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Pope Francis took control of the Order of Malta

By
Gaston de Persigny
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0

He abolished its previous governing bodies and appointed an interim Sovereign Council

After years of controversy, Pope Francis took control of the Order of Malta today, removing its previous governing bodies and appointing an interim Sovereign Council, reported AFP.

In a decree published by the Vatican, the pope announced that he had promulgated the order’s “new Constitutional Charter” and it “came into effect immediately.” Francis ordered “the recall of all appointees to high posts, the dissolution of the current Sovereign Council and the creation of a temporary Sovereign Council” with 13 members already appointed by him personally. The latter must organize an extraordinary General Chapter (general meeting, note AFP) in January, which will implement all the Pope’s decisions, the decree specifies.

The Order of Malta, founded in Jerusalem and recognized by the Pope in 1113, is both a state-like entity without territory based in Rome, a religious order and an influential charitable organization. Today, it counts 13,500 knights, among them fifty clergy, who carry out its medical and humanitarian activities with the help of over 100,000 employees and volunteers working in 120 countries.

The crisis in the order itself and in its relations with the Vatican began with a disruption in the leadership of the organization in 2016, when the Grand Master of the Order of Malta – its head – demanded the resignation of its Grand Chancellor. Some knights of the order objected and demanded that the Pope intervene. Francis sent a commission of inquiry and obtained the resignation of the Grand Master; all decisions of the latter were annulled. The Pope appointed his special delegate to the Order of Malta, after which extensive reform of the organization’s Constitutional Charter began to be prepared.

Difficult discussions developed over the issue of the sovereignty of the Order of Malta. The draft reform of the Constitutional Charter, prepared by the papal delegate, provided for the order to be “subject of the Holy See”, that is, of the Vatican, but the knights did not agree because of fears that the order would not be reduced to the scale of a “spiritual association”.

In his decree, Pope Francis recalled a decision made in 1953 by the Court of Cardinals, according to which “the prerogatives of the Order (. . .) do not represent the totality of prerogatives and power rights that sovereign states have.”

“Accordingly, as a spiritual order, it (. . .) is subordinate to the Holy See,” concludes Pope Francis.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION:

The fugitive president of Sri Lanka has returned to his country

By
Gaston de Persigny
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0

On July 13, the ousted leader, his wife and two bodyguards took an Air Force plane to the Maldives and from there to Singapore

Former Sri Lankan head of state Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office to protest the country’s economic crisis.

Rajapaksa flew into Colombo International Airport on Friday from Bangkok via Singapore.

On July 13, the ousted leader, his wife and two bodyguards took an Air Force plane to the Maldives and from there to Singapore. There, the president officially resigned. Two weeks later he left for Thailand.

For months, Sri Lanka suffered a severe economic crisis that sparked extraordinary protests and unprecedented public anger that eventually forced Rajapaksa and his brother, the former prime minister, to step down.

The bankrupt country’s situation has been worsened by global factors such as the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but many hold the once-powerful Rajapaksa family responsible for mismanaging the economy and plunging it into crisis.

The economic collapse has led to months-long shortages of essentials such as fuel, medicine and cooking gas due to a lack of foreign currency.

Although cooking gas supplies have been restored through World Bank support, shortages of fuel, critical medicines and some food items persist.

The island nation has suspended payments on nearly €6.94 billion in foreign debt due this year. The country’s total external debt amounts to more than 50.9 billion euros, of which 27.8 billion euros must be repaid by 2027.

On Tuesday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over after Rajapaksa resigned, reached a tentative agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a bailout package of 2.9 billion euros over four years to help the country recover.

In April, protesters began camping outside the president’s office in the heart of Colombo, calling for the president’s resignation.

Before Rajapaksa resigned, his older brother stepped down as prime minister and three other close family members left their cabinet positions.

The new president of the country suppressed the protests. His first action as a leader involved the dismantling of protest tents in the middle of the night when the police forcibly removed the demonstrators from their place.

Photo by Kanishka Ranasinghe:

Ukraine: ‘Physical integrity’ of Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant ‘has been violated several times’

By
United Nations News
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0
Ukraine: ‘Physical integrity’ of Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant ‘has been violated several times’

Further damage to the embattled Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine “cannot” be allowed to happen, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi was speaking on Thursday after he and IAEA experts visited Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which has seen repeated shelling in recent weeks, sparking fears of a catastrophe. 

“It’s obvious that the plant, and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated, several times. [Whether] by chance [or deliberately], we don’t have the elements to assess that. But this is a reality that we have to recognize, and this is something that cannot continue to happen,” he told journalists.  

“Wherever you stay, wherever you stand, whatever you think about this war, this is something that cannot happen, and this is why we’re trying to put in place certain mechanisms and the presence of our people there, to try to be in a better place.” 

The Zaporizhzhia plant houses six of the 15 nuclear reactors in Ukraine. 

It has been occupied by Russian forces since the early weeks of the war in Ukraine, now in its seventh month.  

Both sides have accused the other of shelling the plant. 

Maintaining a presence 

An IAEA expert mission finally arrived there on Thursday, following months of diplomatic negotiations. 

In a video posted on his official Twitter account that day, Mr. Grossi reported that the experts had completed an initial tour of the plant, though there is still more to do.

“My team is staying on,” he said, adding “most importantly, we are establishing a continued presence from the IAEA here.” 

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== Ukraine: ‘Physical integrity’ of Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant ‘has been violated several times’
© IAEA – IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi (second left) and the IAEA expert mission team arrive at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

The 14-member mission deployed from Vienna on Monday in efforts towards ensuring nuclear safety and security at the plant, undertaking vital safeguard activities, and assessing the working conditions of the Ukrainian staff there. 

Renewed shelling last week hit the area of the plant’s two so-called special buildings, located about 100 metres from the reactor buildings, as well as an overpass area. 

WHO donates ambulances to Ukraine

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered 11 first aid ambulances to Ukraine amid ongoing attacks against healthcare in the country, the UN agency reported on Friday.

The vehicles will be handed over to the Emergency Medical Service Department in Lviv, then distributed throughout Ukraine.

The donations were made possible through support from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which ensures that urgently needed humanitarian assistance reaches people caught up in crises.

Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko (left) receives the keys for eleven ambulances from Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
© WHO/Viktor Moskaliuk – Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko (left) receives the keys for eleven ambulances from Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.

Timely transport saves lives

“These ambulances will save lives and go a step further in ensuring that timely access to emergency care during the war is strengthened and maintained,” said Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.

He was speaking at a handover ceremony alongside Ukraine’s Health Minister, Dr. Viktor Liashko, who emphasized that international support is a powerful tool in sustaining the country’s medical system during wartime.

“Emergency healthcare workers are the first ones to arrive at the scene of an accident and do everything they can to save people’s lives,” he said. 

“Thanks to modern ambulances, healthcare workers not only provide timely transport for people who are injured or in critical condition from the accident scene to a medical facility, but also stabilize their condition during transport.”

WHO and partners have donated more than 30 ambulances to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health since the war began on 24 February, with more deliveries expected later in the year.

The agency has also delivered more than 1,300 metric tonnes of life-saving medical supplies to the country, including power generators, oxygen supplies for medical facilities, and medicines to help treat noncommunicable diseases.

Winter support for vulnerable groups

Also on Friday:

A UN Humanitarian Fund has allocated $70 million to kick-start winter assistance and address the needs of people with disabilities, older persons and vulnerable women in Ukraine.

“This is the Fund’s largest single allocation since its creation in 2019. Funding goes directly to local civil society organizations and volunteer groups on the front lines,” said Eri Kaneko, Associate UN Spokesperson, speaking to journalists in New York.

The Fund is managed by the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.

Some $118 million has been released so far this year to help five million people across Ukraine with food, water, shelter, health interventions and educational support.

Palestine: EU announces €261 million in support of UNRWA’s operations

By
European Commission
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0
Palestine: EU announces €261 million
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini address the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels, Belgium. © 2022 UNRWA Photo 
On 31 August 2022, Commission-General Philippe Lazzarini briefed Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs about the deteriorating situation of Palestine refugees in the Middle East, including the impact of the Ukraine crisis and the last escalation in Gaza earlier this month. During the exchange of views in Brussels, the Commissioner-General also addressed the critical financial situation of the Agency and thanked the Members of the European Parliament for playing a key role in the fruitful EU-UNRWA partnership. 

European Commission Brussels, 09 Aug 2022

The European Union confirmed today its role as a long-standing, predictable and reliable partner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and one of its largest donors.

The European Commission adopted €261 million as the multiannual contribution that will allow to secure predictable financial resources to the Agency for the provision of essential services to Palestine refugees. In line with the EU-UNRWA Joint Declaration 2021-2024, it includes the EU’s three-year funding for UNRWA for a total of €246 million, coupled with an additional €15 million from the Food and Resilience Facility to address food insecurity and mitigate the impact of the Ukraine war.

High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, said: “The EU as UNRWA’s long-term partner is committed to continue with political and financial support for its activities. UNRWA remains crucial for providing the necessary protection and essential services for Palestine refugees, supporting peace and stability in the region. The EU will continue to support UNRWA in all its fields of operations, including in East Jerusalem. Our support to UNRWA is a key element in our strategy of contributing to the promotion of security, stability and development in the region, which also helps to keep alive the prospects of sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Oliver Várhelyi, said: “We remain a reliable and predictable partner, and a top donor of UNRWA. Others need to step up and join the EU in providing predictable multiannual funding. The Agency plays a stabilising role in the region. It must continue to do so, with a clear focus on its core mandate. We will continue to work with UNRWA to strengthen the Agency’s governance systems and help step up transparency and sound management. We remain also firmly committed to promote quality education for Palestinian children and ensure full compliance with UNESCO standards in all education material.”

Background

Since 1971, the strategic partnership between the European Union and UNRWA has been based on the shared objective of supporting human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and of promoting stability in the Middle East.

On 17 November 2021, UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini, HR/VP Borrell, and Commissioner Várhelyi signed the EU-UNRWA “Joint Declaration on EU support to UNRWA (2021-2024)”, marking the 50th anniversary of the EU-UNRWA partnership. In the Joint Declaration, the European Union commits to continue supporting UNRWA politically and securing predictable, multi-annual financial resources. UNRWA is experiencing significant challenges in fulfilling its mandate due to recurrent financial shortfalls.

There is an urgent need for UNRWA to reform and to identify innovative ways to maintain the provision of services to refugees. The EU supports UNRWA in taking forward these internal reform efforts to secure a sound and sustainable financial basis, which includes focusing on core services for the most vulnerable.

In addition to that, the EU continues to do its utmost to reach out to existing and potential donors to put the Agency on a sustainable fiscal model and to ensure fairer contribution sharing.

Astronomers Produce First Full 3D View of Binary Star-Planet System

By
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
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0
Astronomers Produce First Full 3D View of Binary Star-Planet System
Large Planet Orbiting Binary Star System

From above a planet about twice the size of Jupiter, this artist’s conception shows the star that planet is orbiting and that star’s binary companion in the distance. Credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF


Astronomers have discovered a Jupiter-like planet orbiting a nearby star, which is one of a binary pair, by precisely tracing a small, almost imperceptible, wobble in that star’s motion through space. Their work produced the first-ever determination of the complete, 3-dimensional structure of the orbits of a binary pair of stars and a planet orbiting one of them. This achievement can provide valuable new insights into the process of planet formation, the astronomers said. This breakthrough was made using the National Science Foundation’s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA).

Although more than 5,000 extrasolar planets have been discovered so far, only three have been discovered using a technique called astrometry, which was used to produce this discovery. However, the feat of determining the 3-D architecture of a binary-star system that includes a planet “cannot be achieved with other exoplanet discovery methods,” said Salvador Curiel, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).


“Since most stars are in binary or multiple systems, being able to understand systems such as this one will help us understand planet formation in general,” Curiel said.

Large Planet Orbits Small Star

In this artist’s conception, a small star (orange) is orbited by a Jupiter-like planet (blue), and by a more-distant companion star (red). Credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF

The two stars, which together are called GJ 896AB, are about 20 light-years from Earth. That makes them close neighbors of ours by astronomical standards. They are red dwarf stars, the most common type of star in our Milky Way galaxy. The larger one, around which the planet orbits, has about 44 percent of the mass of our Sun, while the smaller one is about 17 percent as massive as the Sun. They are separated by about the distance of Neptune from the Sun, and orbit each other once every 229 years.


For their study of GJ 896AB, the astronomers combined data from optical observations of the system made between 1941 and 2017 with data from VLBA observations between 2006 and 2011. They also made new VLBA observations in 2020. The continent-wide VLBA’s supersharp resolution, with its fantastic ability to see fine detail, produced extremely precise measurements of the stars’ positions over time. An extensive analysis of the data performed by the astronomers revealed the stars’ orbital motions as well as their common motion through space.

Artist’s animation illustrates the orbital motions of a binary star pair and a planet orbiting one of the stars. Credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF

The existence of the planet was revealed by a detailed tracing of the larger star’s motion that showed a slight wobble. The planet’s gravitational effect on the star causes the wobble. The star and planet orbit a location between them called the barycenter, which represents their common center of mass. When that location is sufficiently far from the star, the star’s motion around it can be detectable.

According to calculations by the astronomers, the planet has about twice the mass of Jupiter and orbits the star every 284 days. Its distance from the star is slightly less than Venus’ distance from the Sun. The planet’s orbit is inclined approximately 148 degrees from the orbits of the two stars.


“This means that the planet moves around the main star in the opposite direction to that of the secondary star around the main star,” said Gisela Ortiz-León, of UNAM and the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy. “This is the first time that such dynamical structure has been observed in a planet associated with a compact binary system that presumably was formed in the same protoplanetary disk,” she added.

“Additional detailed studies of this and similar systems can help us gain important insights into how planets are formed in binary systems. There are alternate theories for the formation mechanism, and more data can possibly indicate which is most likely,” said Joel Sanchez-Bermudez, of UNAM. “In particular, current models indicate that such a large planet is very unlikely as a companion to such a small star, so maybe those models need to be adjusted,” he added.

The astrometric technique will be a valuable tool for characterizing more planetary systems, the astronomers said. “We can do much more work like this with the planned Next Generation VLA (ngVLA),” said Amy Mioduszewski, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. “With it, we may be able to find planets as small as the Earth.”

The astronomers reported their findings in the September 1 issue of the Astronomical Journal.

Reference: “3D Orbital Architecture of a Dwarf Binary System and Its Planetary Companion” by Salvador Curiel, Gisela N. Ortiz-León, Amy J. Mioduszewski and Joel Sanchez-Bermudez, 1 September 2022, Astronomical Journal.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac7c66

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.


Liquid Hydrogen Leak on NASA’s Artemis I Moon Rocket – Launch Attempt Scrubbed

By
NASA
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0
Liquid Hydrogen Leak on NASA’s Artemis I Moon Rocket – Launch Attempt Scrubbed

SLS Artemis 1 ready on the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, for the first launch attempt on August 29. The launch was later scrubbed due to an issue with engine bleed. Credit: ESA – S. Corvaja


The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 11:17 a.m. EDT (8:17 a.m. PDT).

Engineering teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket. Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect cavity where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue.

World food prices have fallen for fifth consecutive month

By
United Nations News
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0
World food prices have fallen for fifth consecutive month
World food prices have fallen for a fifth consecutive month but are still nearly eight per cent higher than a year ago, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported on Friday.

Its latest Food Price Index shows that the prices of five commodities – cereals, vegetable oil, dairy, meat and sugar – were lower in August than in July. 

The Index tracks the monthly international prices of these breadbasket staples. It averaged 138.0 points last month, down nearly two per cent from July, though 7.9 per cent above the value a year before. 

Ukraine exports a factor 

FAO said the decline in cereal prices reflected improved production prospects in North America and Russia, and the resumption of exports from Black Sea ports in Ukraine. 

A landmark agreement to unblock Ukraine grain exports amid the ongoing war was signed in July by the country, Russia, Türkiye and the UN.  

Rice prices on average held steady during August, while quotations for coarse grains, such as maize, increased marginally.   

Vegetable oil prices decreased by 3.3 per cent, which is slightly below the August 2021 level.  FAO attributed this to increased availability of palm oil from Indonesia, due to lower export taxes, and the resumption of sunflower oil shipments from Ukraine. 

High price for cheese 

Although dairy prices saw a two per cent drop, they remained 23.5 per cent higher than in August 2021.  The price of cheese increased for the tenth consecutive month, though milk prices “eased” following expectations of increased supplies from New Zealand, even amid projections of lower production in Western Europe and the US. 

The price of meat declined by 1.5 per cent but remained just over eight per cent higher than the value last August. 

International quotations for poultry fell amid elevated export availabilities, and bovine meat prices declined due to weak domestic demand in some top exporting countries, while pig meat quotations rose.  

Sugar prices also hit their lowest level since July 2021, largely due to high export caps in India and lower ethanol prices in Brazil. 

Outlook for cereals and wheat 

FAO has also issued its global cereal production forecast for this year, which projects a decline of nearly 40 million tonnes, or 1.4 per cent from the previous year. 

The bulk of this decline mainly concerns coarse grains, with maize yields in Europe expected to drop 16 per cent below their five-year average level due to the exceptional hot and dry weather conditions affecting the continent. 

By contrast, FAO expects there will be a “negligible drop” in worldwide wheat production resulting from expected record harvests in Russia and conducive weather conditions in North America.  

Global rice production is also expected to decline by 2.1 percent from the all-time high reached in 2021.

Pakistan floods: The poor paying the price of unprecedented destruction

By
Vatican News
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Pakistan floods: The poor paying the price of unprecedented destruction - Vatican News

By Salvatore Cernuzio

“There is water everywhere… dams, roads, houses, infrastructure; everything destroyed.”

Cardinal Joseph Coutts speaks of his Pakistan, brought to its knees after two months of raging floods that have so far caused about 1,130 deaths. More than 380 of the victims, according to the latest figures, are children.

A natural catastrophe

Speaking to Vatican News while in Rome for the Pope’s meeting with the world’s cardinals on the Reform of the Curia, Cardinal Coutts reflected on the natural disaster that has befallen his country, where monsoon rains and floods have affected 33 million Pakistanis and damaged more than a million homes. “They are the ones in the villages,” says Coutts with a bitter smile: “As always, it is the poor who pay the price.

From the mountains to the sea

The Cardinal does not point a finger at anyone noting that “Always during the rainy season, it starts to pour in the country. But now it has been raining regularly almost every day for two months without interruption.”

“We have not had so much rain as this in the past 30 years,” Coutts says, going on to say that  “Pakistan is a big country, about 1500-1600 km in length” and that “in the north, there are very high mountains, K2 is the second highest mountain in the world.”

The rain has reached those mountains, he explains, and the water has flooded all the way down to the sea, flowing over some 1,700 kilometers with incredible force and causing “unprecedented destruction.”

Government, army and Caritas on the front lines

Cardinal Coutts recalls the floods of August 2010, which inundated almost a fifth of the entire nation. “France, Italy, Germany, everyone has helped,” he says, “But the situation now is much worse.”

Poor people, he adds, always bear the brunt of the disaster:  “They have houses with weak structures, and the mud and the water destroy everything and are very dangerous.”

The government, the army and Caritas Pakistan immediately sprang into action, the cardinal says, but the emergency is enormous and “material aid such as clothes and food that does not spoil is urgently needed, for example, grain and oil.”

The Pope’s support

Cardinal Coutts describes Pope Francis’ words during the Angelus last Sunday as a consolation:

“I want to assure the people of Pakistan affected by floods of disastrous proportions of my closeness. I pray for the many victims, the injured and the displaced, and that international solidarity may be ready and generous.”

“The Holy Father is informed of everything,” the Cardinal says, “at the meeting in the New Synod Hall, we greeted each other and I said, ‘Pakistan!’ And he said: ‘Ah, Pakistan. How are you doing now?’ When I go back, I will tell everyone that the Pope is close to us.”

Roberta Metsola: “The world needs Europe at its best because Europe is hope”

By
European Parliament
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0

In Lisbon, Parliament President Roberta Metsola spoke of the importance of Europe rising to meet today’s global challenges. “The world needs Europe at its best. We need that hope.”

“Europe is a choice – a choice countries made because they understood that our best chance is if we are together. We chose Europe.” This was the message of the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola as she addressed the Estoril Conferences 2022 in Lisbon.

Speaking a few days before the State of the Union, President Metsola emphasised that decisions must be taken, and quickly. “Europe has the power to transform, but we have to find the political bravery to take that leap forward and to change the world. We can and we should. Because if we do not write the future, it will be written by those with a very different narrative and have a very different ending.”

On the illegal invasion of sovereign Ukraine, she said: “I am proud of Europe’s response. We have stood with Ukraine, we have given military aid, political and diplomatic support, we have welcomed millions fleeing, we have provided funding on an unprecedented scale. The most significant political move was to grant Ukraine EU candidate status, because Ukraine needs hope. Ukraine is fighting for Europe and we will not turn away.”

Regarding actions to address inflation, she said: “People are worried about their bills, about getting to the end of the month, about the world they’ll leave for their children. Europe must rise to meet that challenge. Whether it is tackling cost of living, electricity prices, climate change, defence, food security. The only way forward is if we are united. There are decisions that we can take now to limit the impact: capping of bills, fixing our pricing systems, or de-coupling the price of electricity from gas – to offset the immediate pressure while we implement long-term strategies. If ever there was a moment for ‘more Europe’, it is here and it is now.”

“Europe will only survive if we fight for it. If we stop taking it for granted. If we understand and explain its benefits. If we push back against those determined to undermine it. If we are able to reform and to reinvent our project”, she underlined.

Following the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the next step should be a Convention. ”It is about ensuring that we continue the conversation to leave Europe fit for the next generation. We cannot risk falling behind because our bureaucracy is too cumbersome to challenge, or allow narrow interests to take precedence. The last major reform took place a generation ago. We know that what once worked for EU15 is at its limits for EU27, and will not be able to work for EU32 or EU36. It is time.”

Despite the many changes and hard truths the world is facing, Metsola concluded, “I am optimistic. I am convinced that because of Europe the world ahead will be better than the one we leave behind. I am full of hope. Hope in the future, hope in the next generation. I am confident in the possibilities of our time and when I look at young people across Europe I know the future is bright”.

President Metsola’s speech in full is available here.

The EU remains open to foreign investments, but this openness is not unconditional

By
European Parliament
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0
EU parliament & flag
© European Union, 2022 - EP

Foreign investment screening and export controls play a critical role in safeguarding European security and public order. This is the result of two reports adopted yesterday by the European Commission: the report on the screening of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), and the report on the Export Controls Regulation.

In 2021, the Commission analysed more than 400 foreign direct investments into the Union to ensure that no such investment threatens EU countries’ security or public order. All but two EU Member States now have screening mechanisms in place or are in the process of establishing them. Meanwhile, under the EU Export Control regime, Member States reviewed during the same year about 40,000 requests for exports of goods with potential military use to non-EU countries worth EUR 38.4 billion, blocking those exports in just over 550 cases.

Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “At a time of mounting security challenges, in particular Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, it is crucial to have our strategic trade and investment controls instruments up and running. In cooperation with our international partners, the EU deployed export controls to sanction Russia for its devastating war in Ukraine. The EU remains open to foreign investments, but this openness is not unconditional. It must be balanced. We must continue enhancing our capability to ensure this balance.”

FDI Screening

This is the second annual report on FDI screening, and the first one to cover an entire calendar year, as the EU FDI Screening Regulation entered into full application in October 2020. Since the creation of the cooperation mechanism, the Commission has screened over 740 FDI transactions.

The second annual report shows that the use of the mechanism has expanded in 2021. Its key findings highlight that:

  • The vast majority of FDI poses no problem from a security/public order perspective and is approved swiftly (both at Member State level and under the Regulation).
  • The Commission completed the assessment of FDI transactions notified by Member States very quickly: 86% were assessed in just 15 calendar days  
  • The EU mechanism does not hold back the EU’s openness to FDI. With less than 3% of transactions resulting in a Commission opinion, the focus remains on security and public order
  • The report is giving the EU a much better picture of investment patterns. It shows that the top five countries for the ultimate investor notified in 2021 were the US, the UK, China, the Cayman Islands and Canada. Russian FDI accounted for less than 1.5% of the cases and Belarus for 0.2%
  • FDI covers a wide range of sectors, but most cases notified concerned manufacturing (44%) – covering a diverse set of industries including defence, aerospace, energy, health and semiconductor equipment, and Information and Communications Technologies (32%).

Overall, the FDI regulation has worked quickly and efficiently, providing a range of useful information and preventing investments posing security risks, all while not restricting the flow of foreign investment.

Export Controls

This is the second report on export controls under the upgraded Export Controls Regulation that entered into force on 9 September 2021, covering the year 2020.

The report covers dual-use exports i.e., items that may be used for civilian and military purposes. It shows that total authorised exports of such items amounted to about €31 billion in 2020.

The new set of EU rules have strengthened export controls by introducing a novel ‘human security’ dimension, simplifying procedures and making the export control system more agile and transparent. Expert work is being developed under the Regulation on cyber-surveillance and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on enforcement and implementation of controls by Member States. The new rules also allow the EU to work more closely with partner countries to enhance global security and promote a level playing field.

Overall, the Export Controls Regulation has made the export control framework more efficient, flexible and forward-looking, while also facilitating international security cooperation.

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