Saturday

10th Jun 2023

Editorial

Editor's weekly digest: Sorry, lost track of time

Listen to article

Sometimes you get so wrapped up in working on exciting new projects, that other projects suffer. Or at least, I do. Oops.

End of year is always a fraught time, when one is both working on the day-to-day and on plans for next year. Silly, actually, that it happens at a somewhat arbitrary point in our rotation around the sun, but who am I to challenge the Gregorian calendar.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Anyway. Just parting the kimono a little and hopefully earning some forgiveness, I'm working on plans for partnerships with other organisations to do more structured deep dives into the issues European citizens are facing, and the policy ideas to fix them.

Next year, we'll be launching what I guess you could call verticals that focus on specific topics. The first will deal with the rise of illiberalism in Europe, the second with labour crises Europe might be facing in the near future.

These will be pages with dedicated journalists reporting exclusively on EU stories within the theme.

Also, we'll be doing a number of themed weeks, in which we publish a number of articles all revolving around an idea, problem or opportunity — or all three.

If you're curious about the topics, reach out to me, I always value feedback.

Apart from that, this week I'm afraid I'll just be sharing the articles you should have read this week. On the bright side, my negligence saves you time. I promise I'll be back with a better newsletter next week.

Onwards.

Hungary and EU approach year-end showdown on rule of law

Hungary and the EU are approaching a year-end showdown over rule of law, with billions of euros and key EU policies, such as financial aid to Ukraine, at stake.

Hungary has until Saturday (19 November) to put in motion the 17 measures that the EU Commission asked for in September as a prerequisite for not suspending an estimated €7.5bn from the long-term EU budget over corruption and rule-of-law concerns.

Read it.

How EU banks underwrote the Qatar World Cup

European banks and investors have invested heavily in Qatari sovereign bonds and construction and hospitality companies active in Qatar, paying scant attention to the well-documented human rights violations being perpetrated in those sectors.

Fair Finance International's new report shows that almost half (47 percent) of the financing to construction and hospitality companies active in Qatar is provided by European banks, pension funds and insurance companies.

Read it.

COP27 deal still needs a 'tremendous amount of work'

As talks at the COP27 climate summit in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el Sheikh enter the final stretch, negotiators from nearly 200 countries are scrambling to turn a draft deal into something they can agree on.

"I think it's going to be a long and difficult journey," EU climate chief Frans Timmermans said during a press conference in Sharm el Sheikh on Thursday (17 November).

Read it.

Russia targeting Germany with anti-West narrative, report says

Russian disinformation efforts in Germany aim to divide public opinion, boost anti-Western sentiment, and exploit political debates over sanctions and inflation, a report published last month by Budapest-based Political Capital has found.

The disinformation efforts pushed various pro-Kremlin narratives with the help of fake, or stolen Facebook profiles targeting broadcast and tabloid media, and the webpages of mainstream and far-left and far-right politicians, in an effort to sow division.

Read it.

Women hardest hit by energy price hike

Women are hit harder by the energy crisis than men, due to their lower average income, a survey on the cost-of-living crisis by Eurofound said.

The figures reflect the impact of the 13 percent average European gender pay gap, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said on the EU's Equal Pay Day on Tuesday (15 November).

The research, done by the EU agency on improving the living and working conditions in Europe, and published last month, said that women are at a greater risk of energy poverty than men.

Read it.

Spain accused of Melilla migrant death cover up

Spanish authorities are being accused of a cover up over the deaths of dozens of refugees at its Melilla enclave with Morocco.

Some 23 young men were confirmed dead and another 77 remain missing after around 1,500 tried to enter the enclave from the Moroccan side on 24 June. Experts from the UN human rights body say at least 37 were killed.

Spain claims the deaths took place on the Moroccan side, a view sharply contested by human rights organisations.

Read it.

Gender equality least-included goal in EU budget, auditors find

Gender equality is the EU priority which is least well covered across different programmes in the bloc's budget, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) concluded in a new report published on Monday (14 November).

The auditors checked how the EU Commission incorporated the bloc's overarching goals, such as fighting climate change, digital transition, biodiversity preservation, sustainable development, and gender equality, in its spending programmes.

It was the first time auditors had investigated such goals as a whole, and found major differences in how these priorities were incorporated into the current 2021-2027 budget.

Read it.

As always, thank you to all new subscribers to this newsletter, and also as always, my various inboxes are open for feedback, suggestions, tips, leaks, ideas and gossip — now also on Mastodon.

See you next week,

Alejandro

Weekly digest: The comfort of spreadsheets

In which we appreciate the spreadsheet. Also, Spanish colonial crimes in Morocco, how to look at 'power' in the EU and all the other articles you should have not missed this week.

Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all

Large Language Models could give the powers trained data-journalists wield, to regular boring journalists like me — who don't know how to use Python. And that makes me tremendously excited, to be honest.

The stories you should have read in 2022

I won't bore you with platitudes about what a momentous year this has been, you'll probably have enough of those conversations tomorrow at your New Year's Eve. So here are our favourite stories of the year, in no particular order.

Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all

Large Language Models could give the powers trained data-journalists wield, to regular boring journalists like me — who don't know how to use Python. And that makes me tremendously excited, to be honest.

Latest News

  1. Negotiations on asylum reform to start next week, says MEP
  2. EU gig workers compromise dubbed ‘a disaster for workers’
  3. EU's one-off chance to influence Laos taking over ASEAN chair
  4. Belgian bâtonnier on Russia: 'You can have a client you don't like'
  5. EU's proposed ethics body 'toothless', say campaigners
  6. Study: 90% of Spanish inflation 'driven by corporate profits'
  7. If Spanish economy is doing well, why is Sanchez poised to lose?
  8. EU lawyers for Russia: making 'good' money?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us