Tuesday

26th Sep 2023

EU’s €500m gender violence plan falls short, say auditors

The 'Spotlight Initiative' was launched in 2017 with a budget of €500 million to end all forms of violence or harmful practices against women and girls in partner countries, but so far it has had "little impact", say EU auditors.

Latest News

  1. EU and US urge Azerbijan to allow aid access to Armenians
  2. EU warns of Russian 'mass manipulation' as elections loom
  3. Blocking minority of EU states risks derailing asylum overhaul
  4. Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?
  5. IEA says: Go green now, save €11 trillion later
  6. The failure of the Just Energy Transition Fund in South Africa
  7. EU and G7 tankers facilitating Russian oil exports, report finds
  8. EU trade chief in Beijing warns China of only 'two paths' forward

Report: EU 'single permit' risks migrant exploitation

The commission is reviewing the 2011 single permit directive for third-country nationals to live and work in the EU. A new study shows that its design facilitates the exploitation and increases the dependency of migrant workers on their employers.

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Outcome of G20 meeting uncertain after Xi Jinping snub

Chinese president Xi Jinping's decision to snub the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend (9-10 September), has made the potential for progress on critical issues related to financial reform and climate change uncertain.

Opinion

A decade of the European Endowment for Democracy

When European Endowment for Democracy was established in 2013, there was scepticism about its raison d'être, and concerns were voiced about the potential for duplicating existing EU efforts. Nearly a decade later, EED has defied these doubts.

Jailed Danish rights defender in Bahrain on hunger strike

The European Commission says it is advocating for prominent jailed Bahraini-Danish human rights defender, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja. But Human Rights Watch says the EU's diplomatic pressure has failed to secure his release.

Opinion

Shelving Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen dream helps Russia

Bulgaria and Romania's accession to Schengen will again be put to a vote later this year. Another veto would not only represent a missed opportunity to strengthen the border-free zone, but one that could inflame inter-EU tensions.

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Opinion

Will the EU take a stance for justice in Ethiopia?

Some EU and member states diplomats argue that they should give the Ethiopian government a chance to demonstrate its willingness to ensure justice. But they've also resigned themselves to a very low bar of domestic accountability.

BRICS summit: no Putin, but leaders plan to expand bloc

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are meeting in Johannesburg to assess the group's expansion — and boost their currencies against the West. Russian president Vladimir Putin is the only leader not expected to attend in person.

Opinion

Why is Georgia strengthening relations with Moscow?

It is a mystery why the ruling Georgian party has pursued a warmer relationship with Russia. For months, the citizens of Georgia and Georgian opposition groups have called on their country to strengthen ties with the West.

Split on Africa Big-Agri sees boycott at UN food summit

At its heart, the two sides have different ideas about how this transformation should take place: by increasing production through further industrialisation — or by making the system more equitable and sustainable.