, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/security/20210121STO96105/
MEPs call for binding 2030 targets for materials use and consumption footprint
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“Take-make-dispose” economy must come to an end
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Binding targets needed also for recycled content
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EU policy on sustainable products should include non-energy-related products
The EU needs clear policy objectives to achieve a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy by 2050 at the latest, say MEPs.
On Wednesday, the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted its report on the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan, with 66 votes in favour, 6 against and 7 abstentions.
Circular economy principles
MEPs emphasise that the current linear “take-make-dispose” economy must be transformed into a truly circular economy, based on a series of key principles such as preventing waste and reducing energy and resource use. Products should be designed in a way that reduces waste, harmful substances and pollution, and protects human health. The consumer benefits of a circular economy should be made clear, they say.
Binding targets and indicators
MEPs call for science-based binding 2030 EU targets for materials use and consumption footprint, covering the whole lifecycle of each product category placed on the EU market. To this end, they urge the Commission to introduce in 2021 harmonised, comparable and uniform circularity indicators for material and consumption footprints.
The Environment Committee also calls on the Commission to propose product-specific and/or sector-specific binding targets for recycled content, while ensuring the performance and safety of the products concerned and that they are designed to be recycled.
Sustainable product policy
MEPs strongly endorse the Commission’s intention to broaden the scope of the Ecodesign Directive to include non-energy-related products. They insist that new legislation should be put forward in 2021. This should set horizontal sustainability principles and product-specific standards so that products placed on the EU market perform well, are durable, reusable, can be easily repaired, are not toxic, can be upgraded and recycled, contain recycled content, and are resource- and energy-efficient.
Other key proposals by MEPs include:
- introducing measures against greenwashing and false environmental claims, as well as legislative measures to stop practices that result in planned obsolescence;
- championing the EU Ecolabel as a benchmark for environmental sustainability;
- strengthening the role of Green Public Procurement by establishing minimum mandatory criteria and targets;
- mainstreaming circular economy principles into member states’ national recovery plans.
Quote
Rapporteur Jan Huitema (Renew Europe, NL) said: “The transition to a circular economy is an economic opportunity for Europe that we should embrace. Europe is not a resource-rich continent, but we have the skills, the expertise and the ability to innovate and develop the technologies needed to close loops and build a waste-free society. This will create jobs and economic growth and bring us closer to reaching our climate goals: It’s a win-win.” Watch video statement.
Next steps
The report will be put to the vote during the February plenary sitting.
Background
In March 2020, the Commission adopted a new “Circular Economy Action Plan for a Cleaner and More Competitive Europe”. A debate in the Environment Committee took place in October.
Up to 80% of products’ environmental impact is determined at the design phase. The global consumption of materials is expected to double in the next forty years, while the amount of waste generated every year is projected to increase by 70% by 2050. Half of total greenhouse gas emissions, and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress, come from extracting and processing resources.
First perinatal mortality audit in North Macedonia reveals gaps in the health system and suggests ways to address them
The results of the first perinatal mortality audit in North Macedonia, released today, highlight areas that need to be addressed in order to improve the care for mothers and their babies during pregnancy, childbirth and the neonatal period. This audit, conducted based on the data from 2019, provides important insights and evidence-based recommendations that can be used both to address system errors and barriers and to identify and praise points of strength. “Successfully reaching the goal of providing evidence-based health care at the appropriate health facility, when it’s needed, will mean more equal opportunities for every community in North Macedonia and ultimately, healthier women and children,” said Dr Elizabeta Georgievska Pendarovska, First Lady of North Macedonia, at the launching event of the report.
North Macedonia takes action to continue reducing perinatal deaths
The number of perinatal deaths, or stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life, has systematically decreased in North Macedonia over the past three decades. After an upsurge in neonatal mortality in 2015, swift action was taken by the Ministry of Health with technical support from WHO, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF. A subsequent in-depth assessment clarified ways to strengthen the health system and fast-track improvements in maternal and newborn health outcomes.
As a result, the Ministry of Health established the national Safe Motherhood Committee and the Perinatal Mortality Audit Working Group to ensure a better quality of services for mothers and babies. In addition, the Perinatal Care Master Plan 2020–2030 was launched in 2020. It provides a consolidated analysis of the perinatal care delivery system, evidence-based recommendations for risk-appropriate care, and the organization and optimization of maternal and newborn services via a well-prepared workforce, strong quality assurance system and the strengthening of the health information system.
The 2019 perinatal mortality audit is an important means for North Macedonia to reach these goals, and both WHO and UNICEF are committed to continue their collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners.
“WHO in North Macedonia supported the perinatal audit in order to ensure quality of care,” said Dr Jihane Tawilah, WHO Representative to North Macedonia, at the launching event of the perinatal mortality audit report. “This audit makes it possible for health system managers to understand the causes of death and the contributing factors, so they are able to take corrective action to improve the quality of care.”
“UNICEF is strongly committed towards the objective of the Master Plan for strengthening the continuity of care and harnessing digital care technologies by forming a new model of perinatal care networks to include hospitals, primary health care gynecologists and patronage nurses,” said Patrizia Di Giovanni, UNICEF representative to North Macedonia.
Recommendations based on the solid analysis of facts and figures
The analyses of the perinatal deaths identified and reviewed gaps and bottlenecks in the quality of care for pregnant women and during childbirth, postnatal and neonatal care. Alongside other recommendations, emphasis was given to the importance of information among providers of antenatal care on the screening for several important maternal conditions. Such information is crucial in planning the appropriate care for a mother and her child.
Other fundamental recommendations, based on the audit findings, relate to the training of health care professionals, treatment guidelines, criteria for performing a caesarean section in the case of a stillbirth or neonatal death, and timely, correct interventions to prevent unnecessary complications.
Essential newborn care, which is a set of effective, low-cost interventions, is another important recommendation for North Macedonia. Thermal care, screening for temperature, and breast feeding can be implemented at almost any setting and are proven to enhance neonatal outcomes.
WHO in North Macedonia will continue its support of the perinatal mortality auditing process and will facilitate the implementation of the Perinatal Care Master Plan 2020–2030, in collaboration with UNICEF, UNFPA and other partners. All joint actions aim to achieve the best possible health outcomes for mothers and newborns.
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Don’t repeat what World Holocaust Remembrance Day remembers, world urged
Global church leaders such as Pope Francis and the head of the World Council of Churches have joined international leaders on World Holocaust Remembrance Day, calling for decisive action against antisemitism and warning of its danger to morph into other hate.
The UH human rights chief warned of indifference to growing hatred and extreme ideologies whipped up by powerful leaders, growing hate crimes fueled by conspiracies and falsehoods fed by irresponsible social media.
The remembrance day serves as a reminder for the governments and all the world’s people of their international human rights obligations, this year marking the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on Jan. 27, 1945.
“Today, we commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and all those persecuted and deported by the Nazi regime,” Pope Francis said at his weekly General Audience at the Vatican on Jan. 27.
LARGEST NAZI CAMP
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration and death camp and was liberated by the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.
“Remembering is an expression of humanity. Remembering is a sign of civilization,” said Francis. “Remembering is a condition for a better future of peace and fraternity.”
“Remembering also means being careful because these things could happen again, beginning with ideological proposals intended to save a people and ending by destroying a people and humanity.”
He warned that we must be attentive “to how this path of death, of extermination, and brutality begins.”
World Council of Churches interim general secretary Rev. Ioan Sauca called upon people to pause to remember the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazism during the Second World War.
“As well as being an annual commemoration of all the precious living,” said Sauca the day, “is also a salutary recurrent reminder of the path that leads from fear and hatred of ‘the other,’ through the denial of the human dignity and rights of all people equally, to genocide.
“Far from being an episode receding in increasingly distant history, the Holocaust remains an ever-present threat.”
In recent years, Sauca reflected that the world had observed the increasing license of hate speech and others’ demonization in political and public discourse.
“We have seen resurgent expressions of antisemitism and other group hatreds,” he said. “And we have witnessed the impacts of these phenomena on our societies and relationships.”
In a statement, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the past year has seen “frightening increases” in the number of hate crimes in many societies.
SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC ACTIVITY
“Amid the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has also been a sharp rise in online anti-Semitic activity. The World Jewish Congress has reported a 30 percent increase in anti-Jewish slurs on major social media sites since November 2019.”
She noted the passive indifference of so many to these crimes – and the active involvement of many others.
“With renewed vigor, conspiracy theorists increasingly link extreme political ideologies and anti-Semitic delusions – weaving elaborate lies and falsehoods that lay responsibility for every kind of government failing on individual Jews or the Jewish community as a whole,” said Bachelet.
“Whipped up by irresponsible opinion-leaders – and amplified and legitimized by the uniquely powerful engines of digital media – these hate-filled fabrications are deeply damaging in themselves and can pose a real threat of violence.”
Acclaimed Author, Steven Markoff, New George W. Bush Book Praised by Pierce O’Donnell, Renown Constitutional Lawyer
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European Union approves €2.9 billion European Battery Innovation project
BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) has approved a plan that includes giving state aid to Tesla, BMW and others to support the production of electric vehicle batteries, helping the bloc to cut imports and compete with industry leader China.
The European Commission’s approval of the €2.9 billion (RM12.16 billion) European Battery Innovation project, follows the launch in 2017 of the European Battery Alliance that aims to support the industry during the shift away from fossil fuels.
“The EU Commission has approved the entire project. The individual funding notices and funding amounts per company will now follow in the next step,” a German economy ministry spokeswoman said of the project that is set to run until 2028.
Alongside Tesla and BMW, the 42 firms that have signed up and could receive state aid include Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Arkema, Borealis, Solvay, Sunlight Systems and Enel X.
China now hosts about 80% of the world’s lithium-ion cell output, but the EU has said it could be self-sufficient by 2025.
Project funding will come from France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden. It also aims to attract €9 billion from private investors, the European Commission said.
The German spokeswoman said Berlin had made almost €1 billion available for the initial battery cell alliance and planned to support this project with about €1.6 billion.
“For those massive innovation challenges for the European economy, the risks can be too big for just one member state or one company to take alone,” European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news conference.
“So, it makes good sense for European governments to come together to support industry in developing more innovative and sustainable batteries,” she said.
The European Battery Innovation project covers everything from extraction of raw materials to design and production of cells, to recycling and disposal. – Reuters
Successful hit against drug trafficking in the EU
Seven suspects linked to an international criminal network trafficking drugs arrested in Poland
The Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation (Policja) arrested seven suspects allegedly linked to a high-risk poly-criminal organised network operating in different EU countries. Supported by Europol and Eurojust, the arrests follow a two-year-long investigation into an organised criminal group producing, smuggling and marketing large volume of drugs, mainly marijuana, from Spain to EU countries. During the action days, over 100 police officers carried out raids in the provinces of Wielkopolskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie. The arrested individuals are suspected of taking part in the transport and transfer of large quantities of drugs. They are also said to have recruited truck drivers for smuggling drugs.
The international criminal network under investigation is thought to have operated since 2016 and is likely to have trafficked tonnes of drugs. The criminal group controlled the wholesale supply chain – from the production to large shipments across several EU countries, and the marketing of drugs. The truck drivers recruited to transport drugs carried out their illegal activities under the cover of transport legally set-up companies.
Successful international cooperation since 2019
This operation is a continuation of an international investigation initiated in 2019 to dismantle the criminal network. Supporting the investigation since its very beginning as a high-priority case, Europol helped set up the international cooperation. Europol actively coordinated and supported the investigation as well as the action days.
As a result of the effective cooperation between Polish authorities, Spain’s Civil Guard (Guardia Civil), Europol and Eurojust, 100 suspects have been arrested to date. The investigation has also led to the seizure of around 1.5 tonnes of marijuana, 91 kg of hashish, 43 kg of cocaine, 8 units of weapons, and 27 cannabis plantations. The plantations included over 20 000 plants in various stages of growth and could enable the production of nearly 2 tonnes of drugs.
Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol supports the 27 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime. We also work with many non-EU partner states and international organisations. From its various threat assessments to its intelligence-gathering and operational activities, Europol has the tools and resources it needs to do its part in making Europe safer. In 2019, Europol supported 1 874 international operations.
Migrants and asylum seekers on the Greek islands: committee debate
MEPs will discuss on Wednesday the situation on the Greek islands and the plans to establish a new reception and identification centre on Lesvos.
In a debate with representatives of the European Commission and the NGO Greek Council for Refugees, the Civil Liberties Committee will look into the latest figures on the number of people arriving and staying in reception and emergency shelters, and assess the humanitarian situation on the ground. According to UNHCR, there are currently around 18,500 migrants and asylum-seekers stranded on the Aegean islands.
MEPs will also learn from the European Commission about the project involving EU bodies and the Greek authorities to set up a new reception centre on the island of Lesvos by early September 2021. The plan was agreed in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the Moria camp in September last year. It should contribute to offering adequate reception conditions for asylum-seekers whilst ensuring the necessary screening and identification take place, and that asylum and return procedures are managed more quickly.
When: Wednesday, 27 January, from 14.35 to 16.15
Where: European Parliament in Brussels, József Antall building, room 2Q2 & via remote participation.
You can follow the meeting live.
Background
The EU response to the humanitarian crisis following the destruction of the Moria camp was the focus of a plenary debate with Commissioner Ylva Johansson just after the fire, on 17 September 2020. Last week, MEPs assessed again in plenary the situation of refugees and migrants at the EU’s external borders.
The Civil Liberties Committee has repeatedly called on the EU and the Greek Government to adopt measures to improve the living conditions of refugees on the Aegean islands and ensure their asylum-claims are processed smoothly.
The current turmoil surrounding the EU border agency Frontex, whose alleged involvement in pushbacks of asylum-seekers in Aegean waters has prompted an internal investigation, as well as calls from the European Parliament for more transparency to ensure respect of human rights, is likely to be raised during the debate too.
Lesson of the Day: ‘How Pop Music Fandom Became Sports, Politics, Religion and All-Out War’
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “How Pop Music Fandom Became Sports, Politics, Religion and All-Out War” by Joe Coscarelli
On social media in 2020, “the stan was ascendant,” reports Joe Coscarelli, a Times culture reporter. How did music fan culture become what it is today? What benefits does it provide us? And what do we need to watch out for?
In this lesson, you’ll learn about the evolution of pop music fandom, from a pleasant communal activity to something “competitive, arcane, sales-obsessed, sometimes pointless, chaotic, adversarial, amusing and a little frightening — all happening almost entirely online.” Then, you will investigate a fandom culture, past or present, and report on it to your class.
Warm Up
Take a close look at the headline of the featured article and the image used to illustrate it above.
Then, respond to the questions below, either with a partner or on your own in writing:
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What do you think the featured article is about based on the headline and the illustration?
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What do you think the headline and the illustration are trying to communicate about pop music fandom today?
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Do you relate to this experience of fandom at all — whether for music, sports, movies, video games or something else? Can you give an example from your life?
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What role, if any, does fandom play in your life?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. The article begins with an anecdote from Benjamin Cordero, a high school student and Lady Gaga superfan. Why do you think the author started with his story? What does it illustrate about pop music fandom in 2020?
2. What is a “stan”? Where does the term come from?
3. Mr. Coscarelli writes that Stan Twitter and its social media offshoots have become “sports, politics, religion and all-out war.” Do you agree? Choose one of these comparisons and find the lines where the article compares the two. What example or examples make the case?
4. How has music fan culture evolved along with social media? What are three ways in which fandom today is different from what it was decades ago?
5. In what ways do musicians profit from stan culture?
6. What benefits — mental, emotional and social — do people get from music fandom? What are some of the dangers of stan culture that we should be aware of, according to the article?
7. In your opinion, is stan culture healthy or unhealthy? When do you think it crosses a line from fun to toxic? Why?
Going Further
What fan culture, from present or past, would you most want to investigate? How could you make sense of it for nonmembers?
Whether you choose the world of pop music, sports, fashion or something else, try to take an unbiased look at how the fan culture operates.
As you explore, collect examples of photos, memes, social media posts or anything else that illustrates what you discover. For example:
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How do the stans of this fan culture recognize one another? What in-group lingo, jokes, traditions, rituals and clothing are common among them?
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What are some important moments in the history of this group?
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How would you explain this fan culture to outsiders?
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Over all, do you think this culture is more healthy and fun, or toxic? Why?
Finally, if you are undertaking this investigation as part of a class assignment, report back on what you found — perhaps by creating a digital “gallery of fandom” with your classmates that includes artifacts and descriptions of each subculture. What do they have in common? What sets them apart?
About Lesson of the Day
• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.
