Sanctions against the Russian military-industrial complex and a ban on imports of Russian raw materials will weaken Putin’s war machine Russian defence companies not hit by sanctions are importing goods from EU countries for the war against Ukraine. Among these purchases are rifles and body armour for soldiers, machine tools for missiles, and microchips for GLONASS, which are…
Photo by Pommelien da Silva Cosme on Unsplash The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommended back in February 2023 to remove the Kingdom of Morocco from the enhanced monitoring process, known as the ‘grey list’. The European Commission has accordingly accepted this recommendation, making the decision after assessing the compliance of the national system with international standards relating…
Photo by Roger Bradshaw on Unsplash The next General Election in the UK is likely to be at least a year away, but already the two major political parties are moving into overdrive with national conferences and pronouncements from senior party figures. After their successful local Council election results in early May Labour is increasingly occupying the centre…
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash The EU admits there is “persistent uncertainty” stemming from Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. But it also says that the European economy “continues to show resilience in a challenging global context.” Lower energy prices, abating supply constraints and a strong labour market supported moderate growth in the first quarter of 2023, it…
Photo by Ildar Garifullin on Unsplash The annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will be held in Uzbekistan On May 16-18, the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will be held in Samarkand, under the general main theme – “Investing in Resilience”. The…
Photo by Catherine Zaidova on Unsplash In accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a national referendum on the draft constitutional law “On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan” will be held on 30 April of this year, writes Fanil Kadyrov. The issue of the need for constitutional reform was first…
Photo by Darren Wanliss on Unsplash MEPs have backed draft EU legislation to issue work and residence permits more quickly for nationals of third countries and to improve their rights. With 47 votes in favour, 13 against, and no abstentions, the Civil Liberties Committee adopted a report updating the 2011 single permit directive foresees a single administrative procedure for…
Photo by CardMapr.nl on Unsplash Having cancelled five national conferences because of Covid and then the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the UK Liberal Democrats finally took to the stage last week. Leader Sir Ed Davey’s speech met with strong applause, but when he delivered the line “If you…
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash The United States and the European Union share the most comprehensive and dynamic economic relationship in the world. That is the key message from a joint statement issued on Saturday by US President Biden and EC president Ursula von der Leyen. The long statement also said the partnership is based on “shared…
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash President Emmanuel Macron’s stand-off with France’s trade unions over his pension reform plans are widely reported as a peculiarly French issue. That should read ‘wrongly’ reported because pensions are a looming crisis of disastrous proportions for the whole of Europe, writes Giles Merrit. Most EU countries’ state pension schemes are unaffordable, private…
