EU set to vote on internet crackdown
15 Mar 2013The European Parliament is preparing to vote on a proposal to ban all forms of pornography. Embedded under Article 17 of the report is a clause that, if eventually made into law, would effectively ban pornography across all types of media, including the Internet, in Europe. They also described the inclusion of the article as an 'unacceptable political invasion of people’s bedrooms'. Dutch MEP Kartika Liotard, introduced the report which recommended a 'ban on all forms of pornography in the media,' including what it refers to as 'the digital field.' But the report does not distinguish between different types of pornography, or indeed what media the bill refers to. However, it is expected that MEPs will amend the bill to clarify that the clause refers to pornography in the context of advertising.
Pray: for those responsible for making laws that they will be guided by the good things in their consciences. (Mt.15:19)
EU parliament backs new rules on organ donations
24 May 2010As MEPs approve plans to help tackle the illegal trafficking of human organs, Miroslav Mikolášik has criticised Europol's "passive approach" to the issue. European parliament deputies voted by 643 votes to 16 in support of the draft directive on quality and safety standards for human organs used for transplants in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The plans aim to reduce waiting times for the 60,000 people in need of a transplant across the EU, introduce common safety standards and combat the commercialisation of organ donation and trafficking. Slovakian EPP deputy Mikolášik, parliament's rapporteur on the directive, told the Parliament Magazine that figures from Europol, the European law enforcement organisation, suggested the problem of organ trafficking does not exist. ‘Everyone knows that this is a massive problem. But Europol does not actively search for cases, they only wait for announcements to be made and this is not good enough.’
Pray: that these new regulations will see a significant reduction in illegal organ trafficking. (Hos.14:9)
uesday heralded a human rights victory when the European Parliament decided by 351 to 319 votes with 18 abstentions to refer the controversial ‘Estrela-Report’ (named after its author, the extreme left-wing MEP Edite Estrela from Portugal), back to the parliamentary committee that originated it. A resounding victory for the pro-life cause, given that there is a structural majority in the European Parliament of members belonging to socialist, communist, green, and liberal parties, who usually vote in favour of anything that presents to promote ‘women’s rights’. The vote still needs to be carefully analysed; however, many socialist and liberal members refused to go along with their official party line. Formally speaking, the result of today’s vote is not that the Estrela draft is dead - it has been referred back to the Committee and could resurface at a later stage. The task is now for the Committee to come back with something less controversial, and more worthy of consideration than Mrs Estrela’s draft.
Pray: for the proposed report to be permanently adjourned and receive a silent burial.
EU leaders welcome outcome of Cypriot elections
28 Feb 2013EU Parliament's President Martin Schulz has welcomed the outcome of presidential elections in Cyprus. Nicos Anastasiades captured 57.5 per cent of the vote in a run-off against communist rival Stavros Malas on Sunday. Anastasiades, the leader of Cyprus centre-right party, immediately vowed to resume talks quickly with international bailout lenders and finalise a €17bn rescue by the end of March. Anastasiades' victory is likely to come as a relief to most EU leaders, including Germany's Angela Merkel, who had wearied with outgoing president Demetris Christofias, who failed to secure a deal for more than a year to an EU and International Monetary Fund bailout. Anastasiades will also now aim to exploit massive natural gas finds off Cyprus' coast, bringing in badly needed income and energy, but risking escalating tensions with Turkey.
Pray: for the new government of Cyprus that it will bring stability to the country. (Pr.29:4)
The European Commission has indicated it is going to delve further into the employment, social and education policies of member states as it seeks to tackle the job crisis in the EU. The continued eurozone crisis, now in its third year, has seen the Commission make recommendations in policy areas that, pre-crisis, were considered an absolute taboo. OECD secretary general Angel Gurria at the same conference pointed out that for the EU to reach its 2020 goal of having 75 percent employment in the Union, then 17 million jobs will have to be created. Gurria referred to a ‘potentially lost generation’ of 7.8 million young people who neither have a job nor are in education or training. He added that policy-makers are facing a new phenomenon of ‘structural long-term unemployment’ where people are unemployed for over two years, and the longer they are unemployed, the harder it is to get a job when one is available. Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor called it a ‘jobs crisis.’
Pray: that ways would be found to meet the needs of the many unemployed, especially the young. (Tit.3:14)
More: http://euobserver.com/economic/117458
EU demands action to tackle Roma poverty
11 Apr 2011
The European Commission has asked the EU's 27 member states to submit national strategies by the end of this year aimed at raising the living standards of Roma (Gypsies). Roma are especially disadvantaged in education, healthcare, housing and access to jobs, the commission says. French deportations of Roma to Romania and Bulgaria last year triggered sharp criticism in the EU. One EU survey found that only 42% of Roma children completed primary school. The survey, in six EU countries, also estimated Roma attendance in secondary education to be only 10%. The EU's Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Laszlo Andor, said ‘the persistent exclusion of Roma people is unacceptable in 21st Century Europe’. ‘The living conditions of the majority of Roma and their relations with mainstream society have just worsened in recent years.’ The Commission, which drafts EU laws, presented a blueprint on Tuesday to tackle social exclusion affecting Europe's 10-12 million Roma. (See Prayer Alert 4910) Pray: that this initiative to help the Roma across Europe would be successful in tackling their needs. (Pr.19:15)
EU called to act on corruption
29 Mar 2012Christian campaigners have delivered 10,000 calls to action on corruption to the European Union. Representatives of Micah Challenge, Mission-Net, Tearfund and Exposed presented the postcards to EU decision-makers in Brussels on Wednesday. The postcards had messages written on them from supporters across 22 member states urging the EU to pass strong laws that would force oil, gas and mining companies on the European Stock Exchanges to publish what they pay governments for access to the natural resources. Joel Edwards, the International Director of Micah Challenge, said: ‘This is a scandal of our times and EU leaders have a responsibility to ensure corruption does not blight the lives of the poor across the world.
Pray: that the EU would take action to pass strong laws against corruption.
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/eu.called.to.act.on.corruption/29517.htm
EU and bank supervision
09 Jul 2010
Plans to set up new European supervisors which would see Brussels have more influence over the way banking is carried out have stalled. MEPs accused EU member states of ‘dragging their feet’ on a series of reforms that would allow Brussels-based supervisors to oversee, and in some cases overrule, their national counterparts. The European Parliament has agreed to postpone the planned vote on a package of reforms to establish the new EU supervisors until September as question marks hang over whether member states and MEPs will be able to broker a workable compromise. The disagreement on financial supervision spans a number of reforms but in short they all present member states with the same question: more or less EU intervention for Europe's banks? ‘The body taking decisions should be the national supervisor,’an EU diplomat argued. His argument is shared by at least seven member states including several Central and Eastern European countries as well as the UK. Pray: that enhanced EU bureaucratic oversight will not hamper countries’ efforts to reduce their national deficits. (Mk.12:17)