With 366 votes against 145 and 23 abstentions, MEPs backed draft legislation to ensure that, when parenthood is established by an EU country, the rest of the member states will recognise it. The aim is to make sure that children enjoy the same rights under national law regarding education, healthcare, custody or succession.
No changes to national family laws
When it comes to establishment of parenthood at national level, member states will be able to decide whether to e.g. accept surrogacy, but they will be required to recognise parenthood established by another EU country irrespective of how the child was conceived, born or the type of family it has. Member states will have the option not to recognise parenthood if manifestly incompatible with their public policy, although this will only be possible in strictly defined cases. Each case will have to be considered individually to ensure there is no discrimination, e.g. against children of same sex parents.
European Certificate of Parenthood
MEPs also endorsed the introduction of the European Parenthood certificate, aimed at reducing red tape and facilitating recognition of parenthood in the EU. While it will not replace national documents, it can be used in their stead and it will be accessible in all EU languages and in electronic format.
Quote
“No child should be discriminated against because of the family they belong to or the way they were born. Currently, children may lose their parents, legally speaking, when they enter another member state. This is unacceptable. With this vote, we come closer to the goal of ensuring that if you are a parent in one member state, you are a parent in all member states,” said lead MEP Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (S&D, PT) following the plenary vote.
Next steps
After having consulted the Parliament, EU governments will now decide – by unanimity – on the final version of the rules.
Background
Two million children may currently face a situation in which their parents are not recognised as such in another member state. While EU law already requires parenthood to be recognised under a child’s EU rights, this is not the case for the child’s rights under national law. Parliament called for cross-border recognition of adoptions in 2017 and welcomed the Commission’s initiative in its 2022 resolution. The Commission proposal for a regulation aims to close the existing loopholes and ensure that all children can enjoy the same rights in each member state.
Addressing the December European Council in Brussels, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola raised e.g. the following topics in her speech:
Enlargement:
“We find ourselves at the threshold of another historic moment for our Union. And it is on us to decide whether a historic opportunity is grabbed or whether it will go down as a historic failure.
The time is now to live up to our promise. To show unity and solidarity. To show courage and resolve. To show that this can be a win-win situation for all.
Opening EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova is the next step.”
“It is a decision based on merit, on respect for our criteria, on each nation having its own path towards the objective goals we set for them.”
“The global geo-political situation means that there is also a price of inaction.
A window of opportunity has opened for all of us. We should not slam it shut.”
“Enlargement is our strongest geopolitical, strategic and future-oriented investment. Its transformative ability is something we all know well. A merit-based enlargement strengthens our continent, our Union and our way of life.”
Support to Ukraine:
“We need to remain steadfast in our political, military, humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine, even as it becomes more difficult. As much as it is a moral obligation, it is a strategic one too. It is also strategic that we come to an agreement on the new 50 billion Ukraine Facility that the European Parliament voted on in October. Because this is about investments and growth. For Ukraine and for Europe.
The Ukraine facility will assist Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and modernisation which will mean less budgetary support for the future.”
EU´s long-term budget (MFF):
“Our aim to become stronger, more united and more competitive in an increasingly changing and hostile world needs to be backed up by sufficient resources.
The pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine, climate change, energy and the cost of living crises, have all had their impact. Rising interest rates have caused our NextGenerationEU borrowing expenses to rise. Our MFF is stretched to its limit, with the new tasks we have agreed together.
This European Council therefore needs to reach an agreement: One that respects the prerogatives of the European Parliament as budgetary authority as laid down in the Treaties. One that finds a structural solution for managing the borrowing costs – and progress on own resources are part of this solution. One that preserves the Union’s shared values and will not compromise on the rule of law. One that ensures the EU can respond effectively to crises and unforeseen circumstances. And one that does not further cut into flagship programmes that for many are the tangible face of the European Union.
That is why the European Parliament has repeated calls for a revision of the MFF and why we are ready to take this discussion forward.”
Middle East:
“We need to do more to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the aftermath of the October 7th terror attack in Israel and in the wider Middle East. The European Union can take a leading role in plotting a way forward, in planning for the day after, in helping in reconstruction, in nation building and looking towards real, sustainable, lasting stability based on a two-State solution.
Even in the fog of war we need to talk about peace, about how to save innocent lives, stop terror, and respect international law – and about how we can offer respite to Palestinians and hope to Israelis – today. We also need to ensure that the West Bank does not become a new regional flashpoint.”
Migration and Asylum Pact:
“Allow me one last appeal on the Migration and Asylum pact. We are closer than we have been in a decade. I am hopeful. We need to seize the momentum. An agreement on this package before the end of the year will mean a decisive victory for the constructive pro-European centre ahead of the start of a European elections year. We can show that Europe has the solutions for the issues that our citizens care about.”
EU reform:
“The European Parliament’s contribution on reforms, which is detailed in our treaty change report, provides a good basis for this reflection and my hope is that it will be discussed at a future meeting.”
Leadership:
“Europe has shown that we can lead, that we can take the necessary decisions and today we can lead again.”
European Parliament - Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Tiemo WÖLKEN, rapporteur on EU protection from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)
The rules will address growing number of so-called “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPP) for the EU-wide protection of journalists, media organisations, activists, academics, artists and researchers against unfounded and abusive legal proceedings.
The new law will apply in cross-border cases and protect people and organisations active in areas like fundamental rights, the environment, the fight against disinformation and corruption investigations against abusive court proceedings intended to intimidate and harass. MEPs ensured that cases will be considered to be cross-border unless both parties are domiciled in the same country as the court and the case is relevant only to one member state.
SLAPP initiators to prove their case
Defendants will be able to apply for the early dismissal of manifestly unfounded claims and in such cases the SLAPP initiators will have to prove their case is well founded. Courts will be expected to deal swiftly with such applications. To prevent abusive lawsuits, courts will be able to impose dissuasive penalties on claimants, usually represented by lobby groups, corporations or politicians. The courts can oblige the claimant to pay all the costs of proceedings, including the defendant’s legal representation. Where national law does not allow these costs to be fully paid for by the claimant, EU governments will have to ensure they are covered, unless they are excessive.
Measures to support SLAPP victims
MEPs managed to include in the rules that those targeted by SLAPPs might be compensated for inflicted damage. They also ensured that SLAPP victims will have access to comprehensive information on support measures, including on financial assistance, legal aid and psychological support via an appropriate channel such as an information centre. Member states will also have to provide legal aid in cross-border civil proceedings, ensure that final SLAPP-related judgements are published in an easily accessible and electronic format and gather data on SLAPP cases.
EU protection against non-EU SLAPPs
EU countries will make sure that third-country judgments in unfounded or abusive proceedings against individuals of institutions domiciled in their territory will not be recognised. Those targeted by SLAPP will be able to claim compensation for related costs and damages in their domestic court.
Quote
Following the negotiations, lead MEP Tiemo Wölken (S&D, Germany) said: “After intense negotiations, we have a concluded a deal on the Anti-SLAPPs directive – a step towards ending the widespread practice of abusive lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists, NGOs and civil society. Despite the Council’s attempts to significantly weaken the Commission’s proposals, Parliament secured a deal that includes a definition of cross-border cases, accelerated treatment for key procedural safeguards such as early dismissal and provisions on financial security, as well as flanking support measures on assistance, data collection and the compensation of costs.”
Next steps
Once formally approved by the plenary and the member states, the legislation will enter into force twenty days after its publication in the Official Journal. Member states will have two years to transpose the legislation into national law.
Background
The European Parliament has long advocated for strengthened media freedom and improved protection of those targeted by SLAPPs. In light of the increasing number of SLAPPs in the EU, MEPs have adopted a series of resolutions since 2018 calling for EU action against legal harassment of journalists, media outlets and activists. The European Commission presented its proposal in April 2022, including many of the measures MEPs were pushing for in a 2021 resolution.
Screenshot from video of the Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly.
Member States adopted a resolution, demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and well as “ensuring humanitarian access”.
It passed with a large majority of 153 in favour and 10 against, with 23 abstentions
The resolution also reiterated the General Assembly’s demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, “notably with regard to the protection of civilians”
Prior to the resolution, two amendments making specific reference to extremist group Hamas were voted down by members
“We have one priority – one priority only – and that is to save lives”. “We have to stop this violence now”.
General Assembly President Dennis Francis
Ahead of the vote, General Assembly President Dennis Francis said the world was witnessing an “unprecedented collapse” of a “real-time” humanitarian system, and deemed it high time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
The resolution adopted by the General Assembly on Tuesday differs significantly from the text vetoed by the United States in the Council on Friday.
The text takes note of a letter dated December 7 from the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), addressed to the President of the General Assembly. In this letter, Philippe Lazzarini warns that the agency’s ability to implement its mandate in Gaza is “severely limited”, and that the main humanitarian aid platform for over 2.2 million people in the enclave is “on the verge of collapse”.
The text also refers to previous resolutions on the question of Palestine, as well as relevant Security Council resolutions on the subject.
The main points in common between the two texts include an immediate humanitarian ceasefire; the demand that all parties respect their obligations under international law, particularly with regard to the protection of civilians; the demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the guarantee of humanitarian access.
Text of the adopted resolution
Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling its resolutions regarding the question of Palestine,
Taking note of the letter dated 6 December 2023 from the Secretary-General, under Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, addressed to the President of the Security Council,
Taking note also of the letter dated 7 December 2023 from the CommissionerGeneral of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East addressed to the President of the General Assembly,
Expressing grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population, and emphasizing that the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law,
Demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire;
Reiterates its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians;
Demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access;
Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States.
The resolution does not condemn Hamas or make any specific reference to the extremist group.
The amendments
Two amendments proposed to the text of the General Assembly resolution on Tuesday were rejected in separate votes.
Austria has proposed an amendment, that inserts the phrase, “held by Hamas and other groups” in relation to the hostages still being held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, as well as inserting the word “immediate” in reference to ensuring humanitarian access.
The US amendment reflects its continued point of contention regarding Hamas, which it designates as a terrorist group, calling for wording to be inserted “unequivocally” rejecting and condemning “the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas that took place in Israel starting 7 October 2023 and the taking of hostages” as the first operative paragraph.
Not binding, but influential
Resolutions by the General Assembly, though not legally binding on nations, do carry immense moral weight, representing the collective resolve of the UN membership on a matter of grave importance.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1948, and by itself is not binding.
Emergency session
General Assembly adopts resolution on Protection of Civilians and Upholding Legal and Humanitarian Obligations in Gaza.
The session today is a continuation of the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly that last met on 26 October amid the present crisis in Gaza, during which it adopted a resolution on the crisis, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.”
The General Assembly will resume the emergency session on Friday afternoon in New York starting at 3pm
Event this Tuesday evening at the European Commission in Brussels. Omar Harfouch, who has been in the news in recent weeks following his acquisition of Entrevue magazine, has shown that he has several strings to his bow. Honorary President of the Organization for Dialogue and Diversity, the businessman, also a pianist-composer, played his brand new piece of music, which he specially composed for a call for world peace. A piece is also entitled “Save a life, you save humanity,” about a famous phrase mentioned in the Torah and the Holy Koran.
The concert took place in the main hall of the European Commission during a musical evening organized on the eve of the European summit, which brings together all European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, to make crucial decisions concerning the future of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
During his performance, Omar Harfouch read Surah Al-Ma’idah 32: “The Almighty says: and he who saves a life, it is as if he had saved all humanity,” in front of European officials and decision-makers, all under the sponsorship of European Commissioner Oliviér Várhelyi.
During the reading of this surah, the audience had a surprised face as they heard the Holy Quran, which for the first time was read inside the European Commission building. Very involved in his fight for peace, Omar Harfouch asked political leaders to promise him one thing: that they would each save a life after hearing his music, composed for the occasion.
The composer’s new musical work was composed of two parts symbolizing the divisions of today’s world: the first tells of a full and happy life filled with love and tolerance. The second describes a life of sadness, destruction, fear, loss of security, and hope. This poses a crucial question: which world do we want to live in: the first or the second?
From the end of the first part, played on the piano with the orchestra, the audience warmly applauded the musicians. At the end of the second part, the audience was on its feet, and some people in the audience were unable to contain a few tears.
The success was such that Omar Harfouch and his orchestra were immediately asked by the ambassadors present in the room to play this composition in all European cities. Note that during this concert, Omar Harfouch was accompanied by his official violinist, the Ukrainian Anna Bondarenko, and an orchestra of fifteen musicians from different nationalities: French, Belgian, Syrian, Ukrainian, and Macedonian.
It was also the first time that a classical music concert took place in an official building of the European Commission in Brussels.
New EU rules aim to bring more transparency to short-term rentals in the EU and promote a more sustainable tourism.
Short term rentals: key stats and issues
The short-term rental market has rapidly expanded in recent years. Although the variety of accommodation solutions, such as private properties rented out as guest accommodations, can have a positive effect on tourism, its exponential growth has caused issues.
Local communities have been negatively affected by the lack of available housing in popular tourist destinations, the increased rental prices and the overall impact on the liveability of some areas.
The highest number of guests in 2022 were recorded in Paris (13.5 million guests) followed by Barcelona and Lisbon with more than 8.5 million guests each and Rome with more than eight million guests.
In response to the rising number of short-term rentals, several cities and regions have introduced rules to limit access to short-term rental services.
The increase in short-term accommodation rentals has created a number of challenges:
Need for more transparency: the lack of transparency in short-term rental operations makes it difficult for authorities to monitor and regulate these services effectively
Regulatory challenges: public authorities face challenges in ensuring that short-term rentals comply with local regulations, taxation, and safety standards due to insufficient information
Urban development concerns: some local authorities find it difficult to cope with the quick growth of short-term rentals which may transform residential areas and puts additional burden on public services such as waste collection
The EU response to rising short-term rentals
In November 2022 the European Commission put forward a proposal for providing more transparency in the field of short-term rentals and supporting public authorities to promote sustainable tourism.
Registration of hosts: the deal sets a simple registration process online for short-term rental properties in EU countries where it is required. After completing this process, hosts will receive a registration number enabling them to rent out their property. This will facilitate the identification of hosts and the verification of their details by the authorities.
More security for users: online platforms will be required to verify the accuracy of property details and they will be equally expected to perform random checks. Authorities will be able to halt registrations, remove non-compliant listings, or impose fines on platforms if necessary.
Data sharing: in order to receive data from platforms about host activity, EU countries will set up a single digital entry point to assist local authorities in understanding rental activities and improving tourism. However, for micro and small platforms with an average of up to 4,250 listings a simpler system for data sharing will be put in place.
Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA, the Netherlands), the MEP in charge of steering the legislative file through Parliament, said: “Previously, rental platforms didn’t share data, making it hard to enforce city rules. This new law changes that, giving cities more control.”
Next steps
Before its entry into force, the provisional agreement needs to be adopted by Council and Parliament. After that EU countries will have 24 months to implement it.
Parliament’s internal market committee will vote on the provisional agreement in January 2024.
The last barely functioning hospital in northern Gaza is a “humanitarian disaster zone”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, highlighting the disastrous consequences of ongoing Israeli bombardment for critically ill and injured civilians across the enclave.
Briefing reporters from Gaza, Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described corridors overflowing with trauma patients at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where doctors treat people on the floor and fuel, oxygen, food and water are scarce.
In just 66 days of fighting, the Strip has been transformed from a “reasonably functioning health system” producing health indicators “on par with neighbouring countries” to a situation where more than two thirds of its 36 hospitals and over 70 per cent of primary health care facilities are out of commission, Dr. Peeperkorn said.
Meanwhile WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that the Kamal Adwan Hospital – also in the north – was being “forcefully evacuated” on Tuesday morning, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Some 68 patients including 18 in intensive care and six newborns are reportedly at the site, alongside thousands of displaced people seeking safety. The hospital has been surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks for days, with armed clashes reported nearby, UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said. On Monday, the hospital’s maternity department was reportedly hit during shelling and two mothers were killed.
Mission fraught with ‘serious incidents’
Amid sky-high humanitarian needs in Gaza’s devastated north, Al-Ahli Hospital is severely short-staffed, Dr. Peeperkorn said, with over 200 patients but only enough resources to support 40. Unable to perform vascular operations, staff are carrying out limb amputations “as the last resort to save lives”.
Last Saturday a WHO-led UN and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) convoy encountered “serious incidents” during a mission to deliver trauma and surgical supplies for 1,500 patients to the hospital and transfer 19 critical patients and their companions to Nasser Medical Complex in south Gaza, the UN health agency said.
Detention at gunpoint
Dr. Peeperkorn described the numerous obstacles faced by this mission, including inspections at the Israeli military checkpoint at Wadi Gaza on the way north, where two PRCS staff were detained for over an hour. According to a statement released by the UN health agency on Tuesday, “WHO staff saw one of them being made to kneel at gunpoint and then taken out of sight, where he was reportedly harassed, beaten, stripped and searched”.
The WHO medic stressed that “nobody can be detained when they are part of a medical mission” and emphasized the fact that such vital humanitarian missions “cannot afford any delays”.
Dr. Peeperkorn said that arriving in north Gaza, which now “looks like a wasteland”, the humanitarians saw many people in the street surprised at the sight of the convoy, as there had been very little aid access to the north of the enclave for months now.
Deadly delays
Upon entering Gaza City the aid truck with the medical supplies and one of the ambulances which were part of the convoy were hit by bullets, WHO said, and on the way back towards southern Gaza, with the patients from Al-Ahli Hospital on board, “the convoy was again stopped at the same checkpoint, where PRCS staff and most of the patients had to leave the ambulances for security checks”.
Critical patients remaining in the ambulances were searched by armed soldiers, and one of the same two PRCS staff temporarily detained earlier on the way in was taken for interrogation a second time. Significant delays ensued and “PRCS reported afterwards that during the transfer process, one of the injured patients died, as a result of his untreated wounds”, WHO said.
After his release later that night “after joint UN efforts” the PRCS staff member said that he had been beaten and humiliated, then “left to walk towards the south with his hands still tied behind his back, and without clothes or shoes”.
Health system ‘must be protected’
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed on social platform X on Tuesday his concern about “prolonged checks and detention of health workers that put lives of already fragile patients at risk”.
“The people of Gaza have the right to access health care,” he insisted. “The health system must be protected. Even in war.”
Disease on the rise
The scale of displacement in the Strip, where some 1.9 million people, the vast majority of Gaza’s population, have been forced to flee their homes, and conditions in overcrowded shelters including the lack of proper sanitation, have led to a massive increase in diseases, Dr. Peeperkorn said. There were already some 60,000 cases of diarrhoea in children under five and more than 160,000 cases of acute respiratory infections. Scabies, skin rashes, chicken pox and even meningitis are on the rise, alongside severe trauma and spinal injuries.
Meanwhile health workers lack basic essentials and are “completely preoccupied by the safety of their families”.
The UN health agency official stressed that it was imperative to make the primary healthcare system functional again and bring back maternal and child health, obstetric care, treatment for non-communicable diseases, oncology and mental health support among others.
More hospital beds in Rafah
In the south, which Dr. Peeperkorn called the “backbone” of Gaza’s health system, on Monday the Palestine Red Crescent Society began preparations for establishing a field hospital in collaboration with the Qatari Red Crescent Society, in Rafah governorate. WHO said that the hospital is set to have 50 beds, including an operating room, intensive care unit, reception and radiology.
The UN health agency stressed the importance of adding hospital capacity in the enclave. According to Gaza’s health authorities only one per cent of Palestinians injured in hostilities, or some 400 people, have so far been evacuated outside of Gaza for hospitalization through the Rafah border crossing.
Close to 50,000 people have been injured in Gaza since 7 October and some 8,000 of them require “urgent and immediate medical intervention”, WHO said.
On Tuesday, Parliament adopted its proposals to strengthen the democratic dimension of the 2024 elections, and for the lead candidate system.
The report, which received 365 votes for, 178 against, and 71 abstentions, calls for measures to boost voter turnout during the 6-9 June 2024 elections beyond the increased figures recorded in 2019. Parliament’s focus is on maximising the impact of electoral campaigns, the post-electoral procedure for the establishment of the next European Commission and the election of its President, and ensuring all citizens can exercise their right to vote.
The day after the elections
MEPs demand a clear and credible link between the choice made by voters and the election of the Commission President. The process should depend on securing a majority in Parliament in line with the Lisbon Treaty, they say, and that backroom deals at the European Council should stop. MEPs want a binding agreement between Parliament and the European Council to ensure that European political parties and parliamentary groups begin negotiations on a common candidate immediately after the elections and before the European Council makes a proposal.
The lead candidate of the party with the most seats in Parliament should lead the process in the first round of negotiations, with Parliament’s President steering the process if needed. MEPs also expect that a ‘legislature agreement’ should be made between the political parties and groups, as a way of securing a majority in Parliament, as a basis for the Commission’s work programme, and as a guarantee, to European voters, of a coherent follow-up to the elections.
Increasing participation and safeguarding the right to vote
Parliament is also urging the Council to swiftly adopt the new European electoral law and new rules for European political parties and foundations, so that at least the latter are applicable for the 2024 campaign. National and European political parties should carry out their campaigns in line with EU values and with enhanced visibility for the European dimension of the election.
To ensure all EU citizens can exercise their right to vote, member states should introduce measures for easier access to information and voting centres for people with disabilities. MEPs also want to encourage the engagement of European citizens from specific categories, such as those living in another EU member state or a third country, and the homeless. Other recommendations seek to shield the elections from foreign and internal interference via more robust safeguards and measures against disinformation. MEPs welcome the deal reached by the co-legislators on rules on the transparency and on targeting of political advertising, and acknowledge the important role that Parliament’s institutional information campaign has, in liaison with civil society organisations, in contributing to the debate on European policy issues and complementing the parties’ campaigns.
Quotes
Co-rapporteur Sven Simon (EPP, DE) commented: “Voters need clarity on how their vote will affect the choice of the people and policies of the EU. Unlike in 2019, we must not make promises we cannot keep. The lead candidate process needs to become credible again. Whoever is elected President of the newly formed Commission requires a clear mandate from the voters and a majority in Parliament.”
Co-rapporteur Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D, ES) said: “We have paved the way for recommendations to the European political parties to strengthen the European dimension of electoral campaigns ahead of the 2024 elections. We need to make the European political parties’ logos and their public messages more visible. We would also like to see concrete post-electoral procedures to increase the visibility of the role played by the European political parties in electing the Commission President and strengthen the electoral rights of all European citizens.”
In adopting this report, Parliament is responding to citizens’ expectations expressed in the proposals of the Conference on the Future of Europe – namely, proposals 38(3), 38(4), 27(3), and 37(4) on enhancing the link between citizens and their elected representatives, , and tackling disinformation and foreign interference.
An investigation by “Free Europe” gathered the testimonies of five women who were victims of sexual assault by a high-ranking Georgian cleric over the past ten years.
One of the women was fifteen years old at the time. It is about the Metropolitan of Akhalkalaki and Kumurdo Nikolay (Pachuashvili). This is the first time that several women have publicly accused a high-ranking member of the Georgian Orthodox Church of sexual harassment.
Four sexual assaults described in the investigation took place during youth sports expeditions in Javakheti, for which Metropolitan Nikolay was responsible. The camp was advertised as an opportunity for a two-week vacation when young people could help the churches and monasteries of the Akhalkalak Diocese. “Participants get to know the local culture, architectural monuments, go on excursions, film screenings are held… Participation in the expedition is free!”, says the camp’s advertisement.
Only one of the women, Lela Kurtanidze, has told her story with her name, because she decided to file a lawsuit against the senior cleric for sexual assault and abuse of office despite the passage of time. She claims: “I owe it to the dozens of women who may find themselves in this situation.” The other four women in the investigation have told their stories, but anonymously, and will not press charges.
The girl, who was then nineteen years old, claimed that she had several sexual relations with the clergyman, who was then forty-eight years old. He was able to convince her that it was “another kind of spiritual connection that the others should not know about.” After ten years, the young woman managed to overcome the shock of what happened and stated that, despite the expired statute of limitations, she wanted to file a lawsuit against the senior cleric. Today, she assesses his behavior as a gross manipulation of his spiritual authority and power in the diocese. The woman suggests that what happened to her happened to many other women.
The authors of the Free Europe investigation met with Metropolitan Nikolay (Pachuashvili) when three of the women’s interviews were completed. He stated that “an accusation which has not been lawfully examined is defamatory and contains the indicia of a crime, therefore it cannot participate in the discussion of such defamation.” In the end, however, he agreed to talk to the journalists on the condition that they did not record the conversation. He admits that he knew one of the women and actually taught her to swim during a summer camp ten years ago. He emphasizes that his engagement with this youth camp is with the “blessing of the Patriarch of Georgia”: “With the blessing of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, His Holiness Ilia II, since 2001 student expeditions have been held in Javakheti, in which several thousands of young people. Many of them are successful and famous people today. I still remember many of them, especially those who participated in the first ten to fifteen years, when I directly led the expeditions.
Metropolitan Nicholas states that he selflessly helps many people and this is his duty as a clergyman, and he will let his actions speak for his words. In fact, a number of people, including one of his victims, confirmed to journalists that the senior cleric in question helped people inside and outside the country for training and treatment. “However, this cannot be an indulgence for the harm he has also inflicted on dozens of women and young girls,” said one of the women.
The day before the publication of the article, the publication notified the Metropolitan Nikolay also said that journalists “participate in something bad and that it seems that a wave has risen again against the Church, but may God judge the liar and the unrighteous.”
Specialists in criminal law and church canonists commented to the media that there will be no church sanctions against the accused hierarch. The Georgian Church has had a commission since 2011 to investigate such moral issues, but it does not actually meet. In 2021, a large number of materials collected by the services and compromising a number of senior clerics were leaked, but they remained without consequences and not a single church case was filed on leaked information.
The management does not want to plant a tree “in a spirit of religious freedom”, headlines the regional newspaper BILD. Secretly set up in the middle of the night: A
Christmas tree and presents stand in front of the Mobi daycare center in the Lokstedt district of Hamburg - where there is actually nothing
The management does not want to put up a Christmas tree “in a spirit of religious freedom”, headlines the regional newspaper BILD
By Ivan Dimitrov
A decision by a kindergarten in the Lockstedt district of the large northern German city of Hamburg not to put up a Christmas tree this year “so that no child feels left out” was reported in a major German daily and quickly became a national topic of comments. It caused a wave of protests and negative comments towards the management of the children’s center, which was forced to defend itself. According to the private school, they have only put up a Christmas tree three times in the past ten years because they “don’t want to be confined to one religious tradition”, but this didn’t cause any backlash until this year, when there was a “wave of backlash” against them. of hatred’, as they put it.
As a sign of protest, near the kindergarten in Lokstedt district, unknown persons have secretly placed a Christmas tree in a place accessible to people. Although the management of the neighborhood kindergarten decided that, out of “respect for religious freedom”, the traditional Christmas tree would not be placed in a prominent place, some Christians violated the order and put up the Christmas tree at night, decorated it and even put presents under it. Also as a protest, shopping centers for Christmas decorations have sent Christmas trees to the children’s institution.
The case was also commented on by public figures and politicians. The former Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner wrote that the children’s institution in question should be consistent in its policy and continue to work during the Christmas holidays. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder also commented on the scandal: “This is absurd! Don’t we have other problems? There should be a Christmas tree at Christmas!”.
It is noted that this and similar decisions are part of the so-called “cancel culture”, that they are unacceptable for a multicultural city like Hamburg, which claims to include and represent the most diverse cultural traditions. “The Christmas tree is part of the secular Christmas, not so much a religious symbol,” says one of the comments. “Religious people will celebrate Christmas without Christmas decorations, but the secular Christmas that is part of our culture is unthinkable without this symbolism.”
There is no information whether the city authorities will leave the Christmas tree or remove it so as not to annoy other believers and non-believers. According to some media, the matter would be discussed in the municipal council.
Short address of the original publication: https://dveri.bg/d84ua, December 11, 2023.
