Tag Archives: EU
3 December 2012
On Monday 3 December, the second SHARES Debate is organized in cooperation with SPUI25, the academic centre of the University of Amsterdam.
SHARES Debates are organized throughout the year to provide a platform for discussions with a broader audience on questions of shared responsibility.
This debate, entitled External Processing of Asylym Seekers outside the EU: Out of Sight, Out of Mind? will address the possibility of external processing of asylum seekers outside the territory of the European Union, and whether the policy proposals on external processing of asylum seekers provide a basis for the ‘sharing’ or ‘shifting’ of responsibility. (more…)
31 October 2012
A consortium of 22 European non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) published a report on 30 October 2012, entitled: Trading Away Peace: How Europe helps sustain illegal Israeli settlements.
This report concludes that while the European Union (EU) consistently condemns Israel’s settlement policy, and defines Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as being illegal under international law, EU policies help sustain Israeli settlements because of (heavy) trade with these settlements. The report recommends concrete measures that individual member states or the EU can take in order to make sure their policies do not (in)directly support settlements.
Source: The Guardian | EU urged to re-think trade deals with Israeli settlements in West Bank
Source: Der Spiegel | Activists Seek Ban on Trade with Israeli Settlers
Source: Report | Trading Away Peace: How Europe helps sustain illegal Israeli settlements
16 October 2012
The European Union (EU) is to impose new sanctions on Iran for its lack of cooperation in disclosing details about its nuclear program, which is suspected to be used as a cover for the development of nuclear weapons. The sanctions will likely include a ban of financial transactions between European and Iranian banks and certain trade bans. They follow earlier sanctions imposed by both the United States and the EU.
Source: BBC | EU imposes new sanctions on Iran
8 October 2012
The negotiations on accession by the EU to the ECHR have recently entered their final stage. Representatives of the EU and of the forty-seven parties to the ECHR (the so-called Group 47+1, which has published the reports of its first and second meeting) are scheduled to meet twice this autumn to agree on a final accession agreement. It is likely that it will largely be based on the draft agreement on EU accession, which was made publicly available last year. Once final agreement has been reached, it is very likely that the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) will be asked for an Opinion on whether the agreement is compatible with the EU Treaties. Should the CJEU give the agreement a green light, the ratification process can begin.
This blog entry asks whether the co-respondent mechanism provided for in the draft agreement leads to a sensible allocation of responsibility between the EU and its Member States for violations of the Convention post-accession. (more…)
8 June 2012
EU home affairs ministers voted unanimously yesterday (7 June 2012) for the re-introduction of internal border controls in the Schengen area for six months, renewable for another six,”when the control of an external border is no longer ensured due to exceptional circumstances”. The measure has be seen against the background of uncontrolled flows of migrants into the EU. The decision was criticized by the European Commission and several members of the European Parliament have announced to reject the draft legislation.
Source: Euractiv.com | Inter-institutional row brews on Schengen