European Union

« L'homme, quelque porte qu'il ouvre, où qu'il aille, même cloué à sa chaise, finit inéluctablement par tomber sur le passé. »
L'histoire débute ainsi : Numan Numić, apprenant que sa fiancée s'est promise à un autre, entame une cavale meurtrière de 47 jours à travers les paysages vallonnés d'une Yougoslavie rurale. C'est son fils, Semir, qui donne au récit sa voix et sa profondeur. Entravé par l'ombre d'un père dont il ne lui reste que la légende, il tente de reconstituer un passé éclaté (…)

- Livres / Serbie, Littérature, Grand Bazar - Diaporama

Written by Clare Ferguson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

Members debated several Commission and Council statements, including on the European response to extreme weather events, particularly in Portugal, southern Italy, Malta and Greece; building a stronger European defence in an increasingly volatile international environment; as well as urgent action to revive EU competitiveness, deepen the single market and reduce the cost of living, following up on the Draghi report. Debates also covered the rule of law, fundamental rights and the misuse of EU funds in Slovakia, and Spain’s large-scale regularisation policy and its impact on the Schengen Area and EU migration policy. Further debates concerned the presentation of the action plan against cyberbullying, the International Day of Education and the fight against inequalities in access to education, as well as the need to tackle economic inequalities within the EU and globally. Members also adopted a Parliament statement to mark World Cancer Day.

Parliament held several debates on external relations, in particular on the European response to the attacks on the Ukrainian energy system and the resulting humanitarian crisis; the situation in north-east Syria, including violence against civilians and the need to maintain a sustainable ceasefire; the urgent need to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and achieve lasting peace; and the violence in the Great Lakes Region, particularly in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Finally, Members heard a formal address by Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly.

EU-Mercosur Agreement: Bilateral safeguard clause

Members adopted a provisional agreement on a regulation implementing the bilateral safeguard clause for agricultural products incorporated into the trade pillar of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement. The safeguard clause allows the EU to temporarily suspend Mercosur agreement tariff preferences and reinstate most-favoured nation duties under stricter and faster procedures should imports undercut EU prices or represent a danger to EU producers. In the provisional text, Parliament succeeded in lowering the thresholds for triggering a safeguard investigation from 10 % to 5 % and extending the reference period to three years. The Commission may also, upon a request from EU industry, extend monitoring to products or sectors not listed in the regulation.

European Climate Law

Parliament adopted a provisional agreement reached between Parliament and the Council on proposals to amend the European Climate Law, introducing an intermediate climate target for 2040. The amendment would include a binding 90 % net emissions reduction target for 2040, compared to 1990, and a capped potential contribution of international carbon credits towards meeting this target.

Cross-border enforcement of rules on unfair trading practices in the agri-food supply chain

Late payment, last-minute order cancellations, and unilateral contract changes on the part of large buyers in a different country can considerably harm EU farmers’ businesses. While the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive seeks to protect farmers from such activities, Parliament proposed extending the rules to operators based outside the EU whose commercial activities target the EU internal market. It also suggested establishing alerts on cross-border UTPs. Members adopted a provisional agreement on strengthening the directive. National authorities will be required to act on their own initiative to stop cross-border UTPs, even in the absence of a formal complaint.

Wine sector package

The EU wine sector is facing change, both in growing conditions and drinking habits, leading to a risk of surplus production. Parliament calls for a higher EU co-financing rate for vineyard restructuring. Members adopted a provisional agreement reached with the Council on amending several EU rules governing the sector. The provisional agreement will harmonise labelling, particularly regarding alcohol content and increase EU and national support to promote high-quality European wines outside the EU.

New EU anti-poverty strategy

With a Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) report calling for stronger EU coordination, Members debated the development of the EU’s first-ever anti-poverty strategy, calling for greater effort to eradicate poverty, particularly for children. The report highlights the multidimensional nature of poverty, particularly among children, people with disabilities, older people and those in precarious employment. It also stresses the need to improve minimum income schemes, and the importance of quality jobs, effective social protection and access to public services. Finally, the report calls for adequate funding, including through the 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF), to support implementation of the strategy, improve coherence across existing initiatives and contribute to the goal of eradicating poverty by 2035.

Protecting workers’ rights

Workplace incidents remain a significant challenge in the EU, particularly in the construction, transport, and manufacturing sectors. Parliament has urged action, particularly on contractor and subcontractor liability, and Members debated and adopted an EMPL committee own-initiative report reiterating this call. The report calls for a comprehensive strategy against labour exploitation, including tackling illegal work, organised crime and abusive business practices such as some subcontracting activities. It highlights the need for effective enforcement through closer cooperation between the European Labour Authority, Europol, national authorities and social partners.

Action plan against cyberbullying

Members held a debate on the cyberbullying action plan, following a Commission statement. Parliament has consistently highlighted the need to protect children online, addressing issues such as cyberbullying, hate speech, child sexual abuse and mental health risks. The Commission’s EU action plan against cyberbullying aims at protecting children, young adults and others at particular risk online. The plan addresses the lack of a common definition of cyberbullying along with proposals for prevention and awareness-raising measures.

EU priorities for the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women

The 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in March is expected to focus on access to justice for women and girls. Parliament adopted recommendations to the Council on the EU’s priorities for the 70th session. An own-initiative report from the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) urges the Council to lead efforts against the global backlash on gender rights and calls on the EU to defend diversity, equality and inclusion, safeguard the UNCSW‘s mandate, and address funding shortfalls.

Accession of third countries to Hague conventions

Members debated the accession of third countries (in this case Albania and Montenegro) to the Hague conventions (specifically the Hague Judgments Convention). There are various procedures for handling the effects of ratification of an acceding state on existing parties in Hague Conventions. In one scenario, if existing parties do not oppose the accession by submitting a declaration within a set time limit, their agreement to the accession is tacit. However, when the Commission raises no objection to a third country’s accession and does not submit a declaration of opposition, the Council and Parliament cannot give their consent. Parliament’s position is therefore that the Commission must present a proposal for acceptance in such cases, even where not required by the convention itself. Members adopted two resolutions on the matter.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

One decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations from Parliament’s International Trade (INTA) Committee on the negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market was approved without vote.

This ‘at a glance’ note is intended to review some of the highlights of the plenary part-session, and notably to follow up on key dossiers identified by EPRS. It does not aim to be exhaustive. For more detailed information on specific files, please see other EPRS products, notably our ‘EU legislation in progress’ briefings, and the plenary minutes.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘Plenary round-up – February 2026‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

Delegations

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

La rupture brutale avec la France qui s'en est suivie donnera lieu à la volonté de Paris de punir le téméraire dirigeant africain qui a osé infliger un affront à de Gaulle.

Blessing Muzarabani claims a superb 4-17 as Zimbabwe held their nerve to stun Australia with a thrilling 23-run win in the T20 World Cup.

Five former UN Secretaries-Generals
 
United Nations Faces Crisis Amid Global Retreat on Rights and Democracy

By Widad Franco
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 13 2026 (IPS)

United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027. The change in leadership comes at a time when human rights and democracy, as well as the international organizations created to uphold those principles and provide lifesaving assistance, are under unprecedented attack.

So far member countries have formally nominated only two candidates: former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi from Argentina.

The threats to the global human rights system demand a courageous leader at the UN who will put human rights at the heart of its agenda. Yet the selection process gives veto power over any candidate to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States.

But human rights are clearly not a priority for China, Russia, or the United States.

Human Rights Watch and others have long documented attempts by China and Russia to defund and undermine the UN’s human rights pillar. More recently, the United States, which played a key role in creating the UN and its human rights architecture in 1945, has rejected and defunded dozens of UN programs promoting rights and humanitarian assistance.

The Trump administration has also withheld billions of dollars in UN dues, which has been a major factor in the organization’s crippling financial crisis. While Washington recently announced an initial payment toward its arrears, its actions have nonetheless seriously affected the UN’s ability to do its work.

US President Donald Trump has also been trying to sideline the UN by establishing a “Board of Peace,” modeled after the Security Council, with himself as chairman for life. Invited leaders include serial rights abusers from China, Belarus, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia, along with two men—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin—facing International Criminal Court warrants.

The UN needs a leader willing to stand up to major powers and abusive governments to defend victims of abuses and marginalized communities, and aggressively support accountability for serious crimes.

As member states nominate additional candidates, they should put forward a diverse pool, especially women and others with proven track records on human rights, and ensure a competitive and transparent process that places an exceptional individual committed to human rights atop the UN.

Widad Franco is UN Advocate, Human Rights Watch

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Dawn is breaking and the world’s biggest refugee camp stirs to life. Smoke rises from small cooking fires among rows of bamboo and tarpaulin shelters as children line up for food. For 38-year-old Mon Bahar, one of over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in a sprawling network of camps that make up Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, […]

Faire du serbe la langue officielle du Monténégro, légaliser l'usage du drapeau serbe et de la double citoyenneté. Le DNP a claqué la porte du gouvernement et relance les questions identitaires. Probablement sur ordre de Belgrade, afin de parasiter la marche européenne du petit pays.

- Articles / Monténégro, Politique, Questions européennes, Relations régionales, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Après Milo, Monténégro UE

Les législateurs ont accusé le ministère de la Justice de Bondi d'avoir procédé à des expurgations inappropriées dans les dossiers Epstein, ce à quoi elle a répliqué.

Aymo Brunetti und Christoph Schaltegger zählen zu den bekanntesten Ökonomen der Schweiz, beide vertreten liberale Standpunkte. Über die EU-Verträge gehen ihre Meinungen allerdings diametral auseinander.

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The US president has shaken up international relations and the continent is working out where it stands.

Es ist nicht zu leugnen, dass eine hochwertige Matratze einen großen Einfluss auf unseren Schlaf hat. Matratzen beeinflussen nicht nur den Liegekomfort, sondern auch die Haltung der Wirbelsäule und die Entlastung der Muskeln.

Suchen Sie vielleicht nach einer hochwertigen Matratze für Ihr Schlafzimmer, die die nächtliche Regeneration Ihres Körpers fördern kann? In unserem Beitrag finden Sie einige nützliche Tipps, mit denen Sie das richtige Produkt bestimmt finden!

Die richtige Härte der Matratze wählen

Egal, ob Sie eine Matratze 140×200 für ein schmales Bett oder vielleicht eine breite Matratze 180×200 suchen, Sie sollten vor allem den richtigen Härtegrad auswählen. Der Härtegrad einer Matratze entscheidet darüber, ob der Körper während des Schlafs ausreichend gestützt wird. Wenn Sie eine zu weiche Matratze auswählen, kann Ihr Becken während des Schlafs einsinken. Bei einer zu harten Oberfläche wird Ihr Körper hingegen unangenehm gedrückt.

Wichtig! Bei der Wahl der richtigen Härte Ihrer neuen Matratze müssen Sie Ihr Körpergewicht in Betracht ziehen. Bei einem höheren Körpergewicht benötigen Sie eine härtere Matratze.

Unterschiede zwischen Schaum-, Federkern- und Hybridmatratzen

Derzeit werden ganz verschiedene Matratzen angeboten. Jeder Matratzentyp hat seine spezifischen Eigenschaften. Zu beliebten Matratzentypen gehören:

• Schaummatratzen – sie passen sich an den Körper an und bieten eine gleichmäßige Druckentlastung. Sie eignen sich für Menschen, die unruhig schlafen;
• Federkernmatratzen – sie zeichnen sich durch eine besonders gute Luftzirkulation aus. In der Praxis bedeute das, dass sich diese Matratzen für alle gut eignen, die nachts stärker schwitzen. Ferner bieten sie eine sehr gute Unterstützung für den menschlichen Körper. Diese Matratzen reagieren flexibel auf Bewegungen;
• Hybridmatratzen – Modelle, die Schaum- und Federkernschichten miteinander kombinieren. Sie sind vielseitig, weil sie Vorteile der beiden oben genannten Matratzentypen verbinden. Eine hochwertige Matratze dieser Art bietet eine stabile Unterstützung von unten und passt sich an Körperkonturen an.

Fazit

Sie wissen bereits, welche Aspekte zu berücksichtigen sind, wenn Sie eine bequeme Matratze suchen. Benötigen Sie eine bequeme Matratze? MyBed! ist die richtige Wahl! In diesem Online-Shop finden Sie moderne Matratzen, die durch ihre langlebigen Materialien sowie soliden Konstruktionen überzeugen. Es gibt verschiedene Größen – Sie können sich für eine Matratze 160×200, 140×200, 180×200 etc. entscheiden.Wählen Sie das richtige Modell aus und genießen Sie den höchsten Schlafkomfort!

Der Beitrag Eine hochwertige Matratze für einen erholsamen Schlaf. Worauf ist zu achten? erschien zuerst auf Neurope.eu - News aus Europa.

As glaciers shrink and vanish, changes in water flows pose a growing risk to the water, food and livelihood security of billions of people. Credit: FAO

By QU Dongyu
ROME, Feb 12 2026 (IPS)

Glaciers – the world’s hidden water banks – are a source of life for billions. The seasonal melt from mountains and glaciers sustains some of the world’s most important rivers, such as the Indus, the Nile, the Ganges and the Colorado. Those and other mountain-fed rivers irrigate crops, provide drinking water for nearly two billion people, and power electricity generation.

But, as glaciers shrink and vanish, changes in water flows pose a growing risk to the water, food and livelihood security of billions of people.

In the short term, accelerated melting can trigger environmental hazards: flash floods, glacial lake outburst floods, avalanches and landslides.

In the long term, the glaciers as water sources will simply disappear.

By century’s end, most glaciers will contribute far less water than they do today, undermining agriculture in both mountain villages and sprawling lowland breadbaskets downstream.

We need policies and collaboration that address glacier-fed water systems, cross-border cooperation, and risk-sharing and early warning mechanisms – especially as rivers fed by glaciers often span multiple countries

Mountains cover more than a quarter of the world’s land and are home to 1.2 billion people, but these regions are heating up more rapidly than the global average. Mountain communities are especially vulnerable to increasing climate variability and decreasing seasonal water availability for agriculture and irrigation. With often no viable alternative water supply, the loss of agricultural production can lead to climate displacement and greater instability.

Five of the past six years have seen the most rapid glacier retreat on record, and the impacts are already being felt.

Communities from the Andes to the Himalayas are experiencing shorter snow seasons, erratic runoff, and the loss of reliable water. In Peru, dwindling glaciers have slashed crop yields. In Pakistan, reduced snowmelt threatens seasonal planting cycles. Many glaciers have already reached or are expected to reach “peak water” – the point at which meltwater runoff is at its maximum, after which flows will gradually decline – in the coming two or three decades. This means everyone who depends on glacier-fed rivers faces increasing scarcity when population growth will push water demand even higher.

Beyond science and survival, the disappearance of glaciers erases something less tangible but equally profound. For Indigenous Peoples and mountain communities across Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, glaciers are sacred. Their melting erodes traditions, rituals, identity and cultural heritage bound to mountain landscapes for centuries.

While there is still time to act, global responses remain fragmented and inadequate. That’s why the United Nations declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation – a clear reminder that preserving these frozen ecosystems means protecting our future.

To ensure food and water security from the peaks to the plains, a bold shift in policy, investment and governance is urgently needed.

Broadly speaking, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving water management, and strengthening early warning systems, adaptative agriculture and sustainable agrifood systems are necessary.

We need to turn the challenges posed by melting glaciers into opportunities to the benefit of all.

Agriculture, both a major water user and a key sector for adaptation, can itself be a solution when developed sustainably. Techniques like terrace farming, agroecology, agroforestry and crop diversification – practiced by mountain communities for centuries – help preserve soil and water, reduce disaster risk and support livelihoods. Such adaptation efforts should be inclusive, drawing on Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and addressing root vulnerabilities like poverty and gender inequality.

We must also mobilize investments in water and agricultural infrastructure. This includes more climate finance to support vulnerable mountain communities that struggle to access training, funding and innovation.

In addition, governments need to align strategies, policies and plans to address this critical nexus between water, agriculture and climate resilience. Mountains are often absent from national climate policies and global adaptation frameworks. We need policies and collaboration that address glacier-fed water systems, cross-border cooperation, and risk-sharing and early warning mechanisms – especially as rivers fed by glaciers often span multiple countries. This also includes reviewing basin-wide water allocation strategies, plans and investment in infrastructure to improve water use efficiency, and step up glacier monitoring and research.

Preparing for a world with fewer glaciers and less of their precious water requires innovation and coordination. In Kyrgyzstan, FAO has been helping experts construct artificial glaciers – ice towers created by spraying mountain water and that gradually melt in summer. In the region of Batken alone, this initiative has helped store over 1.5 million cubic meters of ice, enough to irrigate up to 1,750 hectares.

In Ladakh, India, the social enterprise Acres of Ice has developed automated ice reservoirs to capture unused water in autumn and winter and freeze it until spring. In the Peruvian Andes, a community-based initiative is addressing the deterioration of water quality from minerals exposed by receding glaciers through a natural filtration system using native plants.

But far more needs to be done, together. Glaciers matter because water matters. To ignore their rapid retreat is to gamble with global food and water security.

—

FAO is mandated to lead the global observance of International Mountain Day, coordinated through the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, which is financially supported by the governments of Italy, Andorra and Switzerland. The Secretariat collaborated closely with UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, co-facilitators of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025.

 

Excerpt:

QU Dongyu is Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Die Schweiz bleibt voraussichtlich noch lange verteidigungsunfähig. Nicht nur bei den Projekten, auch bei der Finanzierung gibt es Schwierigkeiten.

A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will visit Podgorica and Tirana from 16 to 18 February, led by Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany).
The visit will enable AFET MEPs to evaluate the state of play of accession negotiations and outstanding reform priorities in each country and reaffirm Parliament's commitment to supporting both countries on their European paths.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will visit Podgorica and Tirana from 16 to 18 February, led by Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany).
The visit will enable AFET MEPs to evaluate the state of play of accession negotiations and outstanding reform priorities in each country and reaffirm Parliament's commitment to supporting both countries on their European paths.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will visit Podgorica and Tirana from 16 to 18 February, led by Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany).
The visit will enable AFET MEPs to evaluate the state of play of accession negotiations and outstanding reform priorities in each country and reaffirm Parliament's commitment to supporting both countries on their European paths.
AFET Missions
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) will visit Podgorica and Tirana from 16 to 18 February, led by Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany).
The visit will enable AFET MEPs to evaluate the state of play of accession negotiations and outstanding reform priorities in each country and reaffirm Parliament's commitment to supporting both countries on their European paths.
AFET Missions
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP