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Relations between Macedonia and Greece are "even stronger" after the two countries' leaders met in Sofia, Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev said Thursday. He said that he and Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras "looked at possible options for creative solutions" to their dispute over Macedonia's name. He said he hoped an agreement can be found in June, but that it will depend on "relevant political factors" in both countries.

Verhofstadt fordert öffentliche Anhörung, kein Geheimtreffen

Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, is travelling to Donbas this evening, 17 May 2018, following a serious deterioration in the security situation in the last 24 hours.

He will assess the security situation along the contact line and its impact on civilians, and discuss with interlocutors measures to reduce tension.

Journalists wishing to cover the visit should contact Tetiana Tesliuchenko: Phone +380 50 334 14 54; +380 67 828 15 78; E-mail tetiana.tesliuchenko@osce.org; smm-media@osce.org

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381664 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe

The Central Asian Youth Talks and Model OSCE for 34 young people from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe from 10 to 15 May 2018 in Dushanbe and in the town of Romit north east of Dushanbe. During these events, participants discussed modern security challenges and the role of youth in addressing them.

Speaking at the panel session entitled “Promoting the power of dialogue for the shared responsibility in Central Asia”, the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, Tuula Yrjölä, emphasized the increasing attention of the OSCE participating States to the role of young people in addressing modern security threats. “The OSCE recognizes the importance of the young generation and is focused on mainstreaming the youth agenda in its work and activities.” 

His Excellency Mohammad Gul Zalmai Yonusi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Tajikistan, said: “Youth becoming a strong actor in modern politics is an important agent of positive change in the resolution of crisis in Afghanistan. I am really glad to see that young people are ready to talk to each other and issues of security and peace are widely discussed in the context of regional dialogue and confidence building.”

The seminar established a platform of Youth Talks, in which young people throughout the region had a chance to raise important question affecting youth and present their experience and  ideas in addressing them.

Presenting their own projects, young people from Central Asia and Afghanistan discussed inclusive education and digital schooling, social entrepreneurship, student self-governance, gender, as well as youth initiatives in rural and remote areas. Thematic workshops on political participation, information management, negotiations and networking enabled the flow of knowledge and skills for responsive citizenship and an inclusive decision-making process.

The event concluded with a Model OSCE simulation, providing young participants with the chance to play the roles of delegates of OSCE participating States dealing with a crisis situation and using the instruments of dialogue and the consensus-based approach.

The event was organized in the framework of the OSCE efforts in supporting democratic political processes in Tajikistan and in Central Asia. The OSCE has facilitated a number of interactive panel discussions exploring the OSCE’s three-dimensional approach to comprehensive security through the high level dialogue, as well as the modus operandi of the Secretariat, its institutions and field operations.

Die lettische EU-Parlamentarierin Iveta Grigule-Pēterse spricht im Interview unter anderem über den wachsenden chinesischen Einfluss in Zentralasien und dubiose NGOs in Kasachstan.

The European Commission on Thursday referred six member states to the European Court of Justice for repeated failures to tackle air pollution. The six are Germany, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy and Romania. Environment commissioner Karmenu Vella said: "The member states referred to the court today have received sufficient 'last chances' over the last decade to improve the situation." The six are accused of failing to tackle nitrogen dioxide levels.

Quim Torra, the new president of Catalonia's regional government, was sworn in at the Catalan parliament on Thursday. He pledged to be "loyal to the will of the Catalan people and its representatives in parliament". The oath did not mention loyalty to the Spanish king nor to the country's constitution, as it was the tradition until Torra's predecessor, Carles Puigdemont. Torra was elected by the parliament on Monday.

Österreich will noch vor dem Sommer das CETA-Abkommen ratifizieren. Die ursprünglich CETA-kritische FPÖ trägt das mit.

Facebook-CEO Mark Zuckerberg hat sich zu einem nicht-öffentlichen Treffen mit führenden Politikern in Brüssel bereit erklärt.

Le président du Conseil européen, Donald Tusk, a dénoncé  « l’attitude capricieuse » du gouvernement de Donald Trump, quelques heures avant une réunion des 28 dirigeants de l’UE à Sofia.

Après des semaines de tractations, le PDG de Facebook a accepté une audition à huit-clos devant les eurodéputés sur le scandale des données volées. Un format dénoncé par un partie des parlementaires.

La justice européenne a débouté une eurodéputée française du FN qui demandait l'annulation du remboursement au Parlement de plus de 56 000 euros, exigé en raison de l'emploi fictif d'un assistant parlementaire en 2014-2015.

Alors que le Parlement européen a voté l’interdiction des importations d’huile de palme en 2021, la France a donné son feu vert à une bioraffinerie de Total, suscitant de violentes réactions.  

381700 Communication and Media Relations Section

The role of armed and security forces in democratic societies was the focus of a seminar organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre from 14 to 18 May 2018 in Bucharest. The discussion brought together more than 50 participants, including senior officers from the armed forces, senior government officials, representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and representatives of academia and civil society, from Romania and other OSCE participating States.

Democratic control of the armed and security forces, parliamentary oversight and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law for armed forces personnel, as well as migration challenges in relation to the work of the armed forces were the main topics of discussion.

Participants also gathered in working groups to share experiences and best practices in applying the inter- and intra-state level commitments and principles enshrined in the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, a landmark document adopted in 1994 detailing the governance of the security sector and the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies.

“The Code of Conduct has provided continued guidance for Romania and serves as a toolbox for the region,” said George Ciamba, State Secretary at Romania’s Foreign Ministry, as he opened the event. “Importantly, the Code is something to speak about more and not less, and this seminar is an excellent opportunity to exchange good practices in the region.”

Andrej Benedejčič, Chairperson of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) and Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the OSCE, said: “One of the fascinating aspects of the Code is that even though it has never been revised since its adoption, it has not lost its relevance as a unique norm-setting framework document.”

Marcel Peško, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, emphasized that “the Code of Conduct is a visionary document. Besides raising awareness, this seminar creates an opportunity to engage in forward looking dialogue and to build trust.”

The Code of Conduct contains key principles and commitments for the 57 OSCE participating States related to security relations between States and to the control of all armed and security forces within a state.

The seminar was held in line with an FSC decision according to which the OSCE Secretariat is requested to organize at least one specialized seminar or workshop annually in order to facilitate better implementation and promote awareness of the Code of Conduct and support outreach in its regard. 

The seminar was co-hosted by the OSCE and Romania, with donor support provided by Germany and Switzerland.

Bruxelles espère toujours convaincre la Hongrie et la Pologne de signer un hypothétique accord sur l’immigration et la répartition des réfugiés.

381424 Kunduz Rysbek

On 11 May 2018, a public dialogue was organized by the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic (CEC) and the public foundation Civic Platform, with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, to discuss ways to improve the electoral legislation and to identify the main strategic directions of electoral reform.  

The event brought together election administration officials, Members of Parliament, representatives of the government and civil society, as well as international organizations.

Nurjan Shaildabekova, Chair of the CEC, stressed that “On the way to building democracy, it is important to capitalize on what has already been achieved within the electoral reform framework and to take it even further”.

The discussion focused on the improvement of mechanisms of legal relations between the electorate and candidates, political parties and law enforcement agencies. The effectiveness of tools to prevent violations of the electoral legislation was also debated.

The Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Pierre von Arx, said that electoral reform is a continuous process: “We enjoy a fruitful partnership with the CEC and will continue to support electoral reform in the future. After all, elections are not just about voting on the election day, they are about a sense of citizenship and a sense of responsibility for the vote that one casts.”

The participants of the public dialogue also discussed the achievements of the Electoral Reform Working Group, which is currently developing a draft strategy on improving the electoral system for the consideration of the National Council for Sustainable Development led by the President. The Working Group, set up in 2013 by presidential decree, was instrumental in initiating and pushing forward the ongoing electoral reform.

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek will build upon its multi-year efforts to strengthen transparent, fair and free elections in Kyrgyzstan. Within the framework of ODIHR Election Observation Missions’ recommendations, the Programme Office will continue its assistance in improving the country’s electoral system.

Plus le thermomètre du climat montera, plus les pauvres seront touchés par les effets conjugués du réchauffement. Un article de notre partenaire, le Journal de l'environnement. 

Bayer CropScience kontra Bizottság
Mezőgazdaság
The General Court confirms the validity of the restrictions introduced at EU level in 2013 against the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid because of the risks those substances pose to bees

Bayer CropScience v Commission
Agriculture and fisheries
The General Court confirms the validity of the restrictions introduced at EU level in 2013 against the insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid because of the risks those substances pose to bees

Bayer CropScience / Commission
Agriculture
Le Tribunal de l’UE confirme la validité des restrictions introduites au niveau de l’UE en 2013 à l’encontre des insecticides clothianidine, thiaméthoxame et imidaclopride en raison des risques pour les abeilles