A Vote of Confidence, What’s at Stake for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz?

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13 December 2024

Press Release: Commission updates EU Air Safety List and adds Air Tanzania to the airlines banned within the European Union

people seating in vehicle — Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

The EU has issued an updated list of airlines considered unsafe and banned from flying in the EU. The latest update adds Air Tanzania to the list due to safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, while suspensions previously imposed on Pakistan International Airlines were lifted.

Currently, 129 airlines are banned from EU skies:

100 airlines certified in 15 countries, due to inadequate safety oversight by their national aviation authorities
22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as 7 airlines from other countries, based on serious safety deficiencies

EU’s commitment to safe flying

Flying is one of the safest ways to travel, thanks to the EU air safety policies. These policies ensure the highest levels of safety for passengers and promote cost-efficient rules that facilitate the free movement of products, services and people. The EU aviation safety system is overseen by the European Commission, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and National Aviation Authorities. Its rules apply in all EU countries and cover all key areas of aviation including airworthiness, aircrew, aerodromes, air operations and the provision of air navigation services.

The implementation of the single aviation market has significantly increased air traffic and the number of airlines operating in Europe. To keep pace, the EU has prioritised work on effective aviation safety standards. The EU Air Safety List bans or restricts unsafe third-country air carriers that fail to meet international safety standards from flying in European skies and informs passengers of any such carriers.

The EU’s approach to safety management in aviation is based on occurrence reporting where safety-related events in civil aviation are tracked, analysed and followed up. Common rules on accident investigations are also designed to prevent the reoccurrence of dangerous incidents.

Aviation safety is a global concern, making international cooperation essential. The EU works closely with the International Civil Aviation Organization, provides technical assistance to and cooperates with third countries, and negotiates bilateral aviation safety agreements with key international partners to help ensure safe skies around the world.

For more information

EU Air Safety List 

Questions and Answers: European Commission adopts new EU Air Safety List

Transport modes: Air

Aviation safety

Aviation Safety Rules

EU protects: How the EU helps us fly safely

European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

EU launches humanitarian air bridge to carry vital supplies to Syria

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13 December 2024

The EU has launched a humanitarian air bridge carrying vital supplies, such as food, medicines, and shelter items, to the people of Syria. The situation on the ground there remains volatile and the EU has increased its humanitarian funding for the region to more than €160 million for 2024.

How you scroll matters: passive social media use linked to loneliness

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13 December 2024

How you scroll matters: passive social media use linked to loneliness

Passive consumption of social media seems to reinforce feelings of disconnection, according to a JRC policy brief which examines the relationship between social media use and loneliness.

Social media has become an inescapable part of daily life. It facilitates global connectivity, allowing individuals to engage in conversations, collaborate, and share thoughts, photos, and ideas. It has transformed how people form relationships and build communities, free from geographical and other barriers and has enabled constant communication with friends and family, allowing for immediate and interactive responses.

Yet for many, especially younger users, social media appears to deliver a more complex outcome. In-person communications have dropped concomitantly to the drastic increase in the time spent online, which has led many to question the potential impact of social media on wellbeing in general and loneliness in particular.

In the policy brief Loneliness and social media use in the European Union, the JRC provides the first European-level analysis of social media use patterns and the association between intensive social media use and loneliness. The data was taken from the 2022 EU-wide survey on loneliness (EU-LS) conducted by the JRC, and reveals that, when it comes to the loneliness experienced by young Europeans, it’s not so much the hours spent on social platforms that matter most—it’s the how.

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Passive scrolling vs active engagement

The JRC study, which examines social media use patterns across Europe, reveals that approximately 34.5% and 26.1% of respondents aged 16-30 use social networking sites and instant messaging tools for more than two hours per day. Additionally, over one-third of young respondents show patterns consistent with social media addiction like neglecting work, family or school for social media use multiple times a week. For those aged 31 and above, these figures are significantly lower.

The empirical analysis suggests that spending more than two hours daily on social networking sites is associated with a substantial increase in loneliness prevalence, but the results also point to a critical distinction. While intensive passive use of social media correlates with greater loneliness, there is no significant association between intensive use of instant messaging tools, or between active use of social media and loneliness.

This distinction points to the fact that the type of engagement, not just the time spent on it, is a key factor in whether social media has an effect on loneliness.

Policy implications and next steps

The JRC’s findings align with previous research on the matter and are especially timely, as on the day of her election, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in the Political Guidelines for 2024–2029 that “an EU-wide inquiry on the broader impacts of social media on well-being“ of young people will be launched. In the meantime, the JRC will continue this work alongside the Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, exploring the effects of adolescents’ social media habits on their well-being, mental health, and academic achievement.

Background

Social media’s role in modern life is undeniable, but its unintended consequences demand attention. The EU’s focus on young people’s mental health underscores the importance of these findings, which can inform policies for healthier digital engagement.

This policy brief is part of a series of publications related to the European Parliament pilot project “Monitoring Loneliness in Europe”, initiated by the European Parliament and implemented jointly by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and the JRC.

OSCE says Worsening War Crimes and Humanitarian Law Violations in Ukraine

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13 December 2024

Dall·e 2024 12 13 14.42.49 A Dramatic And Evocative Image Capturing The Dire Human Rights Situation In Ukraine Amid War. The Scene Includes A Devastated Urban Area With Bombed O

Human rights situation in Ukraine deteriorates as attacks intensify amid ongoing persecution in Russian-occupied territories: OSCE human rights office

OSCE // WARSAW, 13 December 2024 – The human rights situation in Ukraine has continued to worsen amid increased aerial attacks that include systematic strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure, as well as intensified hostilities on the front line, leading to a surge in civilian casualties. Meanwhile, arbitrary detention, torture and coercion continued in areas of the country under Russian occupation, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in its latest report on violations of international law in Ukraine.

ODIHR has been monitoring human rights in the context of the war in Ukraine since February 2022, and today’s report on violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law builds on the Office’s previous findings. The report is based on interviews with 94 survivors and witnesses interviewed by ODIHR in the second half of 2024, in addition to remote monitoring and information supplied by the Russian Federation and Ukraine as well as civil society organizations. Overall, ODIHR has carried out almost 500 interviews since its monitoring began in 2022.

The long-term detention of large numbers of Ukrainian civilians by the Russian authorities is of grave concern, with several thousand people missing and believed to be arbitrarily detained both in occupied areas of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation. Widespread reports of torture and inhuman conditions in detention facilities operated by the Russian authorities in occupied territories of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation have fuelled additional fears for the safety of detainees.

All the Ukrainian former prisoners of war interviewed by ODIHR reported severe and routine torture during their internment, supporting ODIHR’s analysis that the torture of both prisoners of war and civilians by the Russian Federation is both widespread and systematic. The proliferation of material disseminated online depicting the torture or execution of Ukrainian POWs suggests this practice may have increased further. ODIHR also found further evidence of ongoing conflict-related sexual violence carried out by the Russian authorities.

ODIHR emphasises that these acts are grave violations of the laws of war and international human rights law, and may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. All parties to an armed conflict must act in line with international humanitarian and human rights law, which explicitly ban indiscriminate attacks against civilians and protect the civilian population against violence and inhumane treatment. The violations that have characterised the war in Ukraine are irreconcilable with the OSCE’s founding principle of respect for human rights as a precondition for the security of the entire region.

World News in Brief: Gaza medical challenge, justice for Africa, rising violence in Myanmar

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United Nations News

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13 December 2024

World News in Brief: Gaza medical challenge, justice for Africa, rising violence in Myanmar

The situation is especially dire in North Gaza governorate, which has been under siege for more than two months, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his daily briefing from New York.

Access to basic services has also been severely constrained, he added, noting that the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to be a lifeline for the population.

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UN still reaches millions

UNRWA accounts for more than half of the people reached with health services since the conflict began in October 2023, providing some 6.7 million medical consultations across Gaza as of this month.

More than 90 mobile teams currently are providing health services at 54 medical points inside and outside shelters in the Middle Area, Khan Younis, Al Mawasi and Gaza governorate.

“Meanwhile, seven of UNRWA’s 27 health centres in Gaza remain operational,” Mr. Dujarric told journalists.

“But, as you know, the number of health facilities that are still up and running at any given time changes constantly due to insecurity and access restrictions.”

Medicine stocks running out

UNRWA has warned that stocks of medicines in its health facilities are low, and at least 60 items will run out within a month.

In Gaza, critical shortages of medicines and medical supplies persist due to access impediments and the limited number of safe and viable routes to bring supplies into the enclave.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres address parliamentarians in Lesotho.

Guterres calls for justice for Africa in speech to Lesotho parliament

The UN Secretary-General called for Africa to have a stronger role in global affairs in an address on Thursday to the parliament in Lesotho.

António Guterres was on his first visit to the southern African country as it celebrates the bicentenary of the Basotho nation, which became the Kingdom of Lesotho following independence from Britain in 1966.

He said deep injustices stemming from colonialism are denying Africa’s rightful place on the world stage.

He cited the UN Security Council as an example, noting that nearly 80 years after it was established, the continent still awaits even a single permanent seat.

“This hurts Africa, but it also hurts the Council – its effectiveness, its legitimacy, and its credibility,” he said.

The Secretary-General stated that crises such as the conflicts raging from Sudan to the Sahel, demand not just global attention but African leadership.

“Yet Africa has no permanent voice when the world decides on matters of war and peace…in Africa, through the Security Council,” he remarked, adding “that is unacceptable – and it must change.”

He called for correcting injustices on other fronts, including related to debt relief and funding for climate action.

A child who lost his left leg after accidentally stepping on a landmine in his family’s paddy fields in central Myanmar.

Myanmar parties urged to end fighting as violence escalates

The Secretary-General is also deeply concerned about reports of escalation of violence in Myanmar which has caused further civilian suffering and displacement, his Spokesperson said on Thursday in New York.

Indiscriminate aerial attacks causing civilian casualties continue to be reported in many parts of the country, which has been under military rule since February 2021.

Mr. Guterres reiterated his calls on all parties to the conflict to end violence and reminded them of the obligation to protect civilians, as required under international law.

He also urged all sides to prevent further incitement of intercommunal tensions.

World’s top opium producer

Meanwhile, Myanmar remains a leading source of opium and heroin, even though opium production has slowed, according to the latest survey by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report analyses data collected during the third growing season since the military seized power in a coup.

It shows a moderate decrease of four per cent – from 47,100 hectares to 45,200 – and a similar decrease in yield per hectare, pointing to an initial stabilization of cultivation at the current high levels, thus cementing Myanmar’s status as the world’s leading source of opium.

However, the uneven distribution of the decrease across the country – as well as uncertainties regarding the impact of the continued drug ban in Afghanistan on global demand for opium and heroin – suggest that Myanmar’s opium economy is at a crossroads.

UNODC Regional Representative Masood Karimipour said that “as conflict dynamics in the country remain intense and the global supply chains adjust to the ban in Afghanistan, we see significant risk of a further expansion over the coming years.”

Bulgaria and Romania to fully join Schengen area on 1 January

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12 December 2024

Bulgaria and Romania to fully join Schengen area on 1 January

EU countries have agreed to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025. Checks on persons at EU internal air and sea borders were abolished in March. The Schengen area now covers 29 countries and 420 million people.

Shaping human rights for all

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United Nations News

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12 December 2024

Few documents have had as profound and enduring an impact on global governance as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

UN Photo/Albert González Farran

People return to their home village of Sehjanna, Sudan, after living seven years in a camp for internally displaced persons in Aramba in 2011. (file)

Cornerstone of universal rights

So central to the mission of the United Nations that the declaration is sealed, alongside the UN Charter, in the cornerstone of the UN Headquarters in New York City.

The declaration is not just a set of principles but a living framework that informs the UN’s work at every level, it is both a blueprint and a call to action.

Its resonance extends beyond its 30 articles, shaping such landmark treaties as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international laws that safeguard the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and the stateless everywhere.

Officers of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration drag a cart full of ballot boxes for distribution in remote communities of Timor-Leste, in preparation of elections in 2007. (file)

View the full essay here.

European Parliament Re-establishes Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief

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Juan Sanchez Gil

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11 December 2024

Brussels – In a decisive move to enhance the protection of religious freedom across Europe and beyond, the European Parliament has re-established the Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief. This initiative, confirmed during the conference of parliamentary leaders on December 11, 2024, aims to address the urgent need for safeguarding the rights of individuals facing persecution due to their faith.

Co-chaired by Bert-Jan Ruissen (SGP, ECR) and Miriam Lexmann (EPP), the intergroup seeks to raise awareness about the plight of those persecuted for their beliefs. Ruissen expressed his optimism about the intergroup’s revival, stating, “This intergroup provides us with an important platform in the European Parliament to advocate for the persecuted church. I see that this work is desperately needed, as many remain unaware of the severity of the situation.” Lexmann added, “From China to Belarus, the freedom of religion or belief continues to decline. It is crucial that the European Union, and particularly the Parliament, pays special attention to monitoring and actively supporting this fundamental freedom globally.”

The establishment of this intergroup comes at a critical time when violations of religious freedom are on the rise. A recent letter from various civil society organizations and religious groups highlighted the alarming increase in attacks against individuals based on their religion or belief. The letter calls for the continuation and strengthening of the intergroup, emphasizing that the right to freedom of religion or belief is a cornerstone of democratic societies, as enshrined in Article 10 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The letter outlined specific instances of persecution, including the use of blasphemy laws in northern Nigeria, the killing of Christians in Manipur, India, the closure of churches in Algeria, and attacks on Ahmadiyya communities in Pakistan. It also notes the plight of Yazidis in Iraq, Baha’is in Iran, and the discrimination faced by atheists and humanists in Nigeria and Pakistan due to apostasy laws. These examples underscore the urgent need for robust responses from the European Parliament and its members. While the letter did not mention violations within Europe, it goes without saying that Europe must focus on practising what we preach, and the better we do inside the more leverage the EuParl will have when condemning situations outside Europe.

The intergroup, which has been active since 2004, comprises members from various political factions, reflecting a broad commitment to the cause. Following each election, the intergroup must be re-established with support from at least three different factions. Ruissen noted the collaborative effort that led to the intergroup’s revival, stating, “We have come together with colleagues from diverse factions and successfully garnered support from my own faction (the ECR), as well as the liberals (Renew) and the Christian Democrats (EPP).”

One of the intergroup’s key initiatives will be to appoint a new EU envoy for religious freedom, as the mandate of the voluntary without salary and without team current envoy, Frans van Daele, expired at the end of November. The group will also maintain communication with the EU‘s diplomatic services to prioritize religious persecution in global diplomatic discussions.

The letter from civil society organizations emphasizes that the continuation of the intergroup is essential for empowering MEPs to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief through their “on-the-ground” work in affected countries and faith communities. It calls for a united front among religious and belief groups, urging them to sign a letter addressed to the political groups in the European Parliament to highlight the persecution they face globally and the necessity of such a platform.

As the intergroup embarks on its mission, it faces the challenge of ensuring that the voices, also of minority religions, within Europe are heard and that their rights are protected. The commitment of MEPs from various political backgrounds to this cause is a hopeful sign that the European Parliament is ready to take a stand for diversity and inclusion.

In a world where freedom of religion or belief is increasingly under threat, the re-establishment of the Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief is a crucial step toward safeguarding the rights of all individuals, regardless of their faith. The European Parliament must continue to champion this cause, ensuring that the principles of diversity and protection for minority religions are upheld not just in rhetoric, but in action.

The European Council celebrates its 50th anniversary

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11 December 2024

The European Council celebrates its 50th anniversary

Find out how the European Council was created and how it has developed into the strategic EU institution it is today.