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Poland and Hungary gamble on funding with EU budget veto

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Poland and Hungary gamble on funding with EU budget veto

With their veto of the EU budget and pandemic recovery package, Poland and Hungary have brought the European Union to one of its worst impasses in years. EU officials have long been in conflict with the governments of Poland and Hungary, accusing them of flouting the rule of law and anti-democratic tendencies.

In turn, officials from those countries accuse the European Union of aiming to punish them politically because they do not conform to the liberal ideals espoused by the the EU. At a meeting on Monday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, reaffirmed their veto and are now waiting for a compromise proposal from Germany, which, until the end of December, holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The official reason put forth by the governments of Poland and Hungary for their veto is the Rule of Law Mechanism, which would give the European Union a tool for sanctioning violations of stated democratic principles by cutting aid more quickly than is currently permitted. This would only apply to violations of the rule of law that involve the misuse of EU funds — including irregular public tenders. In July, the governments of Poland and Hungary appeared to have agreed to the mechanism. Now, however, officials say it was changed from the provisions to which they’d originally agreed.

There have, in fact, been slight changes to the draft. The most important stipulates that the mechanism can be set in motion as soon as the serious risk of misuse of EU funds is identified; a previous version stipulated that the misuse must have occurred. A significant obstacle was included to enforcement, however: Sanctions require the agreement of at least 15 member states whose populations total at least 65% of the European Union’s overall.

‘New Soviet Union’

The governments of Poland and Hungary have argued that the Rule of Law Mechanism violates the Lisbon Treaty and undermines the very principles that it purports to enforce rather than strengthening them. Officials from the countries have not, however, specified which provisions of the Lisbon Treaty the mechanism violates. They also argue that the wording of the Rule of Law Mechanism is vague and unclear, which could ultimately make it a political tool to be used against disobedient member states.

The 14-page draft of the Rule of Law Mechanism clearly defines when and under what circumstances it can be applied. It seems unlikely that the European Union would use the mechanism as a political weapon — in recent years, the bloc has been very defensive and cautious in disputes about the rule of law.

Morawiecki has said the term “rule of law” is “propaganda” that reminds him of the Communist era. Orban has been publicly skeptical of concepts of rule of law, saying the mechanism would mean a “new Soviet Union.” He charged that it was invented as a punitive measure for EU member states that refuse to extend the right of asylum to displaced people. The statements are most likely aimed at domestic audiences as the mechanism has nothing to do with EU migration policy.

Critics say the two countries are opposed to the Rule of Law Mechanism because it threatens their corrupt and nontransparent allocation of EU funds. In Hungary, the misappropriation of subsidies is a major problem. In fact, Hungary heads the list: From 2015 through 2019, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) identified 43 cases of misappropriation of EU funds, representing 3.93% of subsidies paid to Hungary during that period. OLAF investigated 235 cases over those years across the entire European Union that amounted to 0.34% of all EU subsidies. Hungary’s proportion of misused funds was over 10 times the EU average — and the number of incidences that were not uncovered could be much higher.

EU funds are very often awarded to Orban’s relatives or their associates. Tenders for projects to be financed with EU cash are sometimes tailored specifically for them. Hungarian law enforcement agencies often do not implement OLAF’s recommendations — they do not launch fraud investigations.

In Poland, the system is less overtly corrupt. OLAF identified 22 cases of misappropriation of EU funds from 2015 through 2019, amounting to 0.12% of the money from the European Union.

Though Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS), presents himself as a modest and incorruptible politician, there have been cases of suspected graft close to the party. ARMIR, the state agency responsible for paying out agricultural subsidies, has been repeatedly linked to corruption. As political control over the judiciary increases in Poland, so does the danger that such cases will be less rigorously investigated.

Funded by EU

Poland and Hungary have benefited enormously from subsidies since they joined the European Union in 2004. The funds are important to the economies of both countries. In 2018, payments from the EU accounted for 3.43% of the gross national product in Poland and 4.97% in Hungary.

The Finance Ministry has estimated that a quarter of Poland’s growth over the past half decade is attributable to EU aid. Thanks to funding from Brussels, 600,000 jobs have been created. And, following the country’s accession to the European Union, Poland has received foreign investment totaling over €200 billion ($240 billion) so far.

In 2019, Poland got €12.1 billion from the European Union and Hungary brought in €5.1 billion — making the countries, respectively, the No. 1 and No. 2 net recipients of EU funds. Poland and Hungary are also expected to remain in the top group of net recipients in the budget period 2021-27.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a sharp decline in growth in both countries this year; estimates put the figure at 4%-8%. The European Union’s coronavirus recovery fund would compensate for a large part of these losses — with recipient nations able to repay indirectly through fees and taxes on carbon and financial transactions.

Prime Minister Orban said Hungary would take out loans on the international financial market if it did not participate in the reconstruction program. In the long run, this would place a much greater burden on Hungary’s economy than participating in the EU’s pandemic recovery plan.

This article has been adapted from German.

Agreement on EU funding for cross-border projects | News | European Parliament

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, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201126IPR92517/

  • 8 billion EUR earmarked for European territorial cooperation
  • More resources to climate and social issues
  • Increased support for small projects

On Wednesday, EU institutions reached a provisional agreement on European territorial cooperation and the financing of cross-border projects for 2021-2027.

The total resources available for cross-border cooperation for the period 2021-2027, through the EU Interreg instrument, are set at 8 billion EUR (8 050 000 000 in 2018 prices).

Interreg will support the following types of actions (referred to as “strands”):

  • cross-border cooperation between adjacent regions to promote integrated and harmonious regional development between neighbouring land and maritime border regions (Interreg A; 72,2% of total resources);
  • transnational cooperation over larger transnational territories or around sea-basins (Interreg B; 18,2%);
  • interregional cooperation to reinforce the effectiveness of cohesion policy (Interreg C; 6,1%);
  • outermost regions’ cooperation to facilitate their integration and harmonious development in their region (Interreg D; 3,5%).

The co-financing rate at each Interreg programme level is set at a maximum of 80% of the funds to be provided by the EU, with up to 85% for outermost regions.

Other key measures agreed

  • More resources are expected to be spent on climate action and social programmes, including public health;
  • Increased support for small projects and people-to-people projects: up to 20% within an Interreg programme may be allocated to small project funds;
  • Pre-financing levels (funds made available to member states following the approval of the Interreg programmes) are set at 1% for the years 2021 and 2022, and at 3% for the years 2023 to 2026, resulting in more liquidity for programmes.

Quote

Rapporteur Pascal Arimont (EPP, BE) said: “Interreg is an important symbol for cooperation between neighbours. It significantly helps remove border obstacles – above all, those in people’s minds.”

“As a result of these negotiations, we enable regions to cooperate more easily – i.e. through simplified rules and procedures. In particular, small and people-to-people projects will be supported more strongly than ever.”

“We are also addressing the challenges of our time: regions have to invest in projects that tackle climate change or strengthen our health systems. As a consequence, together with the increased opportunities offered by REACT-EU, there will be many new possibilities for our regions to invest in sustainable and socially valuable cross-border projects in the future.”

Next steps

Parliament and Council are now expected to endorse the content of the agreement.

Background

The regulation lays down the specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg) supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF+) and the Cohesion Fund for the 2021-2027 programming period.

Under the future Common Provisions Regulation, five policy objectives are identified: (1) a more competitive and smarter Europe; (2) a greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe; (3) a more connected Europe; (4) a more social and inclusive Europe; (5) a Europe closer to its citizens.

Bad Religion announce 40th anniversary livestream shows

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Em Moore
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Bad Religion have announced a livestream series called “Decades” to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The series will be livestreamed from the Roxy Theatre in California and there will be four shows total spaced out over a number of weeks. Each show will be focused on a decade of their career and each show will start at 2PM PT. The band will start off on December 12 focusing on the 1980s, December 19 will be the 1990s, December 26 the 2000s, and they’ll wrap it up January 2, 2021 with the 2010s. Along with live performances, the shows will feature interviews and archival footage. Bad Religion released Age of Unreason in 2019 via Epitaph Records.

COVID-19 drives wages down, new International Labour Organization (ILO) report finds

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Even before the COVID pandemic hit, hundreds of millions of workers worldwide were being paid less than the minimum wage.

Press release | 02 December 2020

A new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found that monthly wages fell or grew more slowly in the first six months of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in two-thirds of countries for which official data was available, and that the crisis is likely to inflict massive downward pressure on wages in the near future.

The wages of women and low-paid workers have been disproportionately affected by the crisis.

Furthermore, while average wages in one-third of the countries that provided data appeared to increase, this was largely as a result of substantial numbers of lower-paid workers losing their jobs and therefore skewing the average, since they were no longer included in the data for wage-earners.

In countries where strong measures were taken to preserve employment, the effects of the crisis were felt primarily as falls in wages rather than massive job losses.

Across a sample of 28 European countries, the largest wage bill losses – in excess of 10 per cent – have been estimated in Ireland, Portugal, and Spain. Workers in Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Sweden have seen the lowest wage bill losses, smaller than 3 per cent.

The Global Wage Report 2020/21  shows that not all workers have been equally affected by the crisis. The impact on women has been worse than on men. Estimates based on a sample of 28 European countries find that, without wage subsidies, women would have lost 8.1 per cent of their wages in the second quarter of 2020, compared to 5.4 per cent for men. The largest differences between women and men are observed in Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, and the UK.

The crisis has also affected lower-paid workers severely. Those in lower-skilled occupations lost more working hours than higher-paying managerial and professional jobs, and this has increased earnings inequality. Using data from the group of 28 European countries the report shows that, without temporary subsidies, the lowest paid 50 per cent of workers would have lost an estimated 17.3 per cent of their wages. Without subsidies, the average amount of wages lost across all groups would have been 6.5 per cent. However, wage subsidies compensated for 40 per cent of this amount.

“The growth in inequality created by the COVID-19 crisis threatens a legacy of poverty and social and economic instability that would be devastating,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “Our recovery strategy must be human-centred. We need adequate wage policies that take into account the sustainability of jobs and enterprises, and also address inequalities and the need to sustain demand. If we are going to build a better future we must also deal with some uncomfortable questions about why jobs with high social value, like carers and teachers, are very often linked to low pay.”

The Report includes an analysis of minimum wage systems, which could play an important role in building a recovery that is sustainable and equitable. When they are set at an adequate level and are enforced, they also have potential to reduce the gender wage gap. Minimum wages are currently in place in some form in 90 per cent of ILO Member States. But even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the report finds that, globally, 266 million people – 15 per cent of all wage earners worldwide – were earning less than the hourly minimum wage, either because of non-compliance or because they were legally excluded from such schemes. Women are over-represented among workers earning the minimum wage or less.

In the EU-27, an estimated 26.5 million wage earners are paid at or below the minimum wage, representing 15% of all wage earners. The majority of these workers – 57 per cent – are women. The highest minimum wages in the EU are found in Luxembourg, Ireland and Germany; the lowest in Bulgaria, Latvia and Estonia.

“Adequate minimum wages can protect workers against low pay and reduce inequality,” said Rosalia Vazquez-Alvarez, one of the authors of the report. “But ensuring that minimum wage policies are effective requires a comprehensive and inclusive package of measures. It means better compliance, extending coverage to more workers, and setting minimum wages at an adequate, up-to-date level that allows people to build a better life for themselves and their families. In developing and emerging countries, better compliance will require moving people away from informal work and into the formal sector”.

The Global Wage Report 2020/21 also looks at wage trends in 136 countries in the four years preceding the pandemic. It found that global real wage growth fluctuated between 1.6 and 2.2 per cent. Real wages increased most rapidly in Asia and the Pacific and Eastern Europe and much more slowly in North America and northern, southern and western Europe.

EU agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries at risk | News | European Parliament

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EU agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries at risk | News | European Parliament

, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201202IPR92914/

New WHO report reveals use of e-cigarettes by youth is on the rise

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New WHO report reveals that while smoking continues to decline among European adolescents, the use of electronic cigarettes by young people is on the rise

Tobacco use among young people in the WHO European Region remains a public health concern. Despite the overall downward trend, several countries of the Region observed an increase in tobacco use prevalence among young people in the latest round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey. While cigarettes remain the most used form of tobacco products, there is a concerning trend emerging from the use of electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes). According to the latest available data, young people are turning to these products at an alarming rate. The new report reveals that in some countries the rates of e-cigarette use among adolescents were much higher than those for conventional cigarettes. In Poland, for example, 15.3% of students smoked cigarettes and 23.4% used electronic cigarettes in 2016.

E-cigarettes and other novel and emerging nicotine- and tobacco-containing products, such as heated tobacco products (HTPs), are the next frontier in the global tobacco epidemic. While the latter is a tobacco product, e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, and may or may not contain nicotine. Nonetheless, there is clear evidence that these products are addictive and harmful to health. HTPs expose users to toxic substances and chemicals, similar to those found in cigarette smoke, many of which can cause cancer, while e-cigarette use increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and lung disorders. Furthermore, both e-cigarettes and HTPs are particularly risky when used by children and adolescents, as exposure to a highly addictive substance like nicotine can have long-lasting and damaging effects on the developing brain.

Some countries that monitor e-cigarette use among young people have shown marked increases over the years. In Italy the prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 8.4% in 2014 to 17.5% in 2018, in Georgia – from 5.7% in 2014 to 13.2% in 2017, while in Latvia it was 9.1% in 2011 and 18% in 2019.

The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is one of the organizations at the forefront of the struggle against the tobacco pandemic. “We are a coalition of public health organizations working to make the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) a political priority,” explains Ms Anca Toma, the SFP’s Director.

SFP advises partners in its coalition on policy processes and emerging trends in the global tobacco epidemic. Although the national members of SFP have a wide range of positions on e-cigarette regulation, depending on the national context, political environment and domestic prevalence, the partnership plays a crucial supporting role in promoting and sharing best practices.

Like other tobacco control advocates, SFP emphasizes the importance of the WHO FCTC for safeguarding people against harmful tobacco products. “The top priority action for tobacco control, in our view, is implementation of the WHO FCTC in a comprehensive, consistent and incremental manner,” says Anca Toma. “Using existing tools, we can anticipate and counteract the tobacco industry strategies that undermine public health.”

In Ms Toma’s view, one of the most urgent actions is closing of regulatory and enforcement loopholes with respect to advertising, promotion and sponsorship. This holds true both for conventional tobacco products and for e-cigarettes and HTPs. The regulation of novel products at European level is fragmented and varies across countries, which the tobacco industry exploits to target children and young people. Ms Toma points to the repurposing of traditional product design strategies such as flavoured products and the rise of social media influencers, sponsorship of music festivals and other cultural events. “Some of these tactics have exploited existing regulatory gaps, while others have circumvented or even breached advertising and sponsorship bans,” she says. “Despite online advertising of tobacco and novel products being banned in most European countries, the industry plays on the difficulties of enforcing these rules cross-border and in the digital sphere.”

Nonetheless, progress is being made in the Region. There has been an increase in legal actions across Europe against these campaigns, with companies being fined and ordered to take down illegal content. Although there are challenges involved in regulating these products, a rigorous application of the WHO FCTC would close advertising loopholes and deny the industry the ability to push its products to young people with impunity.

WHO FCTC implementation is a mechanism to protect young people. It is proven to reduce tobacco use across the population and it is hoped that it will simultaneously prevent uptake of e-cigarettes. Ms Toma is optimistic about its effectiveness. “Evidence shows significant reduction in youth tobacco use in countries with the highest levels of implementation of the WHO FCTC. This happens without new products filling that gap. Where tobacco is no longer cool for kids, it is likely that neither are these new products”, she says.

Another crucial tool in the fight against tobacco- and novel nicotine-containing products is collaboration between research institutes and governments. For several years, the Smoke Free Partnership has been highlighting the need for governments and the European Union to invest in tobacco control policy research, ensuring that research is supported, population-focused and policy-relevant. “Too often, governments and advocates have to fight the industry’s undermining of evidence, or the industry attacking scientific evidence because it comes from other countries,” explains Ms Toma. “The other risk is that the tobacco industry is now trying to co-opt researchers through funding front groups, and that speaks to the need for governments to promote and protect independent research that supports, informs, monitors, and evaluates tobacco control policy.”

The tobacco industry has been ruthless in its attempts to maintain and increase profits, with e-cigarettes and heated tobacco being just another means to preserving and expanding its markets. However, with good guidance, research and a rigorous implementation of the WHO FCTC, a path can be built towards a tobacco and nicotine-free future. Protecting health and saving lives is the thrust of tobacco control and organizations like Smoke Free Partnership. As Anca Toma explains, “tobacco control is a fight for the lives of young generations”.

European Union and France finance rehabilitation of old and historic centres

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European Union and France finance rehabilitation of old and historic centres
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The Tunisian Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment have published a call for expressions of interest to select the municipalities that will benefit from the historic centre regeneration programme (PRCA). To mark the occasion, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Agence française de développement (AFD) have reaffirmed their commitment to support and assist local authorities working to protect and preserve their historic urban heritage.

Between them, AFD and the EIB will provide €12 million (TND 39 million) of financing to the PRCA programme in equal contributions. The objective of the programme is to revive historic centres (neighbourhoods dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries and earlier) and medinas, while preserving their economic, historical and social characteristics in an integrated manner. This will involve renovation work, in particular on roads, water and sewerage systems and public lighting, which will improve the local environment and living conditions for residents. Measures will also be taken to restore the role of these neighbourhoods as attractive business centres, driving growth and employment.

The PRCA is a particularly innovative programme in terms of governance and is directly linked to the ongoing decentralisation process in Tunisia. The municipalities will thus be at the forefront of the PRCA, leading a broader discussion on how to integrate their historic centres into the local urban, economic and social fabric, and managing an urban regeneration project developed jointly with members of civil society, in close collaboration and with the support of institutional partners.

Jean-Luc Revéreault, Head of the EIB Representation to Tunisia, said:“The EIB is proud to be supporting local authorities faced with the urgent need of reviving their old and historic centres in a sustainable manner. This call for expressions of interest is an important step in the programme’s implementation and I hope that many municipalities will be able to apply. By renovating and rehabilitating these neighbourhoods, we will increase their economic attractiveness while improving the day-to-day lives of Tunisians.”

The Director of AFD’s Tunis Office Yazid Safir said: “The old centres of Tunisia are rich in heritage and history that must be protected and preserved, but they are also where many Tunisians live and work – they are business and cultural centres that shape the country’s urban identities. Slowing down and reversing depopulation, property deterioration, impoverishment and marginalisation is a top priority for Tunisia and for a partner like AFD. The call for projects aimed at municipalities is designed to promote integrated regeneration operations in historic centres, while respecting their specific characteristics and circumstances as best as possible. It is important to involve all of civil society in projects of this scale to achieve the five components of the PRCA, namely the rehabilitation of basic urban infrastructure, the improvement of public spaces, the preservation of cultural, architectural and urban heritage, the promotion and revival of economic, commercial and artisanal activities, and the improvement of housing.”

Further information on the historic centre regeneration programme is available on the programme’s website: https://prca.gov.tn/

Background information

European Investment Bank

The EIB operates in over 160 countries. In the Mediterranean region, it is committed to helping the Mediterranean partner countries achieve sustainable development and growth. The Bank has two core investment priorities in the region: to create an investment-friendly environment and to provide greater support to the private sector. It also seeks to promote dialogue between the Euro-Mediterranean partners.

Further details are available at: EIB in the region Economic Resilience Initiative

Agence Française de Développement

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group implements France’s policy on development and international solidarity.

Comprised of AFD, which finances the public sector and NGOs; Proparco, which finances the private sector; and soon, Expertise France for technical cooperation, the Group finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a more resilient and sustainable world.

We are building – with our partners – shared solutions, with and for the people of the Global South.  Our teams are active in more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French overseas departments and some 115 countries, including areas in crisis. 

We strive to protect the common good – promoting peace, biodiversity and a stable climate, as well as gender equality, health and education. It’s our way of contributing to the commitment that France and the French people have made to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals. Towards a world in common.

Further details are available at: www.afd.fr

Lawmakers bash EU border agency over alleged migrant pushbacks

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Lawmakers bash EU border agency over alleged migrant pushbacks

Lawmakers in the European Parliament grilled the director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency on Tuesday (1 December) over migrant pushbacks in the Mediterranean, with left-wing political groups calling for his resignation.

A number of media reports in October uncovered evidence that the agency, known as Frontex, was involved in carrying out “illegal pushbacks” of migrants on six occasions in the Aegean Sea, at the border between Turkey and Greece.

Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri told MEPs that “in the time slots on the days [reported in the media], the assets that were mentioned, in particular the Romanian and Portuguese vessels, were deployed but there was no evidence that they were engaged in pushbacks activities”.

Leggeri said, however, that on the night of 18-19 April, an autonomous Frontex plane recorded via live streaming a “suspicious case” involving a vessel of the Greek coastguard, which prompted Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek minister of maritime affairs.

A similar incident involving a Danish helicopter pilot who “wanted to issue a serious incident report” was also reported at the end of July, prompting Leggeri to send a letter to the Greek authorities.

Sophie in ‘t Veld, a Dutch MEP from the centrist Renew Europe political group, reacted by asking: “Why not terminate the operation, why not suspend funding? Why did you think it was sufficient to write letters to the Greek authorities which have been routinely systematically denying any allegation, even if there was substantial evidence?”

Leggeri agreed that “letters are not enough”. However, he explained that “in the system of the European Union… if a minister sends a letter to the director of an EU agency and says, ‘everything was according to the law,’ I cannot say ‘I don’t trust you’”.

The Frontex chief added that the agency was at the time operating in the context of “geopolitical confrontations” involving Turkish military fighters surrounding Frontex planes and “almost daily shooting coming from the Turkish side at the land border.”

“Because of all these situations, I also asked the Commission, but also the EU institutions to give me political and legal interpretation and guidance on how to take into account so-called hybrid threats, when security or defence is at stake where we are physically deployed.”

Leggeri welcomed an independent inquiry launched by the European Ombudsman into how Frontex deals with alleged breaches of fundamental rights and proposed a full-fledged independent inquiry by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

He also agreed with MEPS who suggested that “some monitoring should be done by external entities which are not embedded in Frontex.”

Green MEP Tineke Strik commented, however, that it was “worrying that we depend on the decision of the EU Ombudsman to do this.”

She added that “Frontex should have an effectively functioning fundamental rights system.”

“I would like to call upon all political groups also to really seriously consider if we as Parliament shouldn’t establish a formal inquiry committee on this,” Strik said during the meeting.

Several MEPs also questioned why the agency still has not hired the 40 independent fundamental rights monitors required by its mandate.

Leggeri replied that he had published a vacancy notice for a fundamental rights officer last year, but was “forced to withdraw it because it was said that it’s not a managerial post”.

The director explained that it took months of back and forth with Commission services to determine if the person in charge of the 40 monitors is a manager, which explains the delays in recruitment.

Political groups on the left were unimpressed and called for Leggeri to resign.

“Following the hearing, S&D MEPs concluded Mr Leggeri’s position at the head of Frontex is not sustainable, especially in light of the important role for Frontex in the new Pact on Migration and Asylum,” the group said in a statement.

“We need to ensure that there are impartial procedures in place to judge what’s going on,” said leftist MEP Sira Rego.

“Given your responses, which have been evasive to say the least, I think you should resign, sir,” she added, echoing a previous statement by the leftist group in the European Parliament.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic and Frédéric Simon]

MEPs call for an EU-wide “right to disconnect” | News | European Parliament

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officialinstitutions
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Sleeping overworked woman workaholic in headphones fell asleep in the workplace during working hard at the computer late in the evening

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201126IPR92512/meps-call-for-an-eu-wide-right-to-disconnect

  • Disconnecting from work should be a fundamental right
  • Call for an EU bill granting this right to all EU workers
  • Since the COVID-19 crisis began, over a third of EU workers have started to work from home

Outside working hours, workers must be allowed to switch off digital devices without facing consequences, the Employment Committee agreed.

In a resolution adopted on Tuesday with 31 votes in favour, 6 votes against and 18 abstentions, Employment Committee MEPs say that EU countries must ensure that workers are able to exercise the right to disconnect effectively, including by means of collective agreements. They point out that this right is vital to protect workers’ health.

The culture of being “always on” and the growing expectation that workers should be reachable at any time can negatively affect work-life balance, physical and mental health, and well-being, the Employment Committee asserts.

They call on the Commission to propose an EU Directive on the Right to Disconnect, since this right is not explicitly enshrined in EU law . MEPs also stress that being able to switch off from work should be a fundamental right , permitting workers to refrain from work-related tasks and electronic communication outside working hours without facing any repercussions .

Next steps

The non-legislative resolution is expected to be voted on in a plenary session in January 2021. Once endorsed by Parliament, it will be put forward to the Commission and EU countries for implementation as part of future regulatory decisions.

Background

According to Eurofound, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, over a third of EU workers now work from home . There is currently no European legal framework directly defining and regulating the right to switch off. The widespread use of digital tools and information and communication technologies (ICT) makes it possible to work from anywhere, at any time.

These technologies can have harmful consequences, extending working hours, blurring boundaries between work and private life, and contributing to some types of “work nomadism”, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.

How To Fix A Food System That’s Not Designed To Feed People

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News desk
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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-system-industrial-agriculture-environment_n_5fad6d57c5b6d647a39cf1be

Earlier this year, Americans learned what it looks like when a food system reliant on industrial agriculture, near monopolies and exploited laborers breaks down.

Just two months into the pandemic, the meat industry in the most powerful nation in the world was buckling.

[…]

The impact of COVID-19 on America’s food system is a wake-up call. A near-direct result of humanity’s destruction of nature — most notably increased levels of deforestation, pollution and habitat ruination — the pandemic can be seen as a warmup, not just for future disease outbreaks, but for the intensifying climate crisis that threatens the systems we rely on to survive.

For all the consumer-facing, shrink-wrapped elegance of the modern food system, the pandemic has exposed its fragility.

Alongside the public health crisis, poverty and food insecurity have skyrocketed this year. As of July, 29 million Americans said they “sometimes or often” did not have enough to eat.

At the same time, Americans were confronted with images and stories of farmers forced to dump milk, destroy crops, and euthanize their livestock as processing facilities and restaurants shut down.

These contradictions between food waste and hunger, said Phil Howard, a social scientist and professor at Michigan State University, are a result of an industrial food system “really designed not to feed people” but rather “to increase the power of a few dominant firms.”

For the last two decades, Howard has studied the consolidation of the food system. He’s documented large companies gobbling up smaller ones, mergers between corporate powerhouses, increased foreign ownership, and deceptive marketing that obscures the trend of monopolization.

Today, six companies control two-thirds of the U.S. meat supply. Whereas meatpacking workers once earned relatively high wages, the last four decades have seen a chipping away of wages and workplace safety protections for an often exploited workforce, largely made up of immigrants and workers of color.

Of course, it’s not just meat, and it’s not just the U.S.

Every part of today’s global food chain — from seeds and farm equipment to the supermarket shelf — is affected by the trend of corporate consolidation. More than 60% of global seed sales, for example, are made by just four companies.

We have been led to believe that Big Agriculture is the most efficient and effective way to feed a growing population, but this argument ignores the damage it does. It’s a heavily subsidized social and environmental liability.

Because a handful of companies control markets, farmers are seeing incomes fall as they are forced to pay higher prices for inputs and accept lower prices for the products they grow. Globally, farmers are also losing agency over their own farms, as corporations increase control of production through predatory contracts.

The environmental costs are enormous. Pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the fragmentation of natural landscapes are increasing. Fertilizer runoff drains from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico, creating gigantic “dead zones.” Thousands of square miles of Brazil’s Cerrado — considered the most biologically rich savanna in the world and a huge carbon sink — have been cleared for sprawling soy plantations, the vast majority for animal feed. Habitat loss is a key contributor to zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, that spread from wild animals to humans.

All the while, industrial farming practices destroy the soil on which they rely, requiring more fertilizer and more land.

[…] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-system-industrial-agriculture-environment_n_5fad6d57c5b6d647a39cf1be

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