Francis has revealed he is working with the Vatican’s ceremonial leader to pardon the complex and proverbially long papal funeral rites
Pope Francis, who eschews much of the pomp and privilege of the Vatican, has decided to relax significantly the elaborate rites of a papal funeral. Under the entrepreneurial steps, Francis would be the first pope in more than a century to be buried outside the Vatican, Reuters reported.
Francis, who turned 87 on Sunday, revealed his funeral plans in an interview with Mexican TV station En Plus on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In the interview, recorded before the pope celebrated mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis appeared recovered from the bronchitis he suffered recently. Prior to the interview with the journalist, the pope laughs as he discusses various topics, including his health, migration, and his relationship with his predecessor, Benedict X. He also talked about his plans to travel abroad. The head of the Roman Catholic Church says he hopes to make three trips throughout the year – to Polynesia, Belgium and his first visit to his native Argentina since he was elected pope in 2013.
Francis revealed that he is working with the Vatican’s ceremonial leader to pardon the elaborate and proverbially long papal funeral rites that were used for his predecessors.
He also stated that because of his devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, he decided to be buried in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, where he traditionally goes to pray before and after each of his overseas trips.
For more than 100 years, the mortal remains of popes have been laid to rest in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Reuters notes.
Photo by Kai Pilger: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-building-and-people-standing-near-water-fountain-1243538/
The head of the Mediterranean Association of Hoteliers and Tour Operators (AKTOB) Kaan Cavaloglu motivated the need for this initiative with the rising costs against the background of the complex economic situation in Turkey
Representatives of the Turkish tourism industry propose to review the “all inclusive” system in some hotels. In such cases, it is envisaged that tourists will be able to choose which food and drinks they will pay for, writes the Turkish newspaper “Tourism Gazetesi”.
In general, in many places the “all inclusive” system will remain.
The head of the Mediterranean Association of Hoteliers and Tour Operators (AKTOB) Kaan Cavaloglu motivated the need for this initiative with the rising costs against the background of the complex economic situation in Turkey, as well as with the creation of new types of services with lower prices for tourists.
The proposed model, tentatively called “pay as much as you use”, is primarily aimed at the non-alcoholic version of “all inclusive”.
In Turkey, there are hotels with a non-alcoholic “all inclusive” system, and in recent years many such packages have been sold, including on the Russian market. This type of package is mainly oriented towards family vacations.
According to tour operators, vacations in Turkey with a non-alcoholic version of the “all inclusive” system are 7-10 percent cheaper than usual. It is not yet clear how much more economical the pay-as-you-use format will be compared to traditional packages.
Illustrative Photo by LADY LUCK: https://www.pexels.com/photo/eftalia-aqua-resort-in-turkey-14360313/
You come home after a long day at work and your dog greets you at the door – tail wagging and sloppy kisses. You smile, grateful for this kind welcome. And then your gaze goes slightly to the sides. To the pillows you bought last week, which are now strewn across the floor with stuffing everywhere… Next to them rest your new sneakers, also torn, and your favorite sweater, which has clearly been used as your dog’s bed, is also among the remains.
If this tragic scene sounds familiar to you, then we hasten to reassure you – you are not alone! Many dog owners have promptly parted with some of their favorite possessions this way. Because a lot of pets tend to destroy things when they are alone. But why do they do it? The reason varies depending on the animal’s needs and temperament, but loneliness and boredom stand out as the most common motivating factors.
The root of behavior
According to Dr. Gregory Burns, a neuroscientist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, dogs have the emotional and intellectual capacity of a small child. They are capable of affection and affection, but it is quite likely that they do not understand that when you leave the house, you will soon be back. Oppressed and stressed, they act by tearing and biting everything within their reach. Of course, not all quadrupeds react this way. That’s why veterinarians still aren’t sure why some pets tolerate loneliness better than others. Statistics show that adopted dogs are more prone to separation anxiety than those who have been with their owners since they were puppies. Separation anxiety usually occurs after changes in a dog’s usual routine and lifestyle, such as a new job that requires you to stay out of your home late.
It is also possible that your dog is simply bored. All four-legged friends, even the smaller breeds, need regular physical and mental activity. Our pets feel best when they have a regular schedule that includes a variety of games, exercise and socialization. This, of course, varies by breed. But in any case, a dog that hasn’t had enough of these things may try to get what it needs in less constructive ways.
Behavioral encouragement
The dog has no way of telling you if it’s feeling bored or anxious, so it’s your job as its owner to try to understand what it’s trying to show you through its behavior. If you think his schedule needs more activity, try this first. Don’t forget to direct him to the toys while you’re there, too, so he can figure them out on his own when you’re gone.
Sometimes you may think you’ve done everything you can to keep your dog from exhibiting destructive behavior in your absence. You took him for a long walk, you paid attention to playing and cuddling, to eating and treats… So far so good! But as soon as you grab your keys, your pet seems on command to become nervous. Professional dog trainer Karin Lyles of Toronto shared with PetMD that sometimes dogs look for signs that their owners are about to leave them, and they stress them out.
Sometimes something as simple as picking up the keys or putting on your shoes in the other room can break the connection the animal is making and prevent it from associating these actions with you leaving.
Even if you’re sure you know what’s causing your pet to destroy things in your absence, it’s a good idea to discuss it with your veterinarian. The specialist’s professional experience will help you understand if the animal’s behavior shows the beginnings of separation anxiety, restlessness or boredom.
Whatever the problem may be, remember that fixing it will take time. And during this process, you should not forget that your pet does not destroy your favorite things maliciously. It is trying to express its emotional state – be it boredom or anxiety, neither of which will go away if you punish it afterwards.
Redirect him, give him alternatives, but try not to yell or try to make him feel bad.
Photo by nishizuka: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-chihuahua-485294/
One of the highlights of the Together for Europe meeting in Timişoara (Romania, 16-19 November 2023) was a workshop on peace. It gave the floor to witnesses from countries at war, such as Ukraine and the Holy Land. All of them have friends and family in these regions.
Knowing people personally from regions in conflict changes our perception. Do you have friends or relatives in these regions? If so, we can no longer talk about these conflicts in theoretical terms because people are involved. Another question: are you involved in a mutual aid project in conflict zones? Nicole Grochowina, from the Protestant community of Selbitz in Germany, asked participants to answer these questions at the beginning of the workshop.
Educating for peace and dialogue
Donatella, an Italian living in Ukraine who spent 24 years in Russia in a Focolare community, says: “This war is an open wound. There’s a lot of suffering all around me. The only answer I can find is to look at Jesus crucified. His cry gives me meaning; his pain is a passage. Then I understood that love is stronger than pain. That helps me not to withdraw into myself. So often, we feel powerless. All we can do is listen and offer a little hope and a smile. We need to create space within ourselves to listen deeply and bring the pain into our own hearts so that we can pray”.
Another participant in this round table was born in Moscow and lived there for 30 years. Her mother is Russian and her father Ukrainian. She has friends in both Russia and Ukraine. Nobody believed that such a war would be possible and that Kyiv would be bombed! She has made herself available to take in refugees. However, she is not comfortable with the rhetoric of those who reject all Russians. She suffers because she is torn between the two parties.
Margaret Karram, the president of the Focolare movement – an Israeli of Palestinian origin – says three very topical words for her: “fraternity, peace and unity”. The time has come to highlight our duties because it’s not enough to talk about a just peace, we must educate people for peace and dialogue.
Born in Haifa, where Jews and Palestinians live together, she studied in a Catholic environment with a Muslim presence. In Haifa, her neighbours were Jewish. Her faith enabled her to overcome discrimination.
Then she lived in Jerusalem, in a city where many divisions separate people. She was shocked by this and worked to bring them together. Later, she studied Judaism in the USA. Back home, she became involved in several interfaith initiatives, particularly for children. She discovered that so much is common to all three religions.
Philip McDonagh, Director of the European Union’s Centre for Religions and Values, points out that Article 17 of the EU Charter calls for dialogue to be stepped up. Regarding territorial claims, he is convinced that time is more important than space, and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The diplomacy of “theological virtues”
Sylvester Gaberscek is a former Secretary of State in Slovenia’s Ministry of Culture. A bridge builder between very different parties, he had relations with politicians from all sides. He discovered that it is possible to work together for the common good despite hatred. He practised what he calls “a diplomacy of faith, hope and love”.
Called to Kosovo and Serbia to provide training in dialogue, he discovered that “the only thing I had to do was listen and understand everyone. “People were transformed by it”.
Édouard Heger, former President and Prime Minister of Slovakia, wonders how to get out of one war and prevent the next. That is the central question. He believes that at the root of every war, there is always a lack of love and reconciliation.
The vocation of Christians is to be people of reconciliation. They must advise political leaders with a view to reconciliation. But reconciliation also depends on us, being courageous and speaking out with love. People want this message.
Bishop Christian Krause, former President of the Lutheran World Federation, notes that a friend can quickly turn into an enemy. Only love for Jesus can overcome this pain. Indeed, his beatitudes are a beacon of light. The two politicians above had the courage to follow Jesus by living them.
In East Germany, before the fall of the Wall, the Church was a place of freedom. A miracle from God took place. Yes, it is worth hoping in God and making it public. The doors of the Churches must remain open in these times of transformation. And for Christians to be artisans of reconciliation.
“We are a minority, but a creative one”, he says. Without a pact of mutual love, we cannot be sure that Jesus is in our midst. But if he is, he is the one who builds the house. And the miracle of reconciliation will be accomplished… in Europe and throughout the world!
Photo: From left to right, Edouard Heger, Margaret Karram, Sylvester Gaberscek and S. Nicole Grochowina
Vote on 19 December will decide the future of alternative medicine in France.
Next week in France, the parliament will decide whether or not to support a law that grants authorities the power to criminalise those who criticise or avoid conventional medical practices deemed ‘essential’, or use or promote natural or alternative medicines instead. Macron’s government plans to implement these powers by amending existing French law on sectarian drift which will be discussed and voted on by the French Parliament next Tuesday, 19 December.
If passed, individuals or organisations prosecuted under the new law will face jail sentences of between 1 and 3 years, and fines of between 15,000 and 45,000 euros.
The proposed change in law comes by way of amendments to a long-standing law intended to protect people from sectarian abuses, including terrorism and female genital mutilation.
It has been motivated by concerns expressed by French medical bodies and the government agency tasked with fighting so-called sectarian aberrations, the Interministerial Mission of Vigilance and Combat against Sectarian Drifts, Miviludes.
The Explanatory Memorandum for the proposed amendments asserts: “The [covid-19] health crisis provided an ideal breeding ground for these new sectarian excesses. New forms of “gurus” or self-proclaimed thought leaders act online, taking advantage of the vitality of social networks to unite real communities around them.”
Robert Verkerk PhD, founder, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health International, said that the bill, No. 111 (2023-2034) of the French Penal Code “represents probably the most blatant legal attack on the practice of alternative and natural medicine anywhere in the world.” He continued, “If passed into law, those who speak out about the dangers of pharmaceuticals or vaccines and use alternatives will be declared sectarian deviants and will be turned into criminals.”
Legal experts suggest the proposed law would violate France’s Declaration of Human and Civic Rights of 1789, in which article 11 protects the right to freedom of expression. It would also infringe a rash of international conventions, including the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 18), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 2, 3, 7, 8, 12 and 18-20), the European Convention of Human Rights (Articles 9-11), the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (Articles 6, 7 and 10-13), the Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997) (Articles 2-6 and 10), and the Helsinki Final Act (1975) (Sections II and VII).
Professor Christian Perronne MD PhD, a former member of the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE) of the WHO Regional Office, who was himself fully exonerated of all charges made by French medical bodies who challenged him when he criticised the government’s health policies during the covid pandemic, expressed his grave concerns for the bill.
In a recent article that he published on the BonSens association’s website, he said, “This law would make it possible to violently suppress what little freedom of expression remains in our beautiful, battered country. This would be a crime against science which can only progress through debate of ideas….This law would establish a de facto obligation to receive pharmaceutical substances, even experimental ones, against one’s will….This would be a violation of international conventions.”
French former presidential candidate, current member of parliament and president of the Debout la France party, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, stated in a 42 minute video on the subject that, if the law is passed, “medical freedom in France is finished” and it will “call into question” the Hippocratic Oath.
Senator Alain Houpert has proposed the deletion of Article 4, the key amendment that targets unconventional health practices.
While breaching a clutch of international conventions, the new bill appears to pre-empt proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) that aim to cede control over “public health emergencies”, and responses to threats of such emergencies, from individual nations to the World Health Organisation. These amendments will be voted on at the 77th World Health Assembly next May.
The Alliance for Natural Health is urging French citizens, parliamentarians and those among the international community who are respectful of human rights and medical ethics to lobby the French parliament with the aim, at least, of ensuring Senator Houpert’s amendment to block Article 4 is supported.
To do otherwise would be a travesty to both human rights and medical ethics and will create even further sectarian divisions in French society.
Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) Europe is the European, Netherlands-based, non-profit office linked to the ANH International. ANH International is an independent, non-profit organisation founded in 2002 in the UK by acclaimed sustainability scientist, Robert Verkerk PhD. Its mission is to promote and protect natural, sustainable and regenerative approaches to health optimisation worldwide, through the application of good science and good law.
We work to help health systems to transition from their current pre-occupation with the management of ‘downstream’ diseases to ‘upstream’ approaches that maintain and regenerate health. ANH International advocates for properly informed consent, the right for citizen choice in healthcare and the right to practise a diverse range of modalities incorporating natural health. It supports individual empowerment, medical autonomy, the rule of law, and respect for, and the protection of, the natural environment.
We seek to increase the adoption of clinically validated, natural and sustainable approaches, taking into account cultural and individual needs and choices. The threat of legal and scientific uncertainty, as well as regulatory and corporate pressure, continues to limit freedom of choice in the field of natural health.
As an international alliance, we collaborate with a diverse cross-section of natural and environmental interests around the world, including scientists, lawyers, medical doctors, other health professionals, politicians, companies and, above all, the public.
On December 1, Robin Brooks, chief economist and managing director of the Institute of International Finance, asked, “You have to wonder what’s going on in the EU. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is a big threat to everything the EU stands for. But then there are many examples like this: EU exports to Armenia are up 200% since the invasion. This stuff goes to Russia and helps Putin. What is Brussels doing?”
Coincidentally, just one day earlier, on November 30, The Economist stated that “Putin seems to be winning the war in Ukraine—for now.” This article highlighted the West’s failure to implement effective sanctions against Russia and named a few countries that were lending a helping hand to their apparent ally: Turkey, Kazakhstan, Iran, and North Korea.
Not too bothered by Western sanctions, Russia has successfully circumvented them by obtaining drones from Iran, ammunition from North Korea, and various goods through Turkey and Kazakhstan. The list seems too short, and it does not include aforementioned Armenia. This country, according to multiple sources, is one of Russia’s key partners in procuring various goods from the EU and East Asia as of February 2022.
For example, Armenia does not produce cars, but as the Financial Times noted in July 2023, car exports from Armenia to Russia have skyrocketed from $800,000 in January 2022 to just over $180 million in the same month of 2023.
But it is not just cars: microchips, smartphones and dozens of other goods enter Russia via Armenia. A report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development notes that “new supply chains through Armenia […] were established within days of the sanctions, and it took several months to expand them”. A joint statement by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Treasury categorized Armenia as a “third-party intermediaries or transshipment points to evade Russian- and Belarusian-related sanctions and export controls.”
It is important to note that about 40 percent of Armenia’s exports go to Russia, with much of the trade consisting of re-exports of Western goods that Moscow cannot obtain directly. According to Armenia’s state statistics agency, trade between Armenia and Russia nearly doubled in 2022, reaching $5.3 billion. Armenia’s exports to Russia nearly tripled, surging from $850 million in 2021 to $2.4 billion in 2022 and $2.8 billion in 2023. Imports from Russia increased by 151 percent to $2.87 billion. Total trade for January-August 2023 exceeded $4.16 billion., Armenian exports to Russia totaled $2.3 billion during this period, surpassing imports for the first time, which totaled $1.86 billion.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Armenia was assisting the Russian Federation not only in the import of civilian goods, but also in the procurement of military equipment.
It published detailed information about the involvement of an Armenian company in the purchase of foreign equipment for the Russian military industry. The company, identified as Aurora Group, allegedly purchased sensitive electronic components from Western suppliers and then re-exported them to Russia in violation of export control restrictions.
According to Bloomberg, there is evidence of European equipment components being shipped through Armenia for use in Russian military production.
The report cites documents on the shipments and interviews with industry experts as evidence that Armenia plays a key role in helping Russia evade sanctions and maintain its military capabilities.
The Telegraph stated that economic growth in Armenia had reached an impossible 13 percent in 2022, making it a candidate for the third fastest-growing economy in the world.
The newspaper also published a report by the German Centre for the South Caucasus, which “revealed that exports from Germany to Armenia rose from €178 million to €505 million in 2022. That’s from just one EU country. Exports from Armenia to the EU in the same twelve months doubled from €753 million to €1.3 billion.
With a population of barely three million and a GDP per capita of less than a tenth of the average Briton, these are impossible numbers. But they are real. What is clear is that imports to and exports from Russia — which are tariff and duty-free between all EAEU countries, are being near-seamlessly diverted to the outside world via their satellite states”.
According to the Jamestown Foundation, “a significant increase in Armenia’s foreign trade turnover without any serious economic basis domestically, especially the remarkable increase in exports to Russia, as well as the list of products primarily traded, give reason to think that these dynamics are artificial and that Armenia is directly involved in re-exporting sanctioned products to Russia.
Moreover, according to the US Bureau of Industry and Security, Armenia increased the import of microchips and processors from the US by 515% and from the European Union by 212%—then reportedly exported 97% of those products to Russia”.
According to the Polish magazine New Eastern Europe, Yerevan is helping Moscow circumvent EU, US, and UK sanctions by facilitating the transit of Iranian drones and missiles.
The magazine cites operational data on flights from Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport, where Soviet Ilyushin-76MD aircraft allegedly transported Iranian drones to Russia. Iran Air Cargo, the company sanctioned by the US, was observed operating flights through Yerevan airport to and from Moscow, along with other Iranian entities implicated in delivering Iranian drones to Russia through Armenian airports.
According to Ukrainian sources, Armenia is actively using the sea route connecting the ports of Batumi (Georgia) and Novorossiysk (Russia) to re-export sanctioned goods to the Russian Federation. Thus, the Armenian Shipping Company is responsible for the weekly transportation of 600 containers along the Batumi-Novorossiysk sea route.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš also commented on Armenia’s growing role in exporting sanctioned Western equipment and technology to Russia.
However, Yerevan’s moves in this game are not limited to technology transfers. Kariņš pointed out that there were two ways to deal with this: talk Armenia out of it or “look for legislation across Europe, to make sure that we criminalise the sanction avoidance. Close the loopholes!”, – he demanded. Sanctions do work, the problem is that they need to be enforced on those who help Russia avoid them.
Yesterday, the Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on creating a new European authority anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AMLA) – the centrepiece of the anti-money laundering package, which aims to protect EU citizens and the EU’s financial system against money laundering and terrorist financing.
AMLA will have direct and indirect supervisory powers over high-risk obliged entities in the financial sector. This agreement leaves out a decision on the location of the agency’s seat, a matter that continues to be discussed on a separate track.
Given the cross-border nature of financial crime, the new authority will boost the efficiency of the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework, by creating an integrated mechanism with national supervisors to ensure obliged entities comply with AML/CFT-related obligations in the financial sector. AMLA will also have a supporting role with respect to non-financial sectors, and coordinate financial intelligence units in member states.
In addition to supervisory powers and in order to ensure compliance, in cases of serious, systematic or repeated breaches of directly applicable requirements, the Authority will impose pecuniary sanctions on the selected obliged entities.
Supervisory powers
The provisional agreement adds powers to AMLA to directly supervise certain types of credit and financial institutions, including crypto asset service providers, if they are considered high-risk or operate across borders.
AMLA will carry out a selection of credit and financial institutions that represent a high risk in several member states. The selected obliged entities will be supervised by joint supervisory teams led by AMLA that will among other things carry out assessments and inspections. The agreement entrusts the authority to supervise up to 40 groups and entities in the first selection process.
For non-selected obliged entities, AML/CFT supervision would remain primarily at national level.
For the non-financial sector, AMLA will have a supporting role, carrying out reviews and investigating possible breaches in the application of the AML/CFT framework. AMLA will have the power to issue non-binding recommendations. National supervisors will be able to voluntarily set up a college for a non-financial entity operating across borders if deemed needed.
The provisional agreement expands the scope and content of AMLA’s supervisory database by asking the Authority to establish and keep up-to-date a central database of information relevant for the AML/CFT supervisory system.
Targeted financial sanctions
The Authority will monitor that selected obliged entities have internal policies and procedures in place to ensure the implementation of targeted financial sanctions asset freezes and confiscations.
Governance
AMLA will have a general board composed of representatives of supervisors an Financial Intelligence Units from all member states, and an executive board, that would be the governing body of the AMLA, composed of the chair of the Authority and five independent full-time members.
The Council and the Parliament removed the Commission’s veto right on some of the powers of the executive board, notably its budgetary powers.
Whistleblowing
The provisional agreement introduces a reinforced whistle-blowing mechanism. Regarding obliged entities, AMLA will only deal with reports coming from the financial sector. It will also be able to attend reports from employees of national authorities.
Disagreements
AMLA will be given the power to settle disagreements with a binding effect in the context of financial sector colleges and, in any other case, upon the request of a financial supervisor.
AMLA seat
The Council and European Parliament are currently negotiating the principles of the selection process of the new Authority’s seat location. Once the selection process has been agreed, the selection process for the seat will be concluded and the location will be introduced in the regulation.
Next steps
The text of the provisional agreement will now be finalised and presented to member states’ representatives and the European Parliament for approval. If approved, the Council and the Parliament will have to formally adopt the texts.
Negotiations between the Council and Parliament on the regulation on anti-money-laundering requirements for the private sector and the directive on anti-money laundering mechanisms are still ongoing.
Background
On 20 July 2021, the Commission presented its package of legislative proposals to strengthen the EU’s rules on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). This package consists of:
a regulation establishing a new EU anti-money laundering authority (AMLA) which will have powers to impose sanctions and penalties
a regulation recasting the regulation on transfers of funds which aims to make transfers of crypto-assets more transparent and fully traceable
a regulation on anti-money-laundering requirements for the private sector
a directive on anti-money-laundering mechanisms
The Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the regulation on transfers of funds on 29 June 2022.
anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket will fly for the first time on June 15, 2024. It will carry an array of small satellites, including two from NASA, ESA officials added.
After four years of delays, Ariane 6 is making progress: a scaled-down model of the heavy-lift rocket was tested at the site last week in Kourou, French Guiana.
“Assuming that everything goes nominally without major problems, we expect that Ariane 6 will make its first flight between June 15 and July 31 next year,” said ESA director Josef Aschbacher.
However, he warned later in the briefing that “there may be one delay or another that could occur.”
Ariane 5 launched European satellites into orbit for a quarter of a century. Notable missions include the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), and the Rosetta spacecraft.
Europe has emphasized that it needs independent access to space for launch, but recently it has relied – like much of the industry – on SpaceX.
Ariane 6 was conceived in early 2010 to offer cheaper rocket launches. But numerous technical obstacles and the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented the planned Ariane 6 door-opening mission in 2020.
Even before the pandemic, SpaceX’s successes with reusable technology made Europe’s new rocket obsolete. Until 2030, ESA does not plan to have its own reusable rocket. By then, SpaceX’s Starship will have already completed historic missions to the Moon.
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution wrapping up the fact-finding investigation by the Working Group on Frontex Scrutiny with 366 votes in favour, 154 against, and 15 abstaining.
Search and rescue at sea
Frontex could do more to increase the EU and member states’ capacity to carry out search and rescue operations at sea by investing in appropriate assets for such operations, MEPs underline. Regarding the shipwreck off the coast of Greece on 14 June 2023, MEPs expect Frontex’s full cooperation during the inquiry.
Ongoing concerns in Greece, Lithuania and Hungary
MEPs express “severe concerns regarding the serious and persistent allegations made against Greek authorities in relation to pushbacks and violence against migrants”. Frontex should scale down its operations to mere monitoring and presence on the ground in cases where a member state is unable to respect EU principles and values, say MEPs, who regret this has so far not happened in the case of Greece.
They welcome the reduction in Frontex’s activities in Lithuania following a Court of Justice judgment and recommend a more proactive approach to protecting EU principles and values. Support for return operations from Hungary should be immediately suspended, they say.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine
MEPs praise the positive role played by the agency in helping member states deal with large numbers crossing external borders into the EU following the Russian attack against Ukraine and the deployment of around 500 officers along the Eastern border from Finland to Romania as well as the deployment of over 50 officers to Moldova.
Management of the Agency
Frontex’s work culture regarding respect for EU principles and values, including fundamental rights, transparency and efficiency in internal procedures and accountability towards Parliament must change, MEPs say. They recognise the efforts made to implement 36 out of 42 recommendations made by the Frontex Scrutiny Group and propose specific further actions, including consulting the Fundamental Rights Officer earlier on when developing operational plans, as well as broader safeguards for whistleblowers.
Background
The resolution stems from the fact-finding investigation carried out by the Civil Liberties Committee Working Group on Frontex Scrutiny (FSWG), chaired by Lena Düpont (EPP, DE), and set up in January 2021. The FSWG final report, steered by Tineke STRIK (Greens, NL) was presented in July 2021.
A delegation of the Civil Liberties Committee visited Frontex headquarters in Warsaw in June 2023.
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.
