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Category: European Union

  • MIL-OSI: STMicroelectronics Reports on Resolutions to be Proposed at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PR N°C3324C

    STMicroelectronics Reports on Resolutions to be Proposed
    at the 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

    Amsterdam, March 27, 2025 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced the resolutions to be submitted for adoption at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) which will be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on May 28, 2025.

    The resolutions, proposed by the Supervisory Board, are:

    • The adoption of the Company’s statutory annual accounts for the year ended December 31, 2024, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The 2024 statutory annual accounts1 were filed with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) on March 27, 2025 and are posted on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and the AFM’s website (www.afm.nl);
    • The distribution of a cash dividend of US$ 0.36 per outstanding share of the Company’s common stock, to be distributed in quarterly installments of US$ 0.09 in each of the second, third and fourth quarters of 2025 and first quarter of 2026 to shareholders of record in the month of each quarterly payment as per the table below;
    • The adoption of the remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board;
    • The appointment of Werner Lieberherr, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term expiring at the end of the 2028 AGM, in replacement of Ms. Janet Davidson whose mandate will expire at the end of the 2025 AGM;
    • The reappointment of Ms. Anna de Pro Gonzalo, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2028 AGM;
    • The reappointment of Ms. Hélène Vletter-van Dort, as member of the Supervisory Board, for a three-year term to expire at the end of the 2028 AGM;
    • The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. as the Company’s external auditor for the financial years 2026-2029;
    • The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. to audit the Company’s sustainability reporting for the financial years 2026-2027, to the extent required by law;
    • The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the President and CEO;
    • The approval of the stock-based portion of the compensation of the Chief Financial Officer;
    • The authorization to the Managing Board, until the conclusion of the 2026 AGM, to repurchase shares, subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board;
    • The delegation to the Supervisory Board of the authority to issue new common shares, to grant rights to subscribe for such shares, and to limit and/or exclude existing shareholders’ pre-emptive rights on common shares, until the end of the 2026 AGM;
    • The discharge of the members of the Managing Board; and
    • The discharge of the members of the Supervisory Board.

    The record date for all shareholders to participate at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders will be April 30, 2025. The complete agenda and all relevant detailed information concerning the 2025 AGM, as well as all related AGM materials, are available on the Company’s website (www.st.com) and made available to shareholders in compliance with legal requirements as of March 27, 2025.

    Upon the completion by the Supervisory Board of an on-going nomination and selection process, the Company will further communicate on additional nominations to serve on the Supervisory Board, which will be proposed to the general meeting of shareholders.

    As for rule amendments from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and conforming FINRA rule changes, on US market the standard for settlement is the next business day after a trade or t+1. European settlement rule remains at t+2 for the time being.

    The table below summarizes the full schedule for the quarterly dividends:

                  Transfer between New York and Dutch registered shares restricted:
      In Europe in NYSE      
    Quarter Ex-dividend Date Record Date Payment Date Ex-dividend and Record Date Payment Date: on or after   From End of Business in NY on: Until Open of Business in NY on:
    Q2 2025 23-Jun-25 24-Jun-25 25-Jun-25 24-Jun-25 1-Jul-25   20-Jun-25 25-Jun-25
    Q3 2025 22-Sep-25 23-Sep-25 24-Sep-25 23-Sep-25 30-Sep-25   19-Sep-25 24-Sep-25
    Q4 2025 15-Dec-25 16-Dec-25 17-Dec-25 16-Dec-25 23-Dec-25   12-Dec-25 17-Dec-25
    Q1 2026 23-Mar-26 24-Mar-26 25-Mar-26 24-Mar-26 31-Mar-26   20-Mar-26 25-Mar-26

    About STMicroelectronics
    At ST, we are 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are on track to be carbon neutral in all direct and indirect emissions (scopes 1 and 2), product transportation, business travel, and employee commuting emissions (our scope 3 focus), and to achieve our 100% renewable electricity sourcing goal by the end of 2027.

    Further information can be found at www.st.com.

    INVESTOR RELATIONS
    Jérôme Ramel
    EVP Corporate Development & Integrated External Communication
    Tel: +41.22.929.59.20
    jerome.ramel@st.com

    MEDIA RELATIONS
    Alexis Breton
    Corporate External Communications
    Tel: +33.6.59.16.79.08
    alexis.breton@st.com

    1    The Annual Report includes the sustainability statement which is prepared based on the general principles of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Australians almost never vote out a first-term government. So why is this year’s election looking so tight?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University

    Now that an election has been called, Australian voters will go to the polls on May 3 to decide the fate of the first-term, centre-left Australian Labor Party government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

    In Australia, national elections are held every three years. The official campaign period only lasts for around a month.

    This time around, Albanese will be seeking to hold onto power after breaking Labor’s nine-year dry spell by beating the more right-leaning Liberal Party, led by Scott Morrison, in 2022.

    Now, he’s up against the Liberals’ new leader, a conservative with a tough guy image, Peter Dutton. It’s looking like a tight race.

    So how do elections work in Australia, who’s contesting for the top spot and why is the race looking so close?

    For Albanese, the honeymoon is over

    Albanese was brought into power in 2022 on the back of dissatisfaction with the long-term and scandal-prone Liberal-National Coalition government.

    At the time, he was considered personally more competent, warm and sensible than Morrison.

    Unfortunately for Albanese, the dissatisfaction and stress about the cost of living hasn’t gone away.

    Governments in Australia almost always win a second term. However, initially high levels of public support have dissipated over the first term. Opinion polls are pointing to a close election, though Albanese’s approval ratings have had a boost in recent weeks.

    At the heart of what makes this such a tight contest are issues shared by many established democracies: the public’s persistent sense of economic hardship in the post-pandemic period and longer-term dissatisfaction with “politics as usual”, combined with an increased focus on party leaders.

    Around the world, incumbents have faced challenges holding onto power over the past year, with voters sweeping out the Conservatives in the United Kingdom and the Democrats in the United States.

    Australia has faced some similar economic challenges, such as relatively high inflation and cost-of-living problems.

    Likewise, Australia – like many other established democracies – has long-term trends of dissatisfaction with major parties and the political system itself.

    However, this distaste with “business as usual” manifests differently in Australia from comparable countries such the UK and US.

    Australia’s voting system

    In Australia, voting is compulsory, and those who fail to turn out face a small fine. Some observers have argued this pushes parties to try to persuade “swing” voters with more moderate policies, rather than rely on their faithful “bases” and court those with more extreme views who are more likely to vote.

    In the UK, by comparison, widespread public distaste with the Conservatives, combined with low turnout and first-past-the-post voting, delivered Keir Steirmer’s Labour Party a dramatic victory. This was despite a limited uptick in support.

    And in the US, turnout in the 2024 election was only about 64%. Donald Trump and the Republicans swept to power last year by channelling a deep anti-establishment sentiment among those people who voted.

    And the country is now so polarised, that the more strongly identifying Democrat and Republican voters who do turn out to vote can’t see eye to eye on highly emotionally charged issues which dominate the parties’ platforms. Independent voters are left without “centrist” options.

    Because Australia’s voting system is different, Dutton is unlikely to follow Trump’s far-right positioning too closely, despite dabbling in the “anti-woke” culture wars.

    It also explains why Albanese’s personal style is usually quite mild-mannered and why he’s unlikely to present himself as a radical reformer.

    However, neither man’s approach has made them wildly popular with the public. This means neither can rely on their own popularity to win over the public.

    Another factor making Australia distinct is that voters rank their choices, with their vote flowing to their second choice if their first choice doesn’t achieve a majority. This means many races in the 150-seat lower house of parliament are won from second place.

    Similarly, seats in the Senate (Australia’s second chamber, with the power to amend or block legislation) are won based on the proportion of votes a party receives in each state or territory. This gives minor parties and independents a better chance at winning seats compared to the lower house.

    This means dissatisfaction with the major parties has in recent years created space for minor parties and a new crop of well-organised independents to get elected and influence policy. In 2022, around one-third of voters helped independents and minor parties take seats off both the Liberals and Labor in the inner cities.

    To win government, Dutton will need to get them back, or take more volatile outer-suburban seats off Labor.

    The big policy concerns

    Against this backdrop, Australian voters both in 2022 and today have a fairly consistent set of policy concerns. And while parties want to be seen addressing them, their messaging isn’t always heard.

    The 2022 Australian Election Study, run by Australian political researchers, revealed that pessimism about the economy and concerns about the cost of living were front of mind when Australians voted out the Liberal-National Coalition government last federal election.

    This time around, one might think some relative improvement in economic factors like unemployment and cuts to interest rates would put a spring in the prime minister’s step.

    However, the public is still very concerned about the day-to-day cost-of-living pressures and practical issues such as access to health care.

    The government’s policy efforts in this direction – for example, tax cuts and subsidies for power bills – have so far not strongly cut through.

    What have the major parties promised?

    Comparing the parties’ platforms, Labor is firmly focused on economic and government service issues to support people in the short term.

    Although expected to announce the election earlier, Albanese was handed the opportunity of delivering an extra budget by a tropical storm in early March. This included spending promises foreshadowed earlier, as well as a new modest tax cut as an election sweetener.

    In the longer term, Labor has promised significant incentives to improve access to free doctor’s visits and focused on investments in women’s health, as well as technological infrastructure.

    Labor is also encouraging more people to fill skill shortages through vocational education and promising to make the transition to renewable energy, while simultaneously supporting local manufacturing.

    The Coalition, for its part, has been critical of these long-term goals and promised to repeal the newly legislated tax cuts in favour of subsidies for petrol. It has focused its message on reduced government spending, while strategically mirroring promises on health to avoid Labor attacks on that front.

    Dutton has also proposed cuts to migration to reduce housing pressures and a controversial plan to build nuclear power plants at the expense of renewables.

    Will these differences in long-term plans cut through? Or are people focused on short-term, hip-pocket concerns?

    This election, whatever the result, will not represent a long-term shifting of loyalties, but rather a precarious compact with distrustful voters looking for relief in uncertain times.

    Pandanus Petter is employed at the Australian National University with funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Australians almost never vote out a first-term government. So why is this year’s election looking so tight? – https://theconversation.com/australians-almost-never-vote-out-a-first-term-government-so-why-is-this-years-election-looking-so-tight-250249

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australians almost never vote out a first-term government. So why is this year’s election looking so tight?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University

    Now that an election has been called, Australian voters will go to the polls on May 3 to decide the fate of the first-term, centre-left Australian Labor Party government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

    In Australia, national elections are held every three years. The official campaign period only lasts for around a month.

    This time around, Albanese will be seeking to hold onto power after breaking Labor’s nine-year dry spell by beating the more right-leaning Liberal Party, led by Scott Morrison, in 2022.

    Now, he’s up against the Liberals’ new leader, a conservative with a tough guy image, Peter Dutton. It’s looking like a tight race.

    So how do elections work in Australia, who’s contesting for the top spot and why is the race looking so close?

    For Albanese, the honeymoon is over

    Albanese was brought into power in 2022 on the back of dissatisfaction with the long-term and scandal-prone Liberal-National Coalition government.

    At the time, he was considered personally more competent, warm and sensible than Morrison.

    Unfortunately for Albanese, the dissatisfaction and stress about the cost of living hasn’t gone away.

    Governments in Australia almost always win a second term. However, initially high levels of public support have dissipated over the first term. Opinion polls are pointing to a close election, though Albanese’s approval ratings have had a boost in recent weeks.

    At the heart of what makes this such a tight contest are issues shared by many established democracies: the public’s persistent sense of economic hardship in the post-pandemic period and longer-term dissatisfaction with “politics as usual”, combined with an increased focus on party leaders.

    Around the world, incumbents have faced challenges holding onto power over the past year, with voters sweeping out the Conservatives in the United Kingdom and the Democrats in the United States.

    Australia has faced some similar economic challenges, such as relatively high inflation and cost-of-living problems.

    Likewise, Australia – like many other established democracies – has long-term trends of dissatisfaction with major parties and the political system itself.

    However, this distaste with “business as usual” manifests differently in Australia from comparable countries such the UK and US.

    Australia’s voting system

    In Australia, voting is compulsory, and those who fail to turn out face a small fine. Some observers have argued this pushes parties to try to persuade “swing” voters with more moderate policies, rather than rely on their faithful “bases” and court those with more extreme views who are more likely to vote.

    In the UK, by comparison, widespread public distaste with the Conservatives, combined with low turnout and first-past-the-post voting, delivered Keir Steirmer’s Labour Party a dramatic victory. This was despite a limited uptick in support.

    And in the US, turnout in the 2024 election was only about 64%. Donald Trump and the Republicans swept to power last year by channelling a deep anti-establishment sentiment among those people who voted.

    And the country is now so polarised, that the more strongly identifying Democrat and Republican voters who do turn out to vote can’t see eye to eye on highly emotionally charged issues which dominate the parties’ platforms. Independent voters are left without “centrist” options.

    Because Australia’s voting system is different, Dutton is unlikely to follow Trump’s far-right positioning too closely, despite dabbling in the “anti-woke” culture wars.

    It also explains why Albanese’s personal style is usually quite mild-mannered and why he’s unlikely to present himself as a radical reformer.

    However, neither man’s approach has made them wildly popular with the public. This means neither can rely on their own popularity to win over the public.

    Another factor making Australia distinct is that voters rank their choices, with their vote flowing to their second choice if their first choice doesn’t achieve a majority. This means many races in the 150-seat lower house of parliament are won from second place.

    Similarly, seats in the Senate (Australia’s second chamber, with the power to amend or block legislation) are won based on the proportion of votes a party receives in each state or territory. This gives minor parties and independents a better chance at winning seats compared to the lower house.

    This means dissatisfaction with the major parties has in recent years created space for minor parties and a new crop of well-organised independents to get elected and influence policy. In 2022, around one-third of voters helped independents and minor parties take seats off both the Liberals and Labor in the inner cities.

    To win government, Dutton will need to get them back, or take more volatile outer-suburban seats off Labor.

    The big policy concerns

    Against this backdrop, Australian voters both in 2022 and today have a fairly consistent set of policy concerns. And while parties want to be seen addressing them, their messaging isn’t always heard.

    The 2022 Australian Election Study, run by Australian political researchers, revealed that pessimism about the economy and concerns about the cost of living were front of mind when Australians voted out the Liberal-National Coalition government last federal election.

    This time around, one might think some relative improvement in economic factors like unemployment and cuts to interest rates would put a spring in the prime minister’s step.

    However, the public is still very concerned about the day-to-day cost-of-living pressures and practical issues such as access to health care.

    The government’s policy efforts in this direction – for example, tax cuts and subsidies for power bills – have so far not strongly cut through.

    What have the major parties promised?

    Comparing the parties’ platforms, Labor is firmly focused on economic and government service issues to support people in the short term.

    Although expected to announce the election earlier, Albanese was handed the opportunity of delivering an extra budget by a tropical storm in early March. This included spending promises foreshadowed earlier, as well as a new modest tax cut as an election sweetener.

    In the longer term, Labor has promised significant incentives to improve access to free doctor’s visits and focused on investments in women’s health, as well as technological infrastructure.

    Labor is also encouraging more people to fill skill shortages through vocational education and promising to make the transition to renewable energy, while simultaneously supporting local manufacturing.

    The Coalition, for its part, has been critical of these long-term goals and promised to repeal the newly legislated tax cuts in favour of subsidies for petrol. It has focused its message on reduced government spending, while strategically mirroring promises on health to avoid Labor attacks on that front.

    Dutton has also proposed cuts to migration to reduce housing pressures and a controversial plan to build nuclear power plants at the expense of renewables.

    Will these differences in long-term plans cut through? Or are people focused on short-term, hip-pocket concerns?

    This election, whatever the result, will not represent a long-term shifting of loyalties, but rather a precarious compact with distrustful voters looking for relief in uncertain times.

    Pandanus Petter is employed at the Australian National University with funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Australians almost never vote out a first-term government. So why is this year’s election looking so tight? – https://theconversation.com/australians-almost-never-vote-out-a-first-term-government-so-why-is-this-years-election-looking-so-tight-250249

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Happy job, happy life? Works both ways, new research shows

    Source:

    28 March 2025

    A major new international study exploring the long-term relationship between job and life satisfaction shows that personal happiness is the major driver for a satisfying work life, not the other way around.

    The finding, published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, challenges conventional thinking that job satisfaction has a stronger influence on life satisfaction than vice versa, and provides crucial insights for employers about the importance of work-life balance.

    Researchers from the US, Germany and South Australia analysed data from more than 160,000 people across multiple global studies, demonstrating how the intertwined paths of job and life satisfaction shift and shape each other over time.

    The study found that individuals with higher life satisfaction were 32% more likely to experience increased job satisfaction over time. While job satisfaction does have a positive effect on future life satisfaction, it is comparatively weaker and diminishes over time.

    First author Christopher Wiese, Assistant Psychology Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says the study highlights the critical role of holistic wellbeing in professional performance and career fulfillment.

    “Organisations that focus solely on job satisfaction initiatives may be missing a fundamental component of employee happiness,” he says.

    “By prioritising overall wellbeing strategies – including mental health support, work-life balance initiatives, and personal development – organisations can foster a more engaged and satisfied workforce.”

    Christian Dormann, Professor of Business Education & Management from Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany, and an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of South Australia, says that psychologists have long assumed that job satisfaction drives overall happiness.

    “However, our research shows that the opposite is more powerful,” Prof Dormann says. “If employers truly want to enhance workplace satisfaction, they need to invest in employees’ broader wellbeing.”

    “This study provides a compelling case for businesses to adopt a people-first approach. If employees are happy in their personal lives, they bring that positivity to work. It’s a cycle that organisations can help nurture.”

    The researchers have made several recommendations based on the study findings:

    • Implementing flexible work arrangements to support employees’ personal commitments
    • Encouraging mental health and wellness programs to improve overall life satisfaction
    • Providing opportunities for personal and professional growth that extend beyond job-related tasks
    • Fostering a workplace culture that values employees’ lives outside of work

    Notes for editors

    “Happy Work, Happy Life? A Replication and Comparison of the Longitudinal Effects Between Job and Life Satisfaction Using Continuous Time Meta-Analysis” is published in the Journal of Organizational Behaviour. DOI: 10.1002/job.2861

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 27.03.2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Nokia Corporation
    Stock Exchange Release
    27 March 2025 at 22:30 EET

    Nokia Corporation: Repurchase of own shares on 27.03.2025

    Espoo, Finland – On 27 March 2025 Nokia Corporation (LEI: 549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06) has acquired its own shares (ISIN FI0009000681) as follows:                

    Trading venue (MIC Code) Number of shares Weighted average price / share, EUR*
    XHEL 2,797,174 4.87
    CEUX 1,500,000 4.88
    BATE – –
    AQEU 179,256 4.87
    TQEX 195,996 4.87
    Total 4,672,426 4.88

    * Rounded to two decimals

    On 22 November 2024, Nokia announced that its Board of Directors is initiating a share buyback program to offset the dilutive effect of new Nokia shares issued to the shareholders of Infinera Corporation and certain Infinera Corporation share-based incentives. The repurchases in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR), the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 and under the authorization granted by Nokia’s Annual General Meeting on 3 April 2024 started on 25 November 2024 and end by 31 December 2025 and target to repurchase 150 million shares for a maximum aggregate purchase price of EUR 900 million.

    Total cost of transactions executed on 27 March 2025 was EUR 22,782,749. After the disclosed transactions, Nokia Corporation holds 204,719,506 treasury shares.

    Details of transactions are included as an appendix to this announcement.

    On behalf of Nokia Corporation

    BofA Securities Europe SA

    About Nokia
    At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

    As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

    With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

    Inquiries:

    Nokia Communications
    Phone: +358 10 448 4900
    Email: press.services@nokia.com
    Maria Vaismaa, Global Head of External Communications

    Nokia Investor Relations
    Phone: +358 931 580 507
    Email: investor.relations@nokia.com

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Stifel Reports February 2025 Operating Data

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ST. LOUIS, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today reported selected operating results for February 28, 2025 in an effort to provide timely information to investors on certain key performance metrics. Due to the limited nature of this data, a consistent correlation to earnings should not be assumed.

    Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Total client assets under management increased 11% in February to $506 billion and fee-based client assets rose 14% to $196 billion from the same period a year ago. Our growth continues to be driven by stronger equity markets and the addition of highly productive financial advisors. Client money market and insured products declined less than 1% from January, as modest increases in Sweep deposits were more than offset by lower Smart Rate balances. Despite our strong investment banking pipelines, market uncertainty and volatility in the quarter have negatively impacted activity levels. As such, we anticipate that our first quarter 2025 investment banking revenue will be similar to our first quarter 2024 results.”

    Selected Operating Data (Unaudited)
      As of   % Change
    (millions) 2/28/2025 2/29/2024 1/31/2025   2/29/2024   1/31/2025  
    Total client assets $ 506,475 $ 457,925 $ 509,671   11 % (1 )%
    Fee-based client assets $ 196,380 $ 172,086 $ 197,298   14 % (0 )%
    Private Client Group fee-based client assets $ 171,760 $ 151,345 $ 172,468   14 % (0 )%
    Bank loans, net (includes loans held for sale) $ 21,201 $ 19,594 $ 21,118   8 % 0 %
    Client money market and insured product (1) $ 27,737 $ 26,299 $ 27,936   6 % (1 )%

    (1) Includes Smart Rate deposits, Sweep deposits, Third-party Bank Sweep Program, and Other Sweep cash.

    Company Information

    Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners and Miller Buckfire business divisions; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; and Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC; in Canada through Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc.; and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s website at www.stifel.com. For global disclosures, please visit www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases.

    Media Contact: Neil Shapiro (212) 271-3447 | Investor Contact: Joel Jeffrey (212) 271- 3610 | www.stifel.com/investor-relations

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: US accounted for 90% of global bank fines imposed in 2024 – Finbold

    Source: Finbold

    Finbold’s 2024 Bank Fines Report found that 57 fines larger than $500,000 were issued to banks worldwide in 2024 due to a wide range of violations for a total penalty sum of $4.5 billion. (ref. https://finbold.com/report/bank-fines-2024 )

    According to Finbold research, anti-money laundering (AML) breaches were the most common violation, and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank) was forced to pay $3.09 billion over related failures.

    Furthermore, TD Bank’s fine accounted for 68.67% of the amount levied in 2024, while the US regulators collected $4.08 billion—slightly more than 90% of the cumulative global amount.

    UK and Sweden lead Europe trail behind the US

    British and Swedish regulators were responsible for the largest fines outside the US. In the UK, HSBC Bank was penalized with $74.12 million for failing to implement depositor protection, while in Sweden, Klarna Bank AB was compelled to pay $46 million over AML issues.

    Finland, whose fines totaled $35 million, found itself in the fourth stop. The country’s enforcement is also notable for involving Nordea Bank’s failures to prevent money laundering and other criminal activities, as revealed by the 2016 Panama Papers.

    China imposed only $31 million in bank fines in 2024

    Elsewhere, China may be the biggest surprise of the report. Despite boasting the world’s second-biggest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), it was only fourth in the total number of cases, at three, and fifth in the total penalty amount, at $31.22 million.

    As Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the research, pointed out:

    “In the US, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures just over 4,000 such corporations, aligning the American case proportion with the dominance of the country’s banking sector. Despite imposing substantially lower and fewer fines, China is also cited as having more than 4,000 banking institutions.”

    Lastly, the figure for China does not change much for those who prioritize the ‘one country’ over the ‘two systems,’ as there was only one case in Hong Kong, which resulted in a relatively small fine of $510,000.

    Read the full story with statistics here: https://finbold.com/us-accounted-for-90-of-global-bank-fines-imposed-in-2024-finbold-report/

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Members stress importance of boosting LDCs’ participation in agricultural supply chains

    Source: World Trade Organization

    LDCs’ participation in agricultural supply chains

    The Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) outlined its current work in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea and Senegal aimed at improving LDCs’ agricultural export capacity. Members also heard from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), which directs close to 60 per cent of its support towards LDCs. STDF activities have helped increase product quality, reduce the use of chemicals and fertilizers and increased awareness of post-harvest practices, it said.

    Speakers noted that the evolving regulatory environment, informal trade and climate change are some of the main challenges to sanitary and phytosanitary capacity building in these countries.

    To address agricultural export inefficiencies, speakers underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, including among government authorities, the private sector and academic representatives. The role of market intelligence, skills transfer, innovation and South-South cooperation were also highlighted as key drivers of agricultural trade competitiveness. Digitalization and regional integration were identified as opportunities for LDCs to enhance market access.

    Small-scale farm producers in LDCs are particularly affected by the costs of certification, laboratory testing and regulatory compliance, speakers noted. Women face gender-related barriers, such as difficulties to access land, financial resources and export opportunities, they said.  Referring to the dried mango value chain in Burkina Faso and the peppercorn value chain in Lao PDR, speakers underscored challenges associated with high tariffs, complex sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, limited awareness of best agricultural practices, financial constraints and infrastructure barriers.

    At the same time, innovative approaches are being developed in Lao PDR, such as certification processes involving several stakeholders to ensure the quality of organic food and knowledge sharing.

    Speakers stressed the need for strengthening partnerships and targeting support to harness LDCs’ potential in the agricultural sector and improve economic diversification.

    Sub-Committee on LDCs

    In the Sub-Committee on LDCs, the International Trade Centre presented its Global Trade Helpdesk. A presentation on the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism provided information on its monitoring, evaluation and learning framework. The chair of the Sub-Committee on LDCs, Ambassador Ib Petersen of Denmark, provided an update of the progress made in the discussions on graduation from LDC status since the beginning of the year.

    Members heard from the WTO Secretariat that the LDCs’ share in world trade of goods and commercial services has nearly doubled in the past 30 years, from 0.59 per cent in 1995 to 1.17 per cent in 2023. At the same time, most LDCs continue to rely on a small range of products. “Further efforts are needed to enhance LDCs’ participation in world trade and take advantage of emerging trade opportunities,” Ambassador Petersen said. A video of the latest trends in LDCs’ trade can be watched here.

    Members also considered a new communication on strengthening the implementation of the Guidelines for the Accession of LDCs and its Addendum, submitted by Djibouti on behalf of the LDC Group and India.

    There are currently 44 LDCs, of which 37 are WTO members. Four are in the process of joining the WTO. These are Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

    More information about the experience-sharing session is available here.

    More information on the Sub-Committee on LDCs can be found here.

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    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Call goes out for new Highland Youth Convener 2025-2026

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Young people of the Highlands are being invited to put themselves forward as the recruitment search begins for the unique, representative role of Highlands’ next Youth Convener.

    Created in 2007 by The Highland Council, the 12-month full-time position of Highland Youth Convener continues to be instrumental in championing the causes of young people across the Highlands.

    The Youth Convener will attend The Highland Council’s Education Committee, they will also work with The Highland Council’s Youth Service team in shaping the work of the Highland Youth Parliament as well as contributing to other initiatives that increase youth involvement, and influence decisions which may impact young people.

    Current Youth Convener, Lauren McKittrick explains: “The Highland Youth Convener role is as important as it is unique. It creates a vital and direct relationship between young people in the Highlands and those who have the ability to make change. To engage with the Highlands’ young people and represent their interests to senior officials and community planning partners offers a great deal of satisfaction, and I would encourage any enthusiastic young person who seeks to champion the voice of young people to take up this opportunity.”

    Assistant Chief Executive – People, Kate Lackie said: “The role provides an outstanding opportunity for someone to be a full-time face, voice and influencer. The Youth Convenor creates links between young people services and service-providers; and plays a pivotal role in connecting those very important local youth voices on the issues that matter in young people’s lives with decision makers at regional level.”

    Principal Adult and Youth Services Manager, Mark Richardson said: “Young people’s rights must be upheld and championed by us all. This work includes ensuring that their voices are listened to, have influence, and contribute to positive change on the issues that matter to them.

    “The Youth Convener role represents a platform for the voices of young people to be heard within our democratic structures, including at the Highland Council’s Education Committee and in the development of services in our communities.”

    Any young person who has good communication skills, a strong awareness of issues affecting young people, an ability to represent those views and who can work with a wide range of people and organisations is being invited to apply for the position.

    For applications visit:  https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/highland-council/jobs/highland-youth-convener-highland-wide-fixed-term-12-months-418185

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Croatia’s climate action strategy – 27-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Croatia does not set its own national climate targets, but has emissions reduction obligations under EU law, and contributes to the EU-wide target of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory in Figure 1). Croatia accounts for 0.62 % of the EU’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and has reduced its net emissions by 19.5 % from 2005 to 2023, compared with an average EU reduction of 30.5 % over the same period. The country’s land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector is a significant but declining carbon sink. Emissions from sectors under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) were reduced by 51.6 %. For the effort-sharing sectors, Croatia remained within emissions allocations from 2013 to 2020. Although slightly exceeding allocations in 2022, and at the limit in 2023, the country projects that it will achieve its 2030 obligation. In August 2023, Croatia proposed to add a REPowerEU chapter to its recovery and resilience plan, comprising significant climate spending. Croatia submitted a draft updated national energy and climate plan (NECP) on 4 July 2023. The European Commission assessed it and made recommendations for Croatia’s final updated NECP, overdue since June 2024. In a 2023 survey, 42 % of Croatians, compared with an EU average of 46 %, identified climate change to be one of the four most serious problems facing the world. Most expect the EU (53 %) and national government (50 %) to tackle climate change, while 26 % find it to be a personal responsibility. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Luxembourg’s climate action strategy – 27-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Luxembourg is legally bound to reach climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory in Figure 1) and deliver a 55 % greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in the effort-sharing sectors by 2030 compared with 2005. Luxembourg accounts for 0.3 % of the EU’s net GHG emissions, and achieved a net emissions reduction of 35.7 % from 2005 to 2023, greater than the 30.5 % EU average reduction over the same period. Emissions from sectors under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) dropped by more than two thirds (-69.5 %). The land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector remains a carbon sink, albeit with fluctuations. For the effort-sharing sectors, Luxembourg managed to stay within its 2013 2020 allocations, and would overachieve its 2030 target based on the European Commission’s assessment of its draft national energy and climate plan (NECP). Luxembourg submitted its final updated NECP on 24 July 2024. In May 2024, Luxembourg added a REPowerEU chapter to its recovery and resilience plan, increasing its climate spending. In a 2023 survey, 57 % of Luxembourgers, compared with an EU average of 46 %, identified climate change to be one of the four most serious problems facing the world. Most expect the EU (76 %), business and industry (66 %) or national government (63 %) to tackle climate change, while 62 % find it to be a personal responsibility. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Slovenia’s climate action strategy – 27-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Slovenia is legally bound to reach climate neutrality by 2050 (see trajectory on Figure 1) and reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55 % by 2033 compared with 2005. Slovenia accounts for 0.5 % of the EU’s net GHG emissions, and increased its net emissions by 8.0 % from 2005 to 2023, compared with an EU average reduction of 30.5 % over the same period. This was due to a sharp increase in emissions from the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector – traditionally a carbon sink – in the 2014-2019 period. Nonetheless, Slovenia’s total emissions reduction of 28.9 % over the 2005 2023 period only falls slightly short of the -30.2 % EU average. Emissions covered by the EU emissions trading system (ETS) over the same period fell by 48.4 %. For the effort-sharing sectors, Slovenia overachieved its 2020 target but must enhance efforts to meet its 2030 obligations. In July 2023, Slovenia sent its draft updated national energy and climate plan (NECP) to the European Commission, which assessed it, before submitting the final updated NECP in December 2024. In a 2023 survey, 41 % of Slovenians, compared with an EU average of 46 %, identified climate change as one of the four most serious problems facing the world. Most expect business and industry (58 %) and/or the EU (43 %) to tackle climate change, while 22 % find it to be a personal responsibility. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Portugal’s climate action strategy – 27-03-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Portugal aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 (see trajectory in Figure 1). In 2023, Portugal accounted for 1.7 % of the EU’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and achieved net emissions reductions of 43.9 % from 2005 to 2023, above the EU average reduction of 30.5 % over the same period. During that period, the country achieved a reduction of 66.2 % in emissions covered by the EU emissions trading system (ETS). Portugal’s land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector has mostly performed as a carbon sink, except in 2017 on account of extensive forest fires. In May 2023, Portugal updated its national recovery and resilience plan and included a REPowerEU chapter. The plan dedicates 41.2 % of total funding to the climate transition. Portugal submitted a draft updated national energy and climate plan (NECP) in July 2023. The European Commission assessed it and made recommendations for the final updated NECP, which was submitted on 10 December 2024. The results from a 2023 Eurobarometer survey showed that 43 % of Portuguese, against an EU average of 46 %, find climate change to be one of the four most serious problems facing the world. Most expect the EU (52 %), national governments (47 %) and business and industry (41 %) to tackle climate change. Only 28 % find it to be a personal responsibility.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on energy-intensive industries – B10-0209/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Giorgio Gori, Wouter Beke, Brigitte van den Berg, Benedetta Scuderi
    on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

    B10‑0209/2025

    European Parliament resolution on energy-intensive industries

    (2025/2536(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the report of September 2024 by Mario Draghi entitled ‘On the future of European competitiveness’,

    – having regard to the report of April 2024 by Enrico Letta entitled ‘Much more than a market’,

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘The Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation’ (COM(2025)0085),

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘Action Plan for Affordable Energy’ (COM(2025)0079),

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

    A. whereas energy-intensive industries (EIIs) account for a significant share of the EU’s economy and play a key role in job creation, especially in areas and regions where they are concentrated; whereas EIIs are crucial for the EU’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness, as well as for decarbonisation, taking into account their energy footprint;

    B. whereas the transition to a decarbonised economy and a clean energy system must lead to reducing energy prices and must take into account all available technologies that contribute to reaching the EU’s net zero goal for 2050 in the most cost-efficient way, avoiding lock-in effects and taking into account the different energy mix across Member States, including with regard to renewables and nuclear;

    C. whereas electrification is at the centre of the decarbonisation of EIIs; whereas EIIs include sectors that use fossil resources to meet temperature, pressure or reaction requirements, such as chemicals, steel, paper, plastics, mining, refineries, cement, lime, non-ferrous metals, glass, ceramics and fertilisers, for which greenhouse gas emissions are hard to reduce because they are intrinsic to the process or because of high capital or operating expenditure costs or low technological maturity;

    D. whereas the energy price gap between the EU and the US and China undermines the competitiveness of the EU’s industries; whereas elevated and volatile fossil fuel prices heavily affect electricity prices and the affordable cost of renewable energy sources is not transferred to energy bills;

    E. whereas an insufficiently integrated energy union poses further challenges to EIIs, in particular in relation to the lack of cross-border interconnections and the limited availability of clean energy, owing to lengthy permitting procedures or high capital or operating expenditures, as well as grid congestion;

    F. whereas the emissions trading system (ETS) provided long-term investment signals and helped bring down the emissions of ETS sectors by 47 %; whereas the energy market has profoundly changed since the introduction of the ETS, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the shift from pipeline gas to liquid natural gas (LNG); whereas a lack of carbon market transparency risks hampering EIIs’ competitiveness; whereas ETS revenues are used unevenly across Member States, failing to adequately support EIIs’ decarbonisation;

    G. whereas unnecessary regulatory burdens and lengthy permitting procedures undermine the business case for investing in decarbonisation in Europe; whereas the concept of overriding public interest is provided for in EU legislation; whereas complex and fragmented EU funding impedes timely investment in net-zero technologies and digitalisation, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);

    H. whereas the lack of necessary private investment risks hindering EIIs’ decarbonisation; whereas relying excessively on State aid can have the unwanted consequences of exacerbating disparities and distorting competition across the EU;

    I. whereas the EU’s dependencies and limited access, both in quantity and quality, to primary and secondary raw materials pose significant challenges to EIIs; whereas circularity and efficiency can help reduce the annual investment needs in industry and in energy supply; whereas currently, ferrous metals exported to non-EU countries account for more than half of all EU waste exports, raising concerns about their sound treatment;

    J. whereas unfair competition from non-EU countries, including subsidised overcapacity, poses a great challenge to EU companies; whereas many regions around the world do not currently have ambitious decarbonisation targets, thus increasing the risk of carbon leakage;

    K. whereas a profound transformation of EIIs cannot succeed without the involvement of local and regional communities, workers and social partners, which are heavily affected by the transition;

    1. Reiterates its commitment to the EU’s decarbonisation objectives and to stable and predictable climate and industrial policies;

    2. Calls on the Member States to accelerate permitting and licensing processes for clean energy projects, ensuring administrative capacity, and to facilitate grid connections to enable clean, on-site energy generation, especially in remote areas; stresses that the growth of renewables and electrification will require massive investment in grids and in flexibility, storage and distribution networks; calls on the Commission to develop, beyond the concept of overriding public interest, solutions for speeding up decarbonisation projects;

    3. Believes that further action is needed to implement the electricity market design (EMD) rules, especially to promote power purchase agreements (PPAs) and two-way contracts for difference (CfDs) to reduce volatility and energy costs for EIIs; calls on the Commission to propose urgent measures to address current barriers to the signing of long-term agreements, especially for SMEs, using risk reduction instruments and guarantees, including public guarantee such as by the European Investment Bank (EIB); suggests that additional ways to decouple fossil fuel prices from electricity prices be explored, in the framework of the EMD, including with the aim of boosting long-term contracts in line with the affordable energy action plan, and by advancing the analysis of short-term markets to 2025;

    4. Calls on the Commission to assess the possibility of scaling up best practice for EIIs from Member States, such as Italy’s energy release; calls on the Commission to develop recommendations for reducing the exposure of consumers, and especially EIIs, to rising energy costs, such as by reducing taxes and levies and harmonising network charges, while ensuring public investment in grids;

    5. Calls for the enhancement of energy system integration, in particular in relation to cross-border interconnections, to ensure clean and resilient energy supply; asks for increased investment in flexibility, such as storage, including pumped storage hydropower and heat and waste heat storage, and demand response, to optimise grid stability; recalls the importance of energy efficiency in bringing costs down;

    6. Underlines the need to phase out natural gas as soon as possible; stresses that some sectors cannot rely substantially on electrification in the short to medium term; calls on the Member States – over the same time span and for these limited sectors – to develop measures to address gas price spikes in duly justified cases; calls on the Commission to develop tools to ensure gas supply at a mitigated cost, by enabling demand aggregation, building on AggregateEU, and joint gas purchasing, while keeping decarbonisation objectives; highlights the importance of encouraging stable contracts with gas suppliers, diversifying supply routes and improving market transparency and stability, in line with current legislation; calls for an impact assessment in the upcoming ETS review to analyse the relationship between the gas market and CO2 prices and the role of the market stability reserve and its parameters;

    7. Calls on the Commission to support EIIs in adopting clean and net-zero technologies, including hydrogen, and energy-efficient production methods by strengthening funding mechanisms and ensuring that ETS revenue is used effectively by Member States; calls for EU-level support to be complemented by State aid that allows for targeted support to EIIs, while preserving a level playing field within the single market;

    8. Calls for InvestEU to be topped up before the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) and for leftover Resilience and Recovery Facility loans to support investment in EII decarbonisation; notes that the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform already allows for flexibility within current programmes but that this is insufficient; insists that the upcoming MFF increase funding to support EIIs, building on the Innovation Fund and the Connecting Europe Facility – Energy or through the competitiveness fund; stresses that the European Hydrogen Bank and the carbon contracts for difference programme need to be scaled up; calls on the Commission to build on the Net-Zero Industry Act[1] in the upcoming decarbonisation accelerator act, to streamline the processes for granting permits and strategic project status;

    9. Stresses the need to simplify bureaucratic procedures to enhance the attractiveness of private investment and support EIIs’ transition; believes that both InvestEU and the EIB are pivotal in catalysing private financing, especially through de-risking measures;

    10. Emphasises the need to secure access to critical raw materials; stresses that the upcoming circular economy act should improve resource efficiency, including through better waste management of products containing critical raw materials, as well as fostering the demand and availability of secondary raw materials; stresses the need to define those secondary raw materials that are strategic and that should be subject to export monitoring, such as steel and metal scrap, and to tackle any imbalance in their supply and demand, including by exploring export restrictions; insists on the effective enforcement of the Waste Shipment Regulation[2];

    11. Calls on the Commission to make full and efficient use of trade defence instruments; calls on the Commission to find a permanent solution to address unfair competition and structural overcapacity, before the expiry of current steel safeguard measures in 2026; calls on the Commission to engage with the US in relation to the announced tariffs on EU imports and avoid any harmful escalation;

    12. Stresses that an effective implementation of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is essential to ensure a level playing field for EU industries and prevent carbon leakage, taking into account the impact of the parallel phasing out of the ETS free allowances and the risk of increased production costs; calls on the Commission to address the risks of resource shuffling and circumvention of the CBAM; asks, furthermore, for the implementation of an effective solution for EU exporters and an analysis of the possible extension to further sectors and downstream products, preceded by an impact assessment;

    13. Calls for the creation of lead markets for clean and circular European products, via non-price criteria in EU public procurement, such as sustainability and resilience and a European preference for strategic sectors, as well as by creating voluntary labelling schemes and minimum EU content requirements in a cost-effective way;

    14. Highlights the importance of a just transition to assist areas heavily reliant on EIIs, by keeping and creating quality jobs through upskilling and reskilling programmes for workers and through the effective use of regional support mechanisms, such as the Just Transition Fund and the Cohesion Fund; stresses that public support will be pivotal for the transition of EIIs and that this support should be tied to their commitment to safeguarding employment and working conditions and preventing off-shoring; welcomes the Union of Skills initiative to ensure a good match between skills and labour market demands;

    15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Defence of Russian spy by the Commission, credibility of reports on the rule of law and procedural violations – E-003062/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission replied to Written Question E-001534/2024 on 6 January 2025 reiterating its position of strong condemnation of Russia’s espionage, hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns.

    As also stated in that reply, the country chapter for Poland of the 2023 Rule of Law Report[1], factually reported on the arrest by the Polish Security Services and the charge of illegal espionage on behalf of Russia of Pablo González.

    It did so on the basis of information brought at the time to the attention of the Commission by different organisations as well as an alert published on the Council of Europe’s platform.

    The Commission did not make an assessment about this case and usually refers to such alerts in its Rule of Law Report in relation to all Member States .

    The Commission has always been clear in its statements that it does not comment on national criminal investigations and the administration of justice in Member States and pays careful attention to any references to individual cases in the Rule of Law Reports .

    The Commission remains committed to strengthening the Rule of Law Report, as expressed in the Political Guidelines[2].

    • [1] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/b576c76e-0755-4690-9266-7895c4294433_en?filename=48_1_52627_coun_chap_poland_en.pdf
    • [2] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf
    Last updated: 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Croatia to get EIB guidance on promoting capital markets and business innovation

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • EIB to support Croatia in deepening its capital market in alignment with the EU’s Capital Markets Union (CMU)
    • New advisory accord with Finance Ministry aims for “Fintech Hub”  
    • Separate deal with Croatian investment-promotion agency to aid business financing

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) will offer policy guidance to Croatia on becoming a regional hub for financial technologies and capital markets. Under a new advisory agreement with Croatia’s Ministry of Finance, the EIB will support plans to turn the country into a fintech leader. In a parallel move, the EIB plans to advise Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investments HAMAG-BICRO on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as startups enhance their investment readiness and gain access to early-stage finance. The advisory support is funded by the InvestEU Advisory Hub programme.

    “With the rapid evolution of technology and the growing importance of deep capital markets, Croatia has a unique opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in the innovation ecosystem,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “Through these two partnerships, we are committed to supporting the country’s economic growth and competitiveness.”

    The goal of the EIB accord with the Finance Ministry is to help establish a “Fintech Hub” to act as a catalyst for innovation in this field. It will serve startups as well as established businesses and ensure alignment with evolving European Union regulations and global market trends.

    As part of the pact, the EIB will map the current fintech system in Croatia, benchmark leading hubs in Europe and provide recommendations on legal and operational issues. This will help drive the adoption of advanced financial technologies in Croatia and strengthen its role on the European fintech stage.

    The EIB will also carry out a study on ways to deepen capital markets in Croatia, identifying opportunities to bolster the investment environment. The study, meant to support the country’s new “Strategy on Capital Market Development 2025-2030”, will benchmark Croatia against innovative small and established large capital markets in an effort to position Croatia as a regional hub for initial public offerings in central and eastern Europe, leading the way towards the CMU.

    “Through collaboration with the European Investment Bank, we will continue investing efforts in order to accelerate the development of the fintech industry and capital market. This will ultimately improve access to capital for fintech entrepreneurs, startups, and the wider business community,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Marko Primorac. “Today’s partnership marks a significant step forward in positioning Croatia as a regional hub for fintech and further strengthening our capital market. By fostering fintech development and expanding capital market opportunities, we enhance Croatia’s standing both domestically and internationally. I extend my gratitude to the European Investment Bank for their cooperation and am confident that this initiative will contribute to Croatia’s long-term economic growth,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.

    In its partnership with HAMAG-BICRO, the EIB will enhance the country’s innovation ecosystem through training programmes for SMEs and startups covering issues such as business strategy, financial planning and investor engagement. The goals include helping Croatian businesses tap EU funding, including the European Innovation Council Accelerator. Envisaged cross-border mentorship and corporate partnership programmes will facilitate knowledge-sharing to support start-ups in scaling their technologies and accessing broader markets.

    Vjeran Vrbanec, HAMAG-BICRO Management Board President said: ‘’The increasingly complex conditions of a demanding market require a very high level of readiness from our entrepreneurs – both in terms of project preparation and investment – which can be achieved much faster with quality support from those who understand economic and technological trends. At our agency, our priority is to continuously provide services that make the portfolios of our companies more innovative, competitive and sustainable. In this regard, this partnership with the EIB, in the form of an investment hub for entrepreneurs, will contribute significantly to improving the quality of their knowledge structure, which can then be used in the process of applying for European Union funding.’’

    Background information  

    EIB 

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, high-impact investments outside the European Union, and the capital markets union.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.  

    All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.  

    Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

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

    InvestEU: The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps to crowd in private investment for the European Union’s strategic priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments previously available for supporting investments within the European Union together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is deployed through implementing partners that will invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increase their risk-bearing capacity and thus mobilise at least €372 billion in additional investment.

    Croatia to get EIB guidance on promoting capital markets and business innovation
    Croatia to get EIB guidance on promoting capital markets and business innovation
    ©EIB
    Download original

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Waste crisis in Ploiești and possible violation of EU environmental law – E-001125/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001125/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Nicolae Ştefănuță (Verts/ALE)

    Ploiești City Council in Romania is facing a waste crisis caused by administrative bottlenecks and delays in awarding a new sanitation contract. Household waste has not been collected for a significant period of time, thereby creating serious risks to public health and environmental pollution. The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) requires Member States to ensure an efficient waste management system. Moreover, Romania is already facing issues over its non-compliance with Directive 2008/50/EC on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.

    • 1.Does the Commission not consider this situation to constitute a violation of Romania’s obligations in the field of waste management and environmental protection, and of the Air Quality Directive?
    • 2.Does the Commission not consider the Romanian authorities’ failure take action in this situation to breach the obligations laid down in EU legislation?

    Submitted: 17.3.2025

    Last updated: 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Tackling barriers to collecting road traffic fines and parking charges from foreign motorists – E-001123/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001123/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Tom Berendsen (PPE)

    An offence is an offence – no matter who commits it. It is great that open borders make it possible to visit European cities easily, but those same open borders must not be a barrier to holding road traffic offenders from abroad to account.

    In Amsterdam, at present, parking charges and fines are paid by less than half of motorists from countries with which the Netherlands has concluded agreements in this specific area and by 19% of motorists from countries with which there are no such agreements. The municipality is missing out on a total of EUR 10.3 million in parking charges and EUR 4 million in fines. The problem is a lack of leverage with which to force non-payers to pay up and a lack of effective European agreements in this area. That must change.

    Accordingly:

    • 1.In the Commission’s view, what barriers within the current system can be removed in the short term so that foreign motorists can no longer ignore their parking charges and fines without facing consequences?
    • 2.Is the Commission prepared to conclude European agreements so that non-payers and road traffic offenders can no longer evade their fines? Within what timeframe could those agreements be concluded?

    Submitted: 17.3.2025

    Last updated: 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Denmark: IO Biotech secures up to €57.5 million EIB venture debt to advance cancer vaccine research and development.

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • Further support for Denmark’s med-tech sector as IO Biotech boost cancer vaccine research with EIB venture debt financing.
    • IO Biotech will use the financing for its innovative immunotherapeutic cancer vaccine to treat melanoma.
    • The EIB’s financing is backed under the European Commission’s InvestEU initiative.

    Danish med-tech company IO Biotech has signed a €57.5 million venture debt deal with the European Investment Bank. The debt facility includes three committed tranches totalling up to €37.5 million, which will become available if the company satisfies certain conditions, and one uncommitted accordion tranche of €20 million. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is developing novel, immune-modulating cancer vaccine therapies based on an innovative proprietary technology platform. The company will mainly use the financing for the development and market launch of IO102-IO103, an immunotherapeutic cancer vaccine to treat melanoma, with a view to employing the vaccine more broadly against other types of cancer. The EIB financing is supported by the European Commission’s InvestEU programme.

    The EIB financing will, on the one hand, support the finalisation of the clinical development as well as the regulatory approval and market launch of the lead candidate. On the other hand, the financing will also support the development of new product candidates generated through the Company’s platform. The funding is expected to enable IO Biotech to grow from a pure R&D company into a fully-fledged pharma company with products forming the backbone of combination therapy for people with cancer.

    “Innovative European companies not only need capital but also investors willing to take risks, allowing them to scale up and reach commercialization before non-EU investors step in.” said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris. “IO Biotech’s groundbreaking technology has the potential to significantly impact healthcare, particularly in oncology. Bringing new pharmaceutical products to market requires substantial investment, especially in the final stages of development. With the support of the European Commission’s InvestEU programme, the EIB is bridging this funding gap, ensuring that cutting-edge European technology can grow, thrive, and benefit patients across the EU.”

    Amy Sullivan, Chief Financial Officer of IO Biotech, commented, “We appreciate the support we have received from the EIB with this transaction. This debt facility will help fund the continued development and pre-commercialization of our therapeutic cancer vaccine candidates generated from our T-Win® platform. This funding comes at a critical time for our company as we approach the results from the phase 3 pivotal study of our lead investigational therapeutic cancer vaccine, IO102-IO103, in the third quarter of 2025.”

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives. EIB projects bolster competitiveness, drive innovation, promote sustainable development, enhance social and territorial cohesion, contribute to peace and security, and support a just and swift transition to climate neutrality. The Group’s AAA rating allows it to borrow at favourable conditions on the global markets, benefiting its clients within the European Union and beyond. The Group has the highest ESG standards and a tier one capital ratio of 32%.

    The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable economy. It helps generate additional investments in line with EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal, the digital transition and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. InvestEU brings all EU financial instruments together under one roof, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient, and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners who invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. This guarantee increases their risk-bearing capacity, thus mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

    IO Biotech is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, immune-modulating therapeutic cancer vaccines based on its T-win® platform. The T-win platform is based on a novel approach to cancer vaccines designed to activate T cells to target the immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment. IO Biotech is advancing its lead cancer vaccine candidate, IO102-IO103, in clinical trials, and additional pipeline candidates through preclinical development. IO Biotech is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and has US headquarters in New York, New York.High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here.

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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lunar microwave to purify water frozen in Moon’s soil wins UK Space Agency’s Aqualunar Challenge

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Lunar microwave to purify water frozen in Moon’s soil wins UK Space Agency’s Aqualunar Challenge

    A transformational technology that uses microwaves to defrost and ultrasound to break down contaminants in melted lunar ice to provide clean, drinkable water for astronauts has won the UK Space Agency-funded Aqualunar Challenge.

    SonoChem System by Naicker Scientific. Credit: Max Alexander

    • The Aqualunar Challenge is an international prize for technologies to purify ice frozen in the Moon’s soil to make human habitation on the lunar surface possible.
    • SonoChem System by Naicker Scientific named winner for its innovative use of microwaves and ultrasound to generate millions of microbubbles in melted lunar ice, producing clean, drinkable water for astronauts.
    • FRANK by father-and-sons team RedSpace and AqualunarPure from a team from Queen Mary University named runners up.

    The Aqualunar Challenge is a £1.2 million international prize funded by the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund and delivered by Challenge Works – part of Nesta. It aims to drive the development of innovative technologies that make human habitation on the Moon viable by purifying water buried beneath the lunar surface.

    The SonoChem System by Gloucestershire-based Naicker Scientific, led by Lolan Naicker, was named the winner by UK Space Agency’s Meganne Christian at a ceremony in Canada House in London’s Trafalgar Square, where the team was awarded the £150,000 first prize.

    Meganne Christian, European Member of the Astronaut Reserve, Commercial Exploration at the UK Space Agency and chair of the Aqualunar Challenge judging panel, said:

    NASA has set the goal of establishing a permanent crewed base on the Moon by the end of the decade. The Artemis programme, as it is known, is supported by the UK Space Agency through its membership of the European Space Agency.

    Astronauts will need a reliable supply of water for drinking and growing food, as well as oxygen for air and hydrogen for fuel. 5.6% of the soil (known as ‘regolith’) around the Moon’s south pole is estimated to be water frozen as ice. If it can be successfully extracted, separated from the soil and purified, it makes a crewed base viable.

    The SonoChem System by Naicker Scientific. Credit: Max Alexander

    The SonoChem System employs Naicker Scientific’s groundbreaking core technology to purify water derived from lunar ice. Harnessing powerful sound waves, it spontaneously forms millions of tiny bubbles in contaminated water. The extreme temperature and pressure created within each micro bubble generates free radicals (unstable atoms which are highly chemically reactive) which effectively removes contaminants.

    Lolan Naicker, Technical Director, Naicker Scientific explained:

    Imagine digging up the soil in your back garden in the middle of winter and trying to extract frozen water to drink. Now imagine doing it in an environment that is -200°C, a nearly perfect vacuum, under low gravity, and with very little electrical power. That’s what we will have to overcome on the Moon.

    If we can make the SonoChem System work there, we can make it work anywhere, whether that’s on Mars’ glaciers, or here on Earth in regions where accessing clean water is still a challenge.

    UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance said:

    The Aqualunar Challenge was set up to overcome one of the most significant obstacles to humans surviving on the Moon or other planets – the availability of clean drinking water. By teaming up with our Canadian partners and harnessing the wealth of talent and creativity found across the UK, the challenge has uncovered a range of new ideas, including Naicker Scientific’s SonoChem system.

    Many of these ideas could not only fuel future space exploration, but also help improve lives and solve water shortages here on Earth – mitigating the impacts of climate change as we work towards a net zero future, a key ambition in our Plan for Change.

    Naicker Scientific was awarded the £150,000 first prize, with two runners up winning £100,000 and £50,000 respectively:

    First runner up: FRANK – Filtered Regolith Aqua Neutralisation Kit – developed by father and sons team RedSpace Ltd, Aldershot. A three-stage approach designed to deliver a continuous flow of drinking-grade water in a lunar environment first heats the regolith sample in a sealed chamber to separate off volatile gases and leave a liquid of water, methanol and regolith fragments. The liquid is passed through a membrane to remove solid particles. The remaining liquid is distilled to separate the methanol from the water.

    FRANK – Filtered Regolith Aqua Neutralisation Kit – by RedSpace Ltd. Credit: Max Alexander

    Second runner up: AquaLunarPure: Supercritical Water Purification on the Moon – developed by Queen Mary University of London. A reactor melts lunar ice to separate the dust and rock particles, then heats it to more than 373°C at 220 bars of pressure to turn it into “supercritical water” – not a solid, a liquid or a gas, but a fourth state that appears like a thick vapour – in which oxidation will remove all the contaminants in one step.

    AquaLunarPure by Queen Mary University of London. Credit: Max Alexander

    10 finalist teams were each awarded £30,000 seed funding in July 2024 to develop their technologies in pursuit of the prize and provided with a comprehensive package of non-financial support, including expert mentoring and access to testing facilities.

    The Aqualunar Challenge is delivered by Challenge Works – part of the UK’s innovation agency for social good, Nesta – and the UK Space Agency, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Impact Canada, with half the prize being awarded to UK-led teams, and half being awarded to Canadian-led teams.

    Holly Jamieson, Executive Director, Challenge Works said:

    Challenge prizes are open innovation competitions that level the playing field for innovators whether they are well-established in a sector or coming to it for the first time – rewarding ideas rather than reputations. The Aqualunar Challenge successfully attracted new entrants to work in the space sector – a sector that already generates £19 billion of income a year in the UK, but where there is great potential for growth.

    Competing teams have reported back that participating in the prize has helped them secure investment and open up commercial conversations to grow their businesses. There may only be one first prize, but the Aqualunar Challenge has produced many winners.

    To find out more about the Aqualunar Challenge in the UK and learn more about all ten competing teams, visit aqualunarchallenge.org.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The US has the power to switch off the UK’s nuclear subs – a big problem as Donald Trump becomes an unreliable partner

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Becky Alexis-Martin, Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford

    Keir Starmer aboard one of the UK’s Vanguard class submarines. CC BY-NC-ND

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently boarded one of the UK’s four nuclear-armed submarines for a photo call as part of his attempts to demonstrate the UK’s defence capabilities as tensions with Russia continue.

    However, Starmer faces a problem. The submarine, and the rest of the UK’s nuclear fleet, is heavily reliant on the US as an operating partner. And at a time when the US becomes an increasingly unreliable partner under the leadership of an entirely transactional president, this is not ideal. The US can, if it chooses, effectively switch off the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

    British and US nuclear history is irrevocably interwoven. The US and UK cooperated on the Manhattan project, under the 1943 Quebec agreements and the 1944 Hyde Park aide memoire. This work generated the world’s first nuclear weapons, which were deployed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

    It also led to the first rupture. In 1946, the US classified UK citizens as “foreign” and prevented them from engaging in secret nuclear work. Collaboration with the UK immediately ceased.

    The UK decided to develop its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. The successful detonation of the “Grapple Y” hydrogen bomb in April 1958 cemented its position as a thermonuclear power.

    In the meantime, however, Russia’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 had demonstrated the lethal reach of Soviet nuclear technology. This brought the US and UK back together as nuclear partners.

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    Talks on how to counter the Russian threat became the foundation of an atomic partnership that endures to the present day. This mutual defence agreement, signed in 1958, has provided the UK with affordable access to the latest nuclear technology and a reliable western ally. The treaty has been amended and adapted over time to reflect changes in the US-UK working relationship and the two are now so entangled that it is very hard to leave the co-dependent relationship.

    Both sides have benefited from security and protection, especially during the cold war. However, Trump’s new “special relationship” with Russia’s Vladimir Putin has reconfigured the global order of geopolitics.

    Serious concerns are now being raised about the UK’s nuclear capacity, given the unpredictability and potential unreliability of the new US administration. Trump could ignore or threaten to terminate the agreement in a show of power or contempt.

    The UK’s nuclear subs

    The UK’s Trident nuclear deterrence programme consists of four Vanguard nuclear-powered and armed submarines. The UK has some autonomy, as it is operationally independent and controls the decision to launch.

    However, it remains dependent on the US because the nuclear technologies at the heart of the Trident system are US designed and leased by Lockheed Martin – and there is no suitable alternative. The Trident system therefore relies on the US for support and maintenance.

    The UK is currently in the process of upgrading the current system. But its options seem limited. If the US were to renege on its commitments, the UK would either have to produce its own weapons domestically, collaborate with France or Europe or disarm. Each scenario creates new issues for the UK. Manufacturing nuclear weapons from scratch in the UK, for example, would be a costly and protracted activity.

    Technical collaboration with France seems the most plausible back-up option at the moment. The two countries already have a nuclear collaboration treaty in place. France has taken a similar submarine-based approach to deterrence as the UK and French president Emmanuel Macron has suggested its deterrent could be used to protect other European countries. Another alternative would be to spread the cost across Europe and create a European deterrence – but both strategies just re-embed the UK’s current nuclear reliance.

    The UK is reliant on others for its nuclear deterrent.
    Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

    While these weapons may deter a hostile nuclear strike, they have failed to prevent broader acts of aggression. Nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare for 80 years. Perhaps it is time to completely and permanently unshackle the UK from nuclear deterrence, and consider alternative forms of defence.

    The UK’s nuclear arsenal is expensive to maintain. The cost of replacing Trident is £205 billion. In 2023, the Ministry of Defence reported that the anticipated costs for supporting the nuclear deterrent would exceed its budget by £7.9 billion over the next ten years. This funding could be channelled into more pressing security threats, such as cybersecurity, terrorism or climate change.

    Nuclear weapons will become strategically redundant if the UK cannot act independently. As Nato and the US dominate the global nuclear stage, the UK’s capacity to respond has become contested. The time has come to decide whether the US is really our friend – or a new foe.

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

    – ref. The US has the power to switch off the UK’s nuclear subs – a big problem as Donald Trump becomes an unreliable partner – https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-the-power-to-switch-off-the-uks-nuclear-subs-a-big-problem-as-donald-trump-becomes-an-unreliable-partner-252674

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Italy-Eu Joint press release

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    Piano Mattei, evento di alto livello tecnico Italia-Ue per rafforzare la cooperazione con l’Africa

    Today, Italy and the European Union hosted a joint event to reinforce collaboration with Africa.

    The event served as a platform to outline and further coordinate efforts in implementing Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa and the EU’s Global Gateway (GG) initiative —two complementary strategies designed to foster tailored partnerships that address the specific needs of African nations.

    By actively engaging the private sector, both strategies aim to drive sustainable investments and leverage cutting-edge expertise while aligning with Italy and the EU’s shared priorities to achieve economic security jointly with the African continent. 

    The event brought together over 400 participants, including senior officials from the Italian government, the EU, African nations, the United States, private sector leaders, and representatives from international organizations. Discussions focused on key sectors where the Mattei Plan and Global Gateway team up, such as energy, physical and digital infrastructure, and the coffee supply chain.
     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Johnson Joins Sens. Barrasso, Booker, Van Hollen, Ricketts in Applauding Passage of Resolution Honoring Greek Independence Day

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in applauding the Senate passage of a bipartisan resolution to commemorate the 204th anniversary of Greek Independence Day (March 25). In addition to celebrating Greece’s historic role as the birthplace of democracy and its immense contributions to global society, the bipartisan resolution also recognizes the strength of the United States’ enduring partnership and friendship with Greece.
    Sens. Johnson, Barrasso, Booker, Van Hollen, and Ricketts were joined by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
    The full text of the resolution can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Portadown job fair opens doors to employment

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    A vibrant job fair held at Millennium Court, Portadown, on Wednesday 28th March attracted a strong turnout of job seekers and local employers, reinforcing the commitment of Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Borough Council to employment growth and workforce development across the area.

    Organised by the Council’s Labour Market Partnership (LMP) in collaboration with the local Jobs and Benefits Office, the event featured leading businesses from various sectors, including retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.

    Funded by the Department for Communities, Labour Market Partnerships create targeted employment action plans for council areas, allowing for collaboration at local and regional level to support people towards and into work.

    Job vacancies were available from major employers such as as Eventsec, Almac, Ulster Carpets, Shelbourne Motors, Avondale Foods, Translink, and many more. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with potential employers, learn about job openings, training opportunities, and support schemes designed to enhance their employability.

    Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Kyle Savage, attended the event and commented:

    “These job fairs are a crucial initiative to connect local people with employment opportunities, ensuring that businesses can access the talent they need to grow while supporting our residents in finding meaningful work. The turnout today highlights the demand for job opportunities and the enthusiasm of employers to invest in our local workforce.”

    Labour Market Partnership job fairs take place throughout the ABC borough during the year, providing attendees with a list of available vacancies, information on training and self-employment opportunities, careers guidance, and practical advice to enhance their job prospects.

    For more information about the work of the Labour Market Partnership, visit www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/lmp

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Updated statement on negotiations with Unite

    Source: City of Birmingham

    Published: Thursday, 27th March 2025

    The city council has issued a n updated statement on negotiations with Unite on the waste service industrial action.

    “It is regrettable that it has come to this, the council has consistently tried to find a solution to the industrial action. We have made a very fair offer which means that no worker need lose any money. That offer remains open. 

    “We confirm that regrettably we have informed Unite representatives that next week we will formally notify and enter a period of collective consultation regarding compulsory redundancies for those who have declined all offers on the table.

    “This is about securing a better waste service for the people of Birmingham. We thank staff who are working under difficult conditions and recognise the frustration of residents for which we apologise.”

    For background:

    Negotiations will restart on Monday.

    All staff have been offered alternative employment at the same pay and almost three-quarters of staff have taken up this offer or decided to take voluntary redundancy. There are now 41 workers who have declined any offer, and 35 workers who opted for valuable and skilled driver training who have also told us via a letter from Unite that they are working under protest.

    The proposal declined by Unite membership in their recent ballot included:

    • An offer of NVQ level training for alternative skilled work across other waste services
    • An offer of training and equivalent graded roles in street cleansing and in other parts of the council
    • Voluntary redundancy on enhanced terms, and with pension payments made up for anyone aged over 55
    • 6 months’ pay protection in line with council policy for the lower graded role
    • A one-off payment as an alternative to redundancy to buy-out contractual entitlements
    • The option to take fully funded LGV driver training and a driver role upon successful completion of training

    The WRCO role is not industry standard and does not exist in other councils and is not a role we can reinstate without opening ourselves up to potential equal pay liability.

    As part of the compulsory redundancy process, those remaining workers will be re-offered all of the options listed above and we would encourage them to consider this offer again.

    Throughout this process we have been very accommodating. Since the start of the industrial dispute, there have been regular and ongoing meetings with Unite officers and shop stewards to seek to resolve the dispute, including two under the auspices of ACAS.

    We must improve this service and we would ask Unite to work with us as we make these changes for the benefit of the whole city.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Fifth Committee Fill Vacancies on Contribution, Audit Committees

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today sent the General Assembly the names of three candidates to fill two vacancies on the Committee on Contributions and one vacancy on the Independent Audit Advisory Committee.

    Committee on Contributions

    For the 18-member Committee on Contributions, which advises the Assembly on the distribution of the Organization’s expenses among Member States, delegates delivered the names of Benjamin Sieberns (Germany) and Fu Liheng (China) to fill vacancies created by the resignations of Michael Holtsch (Germany), effective 7 March, and Lin Shan (China), effective 18 March, respectively. 

    Both candidates would serve for the remaining period of each office, which expires 31 December 2026.

    Independent Audit Advisory Committee

    After a single round of balloting, the Independent Audit Advisory Committee recommended Eric Oduro Osae (Ghana) to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Imran Vanker (South Africa).  Mr. Osae received 89 votes after 155 valid votes were cast.  He will serve for the remaining period of that office, which expires on 31 December 2026.  The Committee serves in an expert advisory capacity and helps the Assembly fulfil its oversight responsibilities.

    Before closing the meeting, Fifth Committee Chair Egriselda Aracely González López (El Salvador) thanked delegates for their work over the past several weeks and urged them to return to the negotiating rooms with “a constructive spirit and an open spirit” to conclude the Committee’s work by the end of the first resumed session on Friday, 28 March.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Files Civil Forfeiture Complaint for $47 Million in Proceeds From the Sale of Iranian Oil

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

               WASHINGTON – A civil forfeiture complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that $47 million in proceeds from the sale of nearly one million barrels of Iranian petroleum is forfeitable as property of, or affording a person a source of influence over, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

               The forfeiture was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. of the Minneapolis Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso of the New York Office.

               The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate the shipment, storage, and sale of Iranian petroleum product for the benefit of the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The facilitators used deceptive practices to masquerade the Iranian oil as Malaysian, including by manipulating the tanker’s automatic identification system (AIS) to conceal that it onboarded the oil from a port in Iran. The facilitators presented falsified documents to the Croatian storage facility and port authority, claiming that the oil was Malaysian. The facilitators paid for storage fees associated with the oil’s storage at the Croatian facility in U.S. dollars, transactions that were conducted through U.S. financial institutions that would have refused the transactions had they known they were associated with Iranian oil. The petroleum product was sold in 2024, and the United States seized $47 million in proceeds from that sale.

               The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product constitutes the property of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which has perpetuated a federal crime of terrorism by providing material support to the IRGC and IRGC-QF. As alleged, profits from petroleum product sales support the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism, and both domestic and international human rights abuses.

               “We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran, in furtherance of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “With the continued seizures of Iranian oil and U.S. dollar profits, we are sending a clear message to Iran that bypassing the sanctions put in place by the U.S. Government is not as easy as playing a shell game with tankers filled with oil. We remain committed to thwarting Iran’s devious attempts, and to deprive its terrorists of the funding they desire.”

               “The FBI will not allow hostile regimes to evade U.S. sanctions or exploit our financial systems to fund designated terrorist organizations,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Winston. “The FBI, alongside our partners, will relentlessly enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and safeguard U.S. national security by disrupting illicit networks that seek to profit from sanctioned oil sales.”

               “Through the work of HSI’s Counterproliferation Investigations group, alongside the FBI, the U.S. government has seized $47 million worth of funds allegedly meant for terrorist groups intent on causing catastrophic harm,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso. “The expertise of HSI personnel, coupled with federal law enforcement’s whole-of-government approach, ensures the wellbeing of the United States and our innocent foreign counterparts, alike. We are relentlessly utilizing every tool at our disposal in pursuit of any and all security threats.”

               Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

               FBI Minneapolis Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations New York are investigating the case.

               Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Maeghan O. Mikorski, and Brian Hudak for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Adam Small of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case. They received assistance from former Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

               A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation.  The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Innovative drop in the ocean brings boost to the Tees

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Innovative drop in the ocean brings boost to the Tees

    A new project to install three floating islands in the River Tees Estuary is complete, creating new habitat and bringing a boost for wildlife.

    The Tees Rivers Trust (TeRT) joined forces with the Environment Agency, Middlesbrough Development Corporation, Middlesbrough Council and bp on the work.

    The islands, designed by Biomatrix Water, were installed at Middlehaven Dock in Middlesbrough.

    They are created from modular units with a total surface area of 180 square metres (around 600 square foot), a format which allows the islands to be created in different shapes.

    The new floating islands are pre-seeded with native plants and will provide a ‘haven in the haven’ for wildlife including insects, birds, molluscs and fish in an area where little natural habitat exists. The new ecosystem will also provide shelter for juvenile and migrating fish.

    Elsewhere on the walls of the dock, Tees Rivers Trust will install artificial rock pools that offer a simple and versatile solution for creating new wildlife habitats on existing structures. 

    These features have been used in other locations across the North East and are an innovative solution to provide ecological enhancement.

    This work is funded by the Environment Agency and bp.

    Features will provide ‘great new habitat’

    Ben Lamb CEO, Tees Rivers Trust, said:

    Although this project is literally a drop in the ocean, the features that have been installed in the Middlehaven Dock will provide some great new habitat for animals and plants in, on and around the river to colonise.

    Initiatives such as this make places better for people to live and work in, which in turn helps support economic growth and the wider benefits that brings to local communities.

    Liz Walters, Project Manager from the Environment Agency, said:

    Creating artificial habitats is an innovative solution which provides an opportunity for nature to thrive in an area where little natural habitat remains.

    This work is a great example of local partners joining forces to bring shelter and food for fish and wildlife and support improvements to water quality and biodiversity.

    The project is part of the Trust’s Estuary Edges project, which sits alongside a programme of river estuary restoration on the Tees.

    Working in partnership and using nature-based solutions, it will improve sites across Teesside for local people and businesses, whilst providing employment.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fisheries team takes action to protect endangered European eels

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Fisheries team takes action to protect endangered European eels

    The Environment Agency’s Fisheries Enforcement Officers have started patrols along the coast to help protect the endangered European eel from illegal poaching.

    Image of a European eel in Cumbria (Credit: Lyndsay McRae)

    The Environment Agency’s Fisheries Enforcement Officers have started patrols along the Morecambe Bay and North Lancashire coastlines to help protect the critically endangered European eel from illegal poaching.

    There has been a 95% decline in the number of European eels returning to rivers across the continent since the 1980s. 

    Young eels, known as elvers, are highly prized on the black market, attracting the attention of illegal poachers who often have links to organised crime gangs.

    The Environment Agency, working closely with the Northwestern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (NWIFCA), has started patrols to help protect the elvers during their migration.

    These patrols are part of a wider large scale work program,  Operation Lake, which is a EUROPOL joint operation with law enforcement authorities across Europe and the globe. 

    Hiding by day and feeding by night, elvers enter the river systems to feed and grow.

    With the nocturnal feeding habits in mind, the partnership uses advanced night vision capable drone technology to help detect illegal poaching activity. 

    The drones help by covering a larger stretch of coastline than previously possible by patrol boats alone.

    An Environment Agency Spokesperson said:

    Embracing technology and working alongside our partners from Northwestern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority, allows us to use their detailed knowledge of our coastline during patrols, and gives us more boots on the ground, allowing us to discretely monitor targets within a wider area. 

    If we detect illegal poaching activity, we can quickly intercept and make arrests. 

    We urge members of the public to share with us any information they might have on poaching activity, however small or inconsequential it might appear – it could be the missing piece of the jigsaw.  

    A North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority spokesperson said:

    Joint working with the Environment Agency continues to be a priority in the North West region, benefiting from shared expertise and resourcing.

    This partnership approach means we can plan patrols in areas based on seasonal risk and intelligence between agencies. Additionally, Operation Lake allows us to patrol high risk estuarine habitats in protected areas which are vulnerable to poaching.

    The deployment of the NWIFCA enforcement drone with night vision and thermal imaging capabilities will continue to be a crucial asset for safety and the detection of crime during joint working.

    European eels breed in the Sargasso Sea, near Bermuda, from which young elvers migrate annually to reach European river estuaries for the spring tides.

    When they mature, eels migrate back to breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea to reproduce for a single time before dying, and the cycle begins again.

    If you see, or suspect illegal poaching, report it via the Environment Agency’s incident hotline 0800 80 70 60, or call the police on 101, unless an incident is progress – then call 999.

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pathways to Work: Green Paper FAQ

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Press release

    Pathways to Work: Green Paper FAQ

    We understand that many people have questions about the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper.

    To help clarify what this means for you, we have published some FAQs addressing some key concerns.

    Why is the government making changes to health and disability benefits?

    The proposals aim to build a system that is fairer and provides vital support for those who need it most, whilst making sure that everyone who can realise the benefits of work is supported to do so.

    Will my benefits change immediately?

    No, please be assured there will be no immediate changes to your health and disability related benefit payment.

    For more information about the proposed changes to health and disability benefits please see Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

    I’ve submitted a claim but haven’t heard the outcome, will my claim be affected?

    No, there will be no immediate changes to your health and disability related claim. If you have made a claim or are getting a health and disability related benefit you should continue to contact us as usual and provide any information or changes to your circumstances and current needs.

    For more information about the proposed changes to health and disability benefits please see Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

    When will the changes to health and disability benefits be made?

    Legislation will need to be passed by Parliament before any changes can be brought into effect. We are also consulting on some of our proposed changes to health and disability benefits. The consultation will be open for at least 12 weeks from when all accessible versions are published and no changes will be made until we have reviewed all the responses. You are welcome to take part in the consultation.

    For more information about the proposed changes to health and disability benefits please see Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper

    Watch Green Paper Explainer:

    Updates to this page

    Published 27 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –