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The EU institutions provisionally agree on animal health measures

European Council - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 11:36

The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the outstanding issues concerning the proposal for a regulation on animal health law at an informal trilogue meeting on 1 June. The regulation is expected to be formally adopted before the end of 2015, after the final procedures including the legal-linguistic revision of the text, are completed. It will become applicable 5 years after its entry into force.


Control and prevention of animal diseases 

The animal health law aims to ensure high standards of animal and public health in the EU. It will provide a single overarching legal framework with harmonised principles across the sector, which is currently regulated by a series of linked and interrelated regulations and directives. 

The focus of the animal health law is on the control and prevention of transmissible animal diseases, whose effect can be devastating for individual animals, animal populations, animal keepers and the economy. It aims to reduce the adverse effects of those transmissible animal diseases and to limit the potential negative effects of the measures taken to prevent and control them. It puts a high emphasis on the prevention of animal diseases and places a special importance on biosecurity measures as a key prevention tool. 

List of animal diseases 

The diseases which will be subject to specific disease prevention and control rules are listed in the Annex to the Regulation. The initial list includes those diseases which currently qualify for EU funding (Regulation 652/2014). The list will be reviewed and revised by the Commission before the start of application of the animal health law, to ensure that all those diseases - and only those diseases - which meet the strict harmonised criteria set out in the animal health law are on that list. 

The rules of the animal health law shall take into account, among other elements, the relationship of animal health with public health, with food and feed safety, with antimicrobial resistance and with animal welfare, including the sparing of any avoidable pain, distress or suffering. However, they do not replace, duplicate or overlap with the existing EU legislation on animal welfare. 

The animal health law will be complemented by a set of more detailed rules to be adopted at a later stage by the Commission in accordance with the empowerments defined by the co-legislators. 

The proposal for a regulation on animal health law was originally issued as a part of a package of reviews relating to animal health, health of plants and official controls of plants, animals, food and feed. 

"The new Regulation sets out a clear and single legal framework to ensure a better prevention and control of animal diseases transmissible between animals and from animals to humans. It takes into account new challenges such as diseases that up to recently were not known, increased trade volumes and technological developments" said Jānis Dūklavs, President of the Council and the Latvian minister for agriculture . 

Categories: European Union

Informal meeting of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers

Council lTV - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 10:29
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The informal meeting of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries takes place in Riga, on 2 June 2015. Ministers initiate discussions about the current situation on organic agriculture and its development in the European Union.

Download this video here.

Categories: European Union

Article - How the majority of EU legislation gets created

European Parliament (News) - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 09:57
General : The media often report on how Brussels has decided on a new piece of legislation, but this is a simple version of what is a very complicated process. In our interactive infographic you find a more precise overview of how decisions that affect the EU and the people living in it are taken by MEPs and the member states.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Article - How the majority of EU legislation gets created

European Parliament - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 09:57
General : The media often report on how Brussels has decided on a new piece of legislation, but this is a simple version of what is a very complicated process. In our interactive infographic you find a more precise overview of how decisions that affect the EU and the people living in it are taken by MEPs and the member states.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Video of a committee meeting - Monday, 1 June 2015 - 17:47 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

Length of video : 43'
You may manually download this video in WMV (491Mb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan is a great example of regional cooperation

Latvian Presidency of the EU 2015-1 - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 08:31

On 28-29 May, the joint meeting of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) High-Level Group and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in the field of energy policy took place in Jūrmala, Latvia.

Categories: European Union

EUSR – PERSONAL ASSISTANT - JERUSALEM

EEAS News - Tue, 02/06/2015 - 00:00
Categories: European Union

The EU institutions provisionally agree on animal health measures

Latvian Presidency of the EU 2015-1 - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 20:02

The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on the outstanding issues concerning the proposal for a regulation on animal health law at an informal trilogue meeting on 1 June.

Categories: European Union

Article - EP leaders discuss priorities of upcoming Council presidency with Luxembourg

European Parliament (News) - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:50
General : The political leaders of the European Parliament discussed the priorities of the upcoming Council presidency with the government of Luxembourg, which will take over on 1 July. The Conference of Presidents, made up of EP President Martin Schulz and the chairs of the political groups, went to Luxembourg on Monday 1 June where Prime Minister Xavier Bettel presented his country's priorities. In addition to the prime minister, the EP delegation also met other members of the government.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Article - EP leaders discuss priorities of upcoming Council presidency with Luxembourg

European Parliament - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:50
General : The political leaders of the European Parliament discussed the priorities of the upcoming Council presidency with the government of Luxembourg, which will take over on 1 July. The Conference of Presidents, made up of EP President Martin Schulz and the chairs of the political groups, went to Luxembourg on Monday 1 June where Prime Minister Xavier Bettel presented his country's priorities. In addition to the prime minister, the EP delegation also met other members of the government.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Transmissible animal diseases: MEPs and ministers strike informal deal - Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

European Parliament (News) - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:46
Measures to prevent and treat animal diseases such as avian flu or African swine fever were informally agreed by MEPs, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the European Commission on Monday. The draft EU law, on diseases that are transmissible among animals and potentially to humans too, will merge and update many scattered items of old legislation, so as to help prevent and halt new outbreaks and keep pace with scientific progress.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Transmissible animal diseases: MEPs and ministers strike informal deal - Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

European Parliament - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:46
Measures to prevent and treat animal diseases such as avian flu or African swine fever were informally agreed by MEPs, the Latvian Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the European Commission on Monday. The draft EU law, on diseases that are transmissible among animals and potentially to humans too, will merge and update many scattered items of old legislation, so as to help prevent and halt new outbreaks and keep pace with scientific progress.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Luxleaks whistle-blower Deltour wins broad support in Parliament - Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

European Parliament (News) - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:27
"I am proud of what has resulted from my case, including the establishment of this special committee. I see it as a recognition for my decision to go public", said Antoine Deltour in a hearing with members of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings on Monday.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Luxleaks whistle-blower Deltour wins broad support in Parliament - Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

European Parliament - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:27
"I am proud of what has resulted from my case, including the establishment of this special committee. I see it as a recognition for my decision to go public", said Antoine Deltour in a hearing with members of the Special Committee on Tax Rulings on Monday.
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Development MEPs call for action to target tax evasion in developing countries - Committee on Development

European Parliament (News) - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:01
Development MEPs called on companies in all countries to adopt country-by-country reporting and make all information public in order to fight tax evasion and illicit money flows in developing countries, in a resolution adopted on Monday afternoon. It also called on the EU's financial institutions to ensure that companies receiving EU support do not participate in tax evasion and avoidance.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Press release - Development MEPs call for action to target tax evasion in developing countries - Committee on Development

European Parliament - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 18:01
Development MEPs called on companies in all countries to adopt country-by-country reporting and make all information public in order to fight tax evasion and illicit money flows in developing countries, in a resolution adopted on Monday afternoon. It also called on the EU's financial institutions to ensure that companies receiving EU support do not participate in tax evasion and avoidance.
Committee on Development

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

Against the criminalisation of foreign fighters with the discourse of terrorism

Ideas on Europe Blog - Mon, 01/06/2015 - 17:53

Last week, interior ministers of the 15 countries sitting at the UN Security Council met to discuss foreign fighters. They did so as part of the follow-up of

Resolution 2178 (2014), which defines foreign fighters as people who travel or attempt to travel to a State other than their States of residence or nationality, and other individuals who travel or attempt to travel from their territories to a State other than their States of residence or nationality, for the purpose of the perpetration, planning, or preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts, or the providing or receiving of terrorist training”.

This is hardly a new phenomenon, but foreign fighters are getting more and more attention in relation to Syria and Iraq. The number of foreign fighters in both countries could exceed 20,000, and according to the Director of Europol, between 3,000 and 5,000 of them would come from EU countries.

In Resolution 2178, as well as previous ones since 2001, the Security Council urges states to adopt legislative and criminal measures to prevent terrorism and bring suspects to justice.

With the intention to operationalise the mandate of the Security Council, the Council of Europe is working on a draft protocol to the 2005 European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. This text criminalises the action of joining a group and “participating” in its activities “for the purpose of committing or contributing to the commission” of terrorist offences (Article 2), “receiving training for terrorism” (Article 3), “travelling abroad for the purpose of terrorism” (Article 4), “funding travelling abroad for the purpose of terrorism” (Article 5), or “organising or otherwise facilitating travelling” for that purpose (Article 6).

As noted by Scheinin, the formulation of these provisions relies on the intent (“purpose”) of the person to participate or contribute towards the commission of a terrorist offence.

The draft protocol, therefore, does not call for the criminalisation of travelling to conflict zones, and individual countries have not modified their criminal legislation to punish travelling per se. The subjective element of intent is required.

However, a variety of measures are already being taken in relation to foreign fighters, ranging from passport confiscation (Germany), attempts to bar foreign fighters from acquiring national citizenship (Austria), stripping known foreign fighters of access to social services (Belgium), or revoking naturalised nationality (UK and Netherlands) (see reports here, here and here).

So far, these measures are targeting Islamic foreign fighters travelling to conflict areas with a religious motivation. However, there is no reason why these measures could not be potentially applied to other conflicts. For example, Spanish authorities recently detained eight nationals that had fought in Ukraine on the pro-Russian side. Apparently their actions may have infringed Spain’s neutrality, and therefore compromise the country’s “peace or independence”.

(Spain has recently modified its criminal legislation to persecute and punish “jihadist-style international terrorists”. Incidentally, this legislative reform coincides with a restriction of the principle of universal jurisdiction in the country. Prosecuting international terrorists is going to be easier, but doing so with genocidaires and war criminals is becoming nearly impossible in Spain.)

Thankfully, the UK, the US and tens of other countries did not think along those lines when George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway and 30,000 other international brigadiers travelled to Spain to fight Franco during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).

The reader may argue that defending freedom and democracy against fascism is not exactly what pro-Russians and Islamists are doing in Eastern Ukraine and Syria/Iraq, respectively.

My point is different, though. The criminalisation of foreign fighters with the discourse of terrorism poses a fundamental challenge to the jus in bello, that is, to the law that regulates acceptable wartime conduct.

Terrorism is not a condition (“to be a terrorist”), but an action (“to commit a terrorist act”), and it is already prohibited in International Humanitarian Law (IHL): Articles 33 of the 1949 4th Geneva Convention, 51(2) of the 1977 Additional Protocol 1, and 4(2)(d) and 13(2) of the Additional Protocol II, of the same year. The International Committee of the Red Cross has authoritatively established that:

“The term ‘terrorist act’ should be used, in the context of armed conflict, only in relation to the few acts specifically designated as such under the treaties of IHL. It should not be used to describe acts that are lawful or not prohibited by IHL. While there is clearly an overlap in terms of the prohibition of attacks against civilians and civilian objects under both IHL and domestic law, it is believed that, overall, there are more disadvantages than advantages to additionally designating such acts as ‘terrorist’ when committed in situations of armed conflict (whether under the relevant international legal framework or under domestic law). Thus, with the exception of the few specific acts of terrorism that may take place in armed conflict, it is submitted that the term ‘act of terrorism’ should be reserved for acts of violence committed outside of armed conflict.”

Being a human action and not a human condition, terrorism (the act of terrorism) is a matter of jus in bello, not jus ad bellum (acceptable justification to engage in war).

In other words, the determination of whether an act should be considered terrorist does not depend on the legitimacy of the use of force, but rather on whether such an act meets the objective and subjective elements of the crime, as defined in IHL.

Being an action, therefore, terrorist crimes can be potentially committed by ISIS as much as by the Free Syrian Army, by the Ukrainian army as much as pro-Russian groups, by Hitler as much as by the Allies in Dresden.

Again, this does not question the legitimacy of the use of force by Brits against the Nazi Germany (for which Europeans will never be grateful enough). It is not a sign of agnosticism regarding Ukrainian national integrity either. And it does not ignore that ISIS violates the human rights of the Iraqi population under its control in all imaginable ways.

The point I try to make here is that by using the discourse of terrorism in relation to foreign fighters, and by extending criminal jurisdiction over the foreign territories where these conflicts take place, we are breaching the fundamental distinction between the acceptable behaviour in warfare and the acceptable justification to use military force.

Countries must indeed hold accountable those who have allegedly committed war crimes. But the criminalisation of travelling, receiving training or joining forces in countries at war is not the way to do it, as much as we may loathe ISIS, prefer the Free Syrian Army to Al-Nusra, and fear Russia.

 

The post Against the criminalisation of foreign fighters with the discourse of terrorism appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Categories: European Union

Video of a committee meeting - Monday, 1 June 2015 - 15:14 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

Length of video : 96'
You may manually download this video in WMV (1Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP
Categories: European Union

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