Displaying items by tag: Europe

The European Commission has threatened it will take legal action against Romania unless it reverses moves to cripple the independence of its courts and hinder the fight against corruption.

The commission, which is the European Union's executive body, has repeatedly warned that measures adopted by the ruling Social Democrats -- including moves to reduce statutes of limitation that would close some ongoing corruption trials -- are reversing years of anticorruption reforms and weakening the rule of law.

Spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news briefing in Brussels on May 13 that Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans had sent a warning letter to Romania's government on May 10.

"The main concerns relate to developments interfering with judicial independence and the effective fight against corruption, including the protection of financial interests of the EU and particularly to the recently adopted amendments to the Criminal Code that create a de facto impunity for crimes," Schinas said.

"Possible legislation to allow extraordinary appeals would further aggravate the rule-of-law situation," he added.

The commission has already put Hungary and Poland under a special "rule of law" framework over steps to tighten state control over the courts, media, academic institutions, and advocacy groups. This could theoretically lead to the eventual activation of the EU's Article 7 -- the so-called "nuclear option" -- resulting in a suspension of their voting rights in the EU.

Schinas said similar action would be taken against Romania unless it addressed the EU's concerns.

Schinas also signaled that Romania's becoming a member of the EU's passport-free Schengen travel area -- for which Bucharest has been pushing for years -- might not happen if the government ignored the rule-of-law concerns.

A senior EU diplomat, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said penalties could include loss of EU funds.

"The Romanian coalition government is systematically undermining the rule of law for the sole purpose of saving corrupt political leaders from prison," the diplomat said.

"If Bucharest continues on this dangerous path, taking part in the Schengen travel-free area will remain a pipe dream.

"Infringement of the rule of law will endanger the distribution of more than 30 billion euros [$33.7 billion] in cohesion funds earmarked for Romania in the draft EU budget for the years following 2021," the diplomat told Reuters.

Pray: That the integrity of the Romanian judicial system will be maintained.

Pray: That proposed legislation that undermines the rule of law will be overturned.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Romanian Service

More: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-warns-romania-of-legal-steps-over-moves-to-weaken-rule-of-law/29938077.html?ltflags=mailer

Italy intends to close all ports to NGO ships rescuing migrants crossing from Africa to Europe. The UN said that the decree intensifies the hostile climate and xenophobia against migrants. Meanwhile over 40 migrants from the German aid group Sea-Watch remained off the island of Lampedusa waiting to disembark its passengers. There are thousands looking for a new start after difficult journeys. In the middle of his nursing training, Hassan was drafted for five years of Eritrean military service, so, with his twin brother walked 550 miles overland to Khartoum, lived in a UN refugee camp for four months and hid in a truck caravan for 2,200 miles to Libya. Eight months of hard labour gave them enough for fake papers and a rubber dinghy holding 45 adults that crashed on a Sicilian beach. They managed to travel to Denmark, applied for refugee status and are hoping, eventually, to join friends in the UK.  See https://prayercast.com/displaced-people-in-europe.html

A skullcap, sometimes called a kippah or yarmulke, is a cap worn by some male Jews under religious rules that say their heads should be covered. Commissioner Felix Klein, the German government's top official against anti-semitism, has warned Jewish people not to wear skullcaps in parts of the country because of a rise in anti-Semitic attacks. Mr Klein told the Funke newspaper group, ‘My opinion has unfortunately changed compared with what it used to be. I cannot recommend to Jews that they wear the skullcap at all times everywhere in Germany.’ According to statistics released earlier this month, anti-Semitic incidents were up by 19.6% to 1,799 in 2018, with 89.1% of them involving far-right perpetrators. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said he was deeply shocked by Mr Klein's words. He added, ‘We will never submit, will never lower our gaze and will never react to anti-semitism with defeatism - and expect and demand our allies act in the same way.’

A survey showed that Poland's pro-EU opposition has a ten-point lead over the ruling nationalists ahead of European Parliament elections - a sharp turnaround that some analysts linked to a film about sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. The documentary Just Don't Tell Anyone, which shows victims of child abuse confronting priests who had sexually abused them, has shocked Poles. The powerful Catholic Church has close ties with the governing Law and Justice party (PiS). The documentary has been viewed more than 18 million times on YouTube since it was released on 11 May. PiS has responded to public outcry by announcing tougher penalties for child abuse, but it has also stressed that the instances of abuse by priests should not be used as a reason to attack the Catholic Church. PiS sees Catholicism as a key element of Poles' national identity. Some say that the church is too powerful.

On 18 May Austria's vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache resigned after German media published a video that purportedly showed him offering government contracts to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch, in exchange for media coverage and political funding. The scandal drove Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to call for snap elections instead of trying to revive his weakened coalition government. ‘Enough is enough,’ Kurz told reporters, while Strache, who leads Austria's far-right Freedom Party, described the incident as a ‘targeted political assassination.’ The video was reportedly just months before Austria's last election, where Strache's party received 26% of the vote and 51 seats. In the wake of the video, Kurz said the abuse of power, taxes and interference in media affairs were among his concerns. Strache vowed to take legal steps to address the video.

73 MEPs will be elected in the UK on 23 May, and the Conservative party potentially faces an angry backlash from voters. Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party has more support than the two traditional British parties combined. Britain’s education minister Damian Hinds said that the elections were a second referendum that would be difficult for Conservatives. The latest opinion poll gives the Brexit Party 34% of the vote, yet it was only founded in April. Fourteen of UKIP's seventeen MEPs have defected to it. Nigel Farage said there has been a breakdown of trust between people and politicians, as the two main parties have failed to deliver the result of the Brexit referendum. See

Before refugees came, Germans never thought about religion. Germany was a ‘Christian’ country. Lutheran or Catholic was an insignificant part of life. Now that Muslims have come, religion is an issue. Germans are questioning, ‘How am I different from them?’ ‘What do I even believe?’ ‘What does it mean to be a Christian?’ and ‘Who is God?’ Communities are becoming more open now. Even Muslims are becoming disillusioned because of the things being done in the name of Islam, and questioning if they want to be a part of something that does such harm. The Spirit is working in converts to Christianity. Most are authentic heart-transformations, even though some are sceptical and disheartened by occasional fake proclamations of faith. Fake or not, despite the intentions of the heart, God’s Word does not come back void. The gospel is being preached, even though there is still much opposition from sceptical nationals and fearful refugees.

After the Second World War many said, ‘Never again’. For decades extreme nationalism was considered a threat. In 2019 it has re-emerged with European far-right parties forming a new alliance led by US strategist Steve Bannon, wanting to ‘promote’ right-wing populist groups in Europe. Matteo Salvini, Italy’s leader of the extremist League party, has joined ‘The Movement’ and has gathered right-wing Netherlands Party for Freedom, Germany’s AfD, Danish People's Party, the Finns Party and other extremist populist parties to form a new alliance, injecting their rhetoric into the EU; selling themselves as ‘maintaining or protecting their heritage and their people (they warn that refugees, Muslims, empowered women, and the EU bring unwanted change, which is a bad thing). A YouGov survey for voting intentions shows that the European parliament will be significantly different after 25 May with 35% of seats taken by socialists, Greens, the European People’s Party, and other anti-European parties. See

Bulgaria’s prime minister welcomed Pope Francis when he visited Bulgaria on 5 May, saying it reflects his interest in the peaceful economic development of the Balkans. Francis’ tour included a visit to a refugee camp in the outskirts of Sofia, where he said, ‘Bulgaria confronts the phenomenon of those crossing its borders in order to flee wars, conflicts or dire poverty in attempts to reach the wealthiest areas of Europe. They want new opportunities in life or simply a safe refuge. To all Bulgarians, familiar with the drama of emigration, I respectfully suggest that you not close your eyes, your hearts, or your hands - in accordance with your best tradition - to those who knock at your door.’ The Orthodox Church rejected the idea of holding joint prayers with the pontiff.

Reporters Without Borders and nine international human rights NGOs called on Vladimir Putin not to sign the 'sovereign internet' bill into law because it would take Russia across a major threshold in online censorship. The law the Russian parliament approved on 22 April, which Putin is poised to sign, would take Russia closer to the Chinese model of online censorship. It would establish a 'sovereign' internet, independent of the international internet and closely controlled by the Kremlin. Internet service providers would have to direct traffic through a centralised system of devices controlled by Russia, with approved internet exchange points, and to use a national domain name system that would facilitate surveillance and, in the event of unspecified 'security threats’ would allow the authorities to block traffic between Russia and the rest of the World Wide Web partially or fully, and within Russia.