EU partners getting ready to militarily confront Russia following their illegal invasion of Ukraine 2 years ago

More and more voices are being heard from inside and outside Europe,  about the US political confusion in dealing with Ukraine's  military support, and ready to take matters in their own hands,   specially now Putin is under lots of pressure at home by democratic forces.

US better be aware of Putin's Evil Empire

US better watch out. This might be the ideal time, with political  chaos, and a slipping, fractured, foreign western support abroad, for the "Alliance of Evil" - Russia, N.Korea, Iran, Cuba, and other potential supporters, to attack the USA.

EU provides EURO 1.5 billion financial aid to Ukraine

The EU is supporting Ukraine with a further €1.5 billion (roughly $1.6 billion). The aim is to help the country affected by the Russian war of aggression to rebuild critical infrastructure such as roads or bridges and to maintain necessary public facilities such as hospitals or schools.

"Today, we've disbursed another €1.5 billion in macro-financial Assistance to Ukraine. Month after month, we continue to play our part in rebuilding a modern and prosperous country, while helping to cover the country's needs," the European Commission announced.

Read more at: https ://dw.com.

China's Tik-T,ok fined by EU: European regulators slapped TikTok with a €345 million fine Friday for failing to protect children's privacy

European regulators slapped TikTok with a €345 million fine Friday for failing to protect children's privacy. It's the first time the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are predominantly in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating back to the second half of 2020.

The Commission's investigation also found that the default settings posed a risk to children under 13 who had gained access to the platform even though they were underage.

In addition, the Commission ruled that a 'family pairing' feature designed for parents to manage settings was not strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their consent.

Read more at https://www.euronews.com

EU-France: Macron reshuffles his Cabinet after months of turmoil in his second term

After weeks of speculation that he might change prime minister, the 45-year-old head of state said on Monday that he was sticking with under-fire Elisabeth Borne.

Since his re-election last May, Macron has faced months of fierce street protests over a deeply unpopular pensions reform and was forced into crisis management again late last month when riots erupted nationwide.

Advisors and ministers had long argued over whether the centrist should carry out a major overhaul of the cabinet to signal a fresh start, but in the end the reshuffle was limited in scope.

Read more at: https://www.france24.com

EU - the EU needs more defence autonomy, even while the US remains an important ally - they can not be in control of EU defence policy or foreign affairs for that matter.

The Aukus deal shows the need for more military collaboration between EU states but the US remains an indispensable partner.- 

On the same evening French president Emmanuel Macron found out that the US had secretly struck a defence deal with Australia that cut France out of a submarine contract, he announced a military triumph of his own. Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, leader of the terrorist group Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, had been killed “by French forces”. The coincidence was an awkward one for Macron. To him, the Aukus deal was clear vindication of the argument that France, and Europe, must build a defence alliance that is not dependent on a fickle US. Yet the assassination of a leading militant was a French military success that Macron well knew owed much to its superpower ally across the Atlantic.

Read more at: https://www.ft.com/content/f14c3e59-30bb-4686-8ba3-18ff860647e7

EU: French President Macron plagued by social unrest, considering temporary ban on Social Media

French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the possibility of banning access to certain social media features, in a meeting with local mayors in the cities that have seen violent protests.

Macron told about 300 local leaders that "we need to reflect on social media use among the youngest [and] on the prohibitions we must put in place," in a video seen by some French and international media.

"When things get out of hand, perhaps you have to put yourself in a position to regulate or cut them," Macron added.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

The Netherlands : is this member of the EU still a tax haven ?

Over decades, the Netherlands developed a reputation for being a tax haven. It became infamous as a part of the ‘Double Irish Dutch Sandwich’, Google’s construct to shift profits via Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda. Effectively, the Netherlands is a conduit country that helps to funnel profits from high-tax countries to tax havens. Particularly the Dutch Special Purpose Entities attract income, often as interest and royalty payments, and pass it on, effectively untaxed, to tax havens.

Read more at: 

https://www.eur.nl/en/news/netherlands-still-tax-haven

EU: Commission considers a digital EU currency

With more and more people using digital tools for their daily transactions, the European Commission on Wednesday presented a proposal to initiate a digital euro.

Digital currencies have been surging in popularity over the last few years as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have entered the mainstream. But unlike Bitcoin, the digital euro would be a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), essentialy electronic cash.

The aim would be to give consumers an alternative European-wide payment solution, in addition to the options that exist today, the Commission says.

Read more at : https://www.euronews.com

EU blocks Ukraine grain imports to 5 countries, including Poland

The European Union has again extended a ban on Ukrainian grain imports to five countries, including Poland.

The move follows anger and protests from Polish farmers who were left with unsold grain or forced to sell it cheaply when faced with lower Ukrainian prices.

Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Krzysztof Ciecióra explained: "We have fulfilled their main demand, i.e. stopping the pressure of grain imports from Ukraine. 

"Today there is no such permission. It is not legal until September 15 at least. These grains will not flow to Poland. Only transit is possible."

Although the decision of the EU, supported by the government, brings temporary relief, it was not met with much approval from Polish farmers, who fear that in a few months, they will face the same problems again.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

EU immigration deal: EU reaches a breakthrough deal on immigration

The agreement paves the way for introducing new rules to collectively manage the reception and relocation of asylum seekers. Last year, the EU received more than 962,000 asylum applications, the highest figure since 2016.

The rules were put to a vote during a meeting of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg, which had been preceded by an atmosphere of optimism that appeared to increase the odds of a positive outcome.

But the talks prove hard and laborious: ministers and their deputies spent virtually the whole day haggling over nitty-gritty details and rewriting compromise texts.

Sweden, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, pushed its fellow member states to stay put and continue negotiations until a wide consensus was found.

Read more at https://www.euronews.com

Russia: will Putin's reign cause the disintegration of Russia ?

Vladimir Putin's continued rule will lead to the "disintegration" of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned.

The exiled Russian businessman, who was once considered the country's wealthiest person, was speaking on the sidelines of a two-day roundtable conference in Brussels centred on the future of Russia and the country's opposition.

The conference, called "The Day After," included EU and Russian opposition representatives and was organised by the major political groups of the European Parliament.

But Khodorkovsky said that active resistance to the war in Ukraine is not as prevalent as the opposition would like to think.

"Putin fails to completely fill people's brains with his propaganda. However, unfortunately, people's perceptions are changing under the pressure of propaganda," said Khodorkovsky, the former CEO of the oil company Yukos.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

Russia - Ukraine war: "Blessed are the peacemqkers for they will be called sons of God"

Isn't it high time for BOTH Russia and Ukraine to  "swallow their pride" and stop having more and  more innocent people on both sides of this conflict getting killed every day, and start negotiating instead, under the auspices of the EU, which is not only bordering the warring parties, but also the best qualified to do so. 

This, instead of having war mongers, corrupt politicians, and the weapons industry "laugh all the way to the bank". 

Who knows, maybe these negotiations could eventually result in both Ukraine and Russia both becoming members of the EU, and another benefit, no more need for NATO or Russian Millitary Alliances.

 Sounds crazy ?  Not at all - it's called PEACE. And if you do  not believe that, check out Mathew 5, verse 9

https://www.eu-digest.blogspot.com

EU - Turkey relugee subsidy deal: This 9 year subsidy deal for Turkey to assist Syrian refugees entering Turkey also gave Turkey's President Erdogan the ability to win the recent election, by giving some 2.5 million refugeea Turkish nationality and voting rights.

It has been 12 years since the conflict in Syria began to displace Syrians from their homes into neighboring countries. Since then, their numbers in Turkey have reached 3.7 million. In the absence of any traditional durable solutions — in the form of voluntary return, resettlement, or local integration — the presence of Syrian refugees in Turkey has bec protracted, with no end in sighr

This enduring reality” calls for rethinking theagreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey that was adopted seven years ago this week. Leaders should explore ways of moving it forward, focusing on development in addition to humanitarian assistance. One way to do this is to adopt policy ideas from the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR)  to improve the prospects of formal employment for refugees and members of their host communities.

Read more at: Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, The Turkey Project

Facbook Meta: EU fines Facebook EURO 1.3 billion

Commission (DPC), which acts on behalf of the European Union, said the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) had ordered it to collect "an administrative fine in the amount of 1.2 billion euros".

The DPC has been investigating Meta Ireland's transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States since 2020.

It found that Meta, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, failed to "address the risks to the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects" that were identified in a previous ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Read more at: https://www.france24.com

EU : Pushed out of its comfort zone and fighting back

This week, we were joined at the European Parliament in Strasbourg by Maria Irish MEP Maria Walsh from the EPP, Swedish MEP Emma Wiesner from Renew and Polish MEP Robert Biedron from S&D.

The panelists discussed how the Russian attack against Ukraine has pushed European Union out of its comfort zone.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse, where decades-old sacred political principles have gone overboard.

Last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood before his country's parliament and declared that Germany would undertake a Zeitenwende, or an epic turning point.

This week, before the European Parliament, Scholz doubled down on this, saying that the future cannot be won by using policies of the past and advocating a more geopolitical approach for Europe.

Berlin is reworking its energy infrastructure after having spent years being dependent on Russia, and it is becoming a green energy power.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

EU: Over 200 NGO's warnt EU not to create register for foreign funded organisations

A planned European Union directive to create a register for foreign-funded organisations could have "unintended consequences" and limit the bloc's ability to support human rights defenders globally, scores of NGOs have warned in a joint statement to the European Commission.

Some 230 civil society organisations including Transparency International EU, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International signed the statement sent on Wednesday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in which they lambasted the plans for a Foreign Interference Law.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

Turkey: Should Turks living abroad be allowed to vote ?

"I need to know who is ruling my country, if I am given this right, I need to have a say. It is my country at the end of the day,” she tells Euronews"

“We keep the ties alive with our home country. We always travel and stay there for months sometimes. When there, we use the same daily services such as hospitals and post offices with the people residing in Turkey. So why shouldn’t we?”

“People criticise me for living in London and being involved in Turkish politics,” she continues.

“I tell them, when I left Turkey, the atmosphere was different. We just had a massive earthquake at the time in 1999. I didn’t have many opportunities for work. The general situation wasn’t so great. But although I believe things have improved, it is not easy for someone to relocate at a certain age when you need your children and grandchildren around you”.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

EU: Younger population in EU under financial pressure

Young people in Europe are at greater risk of falling into poverty than the overall population, according to Eurostat. 

Their latest figures show that 20% of young people aged 15-29 were at risk of poverty in 2021, while the at-risk-of-poverty rate for the total population of the EU stood at 17%. 

The at-risk-of-poverty metric compares those on low incomes to other residents of the same country

Read more at; https//www.euronews.com

EU: high corporate profits during bad economic times are bad for consumers

When major oil companies announced record earnings in February, even US President Joe Biden was appalled. The White House said it was "outrageous" that ExxonMobil had raked in a profit of $56 billion (€51 billion) in 2022 as consumers were grappling with inflation rates not seen in decades.

Top policymakers in Europe have also weighed in on the issue, imposing windfall taxes on energy firms. Even though price pressures have eased lately from their record levels, the eurozone is still reeling from elevated inflation levels. Consumer prices in the common currency area rose 6.9% in March from a year earlier, keeping inflation at more than three times the European Central Bank's target of 2%.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com