Mobility works for development! On Monday the 22nd of June Fair Politics presented its new impact study 'More mobility for Development! Policy Coherence for Development in practice: making the EU Mobility Partnership a tool for development in Cape Verde.' The launch of the impact study took place in the European Parliament and was chaired by MEP Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, member of the DEVE and LIBE committee).
Op 18 juni vond de laatste bijeenkomst van het FMS Talent Project plaats. Deze laatste bijeenkomst stond in het teken van onderhandelen. Om de talenten te trainen in deze vaardigheid werd er een simulatiespel gedaan. Als thema was gekozen voor de waterproblematiek in Centraal-Azië.
Dinsdagmiddag 16 juni vond een Bijzondere Procedure plaats in de Tweede Kamer. Aanleiding was de publicatie van minister Ploumens reactie op de Coherentiemonitor 2015: Let’s walk the talk together; de stand van zaken van beleidscoherentie voor ontwikkeling op 4 mei. Onder andere de Kamerleden Ed Groot (PvdA), Joel Voordewind (ChristenUnie), Fred Teeven (VVD) en organisator Roelof van Laar (PvdA), als ook beleidsmedewerkers van enkele andere partijen waren hierbij aanwezig.
The ruling coalition in the Federation of Bosnia (FBiH) has collapsed as one of the three parties, Democratic Front (DF), decided to quit the coalition. Personal issues, conflicting statements and short standing compromises have coloured the past few month’s cooperation between the three parties. The DF, a split-off of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) finally stumbled over a dispute over the appointment of managers for public companies and the regulation. The party opposed placing ministers in charge of appointments in public companies in fields under their responsibility.
In an open letter, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Chiril Gaburici, stated he will resign if the government refuses to replace the leaders of the General Prosecution, the National Bank, and the National Committee of Financial Market. The statement comes after a one billion dollar scandal raised public embarrassment on the government and national banks, followed by mass protests.
Op 20 mei vond tijdens de plenaire sessie van het Europees Parlement in Straatsburg de stemming plaats over conflictmineralen. Doel van het voorstel is het breken van de relatie tussen mineralen in telefoons, laptops en andere producten en de schending van mensenrechten in landen als de Democratische Republiek Congo, waar mijnbouw bijdraagt aan de financiering van gewapend conflict. De Europese Commissie had al eerder een voorstel geschreven voor een vrijwillige aanpak, en ook in de commissie Internationale Handel van het Europees Parlement was een meerderheid tegen een verplichte aanpak in de gehele handelsketen. De verwachting was dan ook niet dat het in de plenaire zitting van het EP radicaal anders zou gaan.
The European Commission presented its new Agenda on Migration on Wednesday the 13th of May. The Agenda sets out a new comprehensive approach to migration, but the recommendations have yet to be translated into concrete policies. Most of the content of the agenda focuses on the immediate response of the EU to the Mediterranean refugee crisis. This aspect of the agenda has been much debated in the media and in the European Parliament, as the Commission has proposed the relocation of asylum seekers across Member States, based on a redistribution key.
U.N.-sponsored peace negotiations between Libya’s officially recognized government and the rival government were resumed on Thursday 4 June. Politicians and activists negotiated on forming a unity government to end the power struggle between the two rival governments both stressing to be the official government of the country. Mediators fear the power struggle may turn Libya into a failed state when both groups continue to battle for control.
On 27 May Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid met with EU Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels to discuss the intensification of the cooperation between both countries. The talks mainly focused on the Horizon 2020 research program which will be opened for Tunisia, the financial increase in bilateral cooperation, and on advancing on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA).
Three Moroccan men in northeastern Morocco have been accused of homosexuality and sentenced to three years in jail. In Morocco, homosexuality is illegal and can be punished by sentences up to three years in prison, according to article 489.
