⊂ EUROPE ⊃
EU agrees to extend Russia sanctions: Leaders of the EU’s member states agreed on Thursday to extend the bloc’s main economic sanctions against Russia over the turmoil in Ukraine for six months until mid-2017. The formal process to extend the sanctions on Russia’s defense, energy and financial sectors will take place early next week. EU leaders also reached a compromise with the Netherlands Thursday that should allow the bloc to enact an agreement on closer ties with Ukraine. Dutch Prime Minister Rutte said he now has the necessary guarantees to start pushing the deal through the Dutch Parliament.
reuters.com, dw.com
Aleppo evacuation effort restarts: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday the world would be different after what he called the liberation of the Syrian city of Aleppo, describing it as a historic moment. Around 1,000 people were evacuated from the remaining rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Thursday. Most of the civilians will be taken to rebel-controlled area in the neighboring province of Idlib. The mayor of east Aleppo, Brita Hagi Hasan, met with EU Council President Donald Tusk and asked European countries to send monitors to ensure thousands of residents trying to flee Aleppo make it out safely.
nytimes.com, cnn.com, euronews.com
EU offers millions to Niger to curb migration: The EU offered 610 million euros to Niger on Thursday for keeping a lid on migration from Africa through the Mediterranean to Europe. The latest money announced for Niger comes from the bloc’s new Africa fund, as well as from Germany, France and Italy. The EU is stepping up cooperation with key African countries of origin and transit to ensure fewer people get to European shores.
reuters.com
MEPs back emergency brake measures: Visa requirements for non-EU nationals will be reintroduced faster when EU countries face irregular migration surges or security risks, under new rules passed by the EU Parliament on Thursday. Both EU member states and the EU Commission will be able to trigger the visa waiver suspension mechanism. However, the text underlines that a decision to temporarily suspend a visa waiver must be based on relevant and objective data”.
europarl.europa.eu
EU court: Monsanto GM soybean approval upheld handelsblatt.com
Thalidomide tragedy: MEPs call for better access to compensation for Thalidomide victims europarl.europa.eu
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„Now more than ever we have to urge all UN Security Council Members to abide by their international obligations and act in the name of humanity.“
Martin Schulz has stressed the importance of cooperation and solidarity in his last speech as EU Parliament President at a European Council meeting.
europarl.europa.eu
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
France extends state of emergency: French lawmakers have voted to extend the national state of emergency a further six months to July 15. Meanwhile, the prosecutor in the trial against IMF head Christine Lagarde raised the chance that she would be acquitted of criminal charges linked to the misuse of public funds, after he called the case very weak on Thursday. Lagarde stands accused of negligence by a person in a position of public authority, in a matter related to her time as French finance minister.
nytimes.com
Greek Parliament approves Christmas bonus: Greece snubbed its international lenders by legislating plans on Thursday to give pensioners a one-off Christmas bonus. Lenders announced on Wednesday that they were suspending a deal reached earlier this month to offer Greece short-term debt relief after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras unexpectedly said he would grant low-income pensioners a pre-Christmas payoff. EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici seems to be siding with Athens on the issue.
dailymail.co.uk, euronews.com
German Interior Minister defends deportations to Afghanistan: German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Thursday stood by the decision to carry out the deportation of rejected Afghan asylum-seekers. The minister said that forced deportations such as this one were correct and necessary in order to ensure the proper functioning of Germany‘s asylum system. He confirmed that a third of the deportees had been convicted of crimes including theft, robbery, rape and manslaughter.
dw.com
Babies with DNA from three people approved in UK: The first British baby made with the DNA of three people could be born next year after the UK’s fertility regulator gave the green light for clinics to seek licences for the procedure. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced on Thursday that it would accept applications from clinics wanting to offer the controversial therapy after it met to consider the latest scientific evidence for the safety of the procedure. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children being born with deadly genetic diseases.
theguardian.com, bbc.com
Germany: Interior Minister angry with Greece over Afghan refugee murder suspect reuters.com
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: PlasticsEurope seeks Public Affairs Manager (m/f) *** GIZ seeks Policy Advisor (m/f) *** Siegfried Mureșan MEP offers Traineeship *** European Sunlight Association seeks Communication Officer *** ChildFund Alliance seeks Director – Brussels Office *** Mototrola Solutions seeks Director of Government Affairs – Europe and Africa *** Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft sucht Praktikant (m/w) *** Uni Europa seeks Policy Officer (m/f)
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Brexit added to Oxford English Dictionary: The word “Brexit” has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, the self-professed definitive record of the English language. Defined as the (proposed) withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, and the political process associated with it, the word “Brexit” was added five years after it was first coined, a feat the OED called highly unusual in a note that accompanied the update. The speed with which the term became widely used and recognized was impressive, the OED said.
politico.eu