Vous êtes ici

Agrégateur de flux

En l'absence d'un budget 2026, le Parlement adopte une loi spéciale

France24 / France - mar, 23/12/2025 - 17:09
L'Assemblée nationale et le Sénat ont adopté, mardi, une loi spéciale en l'absence d'un budget pour 2026. Votée à l'unanimité, elle permet de continuer à financer provisoirement l'État, avant la reprise des débats budgétaires en janvier. Le Premier ministre Sébastien Lecornu s'est dit "persuadé" de pouvoir parvenir à un accord "si les calculs politiques sont mis de côté".
Catégories: Balkan News, France

CMA CGM et DHL coopèrent pour poursuivre la décarbonation maritime

La Tribune - mar, 23/12/2025 - 17:07
L’armateur, basé à Marseille, et le spécialiste de la logistique ont annoncé l’achat de 8 990 tonnes de biocarburant de deuxième génération afin de poursuivre la décarbonation du transport maritime.

Syria and the Collapse of Sovereignty

Foreign Policy Blogs - mar, 23/12/2025 - 16:27

Sovereignty is often spoken of as something that can be defended, negotiated or restored. Syria, however, forces a far more uncomfortable question: what happens when sovereignty itself collapses — not in theory, but in practice?   After more than a decade of war, sanctions and fragmentation, Syria stands as one of the starkest examples of what the erosion of sovereignty looks like in the twenty-first century. The Sovereignty Index developed by the International Burke Institute places Syria near the very bottom of the global ranking — not as a political judgement, but as a reflection of structural reality. Across nearly every domain that defines a functioning state, Syrian sovereignty has been hollowed out.   Politically, Syria remains internationally recognized, but recognition masks a far more fractured internal landscape. Authority is uneven, contested and often symbolic outside Damascus. Multiple foreign military forces operate on Syrian territory, decisions of international institutions are selectively ignored, and large parts of the country remain outside effective central control. Elections and constitutional reforms have been announced, yet public trust is fragile and consensus elusive. Sovereignty, in this context, exists more on paper than on the ground.   Economic sovereignty has fared even worse. Syria’s economy has been reduced to survival mode. GDP per capita is among the lowest globally, foreign reserves are minimal, and dependence on imports for food, fuel and basic goods is overwhelming. The national currency circulates alongside dollars, euros, liras and rials, reflecting the breakdown of monetary authority. Economic policy is constrained not only by sanctions, but by the destruction of infrastructure, capital flight and demographic collapse. A sovereign economy cannot function when production, trade and finance are structurally incapacitated.   Technological sovereignty is virtually absent. Research and development spending is negligible, digital infrastructure is fragile, and national platforms barely function beyond limited government portals. Internet access remains inconsistent, public digital services are fragmented, and nearly all advanced equipment and software is imported. In Syria, technology does not empower the state; it merely patches gaps in an environment shaped by scarcity and instability.   Information sovereignty follows a similar pattern. State media operate under heavy control, but rely on foreign platforms and infrastructure. Cybersecurity capacity is rudimentary, national data systems are weak, and digital dependence is near total. Control exists, but resilience does not. In such conditions, information sovereignty becomes a tool of containment rather than a foundation for national coherence.   And yet, Syria’s story is not one of total erasure. Cultural sovereignty remains one of the country’s last enduring pillars. Ancient cities, religious pluralism, architectural heritage and culinary traditions continue to anchor Syrian identity. Despite widespread destruction, UNESCO sites, museums, crafts and collective memory persist. Cultural survival has become a form of resistance — not against external powers alone, but against the disappearance of the state itself.   Cognitive sovereignty, though severely damaged, has not vanished. Literacy remains relatively high given the circumstances, and the tradition of education endures even as institutions struggle. Universities operate under extreme constraints, research capacity is limited, and talent continues to emigrate. But the human capital that once sustained Syria has not been fully extinguished — it has been displaced.   Militarily, Syria retains armed forces and mobilization capacity, but autonomy is sharply limited. Equipment is largely imported, strategic decisions are coordinated with allies, and foreign military presence remains decisive. The army exists, but sovereignty over force is shared, negotiated and constrained. In this sense, Syria illustrates a crucial distinction: having armed forces is not the same as possessing military sovereignty.   Taken together, Syria represents a condition that is rarely acknowledged in international discourse: post-sovereign fragility. The state exists, but cannot fully govern. Borders exist, but cannot be fully controlled. Institutions exist, but cannot deliver. Sovereignty has not been surrendered — it has been exhausted.   As the International Burke Institute prepares to release the full Sovereignty Index for all UN member states later this year, Syria’s position will serve as a warning rather than an anomaly. Sovereignty is not destroyed overnight. It erodes through war, fragmentation, institutional decay and prolonged external dependency. Once lost, it cannot be restored by declarations alone.   From my perspective as an expert affiliated with the International Burke Institute and an active participant in initiatives aimed at strengthening sovereignty worldwide, Syria demonstrates the ultimate cost of state collapse. Sovereignty is not merely about independence from others. It is about the capacity to act, to protect, to provide and to endure.   Syria reminds us that sovereignty, when stripped of institutions, resources and cohesion, becomes a memory rather than a mechanism. Rebuilding it will require not only reconstruction funds and diplomatic engagement, but something far harder to restore: trust between the state and its people, and unity within a society that has learned to survive without either.

L'Univers est-il en train d'épuiser ses nouvelles étoiles ?

BBC Afrique - mar, 23/12/2025 - 15:37
Les astronomes ont observé des signes indiquant que de moins en moins d'étoiles naissent. Cela pourrait s'inscrire dans le cadre d'un ralentissement progressif de l'Univers et de tout ce qu'il contient. Mais pourquoi ? Et dans quelle mesure devons-nous nous en inquiéter ?
Catégories: Afrique, Russia & CIS

EU protests UK-Norway deal allowing mackerel overfishing

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 15:29
"This decision was taken without prior consultation with the European Union," the European Commission said

Killing of Tajik Boy in Moscow Sparks Debate About Motive

TheDiplomat - mar, 23/12/2025 - 15:21
After a 10-year-old Tajik boy was killed at a Moscow-area school last Tuesday, Dushanbe has spoken out, calling the attack an act of ethnic hatred, but have left bilateral relations unchanged.

Germany deports man to Syria for first time since 2011

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 15:20
A Syrian immigrant previously convicted of criminal offences in Germany was flown to Damascus and handed over to Syrian authorities on Tuesday morning

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy seeks legally binding security guarantees

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 15:15
For the Ukrainian leader, the post-ceasefire support already promised by the US and European's last week isn’t good enough

Spanish socialists call on PM Sánchez to step down

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 14:58
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been embroiled in a series of high-profile corruption probes linked to his inner circle and former allies

South Korea’s Labor Model and Its Strategic Consequences

TheDiplomat - mar, 23/12/2025 - 14:32
A persistent labor-time gap reflects deeper features of Korea’s economic model rather than cultural habits alone.

China’s Quiet Stake in Post-Assad Syria

TheDiplomat - mar, 23/12/2025 - 14:15
China’s approach to post-Assad Syria is defined less by opportunity than by caution. 

Indian Navy’s Combat Aviation Capability Takes Wing

TheDiplomat - mar, 23/12/2025 - 14:14
The MH-60R Romeo is widely regarded as the world’s premier all-weather, day and night-capable helicopter, designed for maritime operations.

How does Parliament support Ukraine?

Written by Anna Flynn.

The EU strongly condemned Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022. By July 2025, the civilian death toll in Ukraine had exceeded 13 800, according to the UN. Now, nearly four years later, the EU has provided €187.3 billion in support for Ukraine, and this response marks the Union’s largest civil protection operation to date.

EPRS notes that ‘the ongoing attack has reverberated beyond Ukraine’s borders, affecting food security, energy prices and inflation both in the EU and beyond’. The European Parliament labelled Russia’s war ‘the most outrageous act of aggression conducted by the political leadership of a given country in Europe since 1945.’ The  EU’s response  has been structured along three axes: political, economic and military support for Ukraine; isolation and containment of Russia; and enhancement of EU and EU neighbours’ resilience.

Parliament’s extraordinary meeting of 1 March 2022, at which it adopted a resolution unequivocally condemning Russia’s aggression and setting the direction for EU action, was one of the first international gatherings that Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attended. Parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola, was the first EU leader to visit Kyiv, on 1 April 2022. In September 2025, Metsola officially opened a permanent European Parliament liaison office in Kyiv. 

Since the start of the war, Parliament has dealt with multiple legislative files of paramount importance for Ukraine and adopted numerous non-legislative resolutions on aspects of EU support for the country; including several rounds of macro-financial assistance, the Act in support of ammunition production (ASAP); and the Ukraine Facility, which earmarks €50 billion for Ukraine’s reconstruction from 2024 to 2027.

Parliament has also unwaveringly supported Ukraine’s EU membership aspirations, advocating successfully in June 2022 for Ukraine to be granted candidate country status, and in December 2023 for Member States to start accession negotiations. During EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee meetings, Members and their Ukrainian counterparts have discussed parliamentary follow-up of Ukraine’s official accession request. Accession negotiations have not properly started due to lack of required unanimity in the Council. However, in April 2025, Parliament called for the acceleration of the screening process that would allow these discussions to begin.

Moreover, Parliament has used its powers to advocate a tougher policy of containment towards Russia. A huge discussion has centred around the possibility of the EU using immobilised Russian assets (of the Central Bank of Russia) to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction. This money has been frozen since the war began. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for the assets (amounting to around €300 billion) to be used. However, it is a divisive issue due to potential economic, legal, and reputational consequences. On 12 December 2025, the Council adopted a regulation indefinitely prohibiting the transfer of any of the assets.

On 19 December 2025, the European Council approved a €90 billion loan to support Ukraine in 2026 and 2027. Without this, Ukraine was expected to run out of funds in early 2026. Instead of using Russian assets, this loan is financed through EU borrowing secured on the ‘headroom’ in the EU’s budget.

Parliament also supports the EU’s sanctions against Russia. The Council recently adopted its 19th comprehensive package of sanctions, containing 69 additional listings. This constitutes companies now subject to asset freezes (that will also be ineligible for further disbursement of funds), as well as individuals who now face travel bans.

Parliament is therefore employing its budgetary, agenda-setting, external action and law-making powers to mobilise solid EU support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s aggression, and to ensure that the EU honours its pledges.

Links
Catégories: European Union

Does Australia Need Additional Hate Speech Laws?

TheDiplomat - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:55
Or does Australia need to recommit to the ideals of liberalism?

Business is drowning in EU rules, employers demand urgent simplification [Advocacy Lab]

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:44
Mounting reporting pressures are uniting employers and unions behind urgent smarter, more coherent regulation, which includes freelancers

20 éve léteznek Amerikai Terek Romániában

Kolozsvári Rádió (Románia/Erdély) - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:35

Az Egyesült Államok Nagykövetsége az American Spaces, azaz Amerikai Terek elnevezésű programjának 20. évfordulóját ünnepli Romániában. Kertész Melinda összeállítása.

Articolul 20 éve léteznek Amerikai Terek Romániában apare prima dată în Kolozsvári Rádió Románia.

EU’s rising tropical disease risk puts Belgian vaccine ecosystem in pole position [Advocacy Lab]

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:27
Belgium is accelerating the EU’s ability to develop and deploy vaccine measures at speed because of its dense vaccine ecosystem

Comment boire un jus d'orange par jour peut aider le cœur

BBC Afrique - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:24
Même s'il a souvent été dit qu'il vaut mieux consommer le fruit entier plutôt que son jus en raison de son apport en fibres, de nombreuses études soulignent les vertus intéressantes de cette boisson.
Catégories: Afrique, Russia & CIS

Dutch industry warns EU pharma reform risks competitiveness, lack incentives [Advocacy Lab]

Euractiv.com - mar, 23/12/2025 - 13:17
Dutch pharma boss says Europe risks becoming a market that consumes but no longer innovates

Pages