemployment rates, persistent elevated inflation levels, and other factors; changes in interest rates and credit spreads, as well as the success of any hedging strategies the Partnership may undertake in relation to such changes, and the effect such changes may have on the relative spreads between the yield on investments and cost of financing; the aggregate effect of elevated inflation levels over the past several years, spurred by multiple factors including expansionary monetary and fiscal policy, higher commodity prices, a tight labor market, and low residential vacancy rates, which may result in continued elevated interest rate levels and increased market volatility; the Partnership’s ability to access debt and equity capital to finance its assets; current maturities of the Partnership’s financing arrangements and the Partnership’s ability to renew or refinance such financing arrangements; local, regional, national and international economic and credit market conditions; recapture of previously issued Low Income Housing Tax Credits in accordance with Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code; geographic concentration of properties related to investments held by the Partnership; changes in the U.S. corporate tax code and other government regulations affecting the Partnership’s business; and the other risks detailed in the Partnership’s SEC filings (including but not limited to, the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K). Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements.

    If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or if any of the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements proves to be incorrect, the developments and future events concerning the Partnership set forth in this press release may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date of this document. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our expectations and beliefs to change. The Partnership assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless obligated to do so under the federal securities laws.

     
     
    GREYSTONE HOUSING IMPACT INVESTORS LP
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (UNAUDITED)
     
        For the Three Months Ended March 31,    
        2025     2024    
    Revenues:              
    Investment income   $ 21,878,167     $ 19,272,345    
    Other interest income     2,288,165       3,003,838    
    Other income     958,825       94,471    
    Total revenues     25,125,157       22,370,654    
    Expenses:              
    Provision for credit losses     (172,000 )     (806,000 )  
    Depreciation     3,542       5,967    
    Interest expense     14,134,816       13,803,935    
    Net result from derivative transactions     3,036,137       (6,267,664 )  
    General and administrative     4,570,261       4,930,388    
    Total expenses     21,572,756       11,666,626    
    Other income:              
    Gain on sale of investments in unconsolidated entities     5,220       50,000    
    Earnings (losses) from investments in unconsolidated entities     (233,334 )     (106,845 )  
    Income before income taxes     3,324,287       10,647,183    
    Income tax benefit     (2,733 )     (1,198 )  
    Net income     3,327,020       10,648,381    
    Redeemable Preferred Unit distributions and accretion     (760,679 )     (767,241 )  
    Net income available to Partners   $ 2,566,341     $ 9,881,140    
                   
    Net income available to Partners allocated to:              
    General Partner   $ 25,611     $ 98,311    
    Limited Partners – BUCs     2,483,685       9,725,097    
    Limited Partners – Restricted units     57,045       57,732    
        $ 2,566,341     $ 9,881,140    
    BUC holders’ interest in net income per BUC, basic and diluted   $ 0.11     $ 0.42   *
    Weighted average number of BUCs outstanding, basic     23,171,226       23,000,754   *
    Weighted average number of BUCs outstanding, diluted     23,171,226       23,000,754   *
    * The amounts indicated above have been adjusted to reflect the distribution completed on April 30, 2024 in the form of additional BUCs at a ratio of 0.00417 BUCs for each BUC outstanding as of March 28, 2024 on a retroactive basis.
       

    Disclosure Regarding Non-GAAP Measures – Cash Available for Distribution

    The Partnership believes that CAD provides relevant information about the Partnership’s operations and is necessary, along with net income, for understanding its operating results. To calculate CAD, the Partnership begins with net income as computed in accordance with GAAP and adjusts for non-cash expenses or income consisting of depreciation expense, amortization expense related to deferred financing costs, amortization of premiums and discounts, fair value adjustments to derivative instruments, provisions for credit and loan losses, impairments on MRBs, GILs, real estate assets and property loans, deferred income tax expense (benefit), and restricted unit compensation expense. The Partnership also adjusts net income for the Partnership’s share of (earnings) losses of investments in unconsolidated entities as such amounts are primarily depreciation expenses and development costs that are expected to be recovered upon an exit event. The Partnership also deducts Tier 2 income (see Note 22 to the Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements) distributable to the General Partner as defined in the Partnership Agreement and distributions and accretion for the Preferred Units. Net income is the GAAP measure most comparable to CAD. There is no generally accepted methodology for computing CAD, and the Partnership’s computation of CAD may not be comparable to CAD reported by other companies. Although the Partnership considers CAD to be a useful measure of the Partnership’s operating performance, CAD is a non-GAAP measure that should not be considered as an alternative to net income calculated in accordance with GAAP, or any other measures of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP.

    The following table shows the calculation of CAD (and a reconciliation of the Partnership’s net income, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to CAD) for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 (all per BUC amounts are presented giving effect to the BUCs Distributions described in Note 22 of the condensed consolidated financial statements on a retroactive basis for all periods presented):

        For the Three Months Ended March 31,  
        2025     2024  
    Net income   $ 3,327,020     $ 10,648,381  
    Unrealized (gains) losses on derivatives, net     3,883,196       (4,604,215 )
    Depreciation expense     3,542       5,967  
    Provision for credit losses (1)     (172,000 )     (806,000 )
    Amortization of deferred financing costs     381,334       367,418  
    Restricted unit compensation expense     234,047       332,321  
    Deferred income taxes     1,227       2,998  
    Redeemable Preferred Unit distributions and accretion     (760,679 )     (767,241 )
    Tier 2 income allocable to the General Partner (2)     –       –  
    Recovery of prior credit loss (3)     (16,967 )     (17,155 )
    Bond premium, discount and acquisition fee amortization, net of cash received     25,220       (40,475 )
    (Earnings) losses from investments in unconsolidated entities     233,334       106,845  
    Total CAD   $ 7,139,274     $ 5,228,844  
                 
    Weighted average number of BUCs outstanding, basic     23,171,226       23,000,754  
    Net income per BUC, basic   $ 0.11     $ 0.42  
    Total CAD per BUC, basic   $ 0.31     $ 0.23  
    Cash Distributions declared, per BUC   $ 0.37     $ 0.368  
    BUCs Distributions declared, per BUC (4)   $ –     $ 0.07  
    (1) The adjustments reflect the change in allowances for credit losses under the CECL standard which requires the Partnership to update estimates of expected credit losses for its investment portfolio at each reporting date.
       
    (2) As described in Note 22 to the Partnership’s condensed consolidated financial statements, Net Interest Income representing contingent interest and Net Residual Proceeds representing contingent interest (Tier 2 income) will be distributed 75% to the limited partners and BUC holders, as a class, and 25% to the General Partner. This adjustment represents 25% of Tier 2 income due to the General Partner. There was no Tier 2 income for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.
       
    (3) The Partnership determined there was a recovery of previously recognized impairment recorded for the Live 929 Apartments Series 2022A MRB prior to the adoption of the CECL standard effective January 1, 2023. The Partnership is accreting the recovery of prior credit loss for this MRB into investment income over the term of the MRB consistent with applicable guidance. The accretion of recovery of value is presented as a reduction to current CAD as the original provision for credit loss was an addback for CAD calculation purposes in the period recognized.
       
    (4) The Partnership declared the distribution completed on April 30, 2024 in the form of additional BUCs equal to $0.07 per BUC for outstanding BUCs as of the record date of March 28, 2024.
       

    MEDIA CONTACT: 
    Karen Marotta 
    Greystone 
    212-896-9149 
    Karen.Marotta@greyco.com

    INVESTOR CONTACT:
    Andy Grier
    Investors Relations
    402-952-1235

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Stage 3 of the Crime Procurement Process opened on 1 May

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Stage 3 of the Crime Procurement Process opened on 1 May

    Stage 3 will be open until at least 30 September 2034, subject to any early notice, and is open to anyone who has not yet tendered.

    From July 2025, Stage 3 bids will be opened the month after they have been submitted.

    Subject to verification, contracts will commence – no longer than – three months after the date that the bid was opened. 

    Stage 2 of the procurement process closed on 30 April 2025. Those who tendered will be notified of the outcome of their bids by week commencing 26 May 2025.

    How do I tender?

    Tenders must be submitted using the LAA’s eTendering system. 

    For full details of the procurement process, please read the Application Guide which is available at Crime Contract 2025 Tender – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tango Meets Tokamak: Bill Bailey talks fusion energy with UKAEA

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Tango Meets Tokamak: Bill Bailey talks fusion energy with UKAEA

    British musician, comedian and television star Bill Bailey’s interest and passion for fusion energy saw a recent visit to UKAEA’s Culham Campus.

    Bill Bailey visits MAST Upgrade as part of tour at UKAEA’s Culham Campus – Image Credit United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

    The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) welcomed British musician, comedian and television star, Bill Bailey, to its Culham Campus to explore the vital research being undertaken to advance fusion as a sustainable source of energy for future generations.

    The Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball Trophy winner visited UKAEA’s campus in Oxfordshire, after mentioning fusion during his ‘Thoughtifier’ stand-up tour. Spotted in the audience, UKAEA’s Executive Director for Engineering and Computing, Dr Joe Milnes, invited Mr Bailey to see fusion’s research and development in action.

    Mr Bill Bailey, said:

    The central premise of this show (‘Thoughtifier’) is celebrating human endeavour and the constant ingenuity of humans. I talk about it in terms of human evolution, about discovering music, and one of those fields is also fusion. It felt like a natural fit to put fusion into the show and to ask the members of the audience what they feel about it.

    I’ve noticed a change over the past year and half where, every time I mention fusion, there has been a gradual uptick in people’s awareness of it. When I say, ‘We need to find a solution to the world’s energy needs, what about fusion?’, there are cheers from the crowd.

    My visit to UKAEA was fascinating and eye-opening, and amazing to hear about how our understanding of fusion is progressing. Seeing all this being done in the English countryside gave me a huge surge of patriotic pride, and enormous hope for the future.

    Dr Joe Milnes, Executive Director for Engineering and Computing, UKAEA, said:

    I’ve always been a big fan of Bill’s, particularly his sense of humour combined with his obvious fascination with how the world works.

    Spending a few hours with Bill, showing him all the incredible things happening at UKAEA, revealed how excited he is about fusion and other endeavours where humans can demonstrate their incredible problem-solving abilities.

    Fusion promises to be a safe, low carbon and sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply. It has the potential to provide ‘base load’ power, complementing renewable and other low carbon energy sources.

    During his visit, Mr Bailey toured UKAEA’s MAST-Upgrade and the Joint European Torus (JET) facilities and recorded a fireside chat with Dr Joe Milnes.

    Watch the full fireside chat on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/7FS1yO3zs5k

    Bill Bailey in fireside chat with UKAEA’s Dr. Joe Milnes – Image Credit United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to make a state visit to Russia and participate in the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xinhua | 07. 05. 2025

    Keywords: Xi Jinping, making a state visit, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, ceremonial events, anniversary of victory, participation, Russia, Beijing, departed, Moscow, war, Federation of Vladimir Putin, invitation of the President, anniversary of victory, Jinping, occasion

    BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on a special plane for Moscow on Wednesday to pay a state visit to Russia and attend celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Xi’s trip will take place at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. -0-

    Source: Xinhua

    Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to pay a state visit to Russia and attend celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to pay a state visit to Russia and attend celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Guangdong Province Releases 30 Artificial Intelligence Application Scenarios

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — South China’s Guangdong Province has unveiled 30 scenarios for the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in four areas: manufacturing, education, health care and security, the Science and Technology Daily reported Wednesday.

    In the education sector, the Guangdong government has identified typical application scenarios for this technology in five major areas: teaching, teaching, experimentation, resource allocation, and evaluation and decision support.

    In terms of healthcare, Guangdong Province reported 10 typical AI application scenarios in areas such as imaging diagnosis, clinical decision making, surgical planning, outpatient treatment, and medical consultation.

    “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has advantages in areas such as electromechanical technology, as well as digital and intelligent technology,” the Keji Ribao article noted, citing Qu Xiaojie, deputy head of the Guangdong Province Bureau of Industry and Information Technology. The area also has a complete industrial chain for AI and robotics.

    Guangdong Province will support the industrialization of technologies, product marketing and service commercialization for enterprises in the field of AI and robotics, Qu Xiaojie concluded. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to make a state visit to Russia and participate in the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War /detailed version-1/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xinhua | 07. 05. 2025

    Keywords: Xi Jinping, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, CPC, Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, PRC, making a state visit, ceremonial events, detailed version, anniversary of victory, participation, Russia, Beijing, departed, Moscow, war, Federation of Vladimir Putin

    BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on a special plane for Moscow on Wednesday to pay a state visit to Russia and attend celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. Xi’s trip is at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Among those accompanying Xi Jinping are Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. -0-

    Source: Xinhua

    Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to pay a state visit to Russia and attend the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War /detailed version-1/ Xi Jinping left Beijing for Moscow to pay a state visit to Russia and attend the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War /detailed version-1/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Foreign Ministry: Egypt’s sovereignty over Suez Canal is beyond doubt

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, May 7 (Xinhua) — Egypt’s sovereignty over the Suez Canal and its right to manage and operate the canal are beyond question, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday.

    The Chinese diplomat made the statement at a regular departmental press conference, commenting at the request of journalists on a recent post by US President Donald Trump on the social platform Truth, in which he called for free transit of American commercial and military vessels through the Panama and Suez Canals, which provoked a strong protest from Egypt.

    “China firmly supports the Egyptian government and people in safeguarding their sovereignty, legitimate rights and interests, and opposes any form of bullying in words or actions,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 11 killed, five injured in Indonesia road accident

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    JAKARTA, May 7 (Xinhua) — At least 11 people were killed and five others injured on Wednesday when a truck collided with a small bus in central Indonesia’s Java province, a local rescue official said.

    According to him, the truck carrying sand was unable to climb up the slope.

    “It is suspected that the truck’s brakes failed. It rolled backwards and to the left, crashed into a small bus and then into a house,” the spokesman told Xinhua.

    “Our team immediately rushed to the scene to conduct rescue operations. All 11 of the deceased were passengers in a small bus. Five others were injured,” the official said, adding that all the injured were taken to hospital. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s reunification remains an irreversible historical trend – Xi Jinping

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, May 7 (Xinhua) — China’s reunification remains an irreversible historical trend, according to an opinion piece by Xi Jinping published Wednesday by Rossiyskaya Gazeta ahead of his arrival in Russia on a state visit and participation in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s liberation from Japanese occupation. Taiwan’s return to China is an important part of the outcome of World War II and the post-war world order, Xi Jinping noted.

    A number of international legally binding documents, most notably the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration, have unequivocally affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, the article says. It adds that the historical and legal facts are beyond doubt, and the authority of UNGA Resolution 2758 is not contested.

    No matter how the situation in Taiwan changes, no matter what attempts at interference are made from outside, the complete reunification of China remains an irreversible historical trend, Xi Jinping stressed.

    Resolute support for each other on issues affecting the core interests and major concerns of the two countries is a constant for China and Russia, Xi Jinping noted. “We highly appreciate that the Russian side has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China principle and recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China, opposes ‘Taiwan independence’ in any form, and firmly supports all measures taken by the Chinese government and people to achieve national reunification,” the article says. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rosneft enterprises’ teams hold events in honor of the Great Victory anniversary

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Rosneft and its subsidiaries organize and participate in events in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The company holds hundreds of events throughout Russia, which are designed to pass on to the younger generation the historical memory of the immortal feat of our people who liberated the world from fascism. Among the heroes of the front and the home front are many workers in the oil industry.

    Oil workers demonstrated mass heroism in the battles of the Great Patriotic War and labor valor at enterprises in the rear. The Red Army was supplied with fuel and lubricants in the required quantities. During the war, the few remaining specialists, women and teenagers who replaced the men who went to the front, achieved a significant increase in the volume of oil production and refining. New fields were discovered, oil refineries were put into operation. Thanks to the selfless work of oil workers, our country won the “war of motors”, which brought the overall Victory closer.

    The Company’s employees congratulate veterans of the Great Patriotic War and oil industry workers in different regions of the country on Victory Day. Festive concerts are held for them, where the winners of the corporate competition “Energy of Talents” perform. Rosneft volunteers also visit veteran oil workers at home, convey congratulations and memorable gifts from the teams of the enterprises.

    With the support of Rosneft, the Sretensky Monastery Choir is touring 24 cities across the country with the musical program “Dedicated to the Great Victory”. The production is based on real stories about the fates of heroes who walked the miles of war from Moscow to Berlin and the best works of the front-line years.

    More than 100 thousand Rosneft employees in more than 40 regions of Russia are taking part in the all-Russian action “Immortal Regiment” in various formats. On the eve of Victory Day, Rosneft enterprises held “Minutes of Silence” in memory of those killed in the war, as well as “Memory Watch”, during which workers began their work shift with portraits of relatives who had fought in the Great Patriotic War.

    About 1,000 employees of 33 Rosneft subsidiaries took part in a collective reading of the poem “Motherland” by poet Konstantin Simonov. Samotlorneftegaz employees read the famous lines at the monument “To fellow countrymen who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” in the Victory Park of Nizhnevartovsk, unfurling an 80-meter St. George ribbon.

    More than 500 employees of the Samara group of Rosneft enterprises, veterans and employees of Rosneft enterprises, students, volunteers and residents of the Samara region in the city of Novokuibyshevsk next to the memorial complex to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War also unfurled an 80-meter St. George ribbon, honored the memory of the fallen heroes with a minute of silence and laid flowers at the Eternal Flame.

    Rosneft pays special attention to the formation of spiritual and patriotic values in the younger generation. Veteran oil workers together with current employees of the Company held “Lessons of Courage” in schools, universities and colleges, where children were told about how oil industry enterprises worked during the Great Patriotic War. Students, including students of “Rosneft classes” and schoolchildren from the “Movement of the First” were able to personally communicate with witnesses of those events. Also, for schoolchildren of Ufa, Samara, Gubkinsky, Saratov, Nizhnevartovsk, the settlement of Tazovsky in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, they organized screenings of the documentary “War of Motors” about the significant contribution of oil workers to the Great Victory, which was filmed with the support of Rosneft.

    Samotlorneftegaz and Sevkomneftegaz held a patriotic event “Victory Waltz” in Nizhnevartovsk and Gubkinsky, in which representatives of three generations took part: veterans, employees of enterprises and students of “Rosneft-classes”. Volunteers danced a waltz to “Blue Scarf”, which was performed for soldiers on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War by Klavdiya Shulzhenko and other famous artists.

    On the eve of the Great Victory, the Company’s volunteers organized a number of large-scale clean-up days: they repaired, renovated, and tidied up memorials and monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Volunteers from the Kuibyshev Oil Refinery and the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company tidied up more than 60 graves of front-line soldiers in Samara. Volunteers from Samotlorneftegaz tidied up the territory of the memorial complex “To fellow countrymen who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” in Nizhnevartovsk. Udmurtneft employees helped to improve the monument to those killed during the war in the village of Svetloye, Votkinsk District; with the participation of the enterprise, memorials were also arranged in six other settlements of the Udmurt Republic. Bashneft organized the cleaning of the territory and renovation of elements of the park near the monument to “Ishimbay oil workers who died in battles for the Motherland” in the city of Ishimbay. Schoolchildren of the “Movement of the First” actively participated in all the events.

    The company organized mass car rallies in different regions of Russia, in which more than 1 thousand people took part. Employees of the enterprises RN-Yuganskneftegaz, Tyumenneftegaz, RN-Uvatneftegaz, Kharampurneftegaz, ROSPAN International, RN-Purneftegaz, and the corporate scientific institute in Tyumen held a joint campaign in the Tyumen region, the Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous districts, covering 1,418 km in cars with Victory Banners – this distance corresponds to the number of days that the Great Patriotic War lasted.

    In Krasnoyarsk Krai, a motorcade of RN-Vankor workers drove a thousand kilometers across the tundra with the Victory Banner from the Vankor field to the port of Bukhta Sever on the shore of the Kara Sea. Bashneft organized a 160-kilometer motor rally of 50 cars in the Republic of Bashkortostan between the cities of Labor Valor Ishimbay and Ufa. During the Great Patriotic War, oil from Ishimbay was sent to Ufa for processing at the Ufa Oil Refinery (now Bashneft-UNPZ), the plant’s fuel went to the needs of the front and the rear.

    Volunteers from the Saratov Oil Refinery, RN-Vedomstvennaya Okhrana, and IK SIBINTEK drove a motorcade with jubilee symbols along the streets of Saratov from the oil refinery to the memorial complex to the soldiers-drivers. During the war, columns of cars with food, military equipment, uniforms, and fuel produced at the Saratov Oil Refinery went through Saratov to Stalingrad. During the fierce battles for Stalingrad, the Saratov-Stalingrad highway was called the “road of life” in the besieged hero city. Rosneft-Kuban Oil Products workers drove 150 km in 20 cars as part of the patriotic motor rally “Krasnodar-Novorossiysk”. Employees of the Komsomolsk Oil Refinery organized a motor rally from the Memorial Complex in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where oil refiners laid flowers at the Eternal Flame. The column of more than 50 cars with anniversary symbols and Victory banners was headed by a Ural motorcycle from the 1970s.

    In addition, in various regions, the Company’s employees have created routes for auto tourists to memorial sites dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. Rosneft gas stations broadcast congratulations on the anniversary of the Victory, songs from the war years, and distribute St. George ribbons during the holidays. A number of stations have themed photo zones, field kitchens, and concerts by creative groups with a patriotic repertoire.

    Rosneft traditionally takes part in federal and regional events to green the territories on the eve of Victory Day. As part of the international action “Garden of Memory”, together with activists of the “Movement of the First”, Orenburgneft employees planted more than 10 thousand pine seedlings on 4.5 hectares of the Buzuluk pine forest, damaged by a natural fire, and 1.5 thousand pine trees in the steppe territory of the Kurmanaevsky district of the Orenburg region. “Kurgannefteprodukt” organized the planting of 20 thousand tree seedlings in the form of a geoglyph (an inscription made up of trees) “80 years of Victory”. Also, the geoglyph “80” appeared through the efforts of Bashneft-Dobycha employees in the city of Neftekamsk in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Employees of the corporate institute “VNIKTIneftekhimoborudovanie” took part in the landscaping of the slope of Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd: they prepared the territory of the future alley and planted 80 silver maple seedlings.

    The Company’s employees took part in dozens of sports, intellectual competitions and contests dedicated to the Victory anniversary. Thus, Rosneft held corporate snowboarding competitions dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory. More than 100 oil industry athletes from 35 subsidiaries gathered at the ski center in Baikalsk (Irkutsk Region). And in Tomsk, they organized the “Victory Ski Slope” at a distance of 200 meters – it became a symbol of memory of the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted 200 days and became a turning point in the Great Patriotic War.

    Commemorative museum exhibits have been organized at the enterprises, and street photo exhibitions reflecting the selfless labor of oil workers in the rear and the heroism of front-line soldiers have opened in the cities where the Company is present. A photo exhibition titled “Fuel of Victory” has opened in the Muzeon Arts Park in Moscow. In Ufa, Bashneft opened a photo exhibition about the contribution of Bashkir oil workers to the Victory in a park on the Belaya River embankment and laid out a memorial alley of apple and fir trees. In Saratov, an exhibition of patriotic drawings by children of Rosneft employees has been placed on the Cosmonauts Embankment.

    The employees of Verkhnechonskneftegaz initiated and created with their own hands the memorial “Memory Flame” in the shift camp of the Verkhnechonskoye field. On memorable dates for the country it will be lit as a symbol of the undying national memory of those who gave their lives on the battlefields.

    One of the central events of the anniversary year in Buzuluk (Orenburg region) and in Ryazan was the creation of large-scale murals with the support of Orenburgneft and the Ryazan Oil Refining Company, respectively.

    Rosneft contributes to preserving the historical memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, the immortal feat of veterans who fought on the front lines and forged the Great Victory in the rear. Their unconditional love for the Motherland and patriotism are an unshakable example for current and future generations.

    Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft May 7, 2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New rules to sack officers guilty of gross misconduct

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    New rules to sack officers guilty of gross misconduct

    Police officers to no longer be able to escape the sack for gross misconduct as major government reforms to boost standards in policing continue.

    Image: Getty Images

    Police officers found guilty of gross misconduct will no longer be able to escape dismissal under new rules that will help to root out rogue individuals and drive up standards.

    The new rules, being laid in parliament today and due to come into effect at the end of the month, will strengthen the ability of police chiefs to clean out their forces of officers unfit to serve by setting clear expectations about what should happen to those guilty of the most serious behaviour.

    Whilst many officers who are found guilty of gross misconduct do get sacked, with over 500 officers dismissed – or “would have been dismissed” if they hadn’t already left the service – last year, there currently is no guarantee that gross misconduct will lead to dismissal.

    In some cases, officers remain in post, with 56 officers remaining in policing last year despite being guilty of gross misconduct.

    Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:

    We place a huge amount of faith and trust in the police officers we see in our communities, and it is vital that only those fit to wear the uniform are serving the public.

    We cannot let the majority of officers, who are brave and committed to keeping us safe, be tarnished by the few who commit serious criminality or gross misconduct. They, and the public, deserve certainty that those who are unfit to serve will be dismissed.

    With our Plan for Change, we are sending the clear message that no matter where you are in the country, the officers serving on our streets are only of the highest standards.

    Under the new rules, which will come into force from 28 May, a presumption of dismissal will be created for proven gross misconduct, which means there will be a clear expectation that officers will be sacked unless there are exceptional circumstances.

    These new rules will provide clarity and certainty to the public and officers that gross misconduct has no place in policing, and form part of a series of government reforms to boost public confidence in policing as part of its Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change. It builds on a new process to sack officers who fail background checks that was announced last month, with holding vetting becoming a legal requirement.  

    Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, Isabelle Younane, said:

    Women’s Aid welcomes reforms to policing announced today by the Home Office, which will help ensure that forces are able to remove dangerous perpetrators from their ranks more swiftly.

    It is essential that women are able to trust that when they are bravely reporting their experiences of abuse to the police, they aren’t speaking to an officer who has been accused of violence against women and girls (VAWG) related misconduct themselves.

    These reforms, alongside those announced previously, are positive first steps to improving women’s trust in the police. We continue to urge for further action to ensure that no individuals with the misogynistic attitudes and beliefs that underpin VAWG are eligible to join.

    Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove said:

    Today’s changes are a welcome and necessary step toward restoring public trust – and reaffirming the values policing must uphold. Too often and for far too long, red flags have been missed, minimised or ignored.

    While only one piece of the puzzle, I hope these measures will help to kick urgently needed cultural change into gear, ensuring only those worthy of the badge are allowed to serve.

    The new legislation being laid today will also create a presumption of accelerated hearings for former officers, ensuring swifter proceedings for those who resign or retire before they face a misconduct hearing. Former officers who would have been dismissed had they still been serving will continue to be barred from future service.

    Unsatisfactory performance procedures are also being streamlined so that underperforming officers are taken through the process more quickly.

    Serious criminal offences will also automatically amount to gross misconduct under these new measures. Whilst ‘indictable only’ criminal offences like rape and grievous bodily harm often lead to misconduct proceedings, this is not currently defined in law, and the government is therefore making it more straightforward for forces to deal with these cases quickly.

    As part of the government’s reform agenda, further measures will be brought in later this year to strengthen national vetting standards and ensure every force follows them, as well as introduce stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for violence against women and girls.

    Updates to this page

    Published 7 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Get fit for FREE this summer at Victoria Park

    Source: City of Portsmouth

    Launching on Wednesday 7 May 2025, ‘PT in the Park’ sessions will take place every week in Victoria Park from 5pm-6pm until September 2025 (weather depending*).

    Sessions will be led by BH Live Active instructors and will incorporate a warm-up, health and safety briefing, HIIT-based exercises, and a cooldown to inspire more people to stay active in one of the city’s beautiful parklands.

    All fitness levels and abilities are welcome, with alternative movements demonstrated for both advanced and beginner levels. Participants aged 12+ are welcome, but under-18s must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.

    Sessions are free to attend with no booking required – simply turn up on the day. A suggested £2 donation (cash or electronic donation via QR code) on the day is encouraged, with all funds donated to BH Live’s Investing In Community Fund to contribute to the delivery of future health and wellbeing community projects across the city.

    Other activities, including Stretch and Relax Yoga sessions, will also be running in Victoria Park throughout the summer, to highlight the park’s importance to the local community. A full list of activities and further information on park facilities can be found at victoriaparkportsmouth.org.uk.

    The Victoria Park summer events project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by Portsmouth City Council.

    BH Live is a registered charity and social enterprise. BH Live manages and operates several leisure centres across the city in partnership with Portsmouth City Council. These include Mountbatten Leisure Centre, Pyramids and Exploria in Southsea, Charter Community Sports Centre, Wimbledon Park Sports Centre, and Portsmouth Tennis & Gymnastics Centre.

    On behalf of BH Live, Carla Earle, Community Sports Manager for Portsmouth, shared;

    “It’s great to work with Portsmouth City Council and the Victoria Park team to deliver these free group exercise sessions in the community. We hope this will encourage more people across the city to have a go at a new activity, discover the benefits of being regularly active, and of course enjoy the lovely setting in Victoria Park.”

    A representative from Portsmouth City Council’s Victoria Park Project team shared;

    “We are excited to collaborate with BH Live Active to bring these fitness sessions to Victoria Park. By offering these sessions, we aim to encourage everyone to take advantage of the park’s facilities and join us in promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle. Exercise can be so important to build friendships, confidence, and self-esteem, and we would love new members of the community to join these groups. Our goal is to make fitness accessible to all and to highlight the park’s role in fostering community spirit and well-being.”

    Cllr Lee Hunt, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Leisure & Sport at Portsmouth City Council added:

    “Victoria Park is known as the ‘people’s park’, so it is fitting that it should host these sessions, which are open to everyone looking to improve their fitness and wellbeing.

    “Encouraging healthy lifestyles in our communities and promoting positive physical health is a priority for us. I’m delighted to see us coming together with our partners to offer this fantastic opportunity in the heart of the city.”

    More information on BH Live’s health and wellbeing and community activities can be found at bhliveactive.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing-activities.

    More information on BH Live Active can be found at bhliveactive.org.uk.

    More information on Victoria Park can be found at victoriaparkportsmouth.co.uk.

    -ENDS-

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Restoration works begin on famous Armada Shipwreck collection

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Restoration works begin on famous Armada Shipwreck collection

    7 May 2025

    The Tower Museum’s famous Armada Shipwreck collection is on the move, as National Museums NI commences restoration work on the key artefacts before they make the transition to their new home in the state-of-the-art new DNA (Derry~Londonderry on the North Atlantic) Museum in Ebrington Square.

    The collection will be closed to the public while the essential work is being completed, however visitors can still access the popular Story of Derry and Derry Girls Exhibitions over the coming months.

    The ‘Armada Shipwreck ~ La Trinidad Valencera’ exhibition has been a central focus of the museum’s visitor experience, bringing to life the 16th century story of conflict between England and Spain, and the drama and tragedy that unfolded as over 20 Spanish ships foundered off the Donegal coast.

    The collection has been on loan to the Museum from National Museums NI since 2004 and is recognised to be of international importance. The transfer is just one element of the Tower Museum’s legacy as the collection will soon become an integral part of the new DNA Museum.  Once restored the Armada pieces will remain in storage until they can be rehoused in the new museum which is due to open in early 2027.

    Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Lilian Seenoi Barr, said it was an exciting milestone in the project. “The Spanish Armada collection has been a popular attraction at the Museum since 2005, and we are delighted to continue our relationship with National Museums NI in keeping these significant pieces here in the North West, where they were first discovered by local divers. Once restored they will take pride of place in the new DNA museum where they will help tell the wider story of our history and heritage.

    “It’s exciting to see preparations well and truly underway in archiving and restoring the collections that will move to the DNA site, where new technology and facilities will really bring these collections to life.”

    Among the artefacts are a gun carriage wheel and bronze siege gun, canon and other weaponry, textiles and items recovered from the wreck site discovered at Kinnagoe Bay. The collection also documents the remarkable story of the diving expedition which uncovered the treasure trove of artefacts.

    Council’s Head of Culture, Aeidin McCarter, said: “Work is continuing to progress on the delivery of the much-anticipated new DNA Museum which is one of the exciting strategic projects being delivered as part of Derry and Strabane’s City Deal portfolio. The decant and conservation of items from the Tower Museum is an essential part of this process, and will take place gradually over the coming months.

    “We are delighted that the new museum will have the capacity to house the majority of collections currently on display in the Tower Museum in the seven new galleries, with DNA becoming our new civic museum, creating a central hub linking to other tourism experiences across the region. I want to thank National Museums NI for their ongoing support and I look forward to seeing the successful transition to the new site.”

    William Blair, Director of Collections at National Museums NI said: “The Armada collection, and particularly the story of the La Trinidad Valancera – the ship that foundered off the coast of Donegal in 1588 – has an ensuring resonance with the North West and Derry~Londonderry. It’s time at the Tower Museum has helped share its remarkable story with many thousands of visitors.

    “At National Museums NI, we have a responsibility to preserve and protect this important heritage. That’s why we are temporarily bringing the collection back into our care – to conserve it and prepare it for public display at its new home in the DNA Museum, where it can continue to inspire and be appreciated by future generations.”

    The DNA Museum once completed will also include a dedicated archive discovery zone, access to genealogy advice, a temporary exhibition space, multi-purpose learning and events space, café, retail and external interpretation space.

    The galleries will be dedicated to telling the story of the city and wider North West area and will complement the existing museum and heritage venue offering throughout the city. A new website is also being developed to provide enhanced digital collections and online learning resources accessible to everyone.

    Council has successfully completed a Tender process and is currently working with all the relevant project partners on the appointment of a contractor which will be announced in the coming weeks, with work expected to begin on site this summer.

    Anyone who would like to access the Armada exhibition digitally while awaiting its new iteration in DNA can do so online along with associated collections and archives by visiting https://towermuseumcollections.com/la-trinidad-valencera/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major grants for community organisations

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    The Belmont Cinema, an all-ability wheelchair swing project, youth club equipment, and a community radio station are among a raft of local organisations which are to benefit from grants totalling £965,000 approved today.

    Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee agreed the monies for projects around the city including The Belmont Community Cinema Project, Aberdeen Deeside Rotary Trust, Kingswells Community Centre, and Station House Media Uni (SHMU).

    Committee Convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “These are major projects which have been awarded funding today and the monies will assist the organisations in bringing forward their respective projects. 

    “These grant applications, from a number of partners and third sector organisations, will make a positive impact on our city in their own way.”

    Council Culture spokesperson Councillor Martin Greig said: “These grants will make a positive difference for organisations and people across Aberdeen. I look forward to seeing the progress on all of these projects in the coming months.”

    A report to committee said the grants awarded included:

    • Aberdeen Deeside Rotary Trust – all-ability wheelchair swing project – £13,000;
    • Aberdeen Performing Arts – building management system upgrade at HMT – £48,895;
    • Aberdeen Science Centre – community engagement and accessibility project – £73,198;
    • Alcohol and Drugs Action – family harm reduction/recovery support – £19,801;
    • Aberdeen City Council – Bucksburn Swimming Pool recommissioning project – £173,140;
    • Befriend a Child – family support project – £19,152;
    • Belmont Community Cinema – improving the entrance project – £100,000;
    • Citymoves Dance Agency – United Aberdeen Dance project – £47,089;
    • Community Outreach Group – upgraded kitchen – £3,800;
    • Denburn Residents and Tenants Association – Upper Denburn Gardens – £10,000;
    • East Grampian Coastal Partnership – Aberdeen City Coastal Path Study – £9,450;
    • Grampian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association – specialist exercise service for people with cardiac and chronic health conditions in Aberdeen – £15,000;
    • Grampian Women’s Aid – support services – £45,470;
    • Growing2gether – strengthening communities by building local skills, wellbeing and resilience project – £28,865;
    • Instant Neighbour – Upcycle Inc Project – £10,000;
    • Kingswells Community Centre – youth club equipment – £876;
    • Sound Scotland – Soundcommunities year 2 – £24,000;
    • Station House Media Unit – extension to Station House – £110,000;
    • Techfest – TechFests Blueprint Challenge: A Future Highstreet – £10,000;
    • The Kings Community Foundation – the Bridge Centre Retrofit – £50,000.

    The report to committee said allocation of grant funding is from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The UKSPF money was allocated to the City Council by the UK Government. The core UKSPF element can be used across three priority areas – community and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Grants for VisitAberdeenshire’s cruise ship volunteer programme and Northern Nights campaign

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Grants totalling more than £73,000 have been approved for two schemes which will help bring tourists and visitors to the city.

    Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee today agreed the monies for VisitAberdeenshire. A total of £23,932 will be used for VisitAberdeenshire’s Cruise Volunteer Programme and £50,000 for its Northern Nights campaign.

    Council Culture spokesperson Councillor Martin Greig said: “Aberdeen is a beautiful and historic place and we look forward to sharing it with visitors from abroad and other parts of the country.

    “These two schemes from VisitAberdeenshire will help to attract more people to the city and area and will guide them to what there is to discover while they are here.”

    Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “Both of these VisitAberdeenshire projects are excellent ways of helping tourists and visitors orientate themselves while they are in the city.

    “We want to attract more people to come and experience Aberdeen for themselves and being able to offer added benefits through the campaign and cruise volunteer scheme will help to do just that.”

    The Cruise ‘Welcome’ Volunteer Scheme was created to meet and help orientate visitors during their first moments in Aberdeen, focusing primarily on cruise passengers arriving in the city.

    The programme aims to provide a positive first impression of the region, create fulfilling volunteering opportunities that upskill local people and generate civic pride, and change the narrative of the region as a tourism destination.

    This funding will enhance the delivery and experience of the welcome volunteer scheme, supporting programme development and preparation for the 2026 season through additional training and recruitment to grow the volunteer pool to 40 people.

    By driving more footfall into Aberdeen businesses during the cruise season, engaging local residents as volunteers, and fostering civic pride, the programme benefits the local economy, people, and place.

    The “Northern Nights: The City Comes to Light” campaign will promote Aberdeen as a vibrant winter destination in early 2026, leveraging cultural events like SPECTRA and Granite Noir to boost hotel occupancy, visitor footfall, and revenue, while supporting local tourism and hospitality businesses through targeted marketing, digital cultural trail maps, and night-time city photography.

    The proposed Northern Nights: the City comes to Light campaign will also promote experiences in the city during the early months of 2026 when nights are longer. The message will be about making this a positive reason to travel and Visit Aberdeenshire intends to bolster hotel occupancy and revenue per available room during these times in the city centre.

    VisitAberdeenshire CEO Chris Foy said “Attention is already turning towards the 2026 cruise season, and this award will not only help to deliver thousands of warm welcomes to our visitors but also contribute towards making volunteering a highly positive experience for local participants. And whilst Aberdeen currently enjoys the early summer sunshine, planning is underway to grow the visitor economy during the winter season.

    “Our inaugural Northern Nights campaign in 2024/25 resulted in over £1/2million of additional visitor spend, demonstrating that our part of the world can shine brightly during the darker months. This funding award will allow us to build on the momentum already created.”

    The report to committee said allocation of grant funding is from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The UKSPF money was allocated to the City Council by the UK Government. The core UKSPF element can be used across three priority areas – community and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City centre property and retail strategy gets grant

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    A plan to existing gaps, identify viable investment prospects, and enhance the retail offering in the city centre has been awarded a £39,000 grant.

    Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee today agreed the monies for Aberdeen Inspired to commission an Aberdeen City Centre Property and Retail Strategy.

    Committee Convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “The Aberdeen City Centre Property and Retail Strategy will be a good asset in working out how to attract more retail to the area.

    “We welcome that this data will be collected as it will help the city’s overall plan to ensure the city centre continues to be a place where people want to shop, live, and work.”

    Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “The Aberdeen City Centre Property and Retail Strategy fits in with the City Council’s current priorities of city centre regeneration. It also aligns with approved Council policies, including the Union Street Action Plan.

    “We look forward to seeing the results from the Strategy and how they can be translated into ensuring we have a better and more resilient retail offering.”

    The Aberdeen City Centre Property and Retail Strategy will assess the current health of retail property in Aberdeen’s city centre and create an actionable plan to understand existing gaps, identify viable investment prospects, and enhance the retail offering.

    The strategy will focus on optimising property utilisation and delivering a more vibrant, resilient occupier mix for the city. The project will conduct catchment demand analysis, geodemographic data collection, and competitor benchmarking to understand consumer patterns, spend leakage, and market saturation.

    This knowledge will help determine how vacant spaces can be repurposed to improve the city centre and better serve local and regional consumer markets.

    Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “To ensure we have a city centre that is sustainable and fit for the future this strategy will identify the gaps, what businesses people want, where they want them and how we can get those businesses here.

    “This strategy will give us both a blueprint and roadmap on how to make all of that happen and is a vital part of the regeneration of our city centre. We are very grateful to Aberdeen City Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for this grant which will make this exciting project possible.”

    The report to committee said allocation of grant funding is from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The UKSPF money was allocated to the City Council by the UK Government. The core UKSPF element can be used across three priority areas – community and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The dangerous business of predicting the death of popes – a history

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle Pfeffer, Research Fellow in Early Modern History, University of Oxford

    Portrait of Michel de Nostredame (Nostradamus), painted by his son César de Nostredame. Wiki Commons

    Michel de Nostredame (1503-66), better known as Nostradamus, is often hailed as one of the most successful prophets of all time. Said to have foreseen major world events from the rise of Hitler to COVID, the 16th-century astrologer was recently credited with predicting Pope Francis’s death – and what would happen next.

    ‘Through the death of a very old Pontiff

    A Roman of good age will be elected.

    Of him it will be said that he weakens his seat

    But long will he sit in biting activity.

    Like all the quatrains in Nostradamus’s collection of prophecies, Les Prophéties (1555-68), this one is as enigmatic as it is flexible. Short, sweet and decontextualised, his prophetic poems feel timeless, and it is deliciously satisfying to recognise a real-world correlation. The problem is that his prophecies are so vague that they can be linked to any number of events – or old Pontiffs.

    Nostradamus’s “dark and cryptic” language was intentional. If he had been more explicit, not only his career, but perhaps even his life, may have been at risk.

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    Many of his prophecies concerned the rise and fall of the great and the good, and political prophecy was a high-risk business. In ancient Rome, astrologers had been expelled from the city for forecasting the death of emperors, and Renaissance leaders were no less paranoid. To avoid “scandalising and upsetting”, Nostradamus chose to veil his true meaning.

    This was not just a matter of self-preservation, but also a way to obscure politically explosive information. Claiming to know when a civic or church leader might die was valuable intelligence. This made astrology a key tool of Renaissance spy-craft, but also a dangerous weapon that needed to be monitored and regulated.

    Astrology, politics and the papal court

    As a system that promised to forecast plagues, natural disasters, war, and even the economy, astrology was a logical interest for Renaissance rulers.

    Universities taught their students how to make these predictions, and for some lucky graduates this led to a job in a royal, princely, or even papal court. Here their horoscopes could inform political decision-making and produce potent astrological propaganda.

    A horoscope for the founding of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in April 1506, cast by the astrologer Luca Gaurico. Luca Gaurico (1552).
    Tractatus Astrologicus

    Despite the condemnations of theologians, many popes patronised astrologers and sought their guidance.

    Julius II (1443-1513) chose the start date for the construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica based on astrological counsel. Leo X (1475-1521) founded a professorship in astrology at Rome’s first university, La Sapienza. And Paul III (1468-1549), heeding the judgment of the astrologer Luca Gaurico, appointed his grandson a cardinal at just 14.

    In a period in which popes could have a decisive impact on international politics, speculation about the health of the pontiff was rampant. Astrologers capitalised on this.

    When Ludovico Sforza (1452-1508), de facto ruler of Milan, asked his astrologer to predict the death of Innocent VIII, it was nothing unusual. The answer was that the pope would die around August 10 1492, if not sooner. When Innocent died on July 25, Ludovico was no doubt pleased. As the historian Monica Azzolini has shown, he had consulted his astrologer in the hope the next pope would be more supportive of his illegitimate regime.

    Some popes asked astrologers about their own deaths. But they didn’t like it so much when others did so – especially when the forecasts were made public. Even worse, such predictions often fed into Protestant propaganda.

    Popes knew public predictions about their death were politically destabilising, not to mention humiliating. At the end of 1559, the Index of Prohibited Books, a list of books forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church, banned texts containing astrological “divinations” about “future contingent events”.

    Earlier that year, just as Pope Paul IV was trying to conceal a serious illness from the public, the sighting of a comet had led to widespread speculation about his death. As the pope knew all too well, astrology could be a political liability.

    Orazio Morandi and Urban VIII

    Such legislation did not stop astrologers from making political predictions, not least because their clients never stopped asking. But increasingly these astrologers were playing with fire. As the historian Brendan Dooley has shown, Orazio Morandi learned this the hard way in 1630.

    Morandi made predictions about Pope Urban VII.
    Vatican Museums

    Morandi was an abbot at the monastery of Santa Prassede in Rome. He had been practising astrology for years, and he had been careful, framing his political forecasts in allusive language. But soon he went too far.

    In 1629, Morandi wrote an astrological commentary on various past papacies, critiquing their flaws. When he came to the present incumbent, Urban VIII (1568-1644), he not only predicted that his pro-French allies would destroy Italy, but that the pope himself would very soon suffer great violence, then death.

    There are several astrological techniques for predicting someone’s death. As above, astronomical phenomena like comets and eclipses could prompt speculation about an upcoming papal demise. But Morandi used the gold standard – a technique called “prorogation”. This required access to the person’s birth chart, from which astrologers could identify the planets or luminaries that were their “giver of life” and “giver of years”.

    Different planets gave different lifespans. For example, if the sun was your “giver of years”, and it was in a good position on your horoscope, you might expect to live to 120. If the sun was badly placed, your life expectancy might be just 19 years. Other parts of the horoscope could then modify these figures.

    Morandi identified the sun as Urban’s life giver. But the positions of the more nefarious planets on his birth chart meant he was lucky to have lived beyond the age of seven. In June 1630, Morandi concluded, a solar eclipse would seal the pope’s fate.

    Morandi’s prediction spread widely in clandestine circles, and it wasn’t long until his prediction was reported as fact. The pro-Spanish faction in Rome was thrilled. It was even rumoured that Spanish and German cardinals had begun the long journey to Rome for a new conclave.

    The earth surrounded by the planets, luminaries, and zodiac signs (1708).
    Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica

    Embarrassingly, Urban first learned of the prophecy not through his own informants, but from the powerful French prelate Cardinal Richelieu. Himself an avid believer in astrology, Urban was greatly disturbed. He had Morandi arrested and jailed. During the trial, a young man called Matteo, servant to the current prior of Santa Prassede, was interrogated and tortured. Morandi himself soon died in prison under suspicious circumstances.

    But Urban lived on. The next year, he decreed it punishable by death to predict “the life or death of the sitting Roman Pontiff, including his blood relatives to the third degree inclusive”.

    Making a career in political forecasting was – and is – risky. But astrologers were ambitious and knew their efforts would be well remunerated. Predicting the death of a pope could help you quickly build a public profile, expanding your business. But after 1630, it was a risk many astrologers were no longer willing to take.

    Michelle Pfeffer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The dangerous business of predicting the death of popes – a history – https://theconversation.com/the-dangerous-business-of-predicting-the-death-of-popes-a-history-255816

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: By VE Day in 1945, Stalin had got what he wanted in Poland – now Putin may get what he wants in Ukraine

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Wendy Webster, Professor of Modern Cultural History, University of Huddersfield

    Sell out: most Polish people felt they had been abandoned by their allies in the US and Great Britain at the Yalta Conference. US government

    As Britain celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8 1945, the Polish airmen of RAF 305 Bomber Squadron captured a starkly different sentiment in their diary. “‘Victory!’ every Anglo-Saxon says in greeting instead of the traditional ‘Hello!’. The word ‘Victory!’ is devoid of meaning, power and any sense today only for the Poles.”

    Despite their critical contributions to the allied war effort, from the Battle of Britain to Monte Cassino, Polish forces felt isolated and betrayed, their hopes of a free Poland crushed by the Yalta agreement. On that first VE Day, many Poles who fought with the allied forces recorded feeling sad, isolated or bitter.

    Tadeusz Szumowski, who served in the RAF in Britain found it almost impossible to join in the celebrations. He wrote in his diary: “Our war is lost, the war which we fought so hard and so long to win … It is a very long time since I felt so alone.”

    A Polish soldier in Italy wrote: “The war is over – but not for us. The population of the greater part of the world are happy, in consequence; but we are sad. I am afraid that we have lost so many of our best men all for nothing.”

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    What made “victory” devoid of meaning for Poles? In her study of Poland during the second world war, historian Halik Kochanski quotes the famed American journalist Martha Gellhorn, who reported from Italy: “All the Poles talk about Russia all the time. The soldiers gather several times a day around the car which houses the radio and listen to the news.”

    Many of these soldiers came from eastern Poland, which was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939. Along with their families, they had been deported to Siberia or Kazakhstan and came out only under a so-called “amnesty” after Russia entered the war on the allied side. Gellhorn reported: “They follow the Russian advance across Poland with agonized interest.”

    As I found when researching my book about the diverse nationalities fighting alongside Britain in the second world war, Polish soldiers wrote about Russia all the time as well as talking about it. Their letters were censored and quoted in censorship reports.

    As they watched the Russian advance and heard news of the Yalta agreement which consigned Poland to the Soviet sphere of influence, they express anger, fear, bitterness, desolation, a sense of loss and betrayal, shock, bewilderment.

    The letters are striking for the many words which take on meanings that demonstrate a gulf that opens up, separating Poles from other allied soldiers. Victory belongs to others while Poles have gone down to a catastrophic defeat.

    Russia, widely regarded as a valued ally, is the enemy of Poles. The Polish slogan “For our freedom and yours” is rewritten in one letter: “We are fighting for yours and our freedom, but now I think rather only for yours.” Another letter asks: “What are we fighting for if Poland is to be enslaved?”

    Polish pilots of RAF 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron during the second world war.
    Imprial War Museum

    Poles find it unbearable to be told that Russia is liberating Poland, using heavy irony. “The ‘liberation’ of Poland by our so-called Allies is causing us great anxiety. Probably my own home will soon be ‘liberated’.”

    Another soldier cautions: “Never, never congratulate our people of Warsaw and Poland being ‘liberated’. This sounds like the most cruel irony and is deeply resented by every Pole. You could speak about a lamb being liberated from a bear by a tiger.”

    The concept of “home” also acquires new meanings that are devoid of any association with pleasure or belonging. As the war ends, allied soldiers’ thoughts are increasingly about the prospect of returning home – but censors reported in 1944: “Thousands of letters written by Polish soldiers in the last days repeat as a cardinal topic that to Poland governed by communists they won’t return.”

    One soldier writes: “It would be better to be killed here on the battlefield than to be alive in the new ‘Red Paradise’ in Poland.” Another writes: “There is no return for us to the Soviet republic of Poland which seems to be the newest invention of our Allies.”

    Echoes of Yalta

    The Yalta agreement of February 1945 between America, Britain and Russia, the “Big Three” powers, confirmed Poles’ worst fears. Censors report that in the soldiers’ letters, it “overshadows all other topics”, and has “evoked a terrible shock amongst the Polish troops … they find that they are lost and betrayed”.

    One soldier writes: “For the last few days I have been in a state of dumb bewilderment. Occasionally I ask myself, ‘Can it be true?’ … I cannot believe that it has really happened.”

    Another soldier writes to his “Britisher friend” about his feelings of betrayal: “When this morning we heard the news about the statements from the Big Three meeting we got deadly silent … We sacrificed most of all countries – more than you even. We trusted you so much, and what have we got. Our biger [sic] friend let us go down.”

    Yalta is in Crimea – part of the territory annexed by Russia before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has made it clear he will offer no concessions on Ukraine, which he has argued all along he sees as an inalienable part of Russia. This is a stark reminder of Yalta when Josef Stalin made concessions on other matters, but none on Poland.

    Trump’s administration has offered Ukraine no security guarantees. Its framework to end the war will allow Russia to retain the territory it has seized. There are now echoes of what one Polish soldier wrote in 1945 of the Yalta agreement: “This business smells and no high-sounding words can disguise the stench of a bad deed.”

    Wendy Webster receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council

    – ref. By VE Day in 1945, Stalin had got what he wanted in Poland – now Putin may get what he wants in Ukraine – https://theconversation.com/by-ve-day-in-1945-stalin-had-got-what-he-wanted-in-poland-now-putin-may-get-what-he-wants-in-ukraine-255982

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Italy’s areas of wartime fascist resistance remain less susceptible to the far right today

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Juan Masullo, Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University

    Across Europe, far-right parties are making unforeseen breakthroughs – from local councils to national and supranational parliaments. As their presence becomes normalised, these parties promote nationalist rhetoric, challenge democratic institutions, and attempt to reshape a political present rooted in hard-won struggles against authoritarianism.

    Yet, not all communities are equally permeable to these growing forces. Some actively resist, mobilising to block authoritarian ideologies and defend democratic values.

    Our recent research in Italy offers one explanation as to why some communities are less easily enticed into far-right politics than others. Local histories of wartime resistance continue to shape political cultures in ways that, even generations later, inspire people to push back against the resurgence of fascist and neo-fascist ideologies.

    In areas where anti-fascist resistance movements were active during the second world war, civic engagement to defend democratic values is stronger. In these communities, support for far-right parties is weaker.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. Join The Conversation for free today.

    These legacies aren’t accidental. They are cultivated, reinforced, and passed on through intensive and continuous local memory work.

    During Italy’s civil war (1943–1945), students, workers, farmers and clergy mobilised into bands of resistance to fight the Nazi-fascist regime. Their efforts were central to Italy’s liberation and the establishment of its democratic republic. While this story is often told at the national level, our research examines its enduring local consequences.

    Using an original dataset mapping resistance activity across about 8,000 Italian municipalities, we compared places with strong partisan mobilisation to those without. Even today, eight decades later, residents of areas with a resistance past are more likely to support initiatives that counter far-right ideologies.

    This was especially evident in the response to a recent initiative. In 2020 and 2021, a grassroots campaign proposed a law to ban the public glorification of fascism. To bring it for discussion before parliament, the campaign needed 50,000 signatures.

    Despite the pandemic, it collected over 240,000 within a few months. While support was widespread, municipalities with strong resistance histories were significantly more likely to participate. Our estimates show roughly 40% more signatures in these places.

    These patterns suggest that wartime resistance can leave legacies that translate into contemporary political behaviour. But data alone can’t explain how these legacies endure. That’s where our fieldwork comes in.

    We have been closely studying towns with deep resistance roots and strong support for the 2021 initiative to see how they keep these legacies alive and who is involved.

    We have followed (and participated in) memorialisation efforts in the Cuneo region, one of the main centres of wartime resistance, and in areas deeply affected by Nazi violence and known for creating some of the strongest partisan brigades. These include villages around Stazzema in Tuscany and Marzabotto in Emilia.

    The main insight is that remembrance isn’t just ceremonial – it’s part of daily life. Schools, hiking clubs, cultural associations, and city halls all contribute to preserving and activating the memory of resistance.

    One public elementary school in the rural hills around Bologna, for example, created a “memory garden” to honour local residents who died fighting fascism. Through interviews, art and storytelling, students have engaged directly with their community’s past, creating not only a commemorative space but a living bridge between generations.

    The memorial garden planted by students in.
    J Masullo, CC BY-ND

    Similarly, local Alpine clubs in Emilia Romagna and Piedmont restored partisan trails through the mountains, now used for memory treks. These hikes attract people who might not otherwise engage politically but who, by walking the paths of wartime partisans, connect with stories of sacrifice and solidarity. What begins as recreation becomes an encounter with democratic values.

    These deeply localised memory efforts – anchored in the names, stories and spaces of the community – often intensify during democratic threats. The 2021 campaign emerged amid growing support for parties like Lega and Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy).

    Related studies show that when exclusionary welfare policies gain ground, local communities sometime organise in defence of vulnerable groups. In towns with a resistance past, local “memory entrepreneurs” doubled their efforts in response to far-right victories.

    Memory as a political battle

    This is not just an Italian phenomenon. Across Europe, historical memory is a political battleground. In Germany, the Stolpersteine – brass plaques in sidewalks commemorating Nazi victims – serve as grassroots reminders that shape civic attitudes. In Hungary, activists have created “living memorials” to Holocaust victims, directly contesting government efforts to whitewash fascist collaboration.

    These commemorations also have measurable political effects. In Berlin, neighbourhoods where one or more Stolpersteine was placed before an election saw fewer votes for the far-right AfD (a 0.96%-point decrease) compared to those with no Stolpersteine. This happened across federal, state and EU elections between 2013 and 2021.

    A stolperstein in Berlin.
    Wikipedia/Drrcs15, CC BY-SA

    What unites these efforts is a belief that remembering the past matters – not only to honour it, but to shape the future. Local narratives of wartime resistance and victimisation help instil democratic values and inoculate communities against authoritarianism.

    But this doesn’t happen automatically. It requires effort. Teachers, students, parents, associations, and local councils all play a role in keeping memory alive and politically meaningful.

    Recognising this is especially vital today, when the meaning of anti-fascism itself is a polarising subject. Far-right leaders, including those in office, downplay and discredit the resistance’s legacy, replacing it with revisionist myths.

    A local cycling club marks liberation day with a tour of monuments dedicated to partisans.
    J Masullo, CC BY-ND

    When communities take ownership of their histories, they are more likely to uphold democratic principles not only in ceremonies, but at the ballot box and in everyday actions. The past is never just the past. The legacies of wartime resistance continue to shape how people view democracy, justice, and belonging. In times like these, remembering the resistance is more than homage – it is civic defence.

    Juan Masullo has received funding for this research from UNUWIDER and Leiden University.

    He is affiliated with the University of Milan.

    Simone Cremaschi has received funding for this research from UNUWIDER, the European Research Council (grant number 864687), and Leiden University.

    – ref. Italy’s areas of wartime fascist resistance remain less susceptible to the far right today – https://theconversation.com/italys-areas-of-wartime-fascist-resistance-remain-less-susceptible-to-the-far-right-today-255859

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Conclave: the chemistry behind the black and white smoke

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Lorch, Professor of Science Communication and Chemistry, University of Hull

    White smoke from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel (Vatican City) indicates that the Pope has been elected. MartiBstock/Shutterstock

    This week, 133 cardinals have gathered in the Vatican to elect a new leader of the Catholic church. During their deliberations, the only indications of their progress are the regular plumes of smoke wafting from a freshly installed chimney perched on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.

    Tradition holds that black smoke indicates the cardinals have not yet agreed on a new leader, while white smoke signals that a new Pope has been elected. But what kind of smoke is it exactly? Let’s take a look at the science.

    The tradition of cardinals burning their ballot papers to maintain secrecy dates back to at least the 15th century. However, it wasn’t until the 18th century — when a chimney was installed in the Sistine Chapel to protect Michelangelo’s frescoes from soot — that the resulting smoke became visible to anyone outside the chapel.

    At the time, the smoke was not intended as a public signal, but once it was visible, onlookers began interpreting it as an indicator of the voting outcome.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. Join The Conversation for free today.

    By the 19th century, it had become customary to use smoke deliberately: if smoke was seen, it meant no Pope had been elected, whereas no smoke indicated a successful election. This of course lacked clarity and often caused confusion.

    The Vatican eventually sought to clarify matters by formalising the practice of fumata nera (black smoke) and fumata bianca (white smoke). Initially, damp straw and tar were added to the burning ballots. As anyone who has tried to light a damp bonfire knows, wet oily fuel can be difficult to ignite, but once it gets going, it produces plenty of dark smoke.

    This is the result of incomplete combustion: the energy from the flames is initially used to evaporate the water, which keeps the fire’s temperature low. As a result, many of the larger molecules in the tar do not fully combust, leading to the production of soot and dark smoke.

    However, once the moisture is driven off, the fire burns more efficiently, producing mainly steam and carbon dioxide. At that stage, the smoke diminishes and becomes much lighter.

    This fluctuating fumata — combined with the subjective interpretation of its colour — caused considerable confusion, particularly during the 1939 and 1958 conclaves. It wasn’t clear whether grey smoke was closer to black or white, for example. By the 1970s, the straw method had been abandoned in favour of more controllable chemical mixtures. This has since evolved into an unambiguous method for generating the required smoke signals.

    Current recipe

    In 2013, the Vatican confirmed that their fumata recipes now consist of a clear black smoke recipe: potassium perchlorate (KClO₄), an “oxidising substance” that provides oxygen to the reaction; anthracene, a hydrocarbon derived from coal tar that serves as a heavy smoke-producing fuel; and sulphur, added to adjust the burn rate and temperature.

    The result is a deliberately inefficient combustion reaction, producing a high volume of unburnt carbon particles. This abundance of carbon (soot) makes the smoke thick and black — akin to the smoke you might see from burning oil or rubber, which is rich in carbon-based particles.

    Black smoke from the Sistine Chapel, indicating that there was not a two-thirds majority in the papal election at the Conclave.
    wikipedia

    Meanwhile, white smoke is produced using a much cleaner fuel mix and a more powerful oxidiser. Potassium chlorate (KClO₃) — even more reactive than perchlorate — ensures a hot, vigorous burn. Lactose acts as the fuel, burning quickly and cleanly into water vapour and carbon dioxide.

    The rapid combustion of sugar yields large amounts of gaseous output (steam and CO₂), generating a voluminous white cloud. The final ingredient, pine rosin, produces thick white smoke when heated – releasing tiny droplets and light-coloured ash that appear whitish. It also contains terpenes that burn to yield a pale, visible smoke.

    When combined, the oxidising power of potassium chlorate allows the lactose and rosin to burn hot and fast, yielding mostly clean combustion products along with a cloud of vapour and resin particles.

    Rather than soot, the smoke contains microscopic droplets and fine solids that are transparent or white. The result is a mixture of steam and white or light gray smoke that contrasts sharply with the dark, carbon-rich black smoke.

    Over the years, the papal conclave smoke signal has evolved from an incidental byproduct of burning ballots into a carefully engineered communication tool.

    Today, thanks to modern chemistry, the smoke is unmistakable — thick black billows for inconclusive votes, or a bright white plume when a new pope is elected.

    Mark Lorch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Conclave: the chemistry behind the black and white smoke – https://theconversation.com/conclave-the-chemistry-behind-the-black-and-white-smoke-255980

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Strengthening workplace health and safety to prevent sudden cardiac arrest deaths – E-001716/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001716/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    András Tivadar Kulja (PPE)

    The EU’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Directive (89/654/EEC), establishing minimum workplace safety requirements, has remained unchanged since 1989. However, over the past three decades, the work environment and its risks have continued to evolve. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization have reported that work-related deaths fell by 14 % from 2000 to 2016, yet heart disease fatalities related to long working hours saw a rise of 41 % in that same period. It is thus crucial to mitigate the risks associated with health emergencies, such as sudden cardiac arrests. EU legislation can be updated to meet this risk by improving access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and automated external defibrillators (AEDs). By strengthening workers’ ability to respond to medical emergencies, the EU can promote a culture of preparedness within the workplace and beyond.

    In this context:

    • 1.Does the Commission intend to revise the OSH Directive to include mandatory CPR training and AED availability in workplaces, ensuring a harmonised approach to emergency preparedness across the Member States?
    • 2.How does the Commission intend to integrate the Council conclusions of 3 December 2024 on cardiovascular health into occupational health and safety legislation, given its focus on making AEDs publicly available and ensuring individuals are properly trained to use them?

    Submitted: 29.4.2025

    Last updated: 7 May 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Minutes – Tuesday, 6 May 2025 – Strasbourg – Final edition

    Source: European Parliament

    PV-10-2025-05-06

    EN

    EN

    iPlPv_Sit

    Minutes
    Tuesday, 6 May 2025 – Strasbourg

     Abbreviations and symbols

    + adopted
    – rejected
    ↓ lapsed
    W withdrawn
    RCV roll-call votes
    EV electronic vote
    SEC secret ballot
    split split vote
    sep separate vote
    am amendment
    CA compromise amendment
    CP corresponding part
    D deleting amendment
    = identical amendments
    § paragraph

    IN THE CHAIR: Martin HOJSÍK
    Vice-President

    1. Opening of the sitting

    The sitting opened at 09:02.


    2. Request for an urgent decision (Rule 170)

    The President had received two requests for urgent decisions in accordance with Rule 170(5):

    – REGI Committee – Amending ERDF, Cohesion Fund and Just Transition Fund as regards specific measures to address strategic challenges in the context of the mid-term review ***I (COM(2025)0123 – C10-0063/2025 – 2025/0084(COD))

    – EMPL Committee – European Social Fund (ESF+): specific measures to address strategic challenges ***I (COM(2025)0164 – C10-0064/2025 – 2025/0085(COD))

    The votes on both requests would be taken on Wednesday 7 May 2025.

    The agenda was amended accordingly.


    3. A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (debate)

    Council and Commission statements: A unified EU response to unjustified US trade measures and global trade opportunities for the EU (2025/2657(RSP))

    Adam Szłapka (President-in-Office of the Council) and Maroš Šefčovič (Member of the Commission) made the statements.

    The following spoke: Jörgen Warborn, on behalf of the PPE Group, Iratxe García Pérez, on behalf of the S&D Group, Jordan Bardella, on behalf of the PfE Group, Nicola Procaccini, on behalf of the ECR Group, Valérie Hayer, on behalf of the Renew Group, Bas Eickhout, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Martin Schirdewan, on behalf of The Left Group, René Aust, on behalf of the ESN Group, Michał Szczerba, Kathleen Van Brempt, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Adam Bielan, Karin Karlsbro, Anna Cavazzini, Manon Aubry, Petr Bystron and Fabio De Masi.

    IN THE CHAIR: Esteban GONZÁLEZ PONS
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Lukas Sieper, to put a question to Fabio De Masi, who answered it, Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez, Bernd Lange, Anna Bryłka, Daniele Polato, Svenja Hahn, Saskia Bricmont, Lynn Boylan, Lukas Sieper, Eva Maydell, Brando Benifei, Enikő Győri, Jaak Madison, Benoit Cassart, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pasquale Tridico, Željana Zovko, who also answered a blue-card question from Petras Gražulis, Yannis Maniatis, Isabella Tovaglieri, Rihards Kols, Ľubica Karvašová, Vicent Marzà Ibáñez, Li Andersson, Angelika Niebler, Camilla Laureti, Sebastian Kruis, Kris Van Dijck, Barry Cowen, Isabella Lövin, Lídia Pereira, who also answered a blue-card question from João Oliveira, Javier Moreno Sánchez, Petra Steger, Adrian-George Axinia, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, Raphaël Glucksmann, Jean-Paul Garraud, Marion Maréchal, Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, Francisco Assis, Alexandr Vondra, Mika Aaltola, Evin Incir, Francesco Torselli, Jüri Ratas, Andi Cristea, Maria Walsh, Tonino Picula, Borja Giménez Larraz, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Nina Carberry, Salvatore De Meo, Carmen Crespo Díaz, Luděk Niedermayer, Ingeborg Ter Laak and Miriam Lexmann.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Francisco José Millán Mon, Maria Grapini, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Hilde Vautmans, Jaume Asens Llodrà, Marc Botenga, Kostas Papadakis, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, João Oliveira, Ana Miranda Paz, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lucia Annunziata, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis and Dariusz Joński.

    The following spoke: Maroš Šefčovič and Adam Szłapka.

    The debate closed.


    4. CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for 2025 to 2027 (debate)

    Statements by Parliament: CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for 2025 to 2027 (2025/2700(RSP))

    The following spoke: Jens Gieseke, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Jordan Bardella, on behalf of the PfE Group, Carlo Fidanza, on behalf of the ECR Group, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, on behalf of the Renew Group, Kai Tegethoff, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Per Clausen, on behalf of The Left Group, and Siegbert Frank Droese, on behalf of the ESN Group.

    The debate closed.

    (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.)


    IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE
    Vice-President

    5. Resumption of the sitting

    The sitting resumed at 12:05.


    6. Voting time

    For detailed results of the votes, see also ‘Results of votes’ and ‘Results of roll-call votes’.


    6.1. CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for 2025 to 2027 ***I (vote)

    Amending Regulation (EU) 2019/631 to include an additional flexibility as regards the calculation of manufacturers’ compliance with CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles for the calendar years 2025 to 2027 [COM(2025)0136 – C10-0062/2025 – 2025/0070(COD)] – ENVI Committee

    REQUEST FOR AN URGENT DECISION from the ECR Group, and jointly from the PPE, S&D and Renew groups (Rule 170(6))

    Approved

    The following tabling deadlines had been set:

    – amendments: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 13:00
    – requests for separate votes and split votes: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 19:00

    Vote: 8 May 2025.

    The following had spoken:

    Ondřej Krutílek, on behalf of the ECR Group (author of the request), before the vote.

    Detailed voting results


    6.2. The protection status of the wolf (Canis lupus) ***I (vote)

    The protection status of the wolf (Canis lupus) [COM(2025)0106 – C10-0044/2025 – 2025/0058(COD)] – ENVI Committee

    REQUEST FOR AN URGENT DECISION from the ENVI Committee (Rule 170(6))

    Approved

    The following tabling deadlines had been set:

    – amendments: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 13:00
    – requests for separate votes and split votes: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 19:00

    Vote: 8 May 2025.

    The following had spoken:

    Sebastian Everding, against the request, before the vote.

    Detailed voting results


    6.3. Amendments to the Capital Requirements Regulation as regards securities financing transactions under the net stable funding ratio ***I (vote)

    Amendments to the Capital Requirements Regulation as regards securities financing transactions under the net stable funding ratio [COM(2025)0146 – C10-0059/2025 – 2025/0077(COD)] – ECON Committee

    REQUEST FOR AN URGENT DECISION from the ECON Committee (Rule 170(6))

    Approved

    The following tabling deadlines had been set:

    – amendments: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 13:00
    – requests for separate votes and split votes: Wednesday 7 May 2025 at 19:00

    Vote: 8 May 2025.

    Detailed voting results


    6.4. Request for the waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron (vote)

    Report on the request for waiver of the immunity of Petr Bystron [2024/2047(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Pascale Piera (A10-0077/2025)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)67)

    Detailed voting results


    6.5. Request for the waiver of the immunity of Petras Gražulis (vote)

    Report on the request for waiver of the immunity of Petras Gražulis [2024/2089(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Pascale Piera (A10-0078/2025)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)68)

    Detailed voting results


    6.6. Request for the waiver of the immunity of Grzegorz Braun (vote)

    Report on the request for the waiver of the immunity of Grzegorz Braun [2024/2102(IMM)] – Committee on Legal Affairs. Rapporteur: Dainius Žalimas (A10-0081/2025)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    PROPOSAL FOR A DECISION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)69)

    Detailed voting results


    6.7. Border regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU) ***II (vote)

    Recommendation for second reading on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context [17102/1/2024 – C10-0057/2025 – 2018/0198(COD)] – Committee on Regional Development. Rapporteur: Sandro Gozi (A10-0058/2025)

    The President informed the House that no proposals for rejection or amendment had been tabled in accordance with Rules 68 and 69 with regard to the Council’s position.

    The Council position was therefore deemed approved.

    The proposed act was thus adopted (P10_TA(2025)70)

    The following had spoken:

    Before the President’s announcement, Sandro Gozi (rapporteur), to make a statement under Rule 165(4).

    Detailed voting results


    6.8. Amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 as regards the scope of the rules for benchmarks, the use in the Union of benchmarks provided by an administrator located in a third country, and certain reporting requirements ***II (vote)

    Recommendation for second reading on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 as regards the scope of the rules for benchmarks, the use in the Union of benchmarks provided by an administrator located in a third country, and certain reporting requirements [05123/1/2025 – C10-0055/2025 – 2023/0379(COD)] – Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Jonás Fernández (A10-0060/2025)

    The President informed the House that no proposals for rejection or amendment had been tabled in accordance with Rules 68 and 69 with regard to the Council’s position.

    The Council position was therefore deemed approved.

    The proposed act was thus adopted (P10_TA(2025)71)

    Detailed voting results


    6.9. European Union labour market statistics on businesses ***II (vote)

    Recommendation for second reading on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Union labour market statistics on businesses, repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 530/1999 and Regulations (EC) No 450/2003 and (EC) No 453/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council [17082/1/2024 – C10-0054/2025 – 2023/0288(COD)] – Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Rapporteur: Irene Tinagli (A10-0057/2025)

    The President informed the House that no proposals for rejection or amendment had been tabled in accordance with Rules 68 and 69 with regard to the Council’s position.

    The Council position was therefore deemed approved.

    The proposed act was thus adopted (P10_TA(2025)72)

    Detailed voting results


    6.10. Amendments to the International Health Regulations contained in the Annex to Resolution WHA77.17 and adopted on 1 June 2024 *** (vote)

    Recommendation on the draft Council decision inviting Member States to accept, in the interest of the European Union, the amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) contained in the Annex to Resolution WHA77.17 and adopted on 1 June 2024 [17046/2024 – COM(2024)0541 – C10-0005/2025 – 2024/0299(NLE)] – Committee on Public Health. Rapporteur: Adam Jarubas (A10-0064/2025)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    DRAFT COUNCIL DECISION

    Approved (P10_TA(2025)73)

    Detailed voting results


    6.11. Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers: application EGF/2024/003 BE/Van Hool – Belgium (vote)

    Report on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2024/003 BE/Van Hool [COM(2025)0001 – C10-0056/2025 – 2025/0061(BUD)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteur: Janusz Lewandowski (A10-0080/2025)

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)74)

    Detailed voting results


    6.12. Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023 (vote)

    Report on the protection of the European Union’s financial interests – combating fraud – annual report 2023 [2024/2083(INI)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Gilles Boyer (A10-0049/2025)

    The debate had taken place on 5 May 2025 (minutes of 5.5.2025, item 19).

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)75)

    Detailed voting results


    6.13. Control of the financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2023 (vote)

    Report on the control of the financial activities of the European Investment Bank – annual report 2023 [2024/2052(INI)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Ondřej Knotek (A10-0068/2025)

    The debate had taken place on 5 May 2025 (minutes of 5.5.2025, item 21).

    (Majority of the votes cast)

    MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

    Adopted (P10_TA(2025)76)

    Detailed voting results

    13

    (The sitting was suspended for a few moments.)


    7. Resumption of the sitting

    The sitting resumed at 12:28.


    8. Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

    The minutes of the previous sitting were approved.


    9. A revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world (debate)

    Report on a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world [2024/2051(INI)] – Committee on Budgets. Rapporteurs: Siegfried Mureşan and Carla Tavares (A10-0076/2025)

    Siegfried Mureşan and Carla Tavares introduced the report.

    The following spoke: Piotr Serafin (Member of the Commission).

    The following spoke: Hilde Vautmans (rapporteur for the opinion of the AFET Committee), Barry Andrews (rapporteur for the opinion of the DEVE Committee), Dirk Gotink (rapporteur for the opinion of the CONT Committee), Damian Boeselager (rapporteur for the opinion of the ECON Committee), Romana Tomc (rapporteur for the opinion of the EMPL Committee), Michalis Hadjipantela (rapporteur for the opinion of the ENVI Committee), Christian Ehler (rapporteur for the opinion of the ITRE Committee), Aura Salla (rapporteur for the opinion of the IMCO Committee), Rosa Serrano Sierra (rapporteur for the opinion of the TRAN Committee), Dragoş Benea (rapporteur for the opinion of the REGI Committee), Stefano Bonaccini (rapporteur for the opinion of the AGRI Committee), Hannes Heide (rapporteur for the opinion of the CULT Committee), Loucas Fourlas (rapporteur for the opinion of the LIBE Committee), Sven Simon (rapporteur for the opinion of the AFCO Committee), Alexandra Geese (rapporteur for the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Karlo Ressler, on behalf of the PPE Group, Jean-Marc Germain, on behalf of the S&D Group, Julien Sanchez, on behalf of the PfE Group, Bogdan Rzońca, on behalf of the ECR Group, Fabienne Keller, on behalf of the Renew Group, Rasmus Nordqvist, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, João Oliveira, on behalf of The Left Group, Milan Uhrík, on behalf of the ESN Group, Danuše Nerudová, Gabriele Bischoff, Jana Nagyová, Johan Van Overtveldt, Lucia Yar, Rasmus Andresen, Alexander Jungbluth, Isabel Benjumea Benjumea and Jens Geier.

    IN THE CHAIR: Roberts ZĪLE
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Annamária Vicsek, who also answered a blue-card question from Gabriella Gerzsenyi, Ruggero Razza, Joachim Streit, Maria Ohisalo, Janusz Lewandowski, Sandra Gómez López, Dick Erixon, Anouk Van Brug, Hélder Sousa Silva, Dario Nardella, Fernand Kartheiser, Moritz Körner, who also answered a blue-card question from Rasmus Andresen, Georgios Aftias, Estelle Ceulemans, Laurence Trochu, Charles Goerens, Nina Carberry, René Repasi, Kristoffer Storm, Katri Kulmuni, Herbert Dorfmann, Victor Negrescu, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu, Andrey Novakov, Giuseppe Lupo, Antonella Sberna, Péter Magyar, Marcos Ros Sempere, Elena Nevado del Campo, Evin Incir, Thomas Bajada, Matjaž Nemec and André Rodrigues.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Lukas Sieper, Nikolina Brnjac, Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis and Nils Ušakovs.

    The following spoke: Piotr Serafin, Siegfried Mureşan and Carla Tavares.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    10. Discharge 2023 (joint debate)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – Commission, executive agencies and European Development Funds
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section III – Commission, executive agencies and the ninth, tenth and eleventh European Development Funds [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0067/2024 – 2024/2019(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Niclas Herbst (A10-0074/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European Parliament
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section I – European Parliament [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0068/2024 – 2024/2020(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Monika Hohlmeier (A10-0062/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European Council and Council
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section II – European Council and Council [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0069/2024 – 2024/2021(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0052/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – Court of Justice of the European Union
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section IV – Court of Justice [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0070/2024 – 2024/2022(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Cristian Terheş (A10-0050/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – Court of Auditors
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section V – Court of Auditors [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0071/2024 – 2024/2023(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Dick Erixon (A10-0047/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European Economic and Social Committee
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VI – European Economic and Social Committee [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0073/2024 – 2024/2025(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0054/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – Committee of the Regions
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VII – Committee of the Regions [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0074/2024 – 2024/2026(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0046/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European Ombudsman
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section VIII – European Ombudsman [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0075/2024 – 2024/2027(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0055/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European Data Protection Supervisor
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section IX – European Data Protection Supervisor [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0076/2024 – 2024/2028(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0053/2025)

    Discharge 2023: EU general budget – European External Action Service
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Section X – European External Action Service [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0072/2024 – 2024/2024(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński (A10-0069/2025)

    Discharge 2023: European Public Prosecutor’s Office
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for the financial year 2023 [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0077/2024 – 2024/2029(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Tomáš Zdechovský (A10-0051/2025)

    Discharge 2023: Agencies
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Union Agencies for the financial year 2023 [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0078/2024 – 2024/2030(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Erik Marquardt (A10-0065/2025)

    Discharge 2023: Joint Undertakings
    Report on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU joint undertakings for the financial year 2023 [COM(2024)0272 – C10-0079/2024 – 2024/2031(DEC)] – Committee on Budgetary Control. Rapporteur: Michal Wiezik (A10-0056/2025)

    Niclas Herbst, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Cristian Terheş, Dick Erixon, Monika Hohlmeier, Tomáš Zdechovský, Erik Marquardt and Michal Wiezik introduced the reports.

    The following spoke: Adam Szłapka (President-in-Office of the Council), Piotr Serafin (Member of the Commission) and Tony Murphy (President of the Court of Auditors).

    The following spoke: Michael Gahler (rapporteur for the opinion of the AFET Committee).

    IN THE CHAIR: Martin HOJSÍK
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Romana Tomc (rapporteur for the opinion of the EMPL Committee), Antonio Decaro (rapporteur for the opinion of the ENVI Committee), Gheorghe Falcă (rapporteur for the opinion of the TRAN Committee), Giuseppe Lupo (rapporteur for the opinion of the PECH Committee), Nela Riehl (rapporteur for the opinion of the CULT Committee), Sven Simon (rapporteur for the opinion of the AFCO Committee), Tomáš Zdechovský (rapporteur for the opinion of the LIBE Committee), Lina Gálvez (rapporteur for the opinion of the FEMM Committee), Dirk Gotink, on behalf of the PPE Group, Mohammed Chahim, on behalf of the S&D Group, Julien Sanchez, on behalf of the PfE Group, Marco Squarta, on behalf of the ECR Group, Olivier Chastel, on behalf of the Renew Group, Daniel Freund, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of The Left Group, Sarah Knafo, on behalf of the ESN Group, Kinga Kollár, Carla Tavares, Angéline Furet, Bert-Jan Ruissen, Gilles Boyer, Pasquale Tridico, Arno Bausemer, who also answered a blue-card question from Lukas Sieper, Céline Imart, José Cepeda, Anders Vistisen, Marion Maréchal, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Marit Maij, Nikola Bartůšek, Maciej Wąsik, Christophe Clergeau, Fabrice Leggeri, Gheorghe Piperea, Evin Incir and Tiago Moreira de Sá.

    IN THE CHAIR: Pina PICIERNO
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Fernand Kartheiser, Nils Ušakovs and Csaba Dömötör.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Sebastian Tynkkynen and Lukas Sieper.

    The following spoke: Tony Murphy, Piotr Serafin, Adam Szłapka, Niclas Herbst, Monika Hohlmeier, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Cristian Terheş, Dick Erixon, Tomáš Zdechovský, Erik Marquardt and Michal Wiezik.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    11. Protecting Greenland’s right to decide its own future and maintain the rule-based world order (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Protecting Greenland’s right to decide its own future and maintain the rule-based world order (2025/2689(RSP))

    Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

    The following spoke: Henrik Dahl, on behalf of the PPE Group, Christel Schaldemose, on behalf of the S&D Group, Anders Vistisen, on behalf of the PfE Group, Kristoffer Storm, on behalf of the ECR Group, Stine Bosse, on behalf of the Renew Group, Villy Søvndal, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Emma Fourreau, on behalf of The Left Group, Niels Flemming Hansen, Yannis Maniatis, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Urmas Paet, Ignazio Roberto Marino, Per Clausen, David McAllister, Niels Fuglsang, Morten Løkkegaard, Michael Gahler, Tonino Picula, Michał Szczerba, Mika Aaltola and Jüri Ratas.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Pernando Barrena Arza and Lukas Sieper.

    The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

    The debate closed.


    12. An urgent assessment of the applicability of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba (debate)

    Statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: An urgent assessment of the applicability of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) with Cuba (2025/2697(RSP))

    Kaja Kallas (Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) made the statement.

    The following spoke: Gabriel Mato, on behalf of the PPE Group, Leire Pajín, on behalf of the S&D Group, Hermann Tertsch, on behalf of the PfE Group (the President reminded the speaker of the rules on conduct), Arkadiusz Mularczyk, on behalf of the ECR Group, Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, on behalf of the Renew Group, Ana Miranda Paz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Irene Montero, on behalf of The Left Group, and Elena Nevado del Campo.

    IN THE CHAIR: Antonella SBERNA
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Nacho Sánchez Amor, Nora Junco García, who also answered a blue-card question from Anthony Smith, Pernando Barrena Arza, Ľuboš Blaha, who also answered blue-card questions from Arkadiusz Mularczyk and Anthony Smith, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Francisco Assis, Mariusz Kamiński, Martin Sonneborn, Antonio López-Istúriz White and Francisco José Millán Mon.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Jaume Asens Llodrà, João Oliveira, Maria Zacharia, Leila Chaibi, Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, Kateřina Konečná and Lukas Sieper.

    The following spoke: Kaja Kallas.

    The debate closed.


    13. The European Water Resilience Strategy (debate)

    Report on the European Water Resilience Strategy [2024/2104(INI)] – Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. Rapporteur: Thomas Bajada (A10-0073/2025)

    Thomas Bajada introduced the report.

    The following spoke: Jessika Roswall (Member of the Commission).

    The following spoke: Michal Wiezik (rapporteur for the opinion of the AGRI Committee), Carmen Crespo Díaz, on behalf of the PPE Group, Christophe Clergeau, on behalf of the S&D Group, Mireia Borrás Pabón, on behalf of the PfE Group, Alexandr Vondra, on behalf of the ECR Group, Grégory Allione, on behalf of the Renew Group, Jutta Paulus, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group (the President reminded the House of the rules on conduct), Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Anja Arndt, on behalf of the ESN Group, Peter Liese, Annalisa Corrado, André Rougé, Anna Zalewska, Ana Vasconcelos, Tilly Metz, Emma Fourreau, Ingeborg Ter Laak, César Luena, Rody Tolassy, Claudiu-Richard Târziu, Emma Wiesner, Pär Holmgren, Dimitris Tsiodras, Heléne Fritzon, Mathilde Androuët, Paolo Inselvini, Jeannette Baljeu, Cristina Guarda, Lídia Pereira, Antonio Decaro, Esther Herranz García, Günther Sidl, Dan-Ştefan Motreanu, András Tivadar Kulja, Stefan Köhler and Sander Smit.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Krzysztof Hetman.

    IN THE CHAIR: Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ
    Vice-President

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Viktória Ferenc, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Ana Miranda Paz, Lukas Sieper, Kostas Papadakis and Maria Zacharia.

    The following spoke: Jessika Roswall and Thomas Bajada.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    14. 2023 and 2024 reports on Türkiye (debate)

    2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Türkiye [2025/2023(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Nacho Sánchez Amor (A10-0067/2025)

    Nacho Sánchez Amor introduced the report.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos (Member of the Commission).

    The following spoke: Isabel Wiseler-Lima, on behalf of the PPE Group, Yannis Maniatis, on behalf of the S&D Group, Nikola Bartůšek, on behalf of the PfE Group, Geadis Geadi, on behalf of the ECR Group, Malik Azmani, on behalf of the Renew Group, Vladimir Prebilič, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Giorgos Georgiou, on behalf of The Left Group, Tomasz Froelich, on behalf of the ESN Group, Emmanouil Kefalogiannis, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Afroditi Latinopoulou, Emmanouil Fragkos, Lucia Yar, Mélissa Camara, Özlem Demirel, Kostas Papadakis, Loucas Fourlas, Vivien Costanzo, Matthieu Valet, Tineke Strik, Jonas Sjöstedt, who also answered a blue-card question from Beatrice Timgren, Maria Zacharia, Alice Teodorescu Måwe, Evin Incir, Silvia Sardone, Fidias Panayiotou, Łukasz Kohut, Andreas Schieder, Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi, Davor Ivo Stier, who also answered a blue-card question from Geadis Geadi, Reinhold Lopatka and Michalis Hadjipantela.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Costas Mavrides, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Sebastian Everding and Nikolas Farantouris.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos.

    IN THE CHAIR: Younous OMARJEE
    Vice-President

    The following spoke: Nacho Sánchez Amor.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    15. Welcome

    On behalf of Parliament the President welcomed a group of young people from Serbia who had taken their seats in the distinguished visitors’ gallery.


    16. 2023 and 2024 reports on Serbia (debate)

    Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on Serbia [2025/2022(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Tonino Picula (A10-0072/2025)

    Tonino Picula introduced the report.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos (Member of the Commission).

    The following spoke: Davor Ivo Stier, on behalf of the PPE Group, Kathleen Van Brempt, on behalf of the S&D Group, Kinga Gál, on behalf of the PfE Group, Stephen Nikola Bartulica, on behalf of the ECR Group, Helmut Brandstätter, on behalf of the Renew Group, Vladimir Prebilič, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Danilo Della Valle, on behalf of The Left Group, Michał Szczerba, Thijs Reuten, who also answered a blue-card question from Tomislav Sokol, António Tânger Corrêa, Cristian Terheş, Irena Joveva, Gordan Bosanac, Liudas Mažylis, Andreas Schieder, Annamária Vicsek, Matej Tonin, Thierry Mariani and Tomislav Sokol.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Loucas Fourlas, Matjaž Nemec, Kristian Vigenin and Sebastian Tynkkynen.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos and Tonino Picula.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    17. 2023 and 2024 reports on Kosovo (debate)

    Report on the 2023 and 2024 Commission Reports on Kosovo [2025/2019(INI)] – Committee on Foreign Affairs. Rapporteur: Riho Terras (A10-0075/2025)

    Riho Terras introduced the report.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos (Member of the Commission).

    The following spoke: Davor Ivo Stier, on behalf of the PPE Group, Elio Di Rupo, on behalf of the S&D Group, Matthieu Valet, on behalf of the PfE Group, Ivaylo Valchev, on behalf of the ECR Group, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, on behalf of the Renew Group, Thomas Waitz, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group, Merja Kyllönen, on behalf of The Left Group, Stanislav Stoyanov, on behalf of the ESN Group, Liudas Mažylis, Matjaž Nemec and Alexander Sell.

    The following spoke under the catch-the-eye procedure: Thijs Reuten and Sebastian Tynkkynen.

    The following spoke: Marta Kos and Riho Terras.

    The debate closed.

    Vote: 7 May 2025.


    18. Explanations of vote


    18.1. Written explanations of vote

    Explanations of vote submitted in writing under Rule 201 appear on the Members’ pages on Parliament’s website.


    19. Agenda of the next sitting

    The next sitting would be held the following day, 7 May 2025, starting at 09:00. The agenda was available on Parliament’s website.


    20. Approval of the minutes of the sitting

    In accordance with Rule 208(3), the minutes of the sitting would be put to the House for approval at the beginning of the afternoon of the next sitting.


    21. Closure of the sitting

    The sitting closed at 22:29.


    ATTENDANCE REGISTER

    Present:

    Aaltola Mika, Abadía Jover Maravillas, Adamowicz Magdalena, Aftias Georgios, Agirregoitia Martínez Oihane, Agius Peter, Agius Saliba Alex, Alexandraki Galato, Allione Grégory, Al-Sahlani Abir, Anadiotis Nikolaos, Anderson Christine, Andersson Li, Andresen Rasmus, Andrews Barry, Andriukaitis Vytenis Povilas, Androuët Mathilde, Angel Marc, Annemans Gerolf, Annunziata Lucia, Antoci Giuseppe, Arias Echeverría Pablo, Arimont Pascal, Arłukowicz Bartosz, Arnaoutoglou Sakis, Arndt Anja, Arvanitis Konstantinos, Asens Llodrà Jaume, Assis Francisco, Attard Daniel, Aubry Manon, Auštrevičius Petras, Axinia Adrian-George, Azmani Malik, Bajada Thomas, Baljeu Jeannette, Ballarín Cereza Laura, Bardella Jordan, Barna Dan, Barrena Arza Pernando, Bartulica Stephen Nikola, Bartůšek Nikola, Bausemer Arno, Bay Nicolas, Bay Christophe, Beke Wouter, Beleris Fredis, Bellamy François-Xavier, Benea Dragoş, Benifei Brando, Benjumea Benjumea Isabel, Beňová Monika, Berendsen Tom, Berger Stefan, Berlato Sergio, Bernhuber Alexander, Biedroń Robert, Bielan Adam, Bischoff Gabriele, Blaha Ľuboš, Blinkevičiūtė Vilija, Blom Rachel, Bloss Michael, Bocheński Tobiasz, Boeselager Damian, Bogdan Ioan-Rareş, Bonaccini Stefano, Bonte Barbara, Borchia Paolo, Borrás Pabón Mireia, Borvendég Zsuzsanna, Borzan Biljana, Bosanac Gordan, Boßdorf Irmhild, Bosse Stine, Botenga Marc, Boyer Gilles, Boylan Lynn, Brandstätter Helmut, Brasier-Clain Marie-Luce, Bricmont Saskia, Brnjac Nikolina, Brudziński Joachim Stanisław, Bryłka Anna, Buchheit Markus, Buczek Tomasz, Buda Daniel, Buda Waldemar, Budka Borys, Bugalho Sebastião, Buła Andrzej, Bullmann Udo, Burkhardt Delara, Buxadé Villalba Jorge, Bystron Petr, Bžoch Jaroslav, Camara Mélissa, Canfin Pascal, Carberry Nina, Cârciu Gheorghe, Carême Damien, Casa David, Caspary Daniel, Cassart Benoit, Castillo Laurent, del Castillo Vera Pilar, Cavazzini Anna, Cepeda José, Ceulemans Estelle, Chahim Mohammed, Chaibi Leila, Chastel Olivier, Chinnici Caterina, Christensen Asger, Cifrová Ostrihoňová Veronika, Ciriani Alessandro, Cisint Anna Maria, Clausen Per, Clergeau Christophe, Cormand David, Corrado Annalisa, Costanzo Vivien, Cotrim De Figueiredo João, Cowen Barry, Cremer Tobias, Crespo Díaz Carmen, Cristea Andi, Crosetto Giovanni, Cunha Paulo, Dahl Henrik, Danielsson Johan, Dauchy Marie, Dávid Dóra, David Ivan, Decaro Antonio, de la Hoz Quintano Raúl, Della Valle Danilo, Deloge Valérie, De Masi Fabio, De Meo Salvatore, Demirel Özlem, Deutsch Tamás, Devaux Valérie, Dibrani Adnan, Diepeveen Ton, Dieringer Elisabeth, Dîncu Vasile, Di Rupo Elio, Disdier Mélanie, Dobrev Klára, Doherty Regina, Doleschal Christian, Dömötör Csaba, Do Nascimento Cabral Paulo, Donazzan Elena, Dorfmann Herbert, Dostalova Klara, Dostál Ondřej, Droese Siegbert Frank, Dworczyk Michał, Ecke Matthias, Ehler Christian, Ehlers Marieke, Eriksson Sofie, Erixon Dick, Eroglu Engin, Estaràs Ferragut Rosa, Everding Sebastian, Falcă Gheorghe, Falcone Marco, Farantouris Nikolas, Farreng Laurence, Farský Jan, Ferber Markus, Ferenc Viktória, Fernández Jonás, Fidanza Carlo, Fiocchi Pietro, Firea Gabriela, Firmenich Ruth, Fita Claire, Fourlas Loucas, Fourreau Emma, Fragkos Emmanouil, Freund Daniel, Frigout Anne-Sophie, Fritzon Heléne, Froelich Tomasz, Fuglsang Niels, Funchion Kathleen, Furet Angéline, Furore Mario, Gahler Michael, Gál Kinga, Galán Estrella, Gálvez Lina, Gambino Alberico, García Hermida-Van Der Walle Raquel, Garraud Jean-Paul, Gasiuk-Pihowicz Kamila, Geadi Geadis, Gedin Hanna, Geese Alexandra, Geier Jens, Geisel Thomas, Gemma Chiara, Georgiou Giorgos, Gerbrandy Gerben-Jan, Germain Jean-Marc, Gerzsenyi Gabriella, Geuking Niels, Gieseke Jens, Giménez Larraz Borja, Girauta Vidal Juan Carlos, Glavak Sunčana, Glück Andreas, Glucksmann Raphaël, Goerens Charles, Gomes Isilda, Gómez López Sandra, Gonçalves Bruno, Gonçalves Sérgio, González Casares Nicolás, González Pons Esteban, Gori Giorgio, Gosiewska Małgorzata, Gotink Dirk, Gozi Sandro, Grapini Maria, Gražulis Petras, Grims Branko, Griset Catherine, Gronkiewicz-Waltz Hanna, Grossmann Elisabeth, Grudler Christophe, Gualmini Elisabetta, Guarda Cristina, Guetta Bernard, Győri Enikő, Gyürk András, Hadjipantela Michalis, Hahn Svenja, Haider Roman, Halicki Andrzej, Hansen Niels Flemming, Hauser Gerald, Häusling Martin, Hava Mircea-Gheorghe, Heide Hannes, Heinäluoma Eero, Henriksson Anna-Maja, Herbst Niclas, Herranz García Esther, Hetman Krzysztof, Hohlmeier Monika, Hojsík Martin, Holmgren Pär, Hölvényi György, Homs Ginel Alicia, Humberto Sérgio, Imart Céline, Incir Evin, Inselvini Paolo, Iovanovici Şoşoacă Diana, Jamet France, Jarubas Adam, Jerković Romana, Jongen Marc, Joński Dariusz, Jouvet Pierre, Joveva Irena, Juknevičienė Rasa, Junco García Nora, Jungbluth Alexander, Kabilov Taner, Kalfon François, Kaliňák Erik, Kaljurand Marina, Kalniete Sandra, Kamiński Mariusz, Karlsbro Karin, Kartheiser Fernand, Karvašová Ľubica, Katainen Elsi, Kefalogiannis Emmanouil, Kelleher Billy, Keller Fabienne, Kelly Seán, Kennes Rudi, Khan Mary, Kircher Sophia, Knafo Sarah, Knotek Ondřej, Kobosko Michał, Köhler Stefan, Kohut Łukasz, Kokalari Arba, Kolář Ondřej, Kollár Kinga, Kols Rihards, Konečná Kateřina, Kopacz Ewa, Körner Moritz, Kountoura Elena, Kovařík Ondřej, Kovatchev Andrey, Krištopans Vilis, Kruis Sebastian, Krutílek Ondřej, Kubín Tomáš, Kuhnke Alice, Kulja András Tivadar, Kulmuni Katri, Kyllönen Merja, Kyuchyuk Ilhan, Lakos Eszter, Lalucq Aurore, Lange Bernd, Langensiepen Katrin, Laššáková Judita, László András, Latinopoulou Afroditi, Laurent Murielle, Laureti Camilla, Laykova Rada, Lazarov Ilia, Le Callennec Isabelle, Leggeri Fabrice, Lenaers Jeroen, Leonardelli Julien, Lewandowski Janusz, Lexmann Miriam, Liese Peter, Lins Norbert, Loiseau Nathalie, Løkkegaard Morten, Lopatka Reinhold, López Javi, López Aguilar Juan Fernando, López-Istúriz White Antonio, Lövin Isabella, Lucano Mimmo, Luena César, Łukacijewska Elżbieta Katarzyna, Lupo Giuseppe, McAllister David, Madison Jaak, Maestre Cristina, Magoni Lara, Magyar Péter, Maij Marit, Maląg Marlena, Manda Claudiu, Mandl Lukas, Maniatis Yannis, Mantovani Mario, Maran Pierfrancesco, Marczułajtis-Walczak Jagna, Maréchal Marion, Mariani Thierry, Marino Ignazio Roberto, Marquardt Erik, Martusciello Fulvio, Marzà Ibáñez Vicent, Mato Gabriel, Mavrides Costas, Maydell Eva, Mayer Georg, Mazurek Milan, Mažylis Liudas, McNamara Michael, Mebarek Nora, Mehnert Alexandra, Meimarakis Vangelis, Meleti Eleonora, Mendes Ana Catarina, Mendia Idoia, Mertens Verena, Mesure Marina, Metsola Roberta, Metz Tilly, Mikser Sven, Milazzo Giuseppe, Millán Mon Francisco José, Minchev Nikola, Miranda Paz Ana, Molnár Csaba, Montero Irene, Montserrat Dolors, Morace Carolina, Morano Nadine, Moratti Letizia, Moreira de Sá Tiago, Moreno Sánchez Javier, Moretti Alessandra, Motreanu Dan-Ştefan, Mularczyk Arkadiusz, Müller Piotr, Mullooly Ciaran, Mureşan Siegfried, Muşoiu Ştefan, Nagyová Jana, Nardella Dario, Navarrete Rojas Fernando, Negrescu Victor, Nemec Matjaž, Nerudová Danuše, Nesci Denis, Neuhoff Hans, Neumann Hannah, Nevado del Campo Elena, Nica Dan, Niebler Angelika, Niedermayer Luděk, Niinistö Ville, Nikolaou-Alavanos Lefteris, Nikolic Aleksandar, Ní Mhurchú Cynthia, Noichl Maria, Nordqvist Rasmus, Novakov Andrey, Nykiel Mirosława, Obajtek Daniel, Ódor Ľudovít, Oetjen Jan-Christoph, Ohisalo Maria, Oliveira João, Olivier Philippe, Omarjee Younous, Ondruš Branislav, Ó Ríordáin Aodhán, Ozdoba Jacek, Paet Urmas, Pajín Leire, Palmisano Valentina, Panayiotou Fidias, Papadakis Kostas, Pappas Nikos, Pascual de la Parte Nicolás, Paulus Jutta, Pedro Ana Miguel, Pedulla’ Gaetano, Pellerin-Carlin Thomas, Peltier Guillaume, Penkova Tsvetelina, Pennelle Gilles, Pereira Lídia, Peter-Hansen Kira Marie, Petrov Hristo, Picaro Michele, Picierno Pina, Picula Tonino, Piera Pascale, Pietikäinen Sirpa, Pimpie Pierre, Piperea Gheorghe, de la Pisa Carrión Margarita, Pokorná Jermanová Jaroslava, Polato Daniele, Polfjärd Jessica, Popescu Virgil-Daniel, Pozņaks Reinis, Prebilič Vladimir, Princi Giusi, Protas Jacek, Pürner Friedrich, Rackete Carola, Radev Emil, Radtke Dennis, Rafowicz Emma, Ratas Jüri, Razza Ruggero, Rechagneux Julie, Regner Evelyn, Repasi René, Repp Sabrina, Ressler Karlo, Reuten Thijs, Riba i Giner Diana, Ricci Matteo, Ridel Chloé, Riehl Nela, Ripa Manuela, Rodrigues André, Ros Sempere Marcos, Roth Neveďalová Katarína, Rougé André, Ruissen Bert-Jan, Ruotolo Sandro, Rzońca Bogdan, Saeidi Arash, Salini Massimiliano, Salis Ilaria, Salla Aura, Sánchez Amor Nacho, Sanchez Julien, Sancho Murillo Elena, Saramo Jussi, Sardone Silvia, Šarec Marjan, Sargiacomo Eric, Satouri Mounir, Saudargas Paulius, Sbai Majdouline, Sberna Antonella, Schaldemose Christel, Schaller-Baross Ernő, Schenk Oliver, Scheuring-Wielgus Joanna, Schieder Andreas, Schilling Lena, Schneider Christine, Schnurrbusch Volker, Schwab Andreas, Scuderi Benedetta, Seekatz Ralf, Sell Alexander, Serrano Sierra Rosa, Sidl Günther, Sienkiewicz Bartłomiej, Sieper Lukas, Simon Sven, Singer Christine, Sinkevičius Virginijus, Sippel Birgit, Sjöstedt Jonas, Śmiszek Krzysztof, Smith Anthony, Smit Sander, Sokol Tomislav, Solier Diego, Solís Pérez Susana, Sommen Liesbet, Sonneborn Martin, Sorel Malika, Sousa Silva Hélder, Søvndal Villy, Squarta Marco, Staķis Mārtiņš, Stancanelli Raffaele, Ştefănuță Nicolae, Steger Petra, Stier Davor Ivo, Storm Kristoffer, Stöteler Sebastiaan, Stoyanov Stanislav, Strack-Zimmermann Marie-Agnes, Strada Cecilia, Streit Joachim, Strik Tineke, Strolenberg Anna, Sturdza Şerban Dimitrie, Stürgkh Anna, Sypniewski Marcin, Szczerba Michał, Szekeres Pál, Szydło Beata, Tamburrano Dario, Tânger Corrêa António, Tarczyński Dominik, Tarquinio Marco, Tarr Zoltán, Târziu Claudiu-Richard, Tavares Carla, Tegethoff Kai, Teodorescu Georgiana, Teodorescu Måwe Alice, Terheş Cristian, Ter Laak Ingeborg, Terras Riho, Tertsch Hermann, Thionnet Pierre-Romain, Timgren Beatrice, Tinagli Irene, Tobback Bruno, Tobé Tomas, Tolassy Rody, Tomac Eugen, Tomašič Zala, Tomaszewski Waldemar, Tomc Romana, Tonin Matej, Toom Jana, Topo Raffaele, Torselli Francesco, Tosi Flavio, Toussaint Marie, Tovaglieri Isabella, Tridico Pasquale, Trochu Laurence, Tsiodras Dimitris, Tudose Mihai, Turek Filip, Tynkkynen Sebastian, Uhrík Milan, Ušakovs Nils, Vaidere Inese, Valchev Ivaylo, Vălean Adina, Valet Matthieu, Van Brempt Kathleen, Van Brug Anouk, van den Berg Brigitte, Vandendriessche Tom, Van Dijck Kris, Van Lanschot Reinier, Van Leeuwen Jessika, Vannacci Roberto, Van Overtveldt Johan, Van Sparrentak Kim, Varaut Alexandre, Vasconcelos Ana, Vasile-Voiculescu Vlad, Vautmans Hilde, Vedrenne Marie-Pierre, Verougstraete Yvan, Veryga Aurelijus, Vicsek Annamária, Vieira Catarina, Vigenin Kristian, Vilimsky Harald, Vincze Loránt, Vind Marianne, Vistisen Anders, Vivaldini Mariateresa, Volgin Petar, von der Schulenburg Michael, Vondra Alexandr, Voss Axel, Vozemberg-Vrionidi Elissavet, Vrecionová Veronika, Vázquez Lázara Adrián, Waitz Thomas, Walsh Maria, Walsmann Marion, Warborn Jörgen, Warnke Jan-Peter, Wąsik Maciej, Wawrykiewicz Michał, Wcisło Marta, Wechsler Andrea, Weimers Charlie, Werbrouck Séverine, Wiesner Emma, Wiezik Michal, Winkler Iuliu, Winzig Angelika, Wiseler-Lima Isabel, Wiśniewska Jadwiga, Wölken Tiemo, Wolters Lara, Yar Lucia, Yon-Courtin Stéphanie, Yoncheva Elena, Zacharia Maria, Zalewska Anna, Žalimas Dainius, Zan Alessandro, Zarzalejos Javier, Zdechovský Tomáš, Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej, Zijlstra Auke, Zīle Roberts, Zingaretti Nicola, Złotowski Kosma, Zoido Álvarez Juan Ignacio, Zovko Željana, Zver Milan

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  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – Vote in CONT: Possibilities for simplification of cohesion funds – Committee on Budgetary Control

    Source: European Parliament

    Cohesion policy © Image used under license of AdobeStock

    On 14 May 2025, the Members of the Committee on Budgetary Control will vote on the draft opinion to the own-initiative report of the REGI Committee on possibilities for simplification of cohesion funds.

    Cohesion policy is the EU’s main investment policy, amounting to almost 1/3 of the EU’s multiannual financial framework(MFF) for 2021-2027. Regrettably, cohesion is one of the spending areas with the highest level of errors: the ECA’s estimated error rate for expenditure from Heading 2 in the financial year 2023 is 9.3%. In his draft opinion, the CONT Rapporteur underlined that simplification should be the guiding principle in cohesion and insisted that simplification should never come at the expense of sound financial management, control or transparency requirements. To ensure this, the Rapporteur has proposed 18 amendments to the REGI draft INI report, including recommendations to invest in the capacity of managing authorities with a view to also strengthening the single audit approach, to introduce further simplification measures for small beneficiaries, and to develop digital and automated systems for reporting, monitoring and audit and ensure their systematic use by Member States.

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