The ViaRhôna, a green and heritage-filled 815-kilometre long cycling route in southeast France, has received more than €2 million in EU funds during the 2014-2020 budget period because of its environmental component. EURACTIV France reports.
As the UK prepares to ban the live export of animals, the debate over the practice is also gaining traction in the EU, although the bloc is unlikely to follow suit any time soon, according to MEP Tilly Metz.
The European Commission tabled the updated 2030 climate target in September, saying a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions was “achievable” and “beneficial” for the EU economy. The European Parliament subsequently voted for a 60% target for greenhouse gas reductions...
Are non-mainstream voices on how to fight the pandemic not being heard? Europe's media discuss the accusation, which has been made not just by people who deny the seriousness of the pandemic. Some commentators are also self-critical on this point.
The French government has presented the parliament with another controversial draft law. Officially named the draft bill "reinforcing Republican Principles", it takes aim at radical Islam in particular. The proposed legislation foresees restrictions on home schooling and imam training in the country and more stringent monitoring of foreign payments to associations, as well as tougher penalties for hate speech and doxing. The press is critical of this approach for various reasons.
The Austrian Constitutional Court has overturned the country's ban on assisted suicide on the grounds that it violates the right to free self-determination. Active euthanasia - killing someone at his or her express request - remains a criminal offence. Austria's commentators voice pensive approval.
The Egyptian-Italian investigation into the murder of Giulio Regeni has ended in disagreement. Egypt insists that criminals killed the 28-year-old Cambridge student in February 2016, while Italy blames the Egyptian security services. Just a few days after the investigation was temporarily closed, Emmanuel Macron awarded Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi the Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour.
Bestselling author John le Carré has died in Cornwall at the age of 89. Le Carré, whose real name was David Cornwell, once worked for secret services himself and garnered international fame with his spy novels from the 1960s onward, in which betrayal and loyalty were key themes. Commentators discuss whether Le Carré's work and the spy novel in general have retained their relevance since the end of the Cold War.
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