NewzIntel.com

Category: European Union

  • MIL-Evening Report: Creative Australia’s backflip on Venice Biennale representatives exposes deep governance failures

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cairnduff, Lecturer in Media and Communications, The University of Melbourne

    The reinstatement of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s representatives for the 2026 Venice Biennale closes a bruising recent cultural episode and exposes the fragility of the systems meant to protect artistic freedom in Australia.

    An independent review released this week confirms this was not simply a communications misstep.

    It was a full-scale institutional failure inside Australia’s peak cultural agency, Creative Australia, marked by poor risk management, inadequate escalation protocols, and a fundamental confusion about how to respond when artistic expression meets political controversy.

    What triggered the collapse

    The crisis began in February, just six days after Sabsabi and Dagostino were announced as Australia’s representatives.

    In a sudden reversal, Creative Australia’s board rescinded their appointment.

    At the centre of the backlash were two of Sabsabi’s earlier works – one referencing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the other depicting a view of the Twin Towers on 9/11.

    Coalition senator Claire Chandler raised the issue in Parliament. That evening the board held an emergency meeting. The artists were removed, with Creative Australia citing concerns about “a prolonged and divisive debate” that posed “an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia’s artistic community”.

    The decision triggered resignations, protests and widespread condemnation.

    Mikala Tai, Head of Visual Arts, and program manager Tahmina Maskinyar both resigned. Artist and board member Lindy Lee stepped down. Major donor Simon Mordant withdrew support, calling the move “unprecedented”. More than 4,300 people signed petitions demanding reinstatement.

    In May, chair Robert Morgan resigned from the board, after telling a February senate hearing he would not step down.

    What the review found

    This week’s review, conducted by governance consultancy Blackhall & Pearl, offers a damning but restrained post-mortem.

    It finds no evidence of political interference but reveals Creative Australia lacked basic tools to respond to controversy.

    The agency lacked formal risk assessment processes, a crisis plan, and a clear mechanism for escalating or containing reputational issues.

    More troublingly, the report found the board and staff misunderstood risk itself, believing that identifying risks meant avoiding them.

    In other words, Creative Australia treated controversy as something to flee, not manage. The result was paralysis and ultimately capitulation.

    A fragile funding model

    The episode also exposes the fragility of Australia’s arms-length funding model. As cultural policy expert Jo Caust has noted, this model relies on two key elements: peer review and operational independence from political direction. Both were tested by these events.



    Read more:
    Creative Australia’s decisions should be peer reviewed and at arm’s length. Where did things go wrong?

    Arts Minister Tony Burke’s public expression of “shock” at Sabsabi’s appointment and his suggestion he should have been briefed sent a troubling signal about government oversight.

    In a message released with the review, Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette acknowledged the damage done:

    The decision the Board took in February has weighed heavily on many people, most particularly the artistic team – and for that we are sorry […] We are also sorry that this has caused concern and uncertainty for many in the broader arts community and we are committed to rebuilding trust in our processes for the commissioning of the Venice Biennale.

    What must change

    The report makes nine recommendations, including clearer governance frameworks, stronger risk protocols and better board training. But the deeper issue is cultural.

    Institutions must find the courage to support artists under pressure, not retreat.

    This means rejecting the false binary between risk management and artistic freedom. Effective risk planning should equip institutions to defend challenging work, not discourage it.

    It also requires cultural leaders to accept that controversy is not a failure to be avoided, but often a by-product of meaningful expression.

    A global warning

    The sector has been here before. The 2015 “Brandis affair”, when then-arts minister George Brandis redirected A$105 million from the Australia Council (predecessor to Creative Australia) into a minister-controlled fund, sparked similar alarm about political influence.

    But this crisis is more revealing. The pressure came not through overt interference but through internal uncertainty and a lack of institutional resolve.

    Globally, cultural institutions face similar strains. Book bans in the United States, museum purges in Hungary, and artistic blacklists in Russia all point to a global narrowing of space for free expression.

    What happened here is not the same, but it warns that institutions can fail without censorship, simply by lacking the will to stand firm.

    A turning point – or not?

    Sabsabi and Dagostino’s reinstatement is not just a symbolic correction. It is a test.

    Can Creative Australia rebuild trust with a community that saw it falter? Will future risk processes be used to support bold programming or suppress it? And will this moment mark the beginning of a stronger, more principled approach to cultural leadership, or a drift into safer, smaller territory?

    As Sabsabi and Dagostino prepare for Venice, they carry more than artistic hopes. They carry a test of whether this moment marks a turning point in Australian cultural governance.

    Their reinstatement is not simply a symbolic reversal. It is a chance to restore trust and demonstrate that institutions can learn from failure.

    Whether this becomes a real shift or missed opportunity depends not only on Creative Australia, but on whether institutions across the country defend artistic integrity and rebuild the leadership culture this moment demands.

    Samuel Cairnduff 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. Creative Australia’s backflip on Venice Biennale representatives exposes deep governance failures – https://theconversation.com/creative-australias-backflip-on-venice-biennale-representatives-exposes-deep-governance-failures-260402

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Qatar Affirms Importance of Innovative Financing, Effective Partnerships to Achieve SDGs

    Source: Government of Qatar

    Seville, July 01, 2025

    HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad affirmed the importance of innovative financing and effective partnerships in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Her Excellency emphasised HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s directives to make development as an investment in security, stability, and human dignity.

    This came in the State of Qatar’s statement delivered by HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation during a high-level event organized by Qatar Fund for Development, titled “Innovative Financing for Sustainable Development: Addressing Gaps and Scaling Solutions” held on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain.

    Her Excellency noted that the State of Qatar hosted the Second International Conference on Financing for Development in 2008, and has since remained an active participant in all international and regional conferences on development financing. This reflects Qatar’s commitment to enhancing international cooperation and contributing to global efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, HE added.

    The State of Qatar continues to implement its sustainable development agenda, “Qatar National Vision 2030,” which has focused since 2008 on human development, social development, economic development, and environmental development, HE said, noting that, in early 2024, Qatar launched the third phase of its National Development Strategy, aimed at advancing the creation of a healthy society, building a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy, enhancing environmental sustainability, and strengthening the role of the family as the foundation of society.

    Her Excellency underlined that, given today’s global challenges, there is a pressing need to reinforce multilateral action and international cooperation, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, while working to maintain international peace and security. HE also underscored the importance of reforming international financial structures, harnessing science, technology, and innovation, and prioritizing innovative solutions capable of making rapid and impactful change to help bring efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals back on track, particularly in developing and least developed countries.

    An effective role is expected from the United Nations and its specialized agencies in supporting member states’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and protect human rights, Her Excellency said, stressing the State of Qatar’s support for the UN Secretary-General’s reform initiative (UN80 Initiative).

    HE Minister of State for International Cooperation expressed the State of Qatar’s pride in its productive international and regional partnerships, including its long-standing and multifaceted cooperation with the United Nations, aimed at advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in developing and least developed countries.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Woltemade goes off-grid as Bayern-Stuttgart transfer saga grows

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

    As speculation swirls over his future, Germany’s breakout football star Nick Woltemade has taken a step back – literally disappearing from the public eye while on vacation with his family.

    Nick Woltemade (L) of VfB Stuttgart vies with Kim Min-Jae of Bayern Munich during the first division of Bundesliga match between VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich in Stuttgart, Germany, Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo by Philippe Ruiz/Xinhua)

    The 23-year-old Stuttgart striker, whose rise from squad player to national team member has been one of the most remarkable stories in German football over the past year, is now at the center of a high-profile transfer battle between Stuttgart and Bayern Munich.

    While media reports continue to speculate on the transfer fee, Woltemade’s departure from Stuttgart appears increasingly inevitable, despite his status as a fan favorite at the club.

    Bayern’s interest in the forward was leaked two weeks ago, drawing criticism and casting sporting director Max Eberl and the Bavarian club in an unflattering light for prematurely unsettling the player before the official opening of the transfer window on July 1.

    Having failed in pursuits of players like Florian Wirtz, Jamie Gittens, Nico Williams and Bradley Barcola, Bayern now appears determined to land Woltemade. German media reports suggest the player and Bayern have already reached a personal agreement on a contract through 2029, worth a reported 7.5 million euros (8.8 million U.S. dollars) annually plus bonuses.

    Woltemade remains under contract with Stuttgart until 2028, adding another layer of complexity to the negotiations.

    Former German international and Stuttgart legend Karl-Heinz Forster offered a candid assessment, telling local media: “As hard as it might sound for Stuttgart, Woltemade is going to leave.”

    Woltemade’s meteoric rise has been one of the most talked-about stories in German football. After joining Stuttgart as a free agent from Werder Bremen in the summer of 2024, he quickly became a key figure, culminating in finishing last month’s UEFA U21 European Championship as top goalscorer.

    Bayern views Woltemade as a long-term successor to veteran forward Thomas Muller. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany reportedly outlined the club’s plans for him during a recent video call.

    While Bayern continues its campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup, with a quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain scheduled for Saturday, Eberl has returned to Europe to finalize talks with Stuttgart.

    Direct negotiations between the two clubs reportedly began after the transfer window officially opened on Tuesday. With the window running until September 1, Woltemade is expected to return from his holiday to find clarity on where he will be playing next season. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Leane, Professor of Antarctic Studies, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania

    Oleksandr Matsibura/Shutterstock

    Ice loss in Antarctica and its impact on the planet – sea level rise, changes to ocean currents and disturbance of wildlife and food webs – has been in the news a lot lately. All of these threats were likely on the minds of the delegates to the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, which finishes up today in Milan, Italy.

    This meeting is where decisions are made about the continent’s future. These decisions rely on evidence from scientific research. Moreover, only countries that produce significant Antarctic research – as well as being parties to the treaty – get to have a final say in these decisions.

    Our new report – published as a preprint through the University of the Arctic – shows the rate of research on the Antarctic and Southern Ocean is falling at exactly the time when it should be increasing. Moreover, research leadership is changing, with China taking the lead for the first time.

    This points to a dangerous disinvestment in Antarctic research just when it is needed, alongside a changing of the guard in national influence. Antarctica and the research done there are key to everyone’s future, so it’s vital to understand what this change might lead to.

    Why is Antarctic research so important?

    With the Antarctic region rapidly warming, its ice shelves destabilising and sea ice shrinking, understanding the South Polar environment is more crucial than ever.

    Ice loss in Antarctica not only contributes to sea level rise, but impacts wildlife habitats and local food chains. It also changes the dynamics of ocean currents, which could interfere with global food webs, including international fisheries that supply a growing amount of food.

    Research to understand these impacts is vital. First, knowing the impact of our actions – particularly carbon emissions – gives us an increased drive to make changes and lobby governments to do so.

    Second, even when changes are already locked in, to prepare ourselves we need to know what these changes will look like.

    And third, we need to understand the threats to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean environment to govern it properly. This is where the treaty comes in.

    What is the Antarctic Treaty?

    The region below 60 degrees south is governed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, along with subsequent agreements. Together they are known as the Antarctic Treaty System.

    Fifty-eight countries are parties to the treaty, but only 29 of them – called consultative parties – can make binding decisions about the region. They comprise the 12 original signatories from 1959, along with 17 more recent signatory nations that produce substantial scientific research relating to Antarctica.

    This makes research a key part of a nation’s influence over what happens in Antarctica.

    For most of its history, the Antarctic Treaty System has functioned remarkably well. It maintained peace in the region during the Cold War, facilitated scientific cooperation, and put arguments about territorial claims on indefinite hold. It indefinitely forbade mining, and managed fisheries.

    Lately, however, there has been growing dysfunction in the treaty system.

    Environmental protections that might seem obvious – such as marine protected areas and special protections for threatened emperor penguins – have stalled.

    Because decisions are made by consensus, any country can effectively block progress. Russia and China – both long-term actors in the system – have been at the centre of the impasse.



    Read more:
    Antarctic summer sea ice is at record lows. Here’s how it will harm the planet – and us

    What did our report find?

    Tracking the amount of Antarctic research being done tells us whether nations as a whole are investing enough in understanding the region and its global impact.

    It also tells us which nations are investing the most and are therefore likely to have substantial influence.

    Our new report examined the number of papers published on Antarctic and Southern Ocean topics from 2016 to 2024, using the Scopus database. We also looked at other factors, such as the countries affiliated with each paper.

    The results show five significant changes are happening in the world of Antarctic research.

    • The number of Antarctic and Southern Ocean publications peaked in 2021 and then fell slightly yearly through to 2024.
    • While the United States has for decades been the leader in Antarctic research, China overtook them in 2022.
    • If we look only at the high-quality publications (those published in the best 25% of journals) China still took over the US, in 2024.
    • Of the top six countries in overall publications (China, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Russia) all except China have declined in publication numbers since 2016.
    • Although collaboration in publications is higher for Antarctic research than in non-Antarctic fields, Russia, India and China have anomalously low rates of co-authorship compared with many other signatory countries.

    Why is this research decline a problem?

    A recent parliamentary inquiry in Australia emphasised the need for funding certainty. In the UK, a House of Commons committee report considered it “imperative for the UK to significantly expand its research efforts in Antarctica”, in particular in relation to sea level rise.

    US commentators have pointed to the inadequacy of the country’s icebreaker infrastructure. The Trump administration’s recent cuts to Antarctic funding are only likely to exacerbate the situation. Meanwhile China has built a fifth station in Antarctica and announced plans for a sixth.

    Given the nation’s population and global influence, China’s leadership in Antarctic research is not surprising. If China were to take a lead in Antarctic environmental protection that matched its scientific heft, its move to lead position in the research ranks could be positive. Stronger multi-country collaboration in research could also strengthen overall cooperation.

    But the overall drop in global Antarctic research investment is a problem however you look at it. We ignore it at our peril.

    Elizabeth Leane receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, the Council on Australian and Latin American Relations DFAT and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions). She has received in-kind support from Hurtigruten Expeditions in the recent past. The University of Tasmania is a member of the UArctic, which has provided support for this project.

    Keith Larson is affiliated with the UArctic and European Polar Board. The UArctic paid for the development and publication of this report. The UArctic Thematic Network on Research Analytics and Bibliometrics conducted the analysis and developed the report. The Arctic Centre at Umeå University provided in-kind support for staff time on the report.

    – ref. Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-research-is-in-decline-and-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse-260197

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Leane, Professor of Antarctic Studies, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania

    Oleksandr Matsibura/Shutterstock

    Ice loss in Antarctica and its impact on the planet – sea level rise, changes to ocean currents and disturbance of wildlife and food webs – has been in the news a lot lately. All of these threats were likely on the minds of the delegates to the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, which finishes up today in Milan, Italy.

    This meeting is where decisions are made about the continent’s future. These decisions rely on evidence from scientific research. Moreover, only countries that produce significant Antarctic research – as well as being parties to the treaty – get to have a final say in these decisions.

    Our new report – published as a preprint through the University of the Arctic – shows the rate of research on the Antarctic and Southern Ocean is falling at exactly the time when it should be increasing. Moreover, research leadership is changing, with China taking the lead for the first time.

    This points to a dangerous disinvestment in Antarctic research just when it is needed, alongside a changing of the guard in national influence. Antarctica and the research done there are key to everyone’s future, so it’s vital to understand what this change might lead to.

    Why is Antarctic research so important?

    With the Antarctic region rapidly warming, its ice shelves destabilising and sea ice shrinking, understanding the South Polar environment is more crucial than ever.

    Ice loss in Antarctica not only contributes to sea level rise, but impacts wildlife habitats and local food chains. It also changes the dynamics of ocean currents, which could interfere with global food webs, including international fisheries that supply a growing amount of food.

    Research to understand these impacts is vital. First, knowing the impact of our actions – particularly carbon emissions – gives us an increased drive to make changes and lobby governments to do so.

    Second, even when changes are already locked in, to prepare ourselves we need to know what these changes will look like.

    And third, we need to understand the threats to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean environment to govern it properly. This is where the treaty comes in.

    What is the Antarctic Treaty?

    The region below 60 degrees south is governed by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, along with subsequent agreements. Together they are known as the Antarctic Treaty System.

    Fifty-eight countries are parties to the treaty, but only 29 of them – called consultative parties – can make binding decisions about the region. They comprise the 12 original signatories from 1959, along with 17 more recent signatory nations that produce substantial scientific research relating to Antarctica.

    This makes research a key part of a nation’s influence over what happens in Antarctica.

    For most of its history, the Antarctic Treaty System has functioned remarkably well. It maintained peace in the region during the Cold War, facilitated scientific cooperation, and put arguments about territorial claims on indefinite hold. It indefinitely forbade mining, and managed fisheries.

    Lately, however, there has been growing dysfunction in the treaty system.

    Environmental protections that might seem obvious – such as marine protected areas and special protections for threatened emperor penguins – have stalled.

    Because decisions are made by consensus, any country can effectively block progress. Russia and China – both long-term actors in the system – have been at the centre of the impasse.



    Read more:
    Antarctic summer sea ice is at record lows. Here’s how it will harm the planet – and us

    What did our report find?

    Tracking the amount of Antarctic research being done tells us whether nations as a whole are investing enough in understanding the region and its global impact.

    It also tells us which nations are investing the most and are therefore likely to have substantial influence.

    Our new report examined the number of papers published on Antarctic and Southern Ocean topics from 2016 to 2024, using the Scopus database. We also looked at other factors, such as the countries affiliated with each paper.

    The results show five significant changes are happening in the world of Antarctic research.

    • The number of Antarctic and Southern Ocean publications peaked in 2021 and then fell slightly yearly through to 2024.
    • While the United States has for decades been the leader in Antarctic research, China overtook them in 2022.
    • If we look only at the high-quality publications (those published in the best 25% of journals) China still took over the US, in 2024.
    • Of the top six countries in overall publications (China, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and Russia) all except China have declined in publication numbers since 2016.
    • Although collaboration in publications is higher for Antarctic research than in non-Antarctic fields, Russia, India and China have anomalously low rates of co-authorship compared with many other signatory countries.

    Why is this research decline a problem?

    A recent parliamentary inquiry in Australia emphasised the need for funding certainty. In the UK, a House of Commons committee report considered it “imperative for the UK to significantly expand its research efforts in Antarctica”, in particular in relation to sea level rise.

    US commentators have pointed to the inadequacy of the country’s icebreaker infrastructure. The Trump administration’s recent cuts to Antarctic funding are only likely to exacerbate the situation. Meanwhile China has built a fifth station in Antarctica and announced plans for a sixth.

    Given the nation’s population and global influence, China’s leadership in Antarctic research is not surprising. If China were to take a lead in Antarctic environmental protection that matched its scientific heft, its move to lead position in the research ranks could be positive. Stronger multi-country collaboration in research could also strengthen overall cooperation.

    But the overall drop in global Antarctic research investment is a problem however you look at it. We ignore it at our peril.

    Elizabeth Leane receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, the Council on Australian and Latin American Relations DFAT and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions). She has received in-kind support from Hurtigruten Expeditions in the recent past. The University of Tasmania is a member of the UArctic, which has provided support for this project.

    Keith Larson is affiliated with the UArctic and European Polar Board. The UArctic paid for the development and publication of this report. The UArctic Thematic Network on Research Analytics and Bibliometrics conducted the analysis and developed the report. The Arctic Centre at Umeå University provided in-kind support for staff time on the report.

    – ref. Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-research-is-in-decline-and-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse-260197

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Mr. Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu of Mexico – Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    nited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu of Mexico as his new Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).  He succeeds María Isabel Salvador of Ecuador, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and service. 
     
    Mr. Ruiz Massieu brings to this position over 30 years of experience in public service and diplomacy, both in bilateral and multilateral contexts.  As Special Representative of the Secretary General in Colombia since 2019, he led the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, monitoring the implementation of the Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP guerrilla.  He provided good offices and political leadership in the recent peace dialogues of the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army, as well as with other illegal armed groups. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chairperson of the General Assembly’s Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions from 2013 to 2018.
     
    A distinguished career diplomat, Mr. Ruiz Massieu served in different positions in the Mexican Government prior to joining the United Nations, including at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations. Mr. Ruiz Massieu is a graduate in Law from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, and holds a Master of Arts in Politics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom, with a focus on Latin America.  In addition to Spanish, he speaks English and French.  
     

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities and Security – Counterterrorism watchdog needed – legal expert – UoA

    Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

    An independent watchdog would shine a light into the shadowy world of security and counterterrorism, says Associate Professor John Ip in a research paper.

    Since the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, New Zealand has introduced several counterterrorism laws, significantly expanding state power. Now, a legal expert says it’s time to follow the UK, Australia and Ireland in appointing an independent watchdog to keep that power in check.

    In his paper, ‘The case for an independent reviewer of counterterrorism legislation in New Zealand,’ University of Auckland Law Associate Professor, John Ip, says although necessary, counterterrorism legislation often lacks provision for ongoing oversight.

    Counterterrorism legislation, says Ip, is characterised by a government’s need to react to an incident decisively and quickly, leaving little time for public input, legislative deliberation or scrutiny. Once on the books, counterterrorism legislation is rarely repealed and difficult to ratchet back.

    “This makes scrutiny and oversight essential, especially given the potential impact on individual rights and freedoms.”

    Since 2019, New Zealand has introduced counterterrorism legislation including the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Act, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Act, and the Counter-Terrorism Acts (Designations and Control Orders) Amendment Act. But Ip says this relative flurry of legislation hasn’t been matched by any permanent oversight mechanism.

    “It’s important that any unintended consequences, gaps and shortcomings are brought to light and that the public have confidence that the powers conferred by counterterrorism legislation are being used appropriately.”

    Ip argues that creating an independent review entity would enhance public understanding, facilitate evidence-based policymaking and augment existing legal and political avenues of scrutiny and oversight.

    “Countries around the world quickly react to acts of terrorism, and in this, we see expansion, or at the very least, some consolidation of the power of the state. We see the creation of a stronger national security state. And as this is happening, we should strengthen the oversight and control of those same institutions.”

    However, the options for oversight currently available, says Ip, have limitations.
    “As is typical of national security matters, secrecy shrouds the operation of counterterrorism law. Secrecy around national security creates a problem – those who might provide oversight often don’t have access to the whole picture.

    “In the courts, legal challenges depend on individuals bringing cases, but secrecy can mean a wrong can’t be established because of a lack of publicly available evidence. When they do hear cases, without a comprehensive picture, judges are also likely to be more deferential.”

    Temporary review bodies such as public inquiries also have limits, says Ip. For example, the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into the 15 March attacks meant that the Commission was not allowed to look into the police’s initial response.

    “These kinds of inquiries and bodies also stop existing once they deliver their final report. If the government chooses not to act on the recommendations, there’s little option in following up or pushing for change later on.

    “These limitations, including that more specialised review bodies tend to be either ad hoc or otherwise circumscribed in scope, suggest the need for something different.”

    In his paper, Ip examines overseas models, including the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation (IRTL). The IRTL is legally qualified, independent of government, and has access to the same classified information as ministers, enabling impartial, informed oversight.

    Unlike courts, which look into specific cases, the IRTL has a broad mandate to review counterterrorism legislation as a whole.

    While the UK model is interesting, Ip says New Zealand might more closely follow the formal statutory approach exemplified by Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, and to a lesser extent Ireland’s Independent Examiner of Security Legislation (IESL). Both are created by legislation with clearly defined powers and responsibilities.

    “A permanent independent office, with comprehensive access to information, could review the operation of counterterrorism legislation here and publish reports with findings and recommendations,” says Ip.

    “Independent review bodies play a crucial role in shining a light into the shadowy corners of the world of security and counterterrorism.”

    Read the paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5265484#:~:text=Drawing%20on%20models%20from%20the,with%20its%20findings%20and%20recommendations.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Legal Cases – Greenpeace International begins groundbreaking Anti-SLAPP case to protect freedom of speech

    Source: Greenpeace

    In a landmark test case of the European Union’s new legislation to protect freedom of expression and stop abusive lawsuits, Greenpeace International has overnight challenged the US oil pipeline company, Energy Transfer, in court in the Netherlands.[1]
    The multi-billion-dollar company brought two back-to-back SLAPP suits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace in the US, after Greenpeace showed solidarity with the 2016 peaceful Indigenous-led protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The first case was dismissed, but the Greenpeace organisations continue to defend against the second case, which is ongoing, after a North Dakota jury recently awarded over 660 million USD in damages to the pipeline giant.Activists from Greenpeace International and allies were present outside the courthouse in Amsterdam for the first hearing in the case with a banner reading “ ENERGY TRANSFER, WELCOME TO THE EU – WHERE FREE SPEECH IS STILL A THING“. Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International, says: “Energy Transfer’s attack on our right to protest is an attack on everyone’s free speech. Greenpeace has been the target of threats, arrests and even bombs over the last 50 years and persevered. We will continue to resist all forms of intimidation and explore every option to hold Energy Transfer accountable for this attempt at abusing the justice system. This groundbreaking anti-SLAPP case against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands is just the beginning of defeating this bullying tactic being wielded by billionaires and fossil fuel giants trying to silence critics all over the world. Something absolutely vital is at stake here: people’s ability to hold corporate polluters to account for the devastation they’re causing.”
    Russel Norman, Executive Director, Greenpeace Aotearoa, says: “The timing of this case is particularly poignant given that we are about to mark the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by agents of the French Government here in Auckland. The bombing was an act of desperation by the French Government in the face of our successful, people-powered campaign to end nuclear testing in the Pacific.
    “Forty years ago, we showed that we could not be intimidated. Greenpeace only grew stronger, and together with the nuclear-free Pacific movement, we put a stop to nuclear testing. Now, as Greenpeace International goes to court in Amsterdam, Energy Transfer would also like us – and all climate activists – to be afraid and to shut up – but once again, we will show that we will not be silenced.”The lawsuit is an important test of the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive, adopted in April 2024.[2] The Directive is designed to protect journalists, activists, civil society organisations, or anyone else speaking out about matters of public concern, from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) – unfounded intimidation lawsuits brought by powerful corporations or wealthy individuals seeking to suppress public debate.[3] Since Greenpeace International is a Netherlands-based foundation and the damage caused by Energy Transfers’s US SLAPP suit is occurring in the Netherlands, both Dutch and EU law apply.
    Amy Jacobsen, Senior Legal Counsel, Greenpeace International, says, “This case paves the way for protections from bullying lawsuits being implemented throughout Europe and beyond. The lawsuits that Energy Transfer have brought against Greenpeace International are the perfect example of the kind of abusive legal proceedings that the anti-SLAPP Directive is designed to protect against. By calling upon the EU anti-SLAPP Directive’s protections, Greenpeace International refuses to allow the bullying tactics of wealthy fossil fuel corporations like Energy Transfer to compromise our fundamental free speech rights.”
    Following a dawn ceremony on the 10 July 2025 in Auckland,  the Rainbow Warrior will be open to the public for tours and talks with the crew on the week

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Former health charity Chair disqualified for benefitting from almost £350k of charity funds

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government Non-Ministerial Departments

    Press release

    Former health charity Chair disqualified for benefitting from almost £350k of charity funds

    The Charity Commission has concluded its inquiry into Island Health Trust.

    In a report published today, the charity regulator concludes there was a significant misuse of funds at Island Health Trust, determining its spending on consultants and advisors excessive, unreasonable and disproportionate. It found former trustees failed to act in the charity’s best interests and did not operate exclusively within the charity’s purposes.

    Island Health Trust was set up to promote the provision of primary healthcare, establish centres to provide healthcare within the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham, and provide grants for health-related education and facilities.

    The Commission started monitoring the charity in 2017 following concerns raised about how charity funds were being used and potential private benefit to one or more trustees. The Commission had additional concerns which led it to escalate its engagement to a formal inquiry in November 2017.

    Following an extensive investigation, the Commission has disqualified the charity’s former Chair, Suzanne Goodband, from serving as a trustee. The regulatory action was taken after the inquiry found the former Chair benefitted from £349,955 over a two-year period – amounting to 60% of the charity’s income. The disqualification is in place for 7 years and only applies to being a trustee.

    The Commission is also critical of a decision taken by the charity to appoint a consultant known to the former Chair who was paid a total of £105,834.88 across two financial years.

    Both of these payments were made for project management services after the charity was approached by a property developer in 2014. The proposal would have involved the charity selling a long lease to the developer, potentially generating more income for the charity. However, the benefits were speculative.

    After being approached, the trustees spent funds on project management services to set out a new strategic direction for the charity. The Commission found the amount spent on a project with only speculative benefits to be excessive. The eventual benefits never materialised, and the proposed new direction of the charity did not stay within the purposes it was set up to achieve.

    The inquiry also found the decision to enter into a contract with a private company owned by the former Chair was not in the charity’s best interest nor were conflicts of interest sufficiently managed.

    Wider findings include a lack of oversight of the former Chair by other former trustees and breaching the charity’s governing document by paying two former trustees sums of £15,913 and £8,325. Charities must ensure they follow their governing document when it comes to paying trustees. These failures were a breach of trust and amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.

    During the inquiry, the Charity Commission appointed an interim manager to the charity to work alongside the current trustees. The interim manager was tasked with reviewing the concerns raised about the former trustees and supporting legal action by the current trustees which recovered £165,000 of charity funds.

    Amy Spiller, Head of Investigations at the Charity Commission, said:

    We as the regulator, and the public, rightly expect trustees to spend funds in a way that best achieves their charity’s purpose. While charities can enter into contracts with parties connected to the trustees, this should be cost effective to ensure funds ultimately help those in need, and the conflict of interest must be properly managed.

    The actions by the former trustees of Island Health Trust fell short of these expectations and the excessive spending was unjustified.

    I’m pleased following our intervention that funds have been recovered and a new trustee board can give the charity a fresh start.

    The report, which includes the full findings, is available on GOV.UK.

    ENDS

    Notes to editors:  

    • The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.
    • The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity under s46 of the Charities Act 2011. A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets, or reputation. An inquiry will investigate and establish the facts of the case so that the Commission can determine the extent of any misconduct and/or mismanagement; the extent of the risk to the charity, its work, property, beneficiaries, employees or volunteers; and decide what action is needed to resolve the concerns.
    • On 18 July 2019, the Inquiry exercised the Commission’s power to appoint an Interim Manager. Having completed the scope of their appointment, the Interim Manager was discharged on 23 March 2020. More information about the Charity Commission’s appointment of Interim Managers can be found on GOV.UK.
    • Our guidance on paying trustees can be found on GOV.UK.

    Press office

    Email pressenquiries@charitycommission.gov.uk

    Out of hours press office contact number: 07785 748787

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • Normality returns to Wimbledon as Alcaraz and Sabalenka ease through

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and the end of London’s tropical heatwave ensured that a sense of normality returned to the lawns of Wimbledon on Wednesday after two sweat-soaked days of shocks, although Jasmine Paolini’s exit meant the surprises did not end.

    A stream of big names including Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev crashed and burned in the oven-like temperatures of the first round.

    So when Alcaraz walked on Centre Court to continue his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title against British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, the thought surely lurked somewhere in his mind that he could be the fall-guy in the event’s greatest upset.

    The 22-year-old second seed was not at his best but after saving three break points in a nervy first service game against a college student ranked 733rd in the world, he asserted his authority to win 6-1 6-4 6-4.

    Earlier on Centre Court, women’s top seed Sabalenka battled to a 7-6(4) 6-4 win against Czech Marie Bouzkova.

    “Honestly, it is sad to see so many upsets in the tournament, in both draws, women’s and men’s,” said Sabalenka, who is bidding for her first Wimbledon title.

    “I’m just trying to focus on myself… I hope there are no more upsets in this tournament.”

    That was not to be, as last year’s runner-up Paolini joined the mass exodus of fancied players when she crashed out 4-6 6-4 6-4 against Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.

    However, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, made it safely into round three by beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 while unseeded four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka eased past Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-2.

    Lower temperatures did not necessarily mean more comfortable outings as world number 12 Frances Tiafoe became the 14th of the 32 men’s seeds to fall, losing 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-5 against Cameron Norrie, one of seven Britons in singles action on day three.

    The American was joined later on by Czech 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka, last month’s Queen’s Club Championships runner-up, who fell 7-6(4) 6-1 7-5 to Italian Mattia Bellucci.

    HOME CHARGE

    Ashlyn Krueger, the American 31st seed, was then beaten 7-6(4) 6-4 by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ensuring 15 of the 32 women’s seeds also went out of the tournament.

    Sonay Kartal led the home charge by defeating Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2 to book her place in the last 32 for the second year in succession while the nation’s big hope Emma Raducanu got past 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3.

    There was disappointment for Britain’s Katie Boulter, who served 14 double faults as she crashed 6-7(9) 6-2 6-1 to 101st-ranked Solana Sierra, the Argentine who lost in qualifying but has seized her lucky loser spot with both hands.

    Alcaraz, bidding to do the French Open-Wimbledon double for the second successive year, needed five sets to get past Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in the opening round and set up an intriguing clash with 21-year-old Tarvet.

    Tarvet, who plays on the U.S. collegiate circuit for the University of San Diego, said he believed he could beat anyone, even Alcaraz, after winning his Grand Slam debut match against fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi of Switzerland on Monday.

    He was clearly not overawed at sharing a court with a five-times major champion and had he taken any of the eight break points he earned in the first set it could have been closer.

    Alcaraz proved a step too far though as he moved through the gears when required to keep an eager Tarvet under control.

    Just as the Spaniard did in his first round when going to the aid of a female spectator suffering in the heat, Alcaraz again endeared himself to the Centre Court crowd.

    “First of all I have to give a big congratulations to Oliver, it’s his second match on the tour. I just loved his game to be honest, the level he played,” Alcaraz said.

    Play on courts without roofs was delayed for two hours by light morning rain but once the clouds rolled away the place to be for fans without showcourt tickets was Court 12 for Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca’s match against American Jenson Brooksby.

    The 18-year-old is widely tipped as a future challenger to the domination of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and he showed why during a 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4 win that was celebrated by a large contingent of exuberant Brazilians.

    Andrey Rublev, who suffered a bruising loss to Fonseca in the Australian Open first round earlier this year, battled past Lloyd Harris 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-3 before Taylor Fritz closed out the day with a 3-6 6-3 7-6(0) 4-6 6-3 win over Gabriel Diallo.

    -Reuters

  • Normality returns to Wimbledon as Alcaraz and Sabalenka ease through

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and the end of London’s tropical heatwave ensured that a sense of normality returned to the lawns of Wimbledon on Wednesday after two sweat-soaked days of shocks, although Jasmine Paolini’s exit meant the surprises did not end.

    A stream of big names including Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev crashed and burned in the oven-like temperatures of the first round.

    So when Alcaraz walked on Centre Court to continue his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title against British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, the thought surely lurked somewhere in his mind that he could be the fall-guy in the event’s greatest upset.

    The 22-year-old second seed was not at his best but after saving three break points in a nervy first service game against a college student ranked 733rd in the world, he asserted his authority to win 6-1 6-4 6-4.

    Earlier on Centre Court, women’s top seed Sabalenka battled to a 7-6(4) 6-4 win against Czech Marie Bouzkova.

    “Honestly, it is sad to see so many upsets in the tournament, in both draws, women’s and men’s,” said Sabalenka, who is bidding for her first Wimbledon title.

    “I’m just trying to focus on myself… I hope there are no more upsets in this tournament.”

    That was not to be, as last year’s runner-up Paolini joined the mass exodus of fancied players when she crashed out 4-6 6-4 6-4 against Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.

    However, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, made it safely into round three by beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 while unseeded four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka eased past Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-2.

    Lower temperatures did not necessarily mean more comfortable outings as world number 12 Frances Tiafoe became the 14th of the 32 men’s seeds to fall, losing 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-5 against Cameron Norrie, one of seven Britons in singles action on day three.

    The American was joined later on by Czech 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka, last month’s Queen’s Club Championships runner-up, who fell 7-6(4) 6-1 7-5 to Italian Mattia Bellucci.

    HOME CHARGE

    Ashlyn Krueger, the American 31st seed, was then beaten 7-6(4) 6-4 by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ensuring 15 of the 32 women’s seeds also went out of the tournament.

    Sonay Kartal led the home charge by defeating Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2 to book her place in the last 32 for the second year in succession while the nation’s big hope Emma Raducanu got past 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3.

    There was disappointment for Britain’s Katie Boulter, who served 14 double faults as she crashed 6-7(9) 6-2 6-1 to 101st-ranked Solana Sierra, the Argentine who lost in qualifying but has seized her lucky loser spot with both hands.

    Alcaraz, bidding to do the French Open-Wimbledon double for the second successive year, needed five sets to get past Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in the opening round and set up an intriguing clash with 21-year-old Tarvet.

    Tarvet, who plays on the U.S. collegiate circuit for the University of San Diego, said he believed he could beat anyone, even Alcaraz, after winning his Grand Slam debut match against fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi of Switzerland on Monday.

    He was clearly not overawed at sharing a court with a five-times major champion and had he taken any of the eight break points he earned in the first set it could have been closer.

    Alcaraz proved a step too far though as he moved through the gears when required to keep an eager Tarvet under control.

    Just as the Spaniard did in his first round when going to the aid of a female spectator suffering in the heat, Alcaraz again endeared himself to the Centre Court crowd.

    “First of all I have to give a big congratulations to Oliver, it’s his second match on the tour. I just loved his game to be honest, the level he played,” Alcaraz said.

    Play on courts without roofs was delayed for two hours by light morning rain but once the clouds rolled away the place to be for fans without showcourt tickets was Court 12 for Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca’s match against American Jenson Brooksby.

    The 18-year-old is widely tipped as a future challenger to the domination of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and he showed why during a 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4 win that was celebrated by a large contingent of exuberant Brazilians.

    Andrey Rublev, who suffered a bruising loss to Fonseca in the Australian Open first round earlier this year, battled past Lloyd Harris 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-3 before Taylor Fritz closed out the day with a 3-6 6-3 7-6(0) 4-6 6-3 win over Gabriel Diallo.

    -Reuters

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods

    The Prime Minister launches a new era for the NHS, bringing more easily accessible care closer to home.

    • Prime Minister launches government’s 10 Year Health Plan to bring the NHS closer to home
    • Neighbourhood Health Services to be rolled out across the country, bringing diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab, and nursing to people’s doorsteps
    • Neighbourhood health centres will house services under one roof, open at evenings and weekends
    • Plan for Change will rebuild the NHS to train thousands more family doctors, transform hospital outpatient appointments, and provide personalised care plans for complex needs

    Millions of patients will be treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will set out today, as the Government’s Plan for Change delivers a brand-new era for the NHS and delivers one of the most seismic shifts in care in the history of the health service.

    The launch of a Neighbourhood Health Service will see pioneering teams, some based entirely under one roof, set up in local communities across the country, to dramatically improve access to the NHS. As part of the Government’s aim to shift care out of hospitals and into the community, they will free up overstrained hospitals from perpetual firefighting so they can focus on delivering only the best, most cutting-edge, and personalised care.

    These neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services right on people’s doorsteps – stopping them from having to make lengthy trip to hospitals. Neighbourhood teams will include staff like nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff, and paramedics. Community health workers and volunteers will play a pivotal role in these teams, and local areas will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes like community outreach door-to-door – to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A&E.

    Launching the government’s 10 Year Health Plan today, the Prime Minister will set out how moving care from hospitals to the community is one of the three key shifts required to tackle the inherited challenges and neglect of the NHS, make sure it is equipped to look after a modern society, and ensure people feel the change and improvements in healthcare that they voted for.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

    The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.

    But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.

    That ends now. Because it’s reform or die. Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.

    That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses, and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood – rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.

    This is not an overnight fix, but our Plan for Change is already turning the tide on years of decline with over four million extra appointments, 1,900 more GPs and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.

    But there’s more to come. This government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live.

    The plan follows Lord Darzi’s diagnosis of the challenges facing the NHS last year where he assessed it was in a ‘critical condition’ as a result of deep rooted issues including low productivity, poor staff morale, a failure to keep up with new technology, rising waiting times, and a deterioration in the health of the nation.

    The PM will set out how the plan will deliver three key shifts to get the NHS back on its feet: hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention. Built around these three principles, the reforms within the plan will deliver the government’s promise to stop rising waiting lists, deliver more convenient care, and tackle inequalities across the country.

    New health centres will house the neighbourhood teams, which will eventually be open 12 hours a day, six days a week within local communities. They will not only bring historically hospital-based services into the community – diagnostics, post-operative care, and rehab – but will also offer services like debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or weight management, all of which will help tackle issues which we know affect people’s health.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    Our 10 Year Health Plan will turn the NHS on its head, delivering one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history.

    By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.

    This Government’s Plan for Change is creating an NHS truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home.

    The status quo of ‘hospital by default’ will end, with a new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can: digital-by-default, in a patient’s home where possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, in a hospital if necessary. This approach will make access to healthcare more convenient for patients and easier to fit around their day to day lives, rather than disrupting people’s work and personal lives.

    Thousands more GPs will be trained under the 10 Year Health Plan, as the Government lays the groundwork to bring back the family doctor, end the 8am scramble and make it easier to see your GP when you need to instead of having to turn to A&E.

    The government inherited an analogue NHS, reliant on paper and fax machines and out of step with modern technology. The government’s plan will bring it into the digital age, making sure staff benefit from the advantages and efficiencies available from new technology. This includes rolling out groundbreaking new tools over the next two years to support GPs. AI scribes will end the need for clinical notetaking, letter drafting, and manual data entry to free up clinicians’ time to focus on treating patients. Saving just 90 seconds on each GP appointment can save the same time as adding 2,000 more doctors into general practice.

    The Government will also use digital telephony so all phone calls to GP practices are answered quickly. For those who need it, they will get a digital or telephone consultation the same day they request it.

    As it stands, some practices are struggling to keep up with an ageing population and 21st century health needs. New contracts will be introduced which encourage and allow practices to cover a wider geographical area. It means smaller practices in the catchment area will get more support to ensure the right access is in place so that everyone can access their GP when they need to.

    Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive, NHS England said:

    The Neighbourhood Health Service is a huge opportunity for us to transform how we deliver care over the next decade – starting right on people’s doorsteps.

    By bringing together a full range of clinicians as one team, we can deliver care that’s more accessible, convenient and better for patients, as well as reducing pressures on hospitals.

    The plan will also deliver on the government’s promise to tackle the current lottery of access to dentists. Dental care professionals will work as part of neighbourhood teams, where Dental therapists could undertake check-ups, treatment, and referrals, while dental nurses could give education and advice to parents or work with schools and community groups. The work therapists cannot do would be safely directed to dentists.

    Under the plan, it will also be a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be 3 years.

    Following the government’s work already to roll out supervised toothbrushing for kids, the plan will also improve access to dental care for children, making better use of the wider dental workforce, especially dental therapists, including through a new approach to upskilling professionals to work at the top of their clinical potential beginning in 2026 to 2027. This includes proposals to allow dental nurses to administer fluoride varnish for children in between check-ups, and the greater use of fissure sealants for children – covering back teeth with thin plastic coating to keep germs and food particles out the grooves.

    Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

    This is a vital step towards a more preventative, community-based NHS. Bringing care closer to people’s homes through blended neighbourhood health teams recognises the complex and interconnected challenges many patients face, and it is the right direction for both improving outcomes and alleviating pressure on hospitals.   

    In many areas of the country, general practices working at scale through primary care networks and GP Federations, are already partnering alongside other organisations to deliver joined up care. It will be important to build on these positive successes.  

    Delivering on this ambition will require sustained investment in digital and estates, support for the NHS’s workforce, and a commitment to decentralise national control by empowering local leaders to do what is best for their populations. On behalf of our members, we are eager to work with the government to help turn this bold vision into lasting change.

    With the 10 Year Health plan the majority of outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals by 2035, by transforming care in the community. New digital tools will allow GPs to refer patients quicker, and a wider range of services available on people’s doorsteps will mean less need to attend appointments in hospital for ophthalmology, cardiology, respiratory medicine, and mental health.

    As a result of this shift to community, hospitals will be able to focus on patients who need hospital care, and get them seen on time again.

    The government’s Plan for Change is already delivering action to cut waiting lists and fix the foundations of the NHS. Waiting lists are at their lowest level in two years, including the first drop in April for 17 years. An extra 4.2million appointments have been delivered since July – over double the government’s target. 10 new surgical hubs have opened since January, and 1,900 more GPs have been recruited since October.

    ENDS

    Further details:

    • Where neighbourhood health teams have been trialled in England, they have significantly reduced hospital use. In Derby, integrated teams led to 2,300 fewer Category 3 ambulance callouts and 1,400 fewer short hospital stays among the over 65 population within a year.
    • The Institute For Public Policy Research has already called for a neighbourhood NHS – arguing a strong primary care sector has been shown to deliver better health outcomes, fewer hospital and emergency department trips, and more efficient healthcare spending.
    • As well as improving access to care for patients, The move to more care in the community will put the NHS back on the path to long-term financial sustainability. A recent study found that £100 spent on community care could achieve, on average, £131 in hospital savings.
    • Care plans are vital to seamless care within the community, but only 20% of people with a long-term condition have one. Through the 10 Year Health Plan, the Government will set a new standard that, by 2027, 95% of people with complex needs have an agreed personal care plan. All care plans should be co-created with patients. This means neighbourhood teams can tailor care for specific patients, working with them and their loved ones to proactively manage their conditions instead of simply reacting and treating emerging issues as is the case under the current system. This is especially important for people with complex needs who are likely to be managing multiple conditions.
    • Unpaid carers will be actively involved in care planning, with family, friends and carers agreeing decisions about care together where appropriate.

    STAKEHOLDER REACTION

    Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said.  

    A Neighbourhood Health Service is at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Plan and it could be a game-changer for our older population if we get it right.

    For far too long healthcare in the community has been fragmented and hard to access and navigate for older people, so crucial opportunities to nip their emerging health problems in the bud get missed.

    At Age UK we aspire to an NHS that proactively supports older people to stay as well as is possible for as long as possible, and if delivered well the Neighbourhood Health Service really could help achieve it.

    Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive of NHS Providers, said: 

    This plan brings together three key ingredients for success. It provides a renewed focus on what good care will look like for people who depend on the NHS most by investing in GP and new neighbourhood services. 

    It’s a win for patients who will be better informed and empowered to direct their care as never before. 

    And it makes the NHS simpler, ensuring quicker decisions and innovations get to frontline services faster. 

    This is a recipe that offers the prospect of progress where previous plans have faltered. 

    That is a great starting point and all NHS providers will be keen to seize this opportunity to build a better health service that staff, patients and the public are once again proud of.

    Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices said: 

    The message in today’s plan is clear, for the NHS to thrive services must start to organise themselves around how people and communities actually live their lives.   

    Whether it be through shifting services out of hospitals, making innovative and inclusive use of tech or simply doubling down on getting the basics right, like communicating better with patients, this drive towards user-centred care offers hope for a more efficient and sustainable health service that focuses on patient need and outcomes.   > To ensure no communities are left behind, it is vital that Neighbourhood Health Services look to develop this new offer in partnership with the voluntary sector and the full diversity of citizens that make up the communities they serve.

    Gemma Peters, Chief Executive at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

    This vision to bring care closer to home is what both the public and the NHS need. 

    3.5 million people are living with cancer today, rising to 4 million by 2030. Without radical change, the NHS cannot meet this growing demand, or ensure that – whoever you are, wherever you live – you can access the care, support and treatment you need when you need it.

    We welcome the Government’s recognition that we now need to mobilise every part of the NHS, communities and the voluntary sector to make sure this Plan succeeds.

    Macmillan is ready to play our part in delivering this vision and the forthcoming National Cancer Plan to ensure everyone has the world class healthcare they deserve.

    Rachel Power, Chief Executive, the Patients Association said:

    We welcome this ambitious transformation set out in the 10 Year Health Plan that delivers on what we called for: integrated, accessible care that is centred on patients’ real lives. Having new neighbourhood health centres open 12 hours a day, six days a week with multidisciplinary teams and clinical and support services under one roof addresses the reality that health challenges don’t exist in isolation.  

    We’re pleased to see the commitment to training thousands more GPs and look forward to a sustainable workforce strategy to support the delivery of these expanded services, along with clarity on how quickly these centres will be rolled out. We remain committed to ensuring genuine patient partnership underpins the design and delivery of these services, so they truly reflect what patients need in their local communities.

    Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said:

    The ambition, scale and innovative approaches set out in the 10 Year Health Plan can only be applauded. It promises a lot and properly implemented, offers an opportunity to revolutionise healthcare.

    It’s clearly not just about getting the NHS back on track, but designing a new healthcare system that’s fit for the challenges of today and tomorrow and one that can work for patients, staff and taxpayers alike. The sheer breadth and scale of what’s been set out will take time to fully digest, but the medical royal colleges are keen and ready to help implement the necessary changes to make this bold vision a reality.

    Katharine Jenner, Director, Obesity Health Alliance said:

    This is a positive step towards the healthier future people want. Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition that needs long-term support. Crucially, as the Government now rightly recognises, we must also shift to preventing ill health before it starts.

    After years of broken promises, delays and weak voluntary measures, this government must implement their Plan for Change in full this Parliament. Only then we can start to transform our food system – from one that fuels poor health to one that supports good health.

    Real progress means taking mandatory action to tackle the relentless marketing and promotion of unhealthy food, improving access to nutritious options, and making healthy food affordable for everyone, right from the start of life.

    Ravi Gurumurthy, CEO of Nesta, said:

    Nye Bevan’s original vision for the NHS placed prevention at its heart. This plan takes important steps toward realising that ambition. The introduction of a new healthy food standard, alongside ending the sale of cigarettes, are serious interventions that could substantially reduce cases of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases and narrow health inequalities.

    The shift to a neighbourhood health service has the potential to deliver better care within communities and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

     Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of Marie Curie, said: 

    We are pleased to see the Government place the needs of patients at the centre of their Plan to reform the NHS, make clear commitments that will help fix the current crisis in palliative and end of life care for local communities, and set out a clear roadmap for creating an NHS that is fit for the future. 

    We look forward to working with them to ensure that additional NHS funding announced in the Spending Review transforms care in the community for people with a terminal illness.

    Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said:

    You can’t upgrade the nation’s health without tackling cardiovascular disease, one of the UK’s biggest killers.

    Today’s ambitious plan lays the foundation for how we can stop more lives lost too soon to heart disease, prevent more heart attacks and strokes, and help more people live with healthier hearts for longer.

    Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said:

    The 10,000 NHS pharmacies in England are right in the heart of their communities on high streets, in health centres, close to people’s doorsteps, providing health care and advice to millions every week.

    Pharmacies want to be able to offer better, more joined up care for their communities so they share the Government’s ambition to bring care closer to people.

    It’s important that pharmacies, who already do this work day in day out, are placed at the heart of these plans.

    Investing in pharmacies can create a future where people can drop in for treatment, check ups, medicine reviews, and advice.

    Pharmacies want to work with GPs, social workers and colleagues across the health service to provide better health care, nearer to people’s homes and take pressure off the NHS.

    Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:

    The Government’s plan aligns well with the value that pharmacies can bring and will begin to harness the sector’s potential for the benefit of patients, communities and the wider NHS. Research shows that the public already supports playing community pharmacies playing a bigger role in healthcare services, and the sector has a unique ability to break down barriers to care coupled with an astonishingly strong record on efficiency. 

    But before this plan can become a reality, first the Government must deliver on its commitment to build the sustainable funding model that community pharmacy so desperately needs. The millions of people relying on them every day don’t want to lose their local pharmacies to financial collapse, which is something the Government should carefully consider as it seeks to implement its plan.

    This plan is not the end of the road; it’s just the beginning.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Kingdom of the Netherlands – Curaçao: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    July 2, 2025

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Washington, DC.

    Curaçao’s economic activity expanded by 5 percent in 2024, as strong tourism performance trickled into the wider economy. Stayover arrivals, growing at double digits, continued to outperform Caribbean peers and carried over to other sectors, including whole trade, real estate, and construction. Mostly related to holiday homes and hotels, construction was further fueled by strong mortgage growth and complemented by a resumption of public investments under the Road Maintenance Plan. Average headline inflation declined to 2.6 percent in 2024 from 3.5 percent in 2023, in line with global oil prices and lower US inflation. Real wages increased for the first time in five years but job creation continued to be dominated by informal construction and tourism-related sectors while formal employment declined. The primary surplus continued its upward trajectory on the back of increased tax collection on goods and services. The current account deficit widened due to higher merchandise imports, mainly related to construction activity.

    The government is pursuing an ambitious agenda to steer a now tourism-led economy, amidst heightened global uncertainty. Mindful of tourism saturation and a decoupling of local living standards, the authorities strive to improve social conditions while generating sustainable and green growth amid safeguarding solid public finances. The near doubling of the tourism footprint within five years brought profound structural shifts to Curaçao’s economy, including the decline in manufacturing and rise in services, lower overall wages, higher informality, and greater reliance on – more regressive – indirect taxation. Policy responses need to shift accordingly. Priorities are rightly focused on upgrading tourist experiences and diversification, improving skills and labor market conditions, and reforming the tax system in an equitable way while addressing social spending pressures. The administration has delivered on a first round of targeted, one-off pension increases this year, continued reforms to contain health costs, expanded investment in education infrastructure, and came closer to its renewables target with the opening of the latest wind park in 2024. The landspakket, a structural reform package agreed with the Netherlands in 2020, continues to guide structural reforms.

    Outlook and Risks

    Growth is projected to moderate to 4 percent in 2025, balancing domestic impulses and heightened global uncertainty, before gradually converging to 2 percent over the medium term. Further expansion of stayover tourism and construction activity will continue to support growth in 2025, along with fiscal expansion driven by higher public investments. Potential negative effects of slowing global demand and heightened uncertainty would dampen tourism flows towards the end of 2025 and 2026. Growth is expected to moderate to 2 percent over the medium term, given saturation in tourism and slower global demand, while public capital spending would be carried forward, including in road infrastructure and the energy value chain. Headline inflation is projected to stabilize at 2.5 percent in 2025, subject to oil price-related uncertainty. Fiscal accounts would remain in surplus, fully compliant with the fiscal rule, allowing the government to partially settle a large bullet loan in 2025 with own liquid reserves, thereby accelerating the impressive downward trajectory of debt. The current account deficit would decline in the medium term but remain elevated.

    Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. External risks include trade policy and investment shocks, which could induce higher inflation and lower external demand, adversely impacting tourism arrivals. Domestic upside risks include faster-than-expected advances in the green hydrogen value chain project and development of other energy sources. On the downside, lower-than-expected disbursements in public investments and delays in infrastructure improvements could set back the expected increase in potential growth from the expansion of hotel capacities. Continued high growth in mortgage credit fueling rising house prices could lead to financial sector as well as household balance sheet vulnerabilities. Buffers include access to favorable refinancing conditions on the Dutch capital market, subject to compliance with the fiscal rule, which grants the island substantial fiscal space, notably for capital and emergency spending.

    Tailoring Fiscal and Structural Policies to a Tourism-led Economy

    Safeguarding Medium-term Fiscal Sustainability

    Reaching the medium-term debt target and further sustaining growth will require weighing the need to boost investments and address social spending pressures while reforming the tax system in an equitable manner.  

    Advancing healthcare reforms is an urgent priority to restore the sector’s financial sustainability and limit medium-term fiscal risks. Annual deficits of the SVB healthcare fund amounted to around 5 percent of GDP over the past years, excluding central government transfers, with an additional 1 percent of GDP annual deficit by the Curaçao Medical Center. Transfers to the latter were recently increased to better cover operating costs and invest in new medical equipment, but the health system’s overall finances remain unsustainable. Curaçao’s health expenses, around 13 percent of GDP, stand out relative to regional peers and surpass the OECD average. Possible efficiency gains on the spending side would include additional volume and price measures for pharmaceuticals, re-evaluation of laboratory service tariffs, further expansion of primary care to contain hospital visits, and improvements in preventive care, with the latter likely to materialize over the longer horizon. Revenue reform options would include a broadening of the contributor base, e.g., via the inclusion of migrant workers, increasing co-payments for higher-income households, allowing for price differentiation for the privately insured, exploring options to charge for add-on services, with a possible secondary, private insurance market for these services, and expanding the potential in medical tourism. 

    The authorities’ plans to adjust pension benefits for lower-income households in a fiscally responsible manner are welcome and should be accompanied by widening the contribution base. Staff welcomes the intention to reassess benefit levels, given the pausing of indexation and a decline in real per capita benefits by 23 percent between 2016 and 2024. Applying inflation indexation to residents’ pensions only would allow for a broadly balanced budget of the old-age pension scheme (before central government transfers). Considerations to providing a supplement for low-income pensioners, which could cost around ½ percent of GDP per year, should be partially financed by broadening the contributor base. Legalizing predominantly young migrant workers and providing incentives for them and their employers to formalize (see below) would increase revenues by about 0.3 percent of GDP. Ensuring longer-term sustainability of social insurances would likely imply tapping general budget resources, which could be expanded with selected measures while avoiding earmarking (see below). Meanwhile, the current draft law to make second-pillar occupational pension plans mandatory would reduce reliance on old-age pensions and increase private savings, which would also help alleviate the sizable current account deficit.

    The authorities envisage the introduction of a VAT while continuing the modernization of the tax authority and improving revenue collection. Given Curaçao’s already significant tax burden and the recent expansion of direct taxation from a pre-pandemic average of 11 percent of GDP to 14 percent of GDP in 2024, plans to design the envisaged VAT reform in a revenue-neutral and equity-enhancing way are welcome. Expanding property taxation on second homes should be prioritized, as well as the purchase and implementation of digital infrastructure to modernize Curaçao’s tax system. Further considerations to introduce a tourism fee (by 2026), end tax holidays on import duties, and adjust permitting fees would lift revenues and contribute to compensating for potential pension increases.

    Further efforts are needed to boost investments and improve government service delivery. While capacity constraints were successfully addressed in the ramp-up of investments in 2024, including by hiring external project managers, capacity in planning and execution must be strengthened further to administer the needed investment increase of 2-3 percent of GDP in the coming years, including via a centralized investment planning unit. Implementing multi-year project budgeting and establishing a transparent procurement system will be critical to improve execution, ensure the efficient allocation of financing resources, and grant space to a gradual inclusion of adaptation investments against damage from sea level rise. Efforts to render health and pension spending as well as goods and services taxation more equitable hinge on improving means-testing and maintaining a state-of-the-art registry for lower-income households.  

    Labor Market Policies to Address Informality and Improve Education

    Informality could be addressed by strengthening incentives for formal work, improving enforcement and monitoring, and tightening eligibility criteria for receiving benefits. Decomposing changes in the formal workforce over the past decade, the strong decline in formal employment was mostly driven by a drop in registered jobs among men, especially in prime working age. Half of this decline cannot be explained by demographics, migration, or unemployment, and is likely attributed to the transition to informality. Tourism and construction sectors offer relatively more opportunities for informal work, making it harder to design the right incentives for formalization. Incentivizing formality, however, is crucial to maintaining government revenues and ensuring social protection for workers, and could be fostered by: facilitating access to education, increasing formal sector productivity, introducing more in-work benefits for workers with incomes between minimum and median wage, and stricter eligibility criteria for monthly assistance, along with strengthening enforcement and monitoring.

    Skill deterioration compounded by population aging is a key drag on long-term potential growth. The 2023 census showed that education levels of new entrants to the labor force are below the level of the pre-retirement cohort, and young employees tend to work in more precarious positions. Ongoing investments in education, in line with landspakket recommendations, including in schools’ physical as well as digital infrastructure, are very welcome. Recent initiatives to attract graduates back to the island, including with tax incentives, and an expedited labor permitting process for high-skill workers are important steps in the right direction. These could be complemented by vocational training to lift the overall skill level and reduce skill mismatches, in line with government’s proposed stimulation package with incentives for employer-led vocational education. Integrating migrants into the workforce would grant them perspectives to grow and invest in their skills.

    Fostering Competitiveness and Diversification

    Bracing for slower growth and mindful of market saturation and the global context, the authorities’ focus is rightly on tourism value added and diversification of source markets. Roads and transportation are among the key bottlenecks of the island, and more public investments are needed to improve the connectivity within the island for tourists to venture out. Public and private investments should also be directed to maritime infrastructure to attract more yacht tourists and move up the tourism value chain. Increasing the number of taxi licenses is welcome and will improve tourist experiences through better mobility. Efforts to tap markets in South America have proven successful, and new flight routes opened from Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia, countries with a large consumer base and rising purchasing power.

    Fostering non-tourism sectors in areas of competitive advantage would help build resilience against global shocks and attract additional investments. Building on recent successful reforms to expedite business permits and promote digitalization, more progress is needed to achieve the authorities’ goals as outlined in the National Export Strategy. Curaçao’s connection to a new submarine cable throughout the Caribbean and Miami from 2027 onwards could help expand the island’s data center industry – conditional on sufficient absorption capacity of the electricity grid and a moderation in electricity prices, which remain among the highest in the region. Planned investments in the grid by Aqualectra would be supported by funding from the Netherlands and provide the basis for lifting renewables electricity production to 70 percent by 2027 from around 50 percent currently. The envisaged floating offshore wind park of 3-10 GW would help cover Curaçao’s entire electricity demand and create new export opportunities, in addition to exploratory investments in other energy sources.

    In the presence of global uncertainty, diversification of trade as well as regional integration are key for mitigating Curaçao’s exposure to external shocks. Curaçao’s imports remain concentrated on advanced markets, providing ample room to expand goods imports from neighboring countries, such as Brazil and Colombia. As a new associate CARICOM member and acknowledging limitation of independent trade policy given Kingdom laws, Curaçao should continue strengthening regional cooperation and trade integration with neighboring states.

    The authorities’ commitment to lower corruption vulnerabilities are welcome. The online gaming law has been approved by parliament in end-2024, an important step towards meeting the landspakket’s rule of law target. Curaçao’s recent accession to the UN Convention Against Corruption and delisting from the EU grey list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, following key legal updates in 2024, is another step in the right direction and opens doors for further international cooperation and bilateral tax treaties, as pursued by the authorities. The mutual evaluations of the AML/CFT frameworks for both Curaçao and Sint Maarten are underway, with results expected to be published in mid-July 2025.

    The Monetary Union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten

    The external balance of the Union is expected to improve, following a mild deterioration in 2024. The Union’s current account deficit widened to around 17 percent of GDP in 2024 driven by higher imports, mainly related to construction on Curaçao, and despite strong growth in tourism receipts. Going forward, stronger travel receipts, moderation in construction-related imports, and an increase in renewables would support a contraction of the Union’s current account deficit towards 10 percent of GDP in the medium term. The deficit will continue to be financed by private investment inflows and decumulation of assets abroad. The stock of international reserves would remain broadly stable and adequate over the medium term. Given still sizable deficits and a sustained real effective exchange rate appreciation, staff’s preliminary assessment suggests that the external position in 2024 was weaker than the level implied by fundamentals and desirable policies in Curaçao and broadly in line in Sint Maarten, albeit subject to high uncertainty given persistent measurement biases. The assessment for the Union is the same as for Curaçao due to its larger size and current account deficits.

    The monetary policy stance is appropriate and continues to support the peg. Following developments in the US, the CBCS cut its benchmark pledging rate by a cumulative 100 basis points in September and November 2024 to 4.75 percent, and has kept it unchanged since then, in line with the pegged exchange rate regime. Transmission to banking sector interest rates continues to be weak, as deposit rates stayed broadly constant throughout the recent tightening and easing cycles, with a mild uptick in late 2023 driven by time deposits, and Union lending rates declined between 2018 and end 2024. Excess liquidity is the key impediment to the transmission, further exacerbated by the absence of interbank and government securities markets.

    With lending rates declining, credit growth has accelerated, entirely driven by mortgages in Curaçao. Mortgage credit in the union, the second highest in the Caribbean, has been growing by double digits in real terms post pandemic, while real overall credit growth has been negative. Driven by Curaçao, mortgages are expected to remain on an upward trajectory, including financing for the construction of second homes and vacation rental apartments. In Sint Maarten, on the contrary, mortgage credit growth turned negative in 2024, possibly reflecting delays in construction projects and cross-border financing on the French side. With the islands’ financial sectors predominantly financing tourism-related activities, credit to non-tourism sectors is declining in real terms.

    The financial sector is broadly sound and systemic risks are contained, but mortgage growth needs to be monitored closely while a macroprudential toolkit is further developed. Banks are well capitalized, among the highest in the region, but both NPLs and provisioning remain weaker than the CBCS early warning signal – and with respect to peers. Liquidity is abundant and has further increased, but the Union’s banks are somewhat less profitable than the Caribbean median and concentration remains high. Closely monitoring mortgage growth to detect overheating in the real estate sector and possible vulnerabilities in household balance sheets should become a priority, in particular given continued data gaps. Overcoming these gaps and further developing a macroprudential toolkit towards the introduction of CCyBs, and thresholds for the loan-to-value and debt-service-to-income ratios are warranted to detect vulnerabilities and ensure timely response to potential shocks. Caps on mortgage credit growth or mortgage loan exposure could be applied should the positive mortgage credit gap widen further.

    The IMF mission would like to thank the authorities for their cooperation and the candid and constructive discussions that took place during June 18-25.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Reah Sy

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

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/07/02/07022025-curacao-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2025-article-iv

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Shanghai Launches Multifunctional Easy Go Platform for Foreign Visitors

    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

    SHANGHAI, July 2 (Xinhua) — East China’s Shanghai Municipality launched Easy Go, a multi-functional digital service platform for foreign tourists, on Wednesday. The city has recently attracted more overseas visitors thanks to its expanded visa-free regime and instant tax refund policy.

    The platform, developed by the Shanghai People’s Government External Affairs Office and the People’s Bank of China Shanghai Office together with other relevant city departments, relies on the international version of Alipay and integrates consumer services and tourism information, eliminating the need to download multiple apps and eliminating language barriers.

    Overseas users can register with one click and gain access to 30 mini-programs in four key areas: dining, transportation, sightseeing, and shopping. Key features include food delivery, restaurant recommendations, public transportation information, taxi hailing, travel recommendations, ticket booking, luggage storage, and tax refund point information. The platform operates primarily in English and offers real-time translation into multiple languages.

    Easy Go has a “Tax Refund” feature that integrates a map of city tax refund points, and provides updated Shanghai travel guides and travel tips. The platform also features videos from media and bloggers promoting Shanghai and China.

    “Easy Go is a very convenient platform because it brings together different daily services,” said Clarisse Le Guernic from France. “Foreign tourists coming to Shanghai don’t need to download many different apps, they can make a payment, translate a phrase, order food and use a bike rental on one platform.”

    As of June, citizens of 55 countries can enjoy 240-hour visa-free transit in China. In addition, China unilaterally expanded the visa-free entry program, allowing travelers from 47 countries to stay in the country visa-free for up to 30 days. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Thumbs up: good or passive aggressive? How emojis became the most confusing kind of online language

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brittany Ferdinands, Lecturer in Digital Content Creation, Discipline of Media and Communications, University of Sydney

    The Conversation, CC BY

    Emojis, as well as memes and other forms of short-form content, have become central to how we express ourselves and connect online. Yet as meanings shift across different contexts, so too does the potential for misunderstanding.

    A senior colleague of mine recently encountered some commentary about the “slightly smiling” face emoji: 🙂

    They approached me, asking whether it represented joy, as they had assumed, or if it had a more ominous meaning.

    As a chronically-online millennial, who unironically identifies as a gen Z, I bore the news that I, along with most younger internet users, only ever use it sarcastically.

    “It doesn’t actually signify happiness – more so fake happiness, or dry humour,” I explained.

    I also told them how the thumbs up emoji is often interpreted as passive aggressive, and that the only time I’d use the laughing-crying (“face with tears of joy”) emoji is under duress.

    Despite seeming like a universal language – and sometimes they do function that way – emojis can be at once more vague, and more specific, than words. That’s because you can’t separate the meaning of a smiley from the person who sent it, nor from the person receiving it.

    Markers of age and identity

    While emojis were originally developed in the late 1990s by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita to add emotional nuance to text-based messaging, their function has since evolved.

    Today, emojis are not just emotional cues; they also operate as cultural symbols and markers of identity.

    Research published last year highlights how these symbols can create subtle communication barriers across age groups. For instance, a study of Chinese-speaking WeChat users found younger and older people differed not only in how frequently they used emojis, but in how they interpreted and aesthetically preferred them.

    One emoji that’s increasingly becoming a distinct marker of age is the previously mentioned laughing-crying emoji (😂). Despite being named Oxford Dictionary’s 2015 word of the year, and frequently topping the most-used emoji charts, this smiley is on the decline among gen Z – who decided in 2020 that it wasn’t cool anymore.

    Instead, they prefer the skull emoji (💀), which is shorthand for the gen Z catch phrase “I’m dead”. This means something is funny (not that they’re literally deceased).

    Such shifts may understandably be perplexing for older generations who are unfamiliar with evolving norms and slang.

    A digital body language

    Emojis can also take on distinct meanings on different platforms. They are embedded within “platform vernaculars”: the ever-evolving styles of communication that are unique to specific digital spaces.

    For example, a thumbs up emoji (👍) from your boss at work is seemingly more acceptable, and less anxiety inducing, than from a romantic interest you’ve just sent a risky text to.

    This dilemma was echoed in a recent viral TikTok by user @kaitlynghull, which prompted thousands to comment about their shared confusion over emoji use in the workplace.

    This reaction highlights a deeper communication issue.

    A survey of 10,000 workers across the US, France, Germany, India and Australia, conducted by YouGov and software company Atlassian, found 65% of workers used emojis to convey tone in the workplace. But while 88% of gen Z workers thought emojis were helpful, this dropped to 49% for baby boomers and gen X.

    The survey concluded some emojis can be interpreted in multiple ways, and these double meanings aren’t always safe for work.

    In with the ‘it’ crowd

    Another example of platform-specific emoji use comes from social media content creators who deploy emojis to curate a certain aesthetic.

    Under the Tiktok tag #emojicombo, you’ll find thousands of videos showcasing emoji combinations that provide aesthetic “inspo”. These combinations are used to represent different online identities or subcultures, such as “that girl”, “clean girl” or “old money”.

    Users may include the combinations in their captions or videos to signal their personal style, or to express the mood or vibe of their online persona. In this way, the emojis help shape how they present themselves on the platform.

    This example of emoji use is also a display of symbolic capital. It signals social alignment, in an environment where a user’s visibility (and popularity) is determined by their platform fluency.

    Emojis, then, aren’t just tools for expression. They are badges of identity that index where a user stands in the online cultural hierarchy.

    There’s a fragmentation in how we relate

    A single emoji might communicate irony, sincerity or sarcasm, depending on who is using it, what platform they’re using it on, and what generation they belong to.

    This gap points to deeper questions around online access and participation, and the systems that shape online cultures.

    And when the meaning of an emoji is platform-dependent and socially stratified, it can become as much about fitting in with a cultural in-group than conveying emotion.

    Brittany Ferdinands 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. Thumbs up: good or passive aggressive? How emojis became the most confusing kind of online language – https://theconversation.com/thumbs-up-good-or-passive-aggressive-how-emojis-became-the-most-confusing-kind-of-online-language-259151

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: More and more tourists are flocking to Antarctica. Let’s stop it from being loved to death

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darla Hatton MacDonald, Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Tasmania

    VCG via Getty Images

    The number of tourists heading to Antarctica has been skyrocketing. From fewer than 8,000 a year about three decades ago, nearly 125,000 tourists flocked to the icy continent in 2023–24. The trend is likely to continue in the long term.

    Unchecked tourism growth in Antarctica risks undermining the very environment that draws visitors. This would be bad for operators and tourists. It would also be bad for Antarctica – and the planet.

    Over the past two weeks, the nations that decide what human activities are permitted in Antarctica have convened in Italy. The meeting incorporates discussions by a special working group that aims to address tourism issues.

    It’s not easy to manage tourist visitors to a continent beyond any one country’s control. So, how do we stop Antarctica being loved to death? The answer may lie in economics.

    Future visitor trends

    We recently modelled future visitor trends in Antarctica. A conservative scenario shows by 2033–34, visitor numbers could reach around 285,000. Under the least conservative scenario, numbers could reach 450,000 – however, this figure incorporates pent-up demand from COVID shutdowns that will likely diminish.

    The vast majority of the Antarctic tourism industry comprises cruise-ship tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula. A small percentage of visitors travel to the Ross Sea region and parts of the continent’s interior.

    Antarctic tourism is managed by an international set of agreements together known as the Antarctic Treaty System, as well as the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

    The Treaty System is notoriously slow-moving and riven by geopolitics, and IAATO does not have the power to cap visitor numbers.

    Pressure on a fragile continent

    About two-thirds of Antarctic tourists land on the continent. The visitors can threaten fragile ecosystems by:

    • compacting soils
    • trampling fragile vegetation
    • introducing non-native microbes and plant species
    • disturbing breeding colonies of birds and seals.

    Even when cruise ships don’t dock, they can cause problems such as air, water and noise pollution – as well as anchoring that can damage the seabed.

    Then there’s carbon emissions. Each cruise ship traveller to Antarctica typically produces between 3.2 and 4.1 tonnes of carbon, not including travel to the port of departure. This is similar to the carbon emissions an average person produces in a year.

    Global warming caused by carbon emissions is damaging Antarctica. At the Peninsula region, glaciers and ice shelves are retreating and sea ice is shrinking, affecting wildlife and vegetation.

    Of course, Antarctic tourism represents only a tiny fraction of overall emissions. However, the industry has a moral obligation to protect the place that maintains it. And tourism in Antarctica can compound damage from climate change, tipping delicate ecosystems into decline.

    Some operators use hybrid ships and less polluting fuels, and offset emissions to offer carbon-neutral travel.

    IAATO has pledged to halve emissions by 2050 – a positive step, but far short of the net-zero targets set by the International Maritime Organization.

    Can economics protect Antarctica?

    Market-based tools – such as taxes, cap-and-trade schemes and certification – have been used in environmental management around the world. Research shows these tools could also prevent Antarctic tourist numbers from getting out of control.

    One option is requiring visitors to pay a tourism tax. This would help raise revenue to support environmental monitoring and enforcement in Antarctica, as well as fund research.

    Such a tax already exists in the small South Asian nation of Bhutan, where each tourist pays a tax of US$100 (A$152) a night. But while a tax might deter the budget-conscious, it probably wouldn’t deter high income, experience-driven tourists.

    Alternatively, a cap-and-trade system would create a limited number of Antarctica visitor permits for a fixed period. The initial distribution of permits could be among tourism operators or countries, via negotiation, auction or lottery. Unused permits could then be sold, making them quite valuable.

    Caps have been successful at managing tourism impacts elsewhere, such as Lord Howe Island, although there are no trades allowed in that system.

    Any cap on tourist numbers in Antarctica, and rules for trading, must be based on evidence about what the environment can handle. But there is a lack of precise data on Antarctica’s carrying capacity. And permit allocations amongst the operators and nations would need to be fair and inclusive.

    Alternatively, existing industry standards could be augmented with independent schemes certifying particular practices – for example, reducing carbon footprints. This could be backed by robust monitoring and enforcement to avoid greenwashing.

    Looking ahead

    Given the complexities of Antarctic governance, our research finds that the most workable solution is a combination of these market-based options, alongside other regulatory measures.

    So far, parties to the Antarctic treaty have made very few binding rules for the tourism industry. And some market-based levers will be more acceptable to the parties than others. But doing nothing is not a solution.

    The authors would like to acknowledge Valeria Senigaglia, Natalie Stoeckl and Jing Tian and the rest of the team for their contributions to the research upon which this article was based.

    Darla Hatton MacDonald receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the Soils CRC. She has received in-kind support from Antarctic tour operator HX.

    Elizabeth Leane receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Dutch Research Council, and DFAT. She also receives in-kind support and occasional funding from Antarctic tourism operator HX and in-kind support from other tour operators.

    – ref. More and more tourists are flocking to Antarctica. Let’s stop it from being loved to death – https://theconversation.com/more-and-more-tourists-are-flocking-to-antarctica-lets-stop-it-from-being-loved-to-death-258294

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: President Meloni attends U.S. Independence Day celebrations

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    2 Luglio 2025

    The President of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni, delivered an address at this evening’s celebrations for U.S. Independence Day at Villa Taverna, the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in Rome.

    [President Meloni’s address]

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Hacker ‘IntelBroker’ Charged for Causing $25 Million in Damages to Victims

    Source: US FBI

    Kai West, a British National, Is Charged With Operating the “IntelBroker” Online Identity, Infiltrating Victim Computer Networks, Stealing Data, Selling It, and Causing Millions in Damages to Dozens of Victims Around the World

    The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia, announced the unsealing of a four-count criminal Indictment and Complaint charging KAI WEST, a/k/a “IntelBroker,” a/k/a “Kyle Northern,” with a years-long hacking scheme committed through the online identity “IntelBroker.”  WEST, using the IntelBroker identity, conspired with an online group named the CyberN[——], to steal data from a telecommunications company, municipal health care provider, an Internet service provider, and more than 40 other victims.  WEST, and his online co-conspirators, took that stolen data, and offered it for sale online for more than $2 million.  Collectively, WEST, through the “IntelBroker” identity and his online co-conspirators, caused in excess of $25 million in damages to victims.  WEST was arrested in France in February 2025, and the United States is seeking his extradition.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

    “The IntelBroker alias has caused millions in damages to victims around the world,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “This action reflects the FBI’s commitment to pursuing cybercriminals around the world.  New Yorkers are all too often the victims of intentional cyber schemes and our office is committed to bringing these remote actors to justice.”

    “Kai West, an alleged serial hacker, is charged for a nefarious, years-long scheme to steal victim’s data and sell it for millions in illicit funds, causing more than $25 million in damages worldwide,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia.  “Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to anyone thinking they can hide behind a keyboard and commit cyber-crime with impunity; the FBI will find and hold you accountable no matter where you are.”

    As alleged in the Indictment and Complaint:[1]

    “IntelBroker” is the online moniker of WEST, who, in concert with his co-conspirators, compromised victims’ (typically companies) computer systems, exfiltrated data from those systems (e.g. customer lists and company marketing data), and then sold the stolen data for profit.  WEST accomplished his scheme in connection with his leadership of an online hacking group called the “CyberN[——],” which frequented a particular internet forum (“Forum-1”).

    Between approximately 2023 to 2025, WEST offered hacked data for sale approximately 41 times; and offered to distribute hacked data for free (or for Forum-1 credits) approximately 117 times. WEST, and his co-conspirators, have sought to collect at least approximately $2,000,000 by selling the stolen data.  Based on information received from the victims of these breaches, WEST and his co-conspirators have cumulatively caused victim losses of at least $25,000,000.

    Based on a review of WEST’s IntelBroker Forum-1 posts, approximately 158 threads started by WEST offered stolen data for sale, for Forum-1 credit, or for free, since in or about January 2023 through in or about February 2025.  At least 41 of those 158 public messages sell data from companies based in the United States.  Of those 158 messages, approximately 16 provided a specific asking price for the stolen data, which cumulatively totals at least $2,467,000. At least 25 of the 158 public messages invited Forum‑1 users to private message IntelBroker (i.e. WEST) to negotiate a sales price.  The remaining 117 public messages offer hacked data for free to Forum-1 users or in exchange for Forum-1 credits.  At least 46 of the 158 public messages indicate that WEST worked in concert with a particular Forum-1 user (“CC-1”) to obtain the data through a “breach” (i.e. “hack”).  WEST’s public messages (as IntelBroker) indicate that he accepts payment via Monero, which is a cryptocurrency that uses a blockchain with privacy-enhancing technologies to attempt to obfuscate transactions and seek to achieve anonymity and fungibility.

    WEST’s prolific posting (as IntelBroker), and his sales of stolen data, have generated notoriety for the IntelBroker identity within the Forum-1 community. Indeed, from in or about August 2024 through in or about January 2025, “IntelBroker” was identified on Forum-1 as the site’s “owner.”  To further his username’s notoriety, WEST has associated different images with IntelBroker but primarily uses the following image as his calling card:

    WEST’s victims include a U.S.-based telecommunications provider.  WEST, using the IntelBroker moniker, sold data from that telecommunications company, which included information about its customers.  That data was accessed by WEST by illegally accessing a server which was improperly configured.  On or about March 6, 2023, WEST, using the IntelBroker moniker, authored a public message on Forum-1 titled “CyberN[——] [redacted reference to Victim] Database.”  In that post, WEST offered for sale data from a municipal healthcare provider which included patient data such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, genders, health plan information, employer information, among other information, from the victim’s patients. 

    *               *                *

    WEST, 25, a British national, is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; accessing a protected computer to obtain information, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

    The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI and the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.  He also thanked the French, Spanish, British, and Dutch authorities for their assistance. 

    The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan B. Finkel is in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Indictment and Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
     

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the Complaint, and the descriptions set forth herein, constitutes only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation delivers Egypt’s address at the roundtable on “Revitalizing international development cooperation”


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    H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, delivered Egypt’s speech at the multilateral roundtable titled “Revitalizing international development cooperation”, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development held in Spain from June 29 to July 3, 2025.

    Dr. Rania Al-Mashat explained that the current period is witnessing a significant decline in progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, due to escalating geopolitical tensions and multiple ongoing crises, which has resulted in successive negative impacts, especially on developing and least developed countries, which bear the heaviest burden of the global debt crisis leading to a widening and deepening gap between developed and developing countries day by day.

    H.E.  added that the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development represents an important opportunity to reaffirm the existence of genuine political will to address the situation and to discuss effective proposals that would enhance concessional financing, support existing financial mechanisms, including Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), as well as develop new mechanisms to mobilize the required financing.

    The Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation pointed out that among these mechanisms, development-linked debt instruments are an example of financial instruments that can contribute to stimulate funding linked to development priorities, affirming the importance of donor countries’ commitment to their pledges to developing countries, adding that the challenges faced by developing countries are also beginning to affect many middle-income countries, which face the risk of undermine the progress they have achieved due to the worsening global debt situation.

    Al-Mashat emphasized the need to focus on priority sectors, such as health and education, while making concerted efforts to alleviate debt burdens, which can be achieved by implementing sustainable mechanisms that contribute to supporting developing countries in a integrated manner.

    In conclusion of her speech, H.E. stated that the conversation should not be limited to increasing the volume of financing alone, but should also focus on capacity building of countries, so that they are able to work effectively to achieve their national priorities and implementing their development strategies independently and sustainably, expressing her hope that the conference would come out with concrete recommendations capable of making a real, positive impact in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation – Egypt.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Clarifications on the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 in relation to the clean-up of the Crotone site of national interest – P-002598/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-002598/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Denis Nesci (ECR)

    During the inter-departmental conference of 24 October 2019 at the Ministry of the Environment, in the presence of Syndial S.p.A. (now ENI Rewind), the Calabria Region, the Municipality of Crotone and other bodies, it was decided that hazardous waste – both technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM) and non-TENORM – resulting from the clean-up of the Crotone-Cassano-Cerchiaro site of national interest (SIN) must be disposed of outside Calabria, also as required by the single regional authorisation procedure (PAUR), in order to avoid new environmental risks and the construction of new landfills in Calabria.

    On 16 June 2025, digging work for the SIN area clean-up started, with 40 000 tonnes of waste destined for the Kumla landfill site in Sweden.

    However, ENI Rewind claims that, from May 2026, Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 would make it impossible to ship hazardous waste to other Member States, hampering completion of the clean-up.

    This seems to be a narrow interpretation, as the Regulation aims to strengthen controls and traceability, not prohibit shipments, if they are safe and transparent.

    In light of the above:

    • 1.Does the Commission confirm that the Regulation prohibits such shipments from 2026?
    • 2.Does it believe that the rules could prevent clean-ups that have already been approved?
    • 3.Will it adopt interpretative clarifications to ensure the environment is protected and the law is upheld in local communities?

    Submitted: 26.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Clarifications on the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 in relation to the clean-up of the Crotone site of national interest – P-002598/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Priority question for written answer  P-002598/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Denis Nesci (ECR)

    During the inter-departmental conference of 24 October 2019 at the Ministry of the Environment, in the presence of Syndial S.p.A. (now ENI Rewind), the Calabria Region, the Municipality of Crotone and other bodies, it was decided that hazardous waste – both technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM) and non-TENORM – resulting from the clean-up of the Crotone-Cassano-Cerchiaro site of national interest (SIN) must be disposed of outside Calabria, also as required by the single regional authorisation procedure (PAUR), in order to avoid new environmental risks and the construction of new landfills in Calabria.

    On 16 June 2025, digging work for the SIN area clean-up started, with 40 000 tonnes of waste destined for the Kumla landfill site in Sweden.

    However, ENI Rewind claims that, from May 2026, Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 would make it impossible to ship hazardous waste to other Member States, hampering completion of the clean-up.

    This seems to be a narrow interpretation, as the Regulation aims to strengthen controls and traceability, not prohibit shipments, if they are safe and transparent.

    In light of the above:

    • 1.Does the Commission confirm that the Regulation prohibits such shipments from 2026?
    • 2.Does it believe that the rules could prevent clean-ups that have already been approved?
    • 3.Will it adopt interpretative clarifications to ensure the environment is protected and the law is upheld in local communities?

    Submitted: 26.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Public procurement: when Brussels finances Turkish and Iranian companies – E-002575/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002575/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Virginie Joron (PfE)

    Some French people find it difficult to watch their taxes being used to pay for free motorways in Poland, trains in Spain or nursery assistants in Romania. For example, the Commission has earmarked EUR 1.5 billion for the Romanian border[1], EUR 419 million for railway infrastructure in Spain (Almeria)[2] and EUR 448 million for the training of nursery assistants in Romania[3].

    Brussels should ensure a European preference when awarding public contracts.

    In Spain, Romania and Greece, many EU public contracts are awarded or subcontracted to companies from non-EU countries that do not apply reciprocity or are not signatories to the GPA[4]. For example, EU taxpayers finance companies supplying pipes and water pipes manufactured in Türkiye (SMS), China and Iran (Hanyco).

    • 1.How does the Commission ascertain if products used for public contracts benefiting from EU subsidies are made in Europe or in a country with reciprocal access to public contracts?
    • 2.Why does the Commission not publish a list of the countries that have not offered reciprocal access to their public contracts in the last five years?[5]
    • 3.Will the Commission require tenders – regardless of the amount and percentage rule[6] – containing products from third countries that do not apply reciprocity to be excluded, whether or not those countries have signed the GPA?

    Submitted: 25.6.2025

    • [1] Border-Curtici-Simeria railway line. Total budget (2013-2023): €1 809 360 168.12; EU contribution: €1 537 956 142.91 (85 %), https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3095706.
    • [2] Murcia-Almería railway line. Total budget: €523 966 300.00; EU contribution: €1 419 173 142.91 (80 %), https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3159194.
    • [3] ‘Progress in the quality of alternative childcare’. EU contribution: €448 million out of a budget of €530 million, https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3097484.
    • [4] WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/memobs_e.htm.
    • [5] Article 86(2) of Directive 2014/25/EU (water, energy, transport and postal services), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0025.
    • [6] Article 85(2): any tender submitted may be rejected where the proportion of the products originating in third countries exceeds 50 % of the total value of the products.
    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Public procurement: when Brussels finances Turkish and Iranian companies – E-002575/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002575/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Virginie Joron (PfE)

    Some French people find it difficult to watch their taxes being used to pay for free motorways in Poland, trains in Spain or nursery assistants in Romania. For example, the Commission has earmarked EUR 1.5 billion for the Romanian border[1], EUR 419 million for railway infrastructure in Spain (Almeria)[2] and EUR 448 million for the training of nursery assistants in Romania[3].

    Brussels should ensure a European preference when awarding public contracts.

    In Spain, Romania and Greece, many EU public contracts are awarded or subcontracted to companies from non-EU countries that do not apply reciprocity or are not signatories to the GPA[4]. For example, EU taxpayers finance companies supplying pipes and water pipes manufactured in Türkiye (SMS), China and Iran (Hanyco).

    • 1.How does the Commission ascertain if products used for public contracts benefiting from EU subsidies are made in Europe or in a country with reciprocal access to public contracts?
    • 2.Why does the Commission not publish a list of the countries that have not offered reciprocal access to their public contracts in the last five years?[5]
    • 3.Will the Commission require tenders – regardless of the amount and percentage rule[6] – containing products from third countries that do not apply reciprocity to be excluded, whether or not those countries have signed the GPA?

    Submitted: 25.6.2025

    • [1] Border-Curtici-Simeria railway line. Total budget (2013-2023): €1 809 360 168.12; EU contribution: €1 537 956 142.91 (85 %), https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3095706.
    • [2] Murcia-Almería railway line. Total budget: €523 966 300.00; EU contribution: €1 419 173 142.91 (80 %), https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3159194.
    • [3] ‘Progress in the quality of alternative childcare’. EU contribution: €448 million out of a budget of €530 million, https://kohesio.ec.europa.eu/en/projects/Q3097484.
    • [4] WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/gproc_e/memobs_e.htm.
    • [5] Article 86(2) of Directive 2014/25/EU (water, energy, transport and postal services), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0025.
    • [6] Article 85(2): any tender submitted may be rejected where the proportion of the products originating in third countries exceeds 50 % of the total value of the products.
    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Hundreds of jobs at risk as a result of sugar factory closure in Spain – E-002549/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002549/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Mireia Borrás Pabón (PfE)

    On 27 May 2025, AB Azucarera Iberia S.L. announced a collective redundancy plan which will affect 251 employees across all its sites in Spain. The plan involves closing the La Bañeza (León) sugar factory and converting the Miranda de Ebro (Burgos) sugar factory into a cane sugar refinery.

    The sugar beet sector in Europe – and in Spain in particular – has been in profound crisis since 2018. High production costs, price volatility, imports and stagnation of sugar production and content as a result of reduced active substances are driving sugar production towards dire straits.

    Considering the above:

    • 1.Will the Commission change its current plant health policy in order to restore productivity and the sugar yield per hectare of sugar beet?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to improve the safety net and risk management under the common market organisation to avoid a market crisis like the one in 2017-2020?
    • 3.Does the Commission intend to substantially change the preferential quotas under the future EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement to help stabilise the markets?

    Submitted: 25.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Finland’s derogation for mink fur farming and the ban on fur farming throughout the EU – E-002603/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002603/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Maria Ohisalo (Verts/ALE)

    The Commission has added the American mink to the EU list of invasive alien species.[1]However, Finland wants to continue mink fur farming and is therefore going to apply for a derogation to do this.

    To obtain a derogation, it must be demonstrated that there are compelling reasons of public interest for mink fur farming. However, public interest does not come into play in this case because fur farming in Finland is not economically viable, nor is it important for the country’s economy. Fur farming actually poses huge problems in terms of animal rights[2] and pandemic risk[3].

    The vast majority of EU Member States have already banned fur farming either partially or completely. Significant fur farming activities now only take place in Finland, Poland, Greece and Lithuania.

    The European Citizens’ Initiative on a fur-free Europe, which calls for an EU-wide ban on fur farming, has garnered over 1.5 million validated signatures and has been referred to the Commission for consideration. The Commission’s response to the initiative is due by March 2026.[4]

    • 1.Why is the Commission granting problematic derogations to a list of invasive alien species that has already been drawn up on the basis of scientific assessment?
    • 2.Is the Commission planning to propose an EU-wide ban on fur farming?

    Submitted: 27.6.2025

    • [1] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/invasive-alien-species_en
    • [2] https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/new-scientific-report-fur-farming-animal-welfare-needs-cannot-be-met
    • [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09007-w
    • [4] https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2022/000002_en
    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – EUR 415 million fine for OPEKEPE’s administrative failures: who ultimately pays the price? – E-002554/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002554/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Galato Alexandraki (ECR)

    The European Commission has fined Greece EUR 415 million for systematic administrative failures in the management of agricultural aid in the period 2009-2023. As the Ministry of Rural Development itself acknowledges, this is not a matter of producer fraud, but rather the result of inadequate checks, a lack of cross-checks with the IAPR, shortcomings in the land register, pasture maps, technical errors by private individuals and numerous years of institutional inaction.

    Although the blame is being attributed to administrative or political persons, not a single charge has been initiated. Meanwhile, the fine is already set to be covered by the state budget. This means that ordinary taxpayers and honest farmers are bearing the consequences of scandals in which they had no part.

    In view of this, can the Commission say:

    • 1.How does it assess the failure of the Greek authorities to identify and punish those actually responsible?
    • 2.Does it intend to request specific names of natural or legal persons responsible for the infringements?
    • 3.Does it consider it fair to impose the fine on farmers and citizens who bear no responsibility for the management collapse of the competent bodies?

    Submitted: 25.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Protection of EU citizens’ right to privacy – E-002538/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002538/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    João Cotrim De Figueiredo (Renew)

    In its Digital Rights Ireland judgment, the CJEU stated that the general and indiscriminate retention of communication data is a breach of the rights to privacy and data protection.

    What is more, the CJEU has ruled in a number of its decisions – specifically the Prokuratuur and La Quadrature du Net cases – that citizens’ communications data can only be accessed under strict proportionality and legality conditions established in the ePrivacy Directive.

    The Commission’s ‘Impact assessment on retention of data by service providers for criminal proceedings’ initiative, which is currently under public consultation, and the high-level group on access to data for effective law enforcement have raised serious concerns among EU citizens about the safeguarding of rights and freedoms in the European Union, such as privacy, data protection and civil liberties.

    In the light of the above:

    • 1.Does the Commission intend to submit any legislative proposal that involves general and indiscriminate retention of communication data at EU level?
    • 2.Does the Commission intend to submit any legislative proposal to amend the ePrivacy Directive to change the conditions for accessing citizens’ communication data?

    Submitted: 24.6.2025

    Last updated: 2 July 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • Centre considering ₹100-crore Aqua Park for J&K: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, on Wednesday said that flagship schemes such as the Blue Revolution, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) have significantly strengthened the fisheries ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Speaking at a function at the Shalimar Convention Centre, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Singh said the Centre remains committed to supporting the livestock and fisheries sectors as engines of rural income and nutritional security.

    Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Agriculture Production and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Alka Upadhyaya, senior officials and progressive farmers from across the Valley attended the event.

    Singh pointed out that over 10 crore farmers in India depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with small and marginal farmers owning more than 90% of dairy animals. Women account for over 70% of participation in the dairy sector and hold nearly a third of cooperative memberships.

    In Jammu and Kashmir, milk production has increased by 47% over the past decade, rising from 19.5 lakh tonnes in 2014–15 to 28.74 lakh tonnes in 2023–24. Per capita milk availability in the Union Territory stands at 413 grams per day, he said.

    Highlighting efforts to promote trout farming, Singh said the government facilitated the import of 13.4 lakh genetically improved eyed ova of Rainbow and Brown Trout from Denmark, boosting trout production from 650 metric tonnes (MT) in 2020–21 to 2,380 MT in 2023–24 — an increase of 266%.

    Earlier in the day, Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah co-chaired a review meeting of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sectors at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. They also virtually inaugurated a 50,000-litre-per-day Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Milk Processing Plant at Satwari, Jammu.

    Singh said the Centre sees immense untapped potential in J&K’s livestock and fisheries sectors and assured full support for their development. He called for closer collaboration between the Union and UT governments to translate this potential into sustainable rural livelihoods.

    Encouraging youth to take up micro and small-scale ventures in fisheries and livestock, the Union Minister said that key national bodies like the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) would help build strong infrastructure and market linkages.

    He informed that under PMMSY, the Centre has committed ₹852 crore for Himalayan and North Eastern states, including ₹300 crore specifically for J&K, to enhance production, infrastructure, and employment.

    According to Singh, annual fish production in J&K has grown from 20,000 MT in 2013–14 to 29,000 MT in 2024–25, while trout production has surged by over 800% — from 262 MT to 2,380 MT during the same period. Trout seed production has risen from 9 million to 15.2 million, and carp seed production has increased from 40 million to 63.5 million.

    The Minister said that recognising J&K’s potential for cold-water fisheries, the Ministry has designated Anantnag as a Cold-Water Fisheries Cluster, with Kulgam and Shopian as partner districts to develop an integrated value chain for sustainable livelihoods.

    He added that a proposal worth ₹100 crore is under consideration to set up an Integrated Aqua Park in J&K under PMMSY Phase-II to serve as a model for cold-water aquaculture.

    Singh reiterated the Centre’s commitment to holistic rural development, farmer empowerment and the vision of a self-reliant India.

  • Centre considering ₹100-crore Aqua Park for J&K: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, on Wednesday said that flagship schemes such as the Blue Revolution, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) have significantly strengthened the fisheries ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Speaking at a function at the Shalimar Convention Centre, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Singh said the Centre remains committed to supporting the livestock and fisheries sectors as engines of rural income and nutritional security.

    Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Agriculture Production and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Alka Upadhyaya, senior officials and progressive farmers from across the Valley attended the event.

    Singh pointed out that over 10 crore farmers in India depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with small and marginal farmers owning more than 90% of dairy animals. Women account for over 70% of participation in the dairy sector and hold nearly a third of cooperative memberships.

    In Jammu and Kashmir, milk production has increased by 47% over the past decade, rising from 19.5 lakh tonnes in 2014–15 to 28.74 lakh tonnes in 2023–24. Per capita milk availability in the Union Territory stands at 413 grams per day, he said.

    Highlighting efforts to promote trout farming, Singh said the government facilitated the import of 13.4 lakh genetically improved eyed ova of Rainbow and Brown Trout from Denmark, boosting trout production from 650 metric tonnes (MT) in 2020–21 to 2,380 MT in 2023–24 — an increase of 266%.

    Earlier in the day, Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah co-chaired a review meeting of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sectors at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. They also virtually inaugurated a 50,000-litre-per-day Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Milk Processing Plant at Satwari, Jammu.

    Singh said the Centre sees immense untapped potential in J&K’s livestock and fisheries sectors and assured full support for their development. He called for closer collaboration between the Union and UT governments to translate this potential into sustainable rural livelihoods.

    Encouraging youth to take up micro and small-scale ventures in fisheries and livestock, the Union Minister said that key national bodies like the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) would help build strong infrastructure and market linkages.

    He informed that under PMMSY, the Centre has committed ₹852 crore for Himalayan and North Eastern states, including ₹300 crore specifically for J&K, to enhance production, infrastructure, and employment.

    According to Singh, annual fish production in J&K has grown from 20,000 MT in 2013–14 to 29,000 MT in 2024–25, while trout production has surged by over 800% — from 262 MT to 2,380 MT during the same period. Trout seed production has risen from 9 million to 15.2 million, and carp seed production has increased from 40 million to 63.5 million.

    The Minister said that recognising J&K’s potential for cold-water fisheries, the Ministry has designated Anantnag as a Cold-Water Fisheries Cluster, with Kulgam and Shopian as partner districts to develop an integrated value chain for sustainable livelihoods.

    He added that a proposal worth ₹100 crore is under consideration to set up an Integrated Aqua Park in J&K under PMMSY Phase-II to serve as a model for cold-water aquaculture.

    Singh reiterated the Centre’s commitment to holistic rural development, farmer empowerment and the vision of a self-reliant India.

  • Centre considering ₹100-crore Aqua Park for J&K: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, on Wednesday said that flagship schemes such as the Blue Revolution, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) have significantly strengthened the fisheries ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Speaking at a function at the Shalimar Convention Centre, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Singh said the Centre remains committed to supporting the livestock and fisheries sectors as engines of rural income and nutritional security.

    Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Agriculture Production and Panchayati Raj Javid Ahmad Dar, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Alka Upadhyaya, senior officials and progressive farmers from across the Valley attended the event.

    Singh pointed out that over 10 crore farmers in India depend on livestock for their livelihoods, with small and marginal farmers owning more than 90% of dairy animals. Women account for over 70% of participation in the dairy sector and hold nearly a third of cooperative memberships.

    In Jammu and Kashmir, milk production has increased by 47% over the past decade, rising from 19.5 lakh tonnes in 2014–15 to 28.74 lakh tonnes in 2023–24. Per capita milk availability in the Union Territory stands at 413 grams per day, he said.

    Highlighting efforts to promote trout farming, Singh said the government facilitated the import of 13.4 lakh genetically improved eyed ova of Rainbow and Brown Trout from Denmark, boosting trout production from 650 metric tonnes (MT) in 2020–21 to 2,380 MT in 2023–24 — an increase of 266%.

    Earlier in the day, Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah co-chaired a review meeting of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries sectors at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. They also virtually inaugurated a 50,000-litre-per-day Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Milk Processing Plant at Satwari, Jammu.

    Singh said the Centre sees immense untapped potential in J&K’s livestock and fisheries sectors and assured full support for their development. He called for closer collaboration between the Union and UT governments to translate this potential into sustainable rural livelihoods.

    Encouraging youth to take up micro and small-scale ventures in fisheries and livestock, the Union Minister said that key national bodies like the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) would help build strong infrastructure and market linkages.

    He informed that under PMMSY, the Centre has committed ₹852 crore for Himalayan and North Eastern states, including ₹300 crore specifically for J&K, to enhance production, infrastructure, and employment.

    According to Singh, annual fish production in J&K has grown from 20,000 MT in 2013–14 to 29,000 MT in 2024–25, while trout production has surged by over 800% — from 262 MT to 2,380 MT during the same period. Trout seed production has risen from 9 million to 15.2 million, and carp seed production has increased from 40 million to 63.5 million.

    The Minister said that recognising J&K’s potential for cold-water fisheries, the Ministry has designated Anantnag as a Cold-Water Fisheries Cluster, with Kulgam and Shopian as partner districts to develop an integrated value chain for sustainable livelihoods.

    He added that a proposal worth ₹100 crore is under consideration to set up an Integrated Aqua Park in J&K under PMMSY Phase-II to serve as a model for cold-water aquaculture.

    Singh reiterated the Centre’s commitment to holistic rural development, farmer empowerment and the vision of a self-reliant India.