Parliament has reacted to recent allegations with immediate changes and demands for measures to close loopholes in existing transparency rules.
Following Tuesday’s debate, Parliament has adopted a resolution on the suspicions of corruption by Qatar and the broader need for more transparency in the EU institutions, with 541 votes in favour, two against, and three abstentions.
MEPs are appalled by the recent allegations that MEPs, former MEPs and EP staff are involved in corruption, money laundering and participation in a criminal organisation, and support the full cooperation of the House with the ongoing investigation, noting that internal systems failed to prevent corruption. They also denounce the alleged corruption attempts by Qatar, which would constitute serious foreign interference in European democracy.
Immediate suspension of all legislative work related to Qatar
As an immediate measure, MEPs have decided to suspend all work on legislative files relating to Qatar, particularly concerning visa liberalisation and the EU aviation agreement with Qatar, as well as planned visits, until things become clearer. They also ask that security passes for representatives of Qatari interests be suspended until the judicial investigations provide clarity.
Reforming Parliament’s rules
The House is concerned about potential conflicts of interest caused by “side jobs”, especially where some MEPs serve as managers, on the board of directors or on advisory boards of, or as consultants to banks, multinational companies or publicly traded companies. MEPs support a system of asset declarations, at the beginning and end of each mandate. These declarations could be accessible only to relevant authorities and would be checked if there are substantiated allegations.
They also commit to ensuring full transparency regarding their additional income and to prohibit any external financing of MEP and political groups’ staff. Parliament will seek to establish an EU-level ban on donations from third countries to MEPs and political parties and asks the Commission to prepare a proposal to this end. A “cooling-off period” should be introduced for the end of an MEP’s mandate, to tackle the “revolving doors” phenomenon, MEPs say.
MEPs want to make the EU Transparency Register mandatory, extend its scope to representatives of third countries and former MEPs, and strengthen it so that it can be used to verify information more thoroughly. To help address other related issues, they also seek to set up an inquiry committee following the outcome of investigations and trials, to look into cases of corruption and improper actions by third countries, and a special committee to find flaws in Parliament’s framework and make proposals for reforms. Moreover, an EP Vice-President should be tasked with verifying integrity, and fighting corruption and foreign interference.
Recognising that parliamentary friendship groups must be properly regulated and monitored if they are to continue to exist, MEPs instruct the Quaestors to implement existing rules and put together an accessible, up-to-date register. They also call for information on “legislative footprints” to be disclosed for proposed texts and amendments.
Working with other EU institutions and agencies
Parliament urges the Commission to finally come forward with a proposal to set up the Independent Ethics Body that Parliament proposed in September 2021, and recommends improvements to the EU staff regulation in order to align it with the Whistleblowers Directive, which it will implement internally anyway. It also emphasises the role of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Eurojust, Europol and the EU’s anti-fraud agency OLAF, and calls for the capacities and cooperation of EPPO and OLAF to be bolstered further, as well as for common anti-corruption rules for members and staff of EU bodies.
The prospect of accession is important because of Putin and China.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has finally awakened the European Union to the strategic importance of the Western Balkans and the potential for Moscow to use unresolved disputes in the region to undermine the West.
EU leaders must now seize the geopolitical moment to change the integration of the six small, economically unstable countries with a combined population of less than 18 million into the Union, or risk seeing them used by Russia and China in their power games. writes Paul Taylor for Politico.
Despite deep disappointment at the snail’s pace of progress since the EU formally gave them the prospect of membership in 2003, joining the Union remains the best possible outcome for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, as and for the rest of Europe.
If the EU continues to keep them at bay, the alternatives could be closer rapprochement with Russia, the emergence of an illiberal, non-aligned zone that could stretch from Hungary to Turkey, or – even worse – a downward spiral towards a new armed conflict involving a toxic mix of organized crime and armed migration.
In some Western European capitals, particularly Paris and The Hague, where EU enlargement fatigue is strongest, there is a complacent assumption that the status quo is manageable and poses no serious risk to European security. Certainly people in the Western Balkans are war-weary after the horrors of the 1990s.
The situation may appear under control, but it is unsustainable indefinitely. There is no guarantee that the unresolved conflicts in Bosnia or between Serbia and Kosovo will remain frozen with small outbreaks, or that localized political violence will not escalate, attracting outside players and fueling new flows of refugees, weapons and drugs to the EU. The recent skirmishes over the number plates of Kosovo Serb cars show how a small spark can ignite dry grass.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine has angered many in the region, fueling ultra-nationalism among hardline pro-Russian Serbs and bringing back painful memories of death and destruction among those who lived through the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.
Moscow is trying to inflame Pan-Slavic Orthodox nationalism and exploit the division wherever it can. Backs Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik in his threats to secede from Bosnia and spreads disinformation to fuel Kosovo Serb hostility to the government in Pristina.
For its part, China is primarily seeking economic investment, using the 14+1 framework under the Belt and Road Initiative to engage with local leaders seeking ambitious infrastructure and defense projects. In the UN Security Council, he followed Russia’s lead in the Western Balkans and used his financial power to dissuade Balkan states from supporting resolutions critical of human rights abuses in Xinjiang or Hong Kong.
Serbian pro-government media are feeding the Russian narrative of the war in Ukraine, and Russian-owned media are contributing to the war hysteria against Kosovo. Russia and China have contributed to the rearmament of Serbia. Moscow also has powerful energy leverage, as Serbia gets 80% of its gas from Russia, while Bosnia is 100% dependent. Partly as a result, Serbia has refused to join EU sanctions against Russia, causing irritation in Brussels.
The EU has more powerful long-term leverage if it wants to use them, given the widespread public desire to join the bloc across the region, except for Serbia. However, France and the Netherlands have since resisted further expansion, mainly due to fears of migration and organized crime.
Neighboring EU member states Greece and Bulgaria have long blocked the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s bid for EU and NATO membership, demanding that it change its name and accept Sofia’s narrative of its own history and the Bulgarian minority.
Even after it agreed in 2018 to change its name to North Macedonia, France vetoed the opening of negotiations with Skopje and Albania to demand reform of the accession process to include the principle of reversibility in cases where retreat. Talks finally began in July this year, but North Macedonia is still required to change its constitution next year to incorporate the terms agreed with Bulgaria, a potential political pitfall as the government does not have a supermajority.
When EU leaders rushed to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status in June in response to Russian aggression, Western Balkan elites understandably feared their countries were being pushed further back in the membership queue. Similarly, when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded that the EU reform its decision-making system so that national vetoes on sanctions and tax policy are removed before new members are admitted, it sounded like an even longer wait.
So what should the EU do now?
Primo, more visible political engagement.
This year, the EU began to pay more attention to this long-neglected region. Two high-level meetings between the EU and the Western Balkans were held – one of them for the first time in the region – as well as a revival of the Berlin Process to support regional economic integration in preparation for joining the EU single market. Leaders from the Western Balkans attended the inaugural summit of the new European political community in Prague in October, dreamed up by French President Emmanuel Macron.
This commitment must continue.
Secundo, to accelerate benefits and participation in the accession process.
The EU needs to overhaul its cumbersome accession process to distribute more of the financial and market access benefits of membership up front as applicants move forward with reforms. They currently receive only a small proportion of pre-accession aid until the time of their accession.
The EU should invite ministers from the region to attend informal Council meetings on matters of common interest. It should encourage Western Balkan countries to elect observers to the European Parliament at the same time as the 2024 European elections, so that they have a say, if not a voice, in EU law-making.
Of course, the main work has to be done in the candidate countries, most of which fall far short of the basic conditions of democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression and the fight against corruption in order to apply for membership.
As always, it’s a chicken and egg problem. Why should Balkan politicians make painful reforms that could weaken their power and money for such a distant and uncertain prospect? The EU will need to work harder from below, supporting civil society, women’s organizations and small businesses as drivers of change, while offering incentives and applying pressure from above.
At this geopolitical moment, the EU simply cannot afford to let the region erode.
Foreign language lecturers(Lettori) from universities all over Italy gathered in Rome last Tuesday to protest against the discriminatory working conditions to which they have been subjected for decades. The protest was staged outside the offices of the minister with competence in the case, Minister for Higher Education and Research, Anna Maria Bernini.
Undaunted by heavy and persistent rainfall, the Lettori, in the rota and in their mother tongues, called on Minister Bernini to put an end to discrimination against non-national teachers in the universities. Placards and banners in all the languages of the Union referenced the sentences of the Court of Justice of the European Union(CJEU) in favour of the Lettori, sentences that Italy has never implemented.
In September 2021 the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Italy for its failure to implement the 2006 CJEU ruling in Case C-119/04 , the last of 4 rulings in favour of the Lettori in a line of jurisprudence which dates back to the seminal Allué rulingof 1989. Pilar Allué Day. a piece published in The European Times in May of this year recounts how Italy has managed to evade its obligations to the Lettori under each of these CJEU rulings from 1989 to the present.
Implementation of the 2006 ruling merely required the universities to pay settlements for the reconstruction of career from the date of first employment to the Lettori based on the minimum parameter of a part-time researcher or more favourable parameters won before Italian courts, as provided for under the terms of a March 2004 Italian law, a law which was approved by the CJEU. In the immediate aftermath of the 2006 ruling, local courts routinely awarded Lettori such settlements.
But, in the most brazen of its attempts to evade the Lettori case law of the Court, Italy then enacted the Gelmini Law of 2010, a law which retrospectively interpreted its March 2004 law in a restrictive manner which placed limits on the reconstruction of career due to the Lettori, limits nowhere condoned in the 2006 ruling. Subsequently, a 2019 interministerial decree of byzantine administrative complexity similarly undervalued and circumscribed the settlements due under the Court sentence.
Asso.CEL.L, a subscription-free association formed at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome, Europe’s largest university, is a complainant in the Commission’s infringement proceedings against Italy. To prove the existence and persistence of an infringement the evidence supplied by complainants is of crucial importance. With the help of FLC CGIL, Italy’s largest trade union, Asso.CEL.L conducted a national census of the Lettori employed in or retired from Italian universities. University by the university the census documented to the Commission’s satisfaction the non-payment of the settlements due under the 2006 ruling.
The Lettori, who came to Italy to teach the language and culture of their countries in the universities, are nationals of almost all the member states of the EU. Many have by now retired without ever having worked under conditions of parity of treatment over the course of their careers. The pensions they receive based on the paltry and discriminatory salaries earned over their careers place them below the poverty line in their home countries. Retired Lettori turned out in force for Tuesday’s protest.
In a well-received address to his assembled colleagues, national FLC CGIL Lettori co-ordinator, John Gilbert, a lecturer at Università di Firenze, recalled the legal and legislative history of the Lettori and outlined the recent initiatives of his union on the Lettori’s behalf. These include the campaign which lobbied all of Italy’s MEPs for their support and the letters from Secretary-General Sig. Francesco Sinopoli to Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit, making the case for moving the infringement proceedings to the reasoned opinion stage. With this advocacy, FLC CGIL is in effect calling for the prosecution of the national government for its discriminatory treatment of non-nationals.
Placing the right to parity of treatment in the context of the overall rights of European citizens, the commission states that the right “is perhaps the most important right under community law and an essential element of European citizenship”. What should be an automatic right has been withheld from the Lettori for decades due to Italian intransigence.
That existing arrangements permit a state of affairs whereby Italy can ignore the Lettori rulings of the Court of Justice with impunity is a cause of concern for Irish MEP Clare Daly. Her parliamentary question to the Commission, co-signed by 7 other Irish MEPs, highlights the Treaty obligations that come with the benefits of membership of the EU.
The pertinent passage of the question is worth quoting verbatim:
“Italian universities receive generous funding from the EU. Italy has received the biggest share of the Recovery Fund. Surely, the ethic of reciprocation demands that Italy obey the rule of law and implement the most recent CJEU ruling in favour of the lettori: case C‑119/04.”
While acknowledging the initiatives and support of the Commission, there was impatience among the Lettori present at the Tuesday protest over the slow pace of the infringement proceedings. In the press release of September 2021 announcing the opening of the proceedings, the Commission stated that “Italy now has two months to address the shortcomings identified by the Commission.” By now, it has had an additional year over that deadline, a year in which no concrete progress has been made, a state of affairs which further prolongs the duration of discrimination first condemned in the seminal Allué ruling of 1989.
Given the ease of the solution, Italy’s long inaction and procrastination rankle with Lettori. As speaker after speaker at the Tuesday protest pointed out, all that is necessary to implement the ruling in Case C-119/04 is to identify the beneficiaries of the Allué jurisprudence and reconstruct their careers with reference to the salary scale of part-time researchers or the more favourable parameters awarded by the local Italian courts. In essence, it is a matter of simple arithmetic that an efficient organization could easily accomplish in a few weeks.
Kurt Rollin is Asso.CEL.L representative for the retired Lettori. His teaching career from 1982 to 2017 at “La Sapienza University”, Rome ran parallel to a period of ever-increasing integration within the EU. Yet, in common with his retired colleagues, his Treaty right to parity of treatment was withheld for all the years of his service.
At the protest outside the Ministry of Education in Rome, and echoing the sentiments of the Irish MEPs, Mr Rollin said: “In the interests of consistency with Treaty values, compliance with EU law should be an absolute pre-condition to member states receiving EU funding. It is wrong that a member state can withhold with impunity the Treaty right to parity of treatment. At this point, the Commission should immediately advance proceedings to the reasoned opinion stage”.
In infringement proceedings, exchanges between the Commission and member states in perceived breach of their Treaty obligations are protected by a procedural requirement of confidentiality. In response to recent letters from Asso.CEL.L and FLC Secretary-General Sig. Francesco Sinopoli calling for the advance of proceedings to the reasoned opinion stage, the Commission diplomatically replied that it would soon take a decision on the Lettori case.
Stefani performing “Wind It Up” during The Sweet Escape Tour in 2007 at the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York, United States / Public Domain
American singer Gwen Stefani and her husband Blake Shelton are expecting a child. The couple decided on an IVF procedure to give birth to another beautiful baby.
The celebrities themselves have not yet commented on the happy event. But insiders are happy to share details of the star couple’s personal life.
For example, an inside source told The International Business Times that 53-year-old Stephanie has already had several IVF procedures, but they have all been unsuccessful. Until now. The source claims that Gwen’s fourth pregnancy is a real miracle for the couple and hinted at the gender of the unborn baby.
“Gwen and Blake say it’s definitely a Christmas miracle that she’s finally pregnant. Shelton has already bought himself pink cowboy boots and a hat,” he revealed.
“She was hopeful after every attempt and disappointed when it didn’t work out. She was so desperate to have a child with Blake that she was falling into despair, which he had to deal with. He hated seeing Gwen like this,” the source added.
All this was “too emotionally exhausting”. Stephanie decided to give it another try and this time their prayers were answered. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Shelton is coming to the end of his tenure as a judge on ‘The Voice,’ and that means he’ll have more time to devote to their baby,” the insider said.
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton started dating in 2015. Six years later, they decided to legalize their relationship. The two are getting married in July 2021 at the singer’s ranch. The baby-to-be will be Shelton’s first child with Stefani.
The No Doubt singer already has three children from her previous marriage to musician Gavin Rossdale – sons Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale and Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale.
International Migrants Day, Migrant smuggling is a global, organized crime that endangers the lives and safety of migrants.
Violence, abuse and the risk of exploitation are widespread traits of this crime. Many migrants die of thirst in deserts, perish at sea, or suffocate in containers.
Smugglers take advantage of people who are escaping poverty, natural disaster, conflict or persecution, or lack of employment and education opportunities, but do not have the options to migrate legally.
“Irregular migrants are targeted by criminal organizations as easy sources of profit. Therefore, going after the money behind migrant smuggling is critical to fighting organized crime. The clandestine nature of smuggling practices endangers the lives of migrants,” explained John Brandolino, Director of Treaty Affairs for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
A global migration study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that there were 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population.
Recent data regarding how many migrants are smuggled is not available, but UNODC found that a minimum of 2.5 million migrants were smuggled in 2016 through 30 of the world’s main smuggling routes.
In November 2000 the UN adopted the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, which forms part of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
The 151 countries that have ratified this treaty to date must ensure that migrant smuggling is criminalized and treat the smuggled migrants humanely, not viewing them as criminals. UNODC helps these countries by supporting transnational investigations into smuggling rings, and the tracing and seizure of the illicit proceeds of this crime.
As we approach International Migrants Day this Sunday, 18 December, UNODC has recorded several successful results of its action to effectively combat criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling.
For example, UNODC has assisted states’ maritime law enforcement authorities in the Caribbean with strengthening their regional tactical and operational responses to migration, with a focus on search and rescue operations. This support is essential if we consider the number of operations and migrants that states are called on to respond to.
By means of an example, as of November 2022, the Dominican Republic has conducted the search for and rescue of 558 migrants and the seizure of 39 boats engaged in migrant smuggling.
Similarly, as of November 2022, Trinidad and Tobago has conducted 519 operations at sea leading to the search and rescue of 151 migrants. UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme has developed regional standardized training on encounters with migrants’ vessels at sea and established a regional training center in Trinidad and Tobago to improve such operations in the Caribbean. Additionally, it has provided access to technology and equipment to support states detect and deter migrant flows at sea while promoting the safety of both boarding teams and migrants.
In October 2022, UNODC and IOM established an interagency cooperation platform focusing on countering migrant smuggling under the UN Network on Migration. This platform also includes the UN High Commission for Refugees and three civil society organizations as members.
On this day, UNODC’s commitment to protecting migrant lives and human rights by tackling the smuggling of migrants has been reaffirmed. As Brandolino notes, “UNODC promotes and supports the dismantling of organized criminal groups that endanger the lives of migrants and show disregard for basic human rights. Criminality can be prevented when migration is facilitated, rather than blocked.”
Click here for more UNODC research on migrant smuggling and how to counter it, including the UNODC Study on Smuggling of Migrants, the first UNODC study on this important issue.
EU Member States recognise the importance of adapting to impacts of heatwaves, droughts, floods, heavy precipitation and changing temperatures and of mainstreaming climate change adaptation to a wide range of affected areas like agriculture, or water and disaster risk management. These are key findings of a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today which assesses the state of national adaptation actions in 2021.
Levels of investment and the financing of putting in place adaptation plans still vary across EU Member States, the EEA report ‘Advancing towards climate resilience‘ found. The assessment gives a snapshot of all EU Member States’ national adaptation actions for 2021, based on national reporting submitted to the European Commission (under the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation). Where possible, the report also compares adaptation measures with earlier information to describe progress over recent years. The report also includes some data from Türkiye, which is not an EU Member State but is a member of the EEA.
National adaptation actions and overall institutional arrangements taking adaptation into account have been further developed and strengthened in many EU Member States to better steer adaptation policies across different levels of government and sectors. Ensuring climate change adaptation priorities are considered in a broad range of policies has also progressed.
Many of the measures reported by EU Member States are about increasing capacity, specifically, activities that support awareness raising, capacity building and training, inclusion of climate change in education, and support adaptation at regional and local levels.
Adaptation is being increasingly financed but several issues remain, including how to measure adaptation finance, as most of these measures also support other economic, social and environmental objectives and are not always initiated for adaptation only. A few Member States have dedicated national adaptation funds for financing the implementation of national adaptation plans, the review found.
Other key findings
Legal requirements or political commitments to institutionalise periodic updating of climate risk assessments are in place in several Member States. However, their systematic, comprehensive and regular renewal is the exception rather than the rule.
Most countries still rely on rather soft policies without legally-binding commitments, and on voluntary, informal, non‑hierarchical cooperation. More and more Member States are using national climate laws to have more stringent legal instruments available to enforce their adaptation objectives and strategies.
The social justice aspects of adaptation are not yet integrated in all countries. However, these increasingly important aspects aim to address the uneven distribution of climate risks, which affect vulnerable groups the most.
Effective, multi-level governance embodies a variety of networks and a set of collaborative mechanisms across subnational governments. Those networks and collaborations play an essential role in supporting local governments to develop and implement their local adaptation strategies and action plans.
Monitoring, reporting and evaluation are mainly used for the following three objectives: to gain a better understanding of policy implementation, to identify climate risks, and to measure the effectiveness of policies in reducing climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities.
ImageImage copyright: Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash
Plastics are used across Europe in everything from construction materials to consumer products. Recent policy actions on plastic packaging at EU and national level have established collection schemes and introduced waste prevention measures. However, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, a significant fraction of Europe’s total plastic consumption is outside this policy focus and at risk of being overlooked in Europe’s transformation towards a more circular economy.
The EEA briefing ‘Managing non-packaging plastics in European waste streams’ provides an overview of the consumption and management of those plastics that do not fall under the category of packaging. To date, these materials have not been prioritised for action through specific EU directives and policy.
Non-packaging plastics include diverse materials in products ranging from buildings and vehicles to everyday items, such as electronics, sports equipment, diapers and toothbrushes. The EEA briefing notes that currently there are no direct recycling or re-use targets for these materials, which may account for up to 74% of the EU’s total plastic consumption, according to recent estimates.
There is currently insufficient knowledge about the overall level of plastic consumption and plastic waste generation in Europe. Some data are available from Europe’s plastic industry but they do not include the plastics that are part of imported goods. According to the EEA briefing, there is a high value in developing a more standardised methodology for tracking non-packaging plastic flows in the EU. This would allow for effective monitoring of the total amount of plastic waste and provide improved evidence to inform policy and investment decisions.
Non-packaging plastics account for up to 74% of the EU’s total plastic consumption.
In addition, there will be a need to also address plastic used in non-packaging applications through potential future measures such as introducing extended producer responsibility schemes, material-specific recycling targets and reporting obligations. Such aspects will need to be addressed if Europe is to better manage total plastic flows in the context of transformation to a circular economy, the EEA briefing concludes.
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, has passed a bill banning foreigners from using the services of Russian surrogate mothers, Reuters reported. Under the new legislation, a child born to a surrogate mother in Russia will automatically receive Russian citizenship.
Married couples in which one spouse is a Russian citizen will be able to use the services of surrogate mothers in the future. Paid surrogacy is legal in Russia, but the practice has been criticized by religious organizations, who say it amounts to the commercialization of childbearing.
The Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, stated that the new legislation aims to protect Russian children.
European Parliament: MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, Rachel Bayani and Anastasia Hartman on the right, a deported Baha’i on the left
In the shadow of the Football World Cup in Qatar, voices of non-Muslims have been heard and listened to at the European Parliament at a conference organized on 6 December by Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen under the title “Qatar: Addressing the limitations of religious freedom for Bahá’ís and Christians.”
This initiative of MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, a member of the EP Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief, was a followup of the resolution of the European Parliament on the “Situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA football world cup in Qatar” adopted on 24 November last plenary session. On that occasion, the Parliament called “on the Qatari authorities to ensure respect for the human rights of all persons attending the 2022 World Cup, including international guests and those living in the country, including for their freedom of religion and belief.”
During the conference, the situation of the Baha’is was addressed by Rachel Bayani from the office of the Baha’i International Community in Brussels. Here is a large excerpt of her intervention:
“Baha’is have lived in Qatar for almost 80 years. They are a very diverse community with members of Qatari citizenship or from other nationalities. They all consider Qatar their home.
Nevertheless, the community has suffered instances of discrimination and human rights violations over many decades. The cumulative effect of these acts has now become untenable because they threaten the very viability of the community. Over the decades, and more intensely in recent years, Baháʼís in Qatar have approached the Qatari authorities directly and with an open hand to seek remedy in areas where the State falls short of its obligations. Although various assurances and promises have periodically been given, they have not materialised.
More and more Baháʼís have been forced to leave the country. The human rights violations they suffer are of various types, ranging from surveillance, the harassment of school children and students, the bulldozing of a Baha’i cemetery, violations in the employment sector and the sudden termination of work contracts, the non-recognition of personal status or marriage laws, the impossibility of family reunification, the refusal of a residency permit or the blacklisting for ‘security’ reasons because of their religious affiliation.
In some cases, Baháʼís resident in the country for generations are simply instructed to leave with no explanation whatsoever, are deported or have been refused permission to re-enter the country. Baha’i leadership positions are targeted with for instance the Chair of the National Assembly of the Baha’i of Qatar who is a Qatari national having recently been presented with a court ruling sentencing him in absentia to a period of imprisonment and a fine, and this clearly because of his religion.
In the employment sector, Baháʼís are systematically denied ‘certificates of good conduct’ needed for employment. This is a clearance to be obtained from state security. Baha’is are being refused these certificates though they have not committed any crime or misdemeanour. There is no transparency to the clearance process nor any right or means of appeal. Because employment is the key to residency, many families have lost their residency, and ultimately had to leave the country.
These problems, characterised as incidental by the authorities, and even presumed to be so by the Baháʼís themselves, gradually took the form of a pattern that was impossible to ignore or explain away.
The Baha’i community being invisibly and noiselessly suffocated
The Baha’i community knows all too well what it looks like when a country wants to extinguish an entire community. We have the example of Iran and how it systematically carries out its effort to slowly suffocate a community economically, socially and intellectually. One of the characteristics of that strategy is to proceed in a very calculated manner with the purpose to evade international attention.
The Baha’i community in Qatar counts in the low hundreds today. If it were not for the discrimination and the fact that many were forced to leave the country, the Baha’i community would today be much larger. So it is the survival of the community that is at stake.
His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, said during his address to the United Nations General Assembly some weeks ago that the State of Qatar wanted to celebrate our common humanity, no matter how diverse our religions and nationalities may be. The Baha’i International Community welcomes these noble sentiments. And we thank His Highness for sharing them with the world. We look forward to a time when these words become reality with respect to the Baha’i community living in Qatar.”
And MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen concluded by saying “I call on Qatar to uphold therights of the Baha’i communityand to ensure that Baha’is areno longer expelled from thecountry or forced to leave.”
QATAR“I was expelled for life from Qatar because I was a Baha’i”
A Baha’i deported in 2015 denied entry in the country to attend the Football World Cup in November 2022
QATAR – In the shadow of the Football World Cup, a forgotten issue: the situation of the Baha’is
During the conference organized on 6 December by Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen under the title “Qatar: Addressing the limitations of religious freedom for Bahá’ís and Christians,“ a Baha’i (*) testified about his deportation from the country in 2015:
“My wife and I moved to Qatar from Kuwait in 1979. My wife, who was brought up in Qatar, wanted to be back where her family lived and had been serving the community since moving there in the early 50s.
I started teaching English language in a national oil and gas company. Later on, I moved to other jobs, all involved with training and development of Qatari nationals. I lived there very happily for 35 years until I was expelled in May 2015.
Our three children all went to government schools and are fluent in Arabic. Although they studied in British universities, they all chose to return to Qatar where they had been raised and where their friends were.
We were all well integrated but despite this, I was ordered to leave in May 2015. No official reason was ever presented to me for such a decision but I believe it was due to my activities as a Baha’i.
Freedom of expression and proselytism
Indeed, we, as Baha’is, do not hide or deny our religion and share with anyone interested, the principles and teachings of our faith. Our activities are mainly educational, aimed at a process of spiritual and moral education that builds capacity to serve the community and thus work for the betterment of the world. Our activities are very transparent and open to anyone, regardless of race, religion and nationality, who wants to benefit from them.
My understanding is that such activities have been misinterpreted by the authorities as proselytism, which is forbidden by law in Qatar.
In the Baha’i faith, imposing one’s belief on others, using any form of intimidation or offering material inducements to conversion is forbidden. However, everybody is welcome to join in Baha’i activities and the community if they wish.
When a Baha’i shares his or her belief with another person, the act is not an attempt to convince or otherwise prove a particular point. It is the expression of the sincere desire to engage in meaningful conversation about fundamental issues of existence, to seek the truth, to remove misconceptions and to foster unity. Baha’u’llah tells us that “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are attainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”
How my deportation was planned behind the scenes
In September 2013, my employers applied for the renewal of my resident permit which was due to expire in November. I was told that they had been unable to complete the renewal due to “problems with the system.” My employers continued regular followup but each time was told to “wait.”
In March 2014, my employers had to terminate my work contract as the administrative issue had been left without any solution. I contacted the British Embassy but they told they were unable to assist. I approached a lawyer who told me that law firms had been instructed not to take on cases related to security.
In April 2014, the Ministry of Interior told me that my departure was being treated as deportation under instruction from the State Security with no reason given. I appealed the decision and approached the National Human Rights Committee. I reported to the Immigration Department every week for several months as I was told.
In March 2015, The Immigration Department informed me that there would be no written response to my appeal and the security authorities had considered my presence was “not in the interest of the state.”
I was expelled on 24 May 2015. My wife remained in Qatar with our children to take care of her own elderly parents.
Banned from Qatar for life
It is important to mention that when I lived in Qatar, other Baha’is were expelled from the country and many of our youth were denied employment opportunities. These young people, many of whom were born and raised in Qatar and knew no other home, had no other choice but to leave. Some, who subsequently attempted to return, were denied entry and were blacklisted.
In December 2015 and August 2016, I applied for a visitor visa through Qatar Airways but both applications were rejected because they had not been approved by the security authorities.
On 17 November 2016, I was denied entry in the country when transiting at Hamad International Airport.
In September 2022, my daughter approached the British Embassy asking them to request, on compassionate grounds, a visit for me as my wife had been diagnosed with cancer. The application was denied.
In October 2022, as Qatar had openly declared that all were welcome to attend the World Cup, I applied for a Hayya card which required to enter the country and attend the football matches. My application was twice rejected.
(*) HRWF withholds his name for security reasons for his family.
ImageImage copyright: Iwona Krzysztofek, Well with Nature /EEA
Today, the European Commission is publishing its first Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook report setting pathways to cleaner air, water and soil. The Commission report, together with the European Environment Agency’s monitoring assessment, shows that EU policies have contributed to reducing air pollution as well as pollution from pesticides. However, in other areas such as harmful noise, nutrient pollution or municipal waste generation, problems persist. The results show that overall much stronger action is necessary if the EU is to achieve 2030 zero pollution targets, by adopting new anti-pollution laws and better implementing existing ones.
Progress towards 2030 targets but pollution levels still too high
The progress towards the six ‘zero pollution’ targets is mixed. Pollution is decreasing from pesticides, antimicrobials and marine litter. Not much progress has been made for pollution from noise, nutrients and waste. On the other hand, the overall high rates of compliance with the EU drinking and bathing water pollution standards (>99% and >93% respectively) are encouraging. For 2030, we can achieve most of the targets if additional efforts are made.
However, current pollution levels are still far too high: over 10% ofpremature deaths in the EU each year are still related to environmental pollution. This is mainly due to air pollution, but also to noise pollution and exposure to chemicals, which is likely to be underestimated. The pollution similarly damages biodiversity.There are significant differences between Member States, with premature deaths levels around 5-6% in the North and 12-14% in the South and East of Europe.
The Commission has by now delivered or advanced on all 33 of the announced actions in the Zero Pollution Action Plan of 2021. In order for them to have an impact, the Commission report calls for the swift agreement and adoption of the legislative proposals to reduce harmful pollution, and the improved implementation of the existing ones at local, national and cross-border level. Notably, it finds that if the EU implements all relevant measures proposed by the Commission, the number of premature deaths due to air pollution would fall by up to 66% in 2030 compared to 2005, with benefits of clean air measures outweighing costs and leading to overall GDP gains. The report also points to the importance of promoting global initiatives and supporting third countries in their efforts towards reducing pollution.
Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans said:
“Once again the evidence presented today shows us that the benefits of acting for clean air, water and soil are far greater than the investment. This is also what citizens want, as more than 80% are worried about the health and environmental problems caused by pollution”.
Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said:
“Today we are presenting compelling evidence about the results of ambitious action to reduce pollution. The reports show that the EU’s zero pollution ambition is realistic and possible, but only if we speed up adoption of legislative proposals linked to pollution, and step up implementation of the existing EU pollution laws. I also hope that today’s reports will help convince our global partners to agree on equally ambitious targets in the context of the upcoming COP15 negotiations on biodiversity”.
Executive Director of the European Environment Agency HansBruyninckx added:
The EEA’s first zero pollution monitoring report shows that Europe is making progress in reducing and preventing pollution in key areas, such as air, bathing water and drinking water, and is using less hazardous pesticides. But, to deliver on our 2050 vision, we need progress in reducing excess nutrients in the environment and the health impacts of noise and chemicals, and identifying emerging issues earlier.
EEA monitoring assessment shows mixed picture
Good progress in reducing the health impacts of air pollution has been achieved, with a 45% fall in premature deaths since 2005. If this past trend continues, the EU will be on track to meet the target of a 55% reduction.
The area of land negatively affected by air pollution has fallen by 12% since 2005. If this past trend continues, the EU will not meet the target of a 25% reduction.
Little progress has been made in reducing nutrient losses since the 2012-2015 baseline. Based on the limited progress to date, the EU is not on track to achieve the 50% reduction target.
The use and risk of pesticides has fallen by 14% since the baseline period of 2015-2017, while the use of more hazardous pesticides has fallen by 26%. Based on this recent trend, the EU is on track to meet its target of cutting the use and risk of pesticides, and the use of the more hazardous pesticides, by 50%.
Sales of veterinary antimicrobials have fallen by 18% since 2018. If this past trend continues, the EU will be on track to meet the target of a 50% reduction.
There was no significant reduction in the share of people impacted by transport noise between 2012 and 2017. With no indications of noise levels having declined significantly since then, the EU is unlikely to meet the target of reducing the share of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30%.
Provisional analysis suggests that the amount of plastic litter at sea has fallen in recent years. While this is encouraging, consistent and comprehensive EU-wide data is needed to assess progress towards the targets of reducing plastic litter at sea by 50% and reducing releases of microplastics into the environment by 30%.
Total waste generation has slowly increased between 2010 and 2018, with a sharp drop in 2020 related to the pandemic. Residual municipal waste (waste that is not recycled or reused) generation has been stable since 2016. If these waste streams do not decline significantly in coming years, the EU will not meet the targets of significantly reducing total waste generation and of reducing residual municipal waste by 50%.
Pollution is the largest environmental cause of multiple mental and physical diseases, and of premature deaths, especially among children, people with certain medical conditions and the elderly. Pollution is also one of the five main threats to biodiversity.
The monitoring and outlook assessment serves as a baseline for future reviews of progress the EEA will conduct, the next being scheduled for 2024, to support the European Commission and Member States in delivering the targets. It will also inform future policies designed to support the zero pollution ambition — to reduce pollution to the extent that it no longer presents a risk to human health and the environment by 2050.
