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Following the debate on Denmark’s Council presidency priorities, President Metsola and Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen will hold a press conference at 12:15 today.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Following the debate on Denmark’s Council presidency priorities, President Metsola and Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen will hold a press conference at 12:15 today.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Following the debate on Denmark’s Council presidency priorities, President Metsola and Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen will hold a press conference at 12:15 today.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Following the debate on Denmark’s Council presidency priorities, President Metsola and Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen will hold a press conference at 12:15 today.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Credit: CIEL

By Carla García Zendejas
WASHINGTON DC, Jul 8 2025 (IPS)

The World Bank’s private sector arm has raised the bar — and others may follow. On April 15, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) became the first development finance institution to adopt a formal remedy policy, publishing its Remedial Action Framework (RAF) to address environmental and social harm caused by IFC-supported investment projects.

The move sets a precedent and ramps up pressure on other development banks — including the Inter-American Development Bank — which are expected to release their own remedy frameworks.

Development institutions such as IFC finance projects meant to improve lives worldwide. Yet too often, these projects have caused environmental harm, displaced communities, and led to reprisals. This new framework is a milestone — both a leap forward for IFC and a sign of hope for communities harmed by development projects.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), on April 15, 2025, adopted a Remedial Action Framework (RAF), an explicit policy on remedy, formalizing a commitment to address environmental and social harms caused by IFC-supported investment projects.

The IFC/Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) RAF is a cornerstone at a time when the World Bank Group is reviewing accountability systems on both its public and private sides. This framework sets a precedent, signaling a profound institution-wide commitment to avoid harm. It acknowledges that remedy is not only possible but essential and that it must be part of a broader cultural shift across the entire institution.

Credit: CIEL

The remedy framework is the result of years of advocacy by stakeholders both outside and inside the institution, and strenuous efforts from civil society organizations and project-affected people worldwide. Their contributions — grounded in firsthand experience of harm and technical recommendations — have centered remedy on the rights and the needs of those harmed.

Carla Garcia Zendejas of CIEL moderates a panel after a screening of the film “The Fisherman and the Banker” April 2024 in Washington, D.C. The film, produced by Sheena Sumaria over ten years, follows the fishing community of Gujarat, India as they sue the IFC, the lending arm of the World Bank, for funding a power plant which has harmed the ecology of the community.

Credit: CIEL

Cases like Alto Maipo, Titan Cement, and Tata Tea revealed how inadequate existing complaint systems were in responding to and remedying environmental and social harm to communities. The momentum needed was created with the Tata Mundra case and the landmark Jam v. IFC litigation by Indian fisherfolk, when IFC again dismissed findings reported by its own accountability mechanism.

With the RAF, IFC now acknowledges a core tenet of international law: institutions should avoid infringing on human rights and should address adverse human rights impacts when they have contributed to harm.

The framework introduces a structured approach to address environmental and social harms based on three pillars: Prevention and Preparedness, Access to Remedy, and Contribution to Remedial Action. While it still distinguishes between the roles of IFC/MIGA and their clients, it no longer denies responsibility.

Prevention remains key. IFC has reiterated the value of its existing sustainability policies to identify and manage environmental and social risks early — something civil society has long demanded, avoiding harm rather than managing its aftermath.

Still, given the numerous and disturbing failed past projects under existing policies, real change will depend on applying an environmental and social lens across all operations. A human rights-based approach must guide this shift.

The RAF also acknowledges the central role of grievance mechanisms. Effective, reliable, and independent grievance mechanisms and systems are essential for project-affected people to raise complaints and seek remedy when things go wrong. Considering IFC’s history with its own accountability mechanism —the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman— this is a significant step.

IFC/MIGA has restated its commitment to using its influence to push its clients to take remedial action and will also provide support for enabling activities, such as fact-finding, technical assistance, and community development activities. But the effectiveness of these contributions will depend on how meaningfully they engage with communities seeking remedy.

Importantly, the RAF applies to all IFC-supported investment projects and to all investment projects covered by MIGA political risk insurance guarantees, an encouraging decision.

Under IFC’s Sustainability Framework, clients have long been responsible for managing environmental and social risks. Now, they are also expected to fund and implement remedy. This is not as straightforward as it would seem: Development finance institutions’ operations are at the center of an often nebulous division of roles.

If IFC fails to properly supervise and monitor its clients, performs weak due diligence, or neglects to notice a low-capacity client, the risk of harm increases — and so does the institution’s responsibility. One of the thorniest issues during the creation of the framework was the cost of providing remedy.

Remarkably, private sector clients did not oppose remedy in principle — they questioned how to deliver it and how costs would be shared. They accepted responsibility for harms caused by construction or operations but they needed clarity on implementation.

Notably, the RAF instructs IFC to use its own financial resources — whether from project funds, donor trust funds, internal budgets, or operational risk capital — to support remedy. That is a major shift, one that could influence other development finance institutions and open a door to systemic change. Already, discussions on remedy are well underway at institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank.

The RAF was approved on an interim basis, with a three-year piloting phase. The challenge ahead is turning policy into practice. Harm is harm — regardless of how it is funded or who caused it. As environmental and climate crises grow globally, and financial institutions multiply funds in search of solutions, we can point to the first remedial action framework as a standard to follow and as a way forward.

Now there is a way to address harms and provide remedy, the commitment to do so has been set, and many are ready to make this happen, as challenging as it will undoubtedly be. Remedy must be more than a principle. It must be a reality.

Carla García Zendejas is People, Land, and Resources Program Director at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Le Monténégro a signé un accord « historique » avec la Hongrie, qui va investir dans les infrastructures du petit pays. Pour Viktor Orbán, le Monténégro doit garantir l'accès de la Hongrie à la mer. Des accords ont aussi été conclus avec la France et l'Ukraine.

- Articles / Vijesti, Monténégro, Economie, Relations régionales, Orban Balkans

Le Monténégro a signé un accord « historique » avec la Hongrie, qui va investir dans les infrastructures du petit pays. Pour Viktor Orbán, le Monténégro doit garantir l'accès de la Hongrie à la mer. Des accords ont aussi été conclus avec la France et l'Ukraine.

- Articles / Vijesti, Monténégro, Economie, Relations régionales, Une - Diaporama, Orban Balkans

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder who coordinates a Task Force responsible for the ongoing restructuring plans.

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 8 2025 (IPS)

A coalition of UN staff unions, led by the 60,000-strong Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA), has written to UN member states criticizing the UN80 reform process as “incoherent and lacking strategy”.

The union, one of the largest single coalitions in the world body, is asking the 193 member states to take over the UN reform process which is currently in the hands of a Task Force.

https://www.ccisua.org/about-us/

Among several issues raised by the (CCISUA), UN80 is dismissed as “chaotic and rushed.” In a critical analysis, the staff union points out that the proposed restructuring:

• Doesn’t address the roots of the problem
• Forces managers to cut positions without an analysis of how the UN can be more relevant
• May need to be fixed by the next Secretary-General
• Will impact frontline services (either through UN 80 or prevailing funding shortages)
• Will result in a loss of capacity especially at the national level
• Shows a poor understanding of how the UN system is currently structured
• Is led by a task force that is arbitrarily composed, which in turn biases the outcomes
• Will be costly to implement
• Is being carried out without consultation.

The letter calls on UN member states to take greater control of the process.

Separately, the Secretariat staff unions wrote to the President of the General Assembly requesting to address member states on UN80.

“Closer to Geneva, a good example of issues with the coherence of UN80 is OHCHR downsizing offices in the field while expanding offices in Vienna under the justification of getting closer to those we serve”.

As a reminder, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed his special adviser, Guy Ryder, to lead UN 80. “We will be following up with further actions to contain the damage being caused by Mr. Ryder’s initiative,” the letter said.

Guy Candusso, a former First Vice-President of the UN Staff Union in New York, told IPS the reform process is usually in the hands of those who want to protect their own interests

“The UN, since Under-Secretary-General Joseph Connor left, has become top heavy with a proliferation of D2s and above. Reforms put forward are already driven by politics.”

Putting it in the hands of member states, he cautioned, is not going to help since it comes down to money. “If the funds are not forthcoming then I can’t see a good outlook for staff,” he said.

Meanwhile, Laura Johnson, Executive Secretary and Ian Richards, President of the UN Staff Union in Geneva, have provided an update on the latest developments regarding the UN 80 initiative.

The Staff-Management Committee (SMC), the global body for consultations between management and staff unions, met at the headquarters of the UN Mission in Kosovo last week.

First, despite its repeated assertions to the General Assembly and staff, management at the SMC did not present detailed UN80 proposals (including the 20 per cent budget cuts, which apply to regular budget (RB) and peacekeeping posts) to the unions and would not consult on UN80.

The only exception to this was a circular and incomplete discussion on potential mitigating measures to assist staff affected by cuts or relocations, once a final decision is made by the General Assembly on the 2026 budget at the end of this year. We asked management to correct its miscommunications on union consultation, but it has so far refused.

Given this, staff unions have had to engage informally with member states directly (see further down). On the mitigating measures, these remain subject to final approval, but are broadly the following:

• In July/August, agreed termination packages will be offered to staff who will be over 55 by the end of the year.
• No staff need to relocate before 30 June 2026 and there may be remote onboarding and up to 3 months of telecommuting from the original duty stations if possible.
• If the approved 2026 budget has more staff than posts for a particular entity, this entity would need to activate the downsizing policy and set up Staff-Management Groups to carry out a comparative review to determine an order of retention of staff. This would take place January to February 2026. There will also be measures to ensure that RB fixed-term contracts expiring before then are renewed.
• Staff who are separated may have the option of being put on special leave without pay (SLWOP) for a period to be determined.
• There will also be flagging in Inspira to prioritise selection of staff in retention group 1 of the comparative review if new positions later become available. Subject to agreement by the Secretary-General, this flagging period will be extended beyond what is set out in the downsizing policy as an exceptional measure.
• If posts are moved, including to a common administrative platform, staff would normally move with their post. If staff don’t want to move, other suitable staff may be able to volunteer.

“The lack of finality on these measures and the lack of consideration of proposals presented by unions has been frustrating and will create more anxiety, as we made clear to management”, the letter said.

In addition to the cuts to RB and peacekeeping posts (20%), the initial phase of UN80 will establish common administrative platforms (CAPs), first in Geneva and New York and then in other locations.

Unions repeatedly asked for clarification on the CAPs as it is likely that administrative posts across the UN Secretariat will be reduced and appointments terminated, necessitating the activation of the downsizing policy.

In particular, “we asked for further explanation on how the order of retention for administrative posts across duty stations, entities and funding streams will be managed, but were unable to get clarity.”

It is clear that the General Assembly’s decision on the 2026 budget will be key. Therefore, staff unions have been informally engaging with member states.

The letter sent by CISUA highlighted the serious consequences of the UN 80 initiative on delivery, its lack of vision and the feeling that task force members were using the process to their own ends.

It also questioned how UN 80 will resolve the liquidity situation that triggered the initiative.

Many of these concerns were mentioned by member states during an informal briefing to the General Assembly last week. One member state has also circulated a draft resolution for member states to have greater oversight of the process.

Additionally, said the letter, Guy Ryder has retreated from his previous position of UN 80%. He said that the budget proposals with 20 per cent cuts were for entity heads to reflect on how they could cut costs. The Secretary-General will not necessarily make all these cuts and the final budget will reflect his priorities.

When asked what those priorities were, Ryder said he wasn’t able to reply.

“Our engagement with member states has not been without consequences. Management said at SMC that the unions had breached the staff rules and scolded unions for fulfilling their advocacy role. As an example, UNHCR management has tried to intimidate its staff representative. We called out this action and clearly set out how the staff rules, standards of conduct and General Assembly resolution 67/255 in fact explicitly allow for this important engagement”.

“We will continue to keep you updated and fight to roll back this harmful and pointless reform. The Secretary-General should be saving the UN. We believe Guy Ryder is doing the opposite”.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Un rapport révèle que les fournisseurs d’énergie autrichiens se partagent le marché, causant un déficit de concurrence qui fait grimper les factures des consommateurs. Un dysfonctionnement qui touche une large partie de l’Union européenne.

The post Factures d’électricité : l’Autriche illustre les failles du marché européen appeared first on Euractiv FR.

Tuesday, 8 July

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Tuesday, 8 July

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Tuesday, 8 July

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Tuesday, 8 July

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Ce phénomène se produit dans des conditions de laboratoire. Que se passe-t-il dans le corps humain et à long terme? C’est la grande interrogation.

Citizens are calling on the European Parliament to take action against the pilot whale hunts in the Faroe Islands. Many citizens have written to the Members of the European Parliament dealing with environmental issues and to the President of the European Parliament on this subject since June 2025. They are asking them to condemn these hunts and advocate for robust protective policies.

We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the Members and to the President:

Main elements of our reply EU law, whaling and the Faroe Islands

The European Union (EU) is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The Treaty on the Functioning of the EU recognises animals as sentient beings and calls for their welfare requirements to be fully taken into account. Within the EU, laws protects whales, dolphins and porpoises against hunting, capture and captivity, and against deliberate disturbance or trade, including products originating from non-EU countries.

However, the Faroe Islands’ decision to allow the hunting of whales falls outside the EU’s jurisdiction. As a self-governing territory of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union. EU legislation does not apply in the Faroe Islands.

The European Union nevertheless continues to advocate for an end to Faroese whaling through diplomatic engagement and the European Commission has expressed concern about Faroese whale hunting to the Danish authorities.

European Parliament

In 2021, the European Parliament urged the Faroe Islands to halt its controversial annual hunt of pilot whales, known as the grindadráp. Parliament called on the European Commission and EU countries to engage consistently with the Faroe Islands on this issue with a view to the abolition of the practice. In 2022, Parliament stressed the importance of protecting whale populations, both from a biodiversity and a climate perspective.

Members have submitted parliamentary questions to the European Commission on the topic, most recently in May 2025 (the reply will be available on the top right under ‘Answer in writing’).

As far as we are aware, the European Parliament has not received a petition on this topic recently. However, all European citizens and residents are welcome to submit a petition. You can also contact the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. Please bear in mind that the Intergroup is not an official parliamentary body.

Background

Citizens often send messages to the President and the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.

Des incendies ravagent déjà la Macédoine du Nord, mais les sapeurs pompiers, organisés sur une base strictement municipale, manquent de matériel, de formation et sont souvent mal payés. Les pompiers volontaires, eux, n'ont aucun statut... Tour d'horizon.

- Articles / Radio Slobodna Evropa, Macédoine du Nord, Société, Environnement, changement climatique, Une - Diaporama

Des incendies ravagent déjà la Macédoine du Nord, mais les sapeurs pompiers, organisés sur une base strictement municipale, manquent de matériel, de formation et sont souvent mal payés. Les pompiers volontaires, eux, n'ont aucun statut... Tour d'horizon.

- Articles / Radio Slobodna Evropa, Macédoine du Nord, Société, Environnement, changement climatique, Une - Diaporama - En premier, Une - Diaporama

In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about Macron’s meeting with Starmer, the censure motion scorecard against Ursula von der Leyen, and the Greens rushing to secure the 2040 target.

Le syndicat des producteurs français de betteraves sucrières estime que « la pilule est amère » après l’annonce d’un quota d’importation de sucre ukrainien sans droits de douane de 100 000 tonnes annuelles dans l’UE.

The post Quota de sucre ukrainien dans l’UE : « pilule amère » pour les betteraviers français appeared first on Euractiv FR.

The European legal framework requires its Member States to pay full regard to animal welfare standards when formulating and implementing policies. Yet, when it comes to chemical safety, the EU’s flagship regulation, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), still relies heavily on animal testing, despite its stated commitment to making this a “last resort.”