European Union

Auf der zweiten Etappe der UAE-Tour kommts kurz vor dem Ziel zu einem Massensturz. Darin verwickelt ist auch die Schweizerin Marlen Reusser.

Espanyol Barcelona verpflichtet einen gebürtigen Zürcher als Technischen Direktor. Marco Otero, der auch etliche Jahre in der Super League tätig war, übernimmt die Geschicke bei den Katalanen.

Auch als nicht eingefleischter NFL-Fan lohnt es sich, für den Super Bowl in der Nacht auf Montag wach zu bleiben. Blick liefert dir alles Wichtige vor dem Mega-Event und sagt dir, wieso du bei der Halftime Show genau hinschauen solltest.

Nach der Katastrophe in Crans-Montana gehen italienische Medien Schweizer Politiker aggressiv an. Ein Tessiner Nationalrat wurde verfolgt, ein anderer im Fernsehen hart angegriffen.

Die Tragödie von Crans-Montana stellt die Schweiz vor eine heikle Zwickmühle: Wie viel Hilfe kann der Bund Opfern bieten, ohne Ungleichheiten zu schaffen? Gleichzeitig ist der Druck aufs Image der Schweiz gross.

Nach der Verurteilung von Sanija Ameti für Schüsse auf ein Marienbild werden die Jungen Grünliberalen aktiv. Sie forden die Abschaffung des Blasphemieverbots. Das Kritisieren und Verspotten von Religionen müsse in einer liberalen Demokratie möglich sein.

Comedian Zeki macht sich einen Spass daraus, Temposchilder zu überkleben. Das ist alllerdings alles andere als legal. Wäre seine Aktion kein Scherz gewesen, hätten ihm rechtliche Konsequenzen gedroht.

Pornokonsum ist allgegenwärtig. In der Schweiz schauen 93 Prozent der Männer und 57 Prozent der Frauen Pornos. Trotzdem führt das Thema zu Scham und Beziehungskrisen. Im Podcast «Durchblick» zeigt Sexualtherapeutin Ursina Donatsch Wege, wie wir besser damit umgehen.

Ce livre a pour origine la tentative de libérer de prison Ukshin Hoti.
Philosophe et activiste de la cause albanaise du Kosovo, il est emprisonné par la police yougoslave en mai 1994. Le 16 mai 1999, alors qu'il a pourtant purgé sa peine, il est transféré à la prison de Dubravë au Kosovo. Durant les frappes de l'OTAN la police y perpétue un massacre le 19 mai 1999 (on estime aujourd'hui que cent soixante-treize prisonniers albanais sont alors abattus par les forces serbes). Depuis cette (…)

- Livres / Kosovo, Albanie, Histoire, Guerres et conflits, Littérature, Grand Bazar - Diaporama

Plenary session and committee meetings, Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Following plenary votes, Parliament’s rapporteurs will brief journalists on the new list of safe countries of origin and on the application of the safe third countries regulation.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Following plenary votes, Parliament’s rapporteurs will brief journalists on the new list of safe countries of origin and on the application of the safe third countries regulation.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Written by Rosamund Shreeves

Facts and figures

Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes all procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical purposes. FGM is carried out for cultural, religious and social reasons, mostly on young girls between infancy and the age of 15. It has no health benefits and can result in serious effects on health and wellbeing, even death, while generating considerable healthcare costs.

The exact number of girls and women affected by FGM is not known, but the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that, worldwide, at least 200 million women and girls have been ‘cut’, while around four million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM every year. The practice, most common in 28 African countries, is also prevalent in parts of the Middle East and Asia, and reported to a lesser extent elsewhere.

Analysis shows that FGM has declined strongly in some countries over the past decade but stagnated in others. Progress is threatened by population growth in high-risk areas, increased vulnerability in humanitarian contexts, crossing borders to evade prohibition, and – as in The Gambia in 2024 and 2026 – attempts to reverse legislation outlawing the practice. FGM performed by health professionals is gaining traction and now represents 1 in 4 cases according to World Health Organization estimates. This does not reduce harm and is contrary to medical ethics.

Data on FGM prevalence in Europe are lacking. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is developing a common methodology for collecting administrative data and supporting the collection of data on women and girls at risk in the EU. The four studies it conducted between 2012 and 2020 found that there are victims (or potential victims) in at least 16 EU countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Finland and Sweden. The European End FGM network estimates that there are over 600 000 FGM survivors living in Europe and that 180 000 girls are at risk in 13 European countries alone. Around 20 000 women and girls from FGM-practising countries seek asylum in the EU every year, with an estimated 1 000  asylum claims relating directly to FGM.

Commitments and action to combat FGM

FGM is a form of child abuse and gender-based violence, recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. The practice also violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity; the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the right to life in cases where the procedure results in death. Measures have been adopted at international, EU and national level to prevent FGM and to protect FGM victims.

Instruments and action at international level

At international level, United Nations (UN), African Union and Council of Europe standards are benchmarks for work to combat FGM. Treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Geneva Convention, all cover FGM indirectly, with specific guidance on protection and asylum for victims. In Africa, the parties to the Maputo Protocol (Article V) and Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls commit to eliminate FGM. The Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) is the first treaty to recognise that FGM exists in Europe (Article 38). It sets out obligations on preventing and combating the practice and providing support for victims and those at risk. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies FGM as a harmful practice, to be eliminated by 2030 (SDG 5, target 5.3). The EU is committed to the 2030 Agenda and bound by the Istanbul Convention in areas of EU competence, including judicial cooperation in criminal matters and asylum policy. The first EU monitoring report under the Convention highlights work to improve data collection and support victims. The European Commission also reports on EU efforts to combat FGM on or around 6 February every year.

EU legislation, policy and funding

The EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights affirm the principles of gender equality and non-discrimination and guarantee the right to dignity and physical and mental integrity. FGM is a prosecutable offence under national law in all EU Member States, either as a specific criminal act or as an act of bodily harm or injury. Under the EU Directive on combating violence against women, to be transposed by 14 June 2027, all Member States must criminalise FGM as a specific offence and set a maximum prison sentence of not less than five years for perpetrators. To complement the directive, the Commission has committed to table a recommendation on preventing and combating FGM and other harmful practices. EU asylum law recognises FGM victims as vulnerable applicants requiring specific support. Legislation on reception and international protection that is applicable since 1 January 2026 and revisions to EU law on victims’ rights should strengthen support for victims of FGM. Research by EIGE shows a need for coherent implementation of migration law and policy to ensure that women and girls affected by or at risk of FGM can access protection.

Combating gender-based violence, including FGM, is a priority of the EU’s current external action plan for gender equality (GAP III) and its strategies on children’s rights and gender equality. The EU has a coordinated approach to combating FGM across the fields of justice, police, health, social services, child protection, education, immigration and asylum and external relations. The objectives include developing reliable EU-level data, improving access to support and justice for victims, raising awareness among relevant professionals and communities, ensuring that EU asylum and victim protection law is implemented effectively and promoting the elimination of FGM worldwide.

EU external funding supports the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to eliminate FGM and the joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, whose holistic approach has led to promising practices. The Commission has recognised the need for further action to raise awareness in the communities concerned within the EU. Funding for this and support for frontline organisations is available under the citizens, equality, rights and values programme for 2021 to 2027, notably the longstanding Daphne strand, which focused on combating harmful practices in 2022 and 2025.

Outlook

The UN is highlighting an urgent need to step up efforts to meet the target of eliminating FGM by 2030 and highlights an estimated global funding gap of US$2.1 billion. Against this backdrop and funding cuts to UNFPA, UNICEF, and organisations supporting women and girls, for the 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM the UN is calling for commitment and sustained investment. Civil society organisations are urging the EU to use the new legislation on violence against women and on asylum, the implementation of the expected 2026-2030 EU gender equality strategy and the preparation of the next multiannual budget and external gender action plan, to build on existing efforts to improve FGM prevention and support for survivors. They are also calling for commensurate, dedicated funding through the proposed citizens, equality, rights and values (CERV+) programme and Global Europe budgetary instrument.

European Parliament position

The European Parliament has played an important role in raising awareness and pushing for firm action on FGM, including through the work of its Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). Parliament adopted resolutions on FGM in 2001, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2018, calling on the Commission and Member States to provide the legal and other means required to raise awareness, protect and support victims and ensure that offenders are prosecuted. It has also set out its own recommendations for an EU strategy to put an end to FGM around the world and denounced moves to repeal legal protections. At an exchange of views on FGM in the EU in June 2025, Members stressed the need to follow up on the provisions on FGM in the Directive on combating violence against women.

This publication is a further update of an ‘at a glance’ note originally published in January 2015.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Ending female genital mutilation: A call to action‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under increasing pressure within his own party over the Peter Mandelson affair. Media have quoted Labour MPs as saying that the prime minister's days were numbered. Mandelson is alleged to have passed on confidential government information to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s. In 2024, Starmer appointed Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite knowing about his relationship with Epstein.

Around a third of the journalists at the Washington Post, one of the US's most prestigious newspapers, have been laid off. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos acquired the financially struggling paper from the family that owned it in 2013 and invested heavily in its digital transformation. During Trump's first term in office from 2017 to 2021 it was one of the most critical voices, but since his second term began Bezos has increasingly sought to cultivate a close relationship with the US president.