Compromise on long-term EU budget: EP obtains €16 billion more for key programmes

Bruxelles. On Tuesday, after ten weeks of intense negotiations, Parliament’s budget negotiators agreed with the Council Presidency on the outline of an agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) and new Own Resources. The compromise needs to be endorsed by both institutions.In the compromise, Parliament obtained €16 billion on top of the package agreed by heads of state or government at their summit in July. €15 billion will reinforce flagship programmes to protect citizens from the COVID-19 pandemic, provide opportunities to the next generation, and preserve European values. €1 billion will increase flexibility to address future needs and crises.Parliament’s top priority was to secure an increase for flagship programmes that were at risk of being underfinanced under the European Council’s July 2020 agreement, jeopardising the EU’s commitments and priorities, notably the Green Deal and the Digital Agenda.The additional funds will be drawn mainly from amounts corresponding to competition fines (which companies have to pay when they do not comply with EU rules), in line with Parliament’s long-standing request that money generated by the European Union should stay in the EU budget. Thanks to this compromise, in real terms, the European Parliament inter alia triples the envelope for EU4Health, ensures the equivalent of an additional year of financing for Erasmus+ and ensures that research funding keeps increasing. Negotiators agreed to the principle that the medium- to long-term costs of repaying the debt from the recovery fund should neither come at the expense of well-established investment programmes in the MFF, nor result in much higher GNI-based contributions from member states. Therefore, EP negotiators have devised a roadmap to introduce new Own Resources during the next seven years. This roadmap is incorporated into the ‘Interinstitutional Agreement’, a legally binding text. In addition to the plastics-based contribution as of 2021, the roadmap includes an ETS (Emissions Trading System)-based Own Resource (from 2023, possibly linked with a carbon border adjustment mechanism), a digital levy (from 2024), and an FTT-based Own Resource as well as a financial contribution linked to the corporate sector or a new common corporate tax base (from 2026).Concerning the expenditure of Next Generation EU funds, Parliament secured that the three institutions will meet regularly to assess the implementation of funds made available on the legal basis of Art. 122. The expenditure will be spent in a transparent manner and Parliament, together with Council, will check any deviation from previously agreed plans.The recovery instrument (Next Generation EU) is based on an EU treaty article (Art. 122 TFEU) which does not provide for a role for the European Parliament. EP negotiators have also obtained a new procedure, setting up a “constructive dialogue” between Parliament and Council on the basis of an assessment by the Commission, in order to agree on the budgetary implications of any proposed new legal act on the basis of Article 122.

Civil Liberties Committee Chair, Claude Moraes, regrets EU minister’s failure to reach agreement on the migration package

The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee responsible for migration and asylum, Claude Moraes (S&D, UK), regrets the failure of EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers to reach an agreement on the migration package, including the asylum distribution key, in their meeting in Luxembourg. Mr Moraes calls on EU leaders to make significant progress at the next European summit, on 25 and 26 June, in order to ensure genuine solidarity.Reaction of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee Chair, Claude Moraes, on the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting:”I am deeply disappointed that EU governments have failed to reach an agreement on the migration package including the asylum distribution key, shelving what were essentially modest proposals of 40.000 asylum seekers for the whole of the EU. To leave both Italy and Greece without solidarity and a sense of responsibility sharing is a grave concern. We expect to see significant progress at the Brussels summit next week and further discussions at the end of July where genuine solidarity must be reached”, said Civil Liberties Committee Chair Claude Moraes.”My concern is that if we do not achieve a managed, compassionate and organised approach, we may see retaliatory or more desperate measures by those countries under the most pressure, namely Italy and Greece. It is also deeply unfair to put the greatest burden on those countries who have been participating more than others in resettlement programmes”, Mr Moraes added.

Maria Fosco nominata ”Ufficiale” dal Presidente Napolitano

Image by WanderingtheWorld (www.LostManProject.com) via Flickr

La vice presidente dell’Italian American Museum di New York, Maria Fosco, originaria di Orsogna (Chieti), è stata insignita dell’onorificenza di “Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” dal Presidente della Repubblica, Giorgio Napolitano. La notizia è stata accolta con grande orgoglio a Orsogna, il cui sindaco, Alessandro D’Alessandro, si è congratulato con Maria Fosco per la nomina, che «premia un attento lavoro di valorizzazione della cultura italiana negli Stati Uniti d’America e di rafforzamento dei legami culturali tra i due Paesi. L’impegno della dottoressa Fosco – prosegue il sindaco – è la dimostrazione più evidente di come sia rimasta solida l’identità della comunità orsognese negli Stati Uniti, anche tra quanti non sono nati in Italia».
Maria Fosco è infatti nata e cresciuta ad Astoria, nel quartiere Queens di New York. E’ figlia di Filomena e Antonio, emigrati da Orsogna alla fine degli anni Cinquanta. La Fosco ha frequentato l’Hunter College della University of New York e si è laureata nel 1985 in Storia, con specializzazione in Affari Internazionali. Nel 1986 è entrata nello staff dell’Italian American Institute, di cui è oggi vice presidente e membro del consiglio di amministrazione, nella posizione di Director of Administration and Community Programs. Dopo il terremoto dell’Aquila del 6 aprile 2009, Maria Fosco si è impegnata a nome dell’Italian American Institute per raccogliere 110mila dollari da devolvere alle popolazioni colpite dal sisma, consegnati al Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali.

Annual Conference in Aarhus, Denmark

The European University Association (EUA) will celebrate its 10th Anniversary at its Annual Conference next week (13-15 April) at Aarhus University in Denmark. This conference brings together around 400 university leaders and key stakeholders in higher education from across Europe, and will include a keynote speech by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. EUA President, Professor Jean-Marc Rapp says: “European universities have a long tradition of collaboration that dates back many decades. This spirit of collaboration is now underpinned by a clear political framework that promotes common European Higher Education and Research Areas. As a consequence, collaboration between Europe’s universities has become increasingly structured in recent years, which is highlighted for example not only in the increasing number of universities which have joined EUA, but also in the increasing number of joint degrees, joint research and exchange programmes.” University leaders will also vote for the next EUA President who will lead the organisation from 2012-2015. The two candidates to replace the current President are Professors Maria Helena Nazaré (Portugal) and Lauritz Holm-Nielsen (Denmark). This conference will seek to identify ways for universities to attract and develop the bright minds of tomorrow. In addition to plenary presentations from leading European experts, four working group sessions will focus on a series of key issues relating to talent:
• The university’s responsibility for building research capacity right from the undergraduate level
• The university’s role in fostering career structures and opportunities for young researchers
• The university as employer: institutional human resource management strategies to create the optimal environment for talent development
• How to effectively identify and train future leaders?Aarhus, DenmarkThe European University Association (EUA) will celebrate its 10th Anniversary at its Annual Conference next week (13-15 April) at Aarhus University in Denmark. This conference brings together around 400 university leaders and key stakeholders in higher education from across Europe, and will include a keynote speech by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. EUA President, Professor Jean-Marc Rapp says: “European universities have a long tradition of collaboration that dates back many decades.  This spirit of collaboration is now underpinned by a clear political framework that promotes common European Higher Education and Research Areas. As a consequence, collaboration between Europe’s universities has become increasingly structured in recent years, which is highlighted for example not only in the increasing number of universities which have joined EUA, but also in the increasing number of joint degrees, joint research and exchange programmes.” University leaders will also vote for the next EUA President who will lead the organisation from 2012-2015. The two candidates to replace the current President are Professors Maria Helena Nazaré (Portugal) and Lauritz Holm-Nielsen (Denmark). This conference will seek to identify ways for universities to attract and develop the bright minds of tomorrow. In addition to plenary presentations from leading European experts, four working group sessions will focus on a series of key issues relating to talent:
• The university’s responsibility for building research capacity right from the undergraduate level
• The university’s role in fostering career structures and opportunities for young researchers
• The university as employer: institutional human resource management strategies to create the optimal environment for talent development
• How to effectively identify and train future leaders?

World Food Programme’s

Maputo – Mozambique was hailed for its pioneering role in supporting the UN World Food Programme’s innovative Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative that helps connect small scale farmers to markets as well as improving the quality and supply of their products.  “Mozambique was the birthplace of our P4P programme and it is leading the way in demonstrating how WFP’s investment and support for farmers can become an engine for sustainable agricultural development,” said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, who is in Mozambique to visit WFP food assistance programmes and to attend WFP’s global gathering of P4P stakeholders.  Today WFP purchases 80 percent of the food it buys from developing countries, and in the past 3 years WFP has purchased nearly 1 billion metric tons of food from African farmers to support its food assistance programmes.  P4P is a specially designed programme to include marginalised small farmers in WFPs food supply chain.  Since its inception in September 2008, P4P programmes have been launched in 20 countries around the world.  Through P4P, WFP has purchased more than 120,000 metric tons of food from small scale farmers across the world at a value of US$40 million – enough to feed more than one and a half million people for 6 months.  Farmers participating in the P4P programmes receive training from WFP and its partners in improved agricultural production, post-harvest handling of crops, marketing, agricultural financing, and how to contract with WFP.  This year alone, the successful P4P initiative in Mozambique led to the purchase of 5,350 metric tons of maize and pulses from smallholder farmers – enough to feed more than 100,000 people for 3 months.
The P4P conference – which opened in Maputo on Monday – brings together key P4P partners, including government representatives, NGOs, and small-scale farmers who are participating in P4P programmes.  WFP’s P4P programmes are supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Howard G. Buffet Foundation, the European Commission, and the governments of Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, USA, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Mental health conditions

The WHO report demonstrates that people with mental health conditions are vulnerable – not because of any inherent weakness, but as a result of the way they are treated by society.  It illustrates how people are not only missed by development programmes, but can be actively excluded from these programmes, this despite the fact that an explicit goal of development is to reach the most vulnerable. It also presents a number of evidence-based strategies which are known to improve development outcomes for persons with mental health conditions and all vulnerable groups. The WHO report is a call to action to all development stakeholders – multilateral agencies, bilateral agencies, global partnerships, private foundations, academic and research institutions, governments and civil society – to focus their attention on mental health. By investing in people with mental health conditions, development outcomes can be improved. To access the report and following key resources, please visit http://www.who.int/mental_health/policy/mhtargeting/en/index.html

Report on Housing Conditions of Roma

Brussels  20 October 2009 at 11 am Hotel Metropole, 31 Place de Brouckère, 1000 press conference Speakers: Morten Kjaerum, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of the FRA Management Board Tara Bedard, Programmes Director, European Roma Rights Centre. Roma continue to experience serious discrimination in access to private and social housing throughout the EU. Although discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin in access to housing is legally forbidden, up to 34% of Roma (depending on the Member State) indicate that they have been discriminated against in housing issues, ranging from poor housing conditions and segregation to forced evictions. The FRA report highlights good practices as well as shortcomings across the EU.

Global hunger among schoolchildren

London-  The former Ghanaian president, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, has today been  named a Global Ambassador against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).  He joins an elite team of celebrities, sportsmen and statesmen  in stepping forward to advocate on behalf of the world’s poorest and hungriest people. WFP  Executive Director Josette Sheeran said that with the number of hungry people  in  the world expected to top one billion this year, John Kufuor is bringing  WFP  critical  support  at  a  crucial  juncture.  She added that Ambassador Kufuor  will  emphasise  the need to provide good nutrition for children in school. With  renewed attention focused on the issue of global food security, JohnKufuor  will  also  help  to underline the importance of fighting hunger on several  fronts  –  by investing in long-term agricultural development, but also  by funding WFP’s work in tackling urgent hunger needs and helping the hungry poor to access affordable and nutritious food. WFP  Ambassadors  against Hunger demonstrate commitment to the global fight against  hunger.  They  reach  out  to world leaders as well as the general public, using their talent, skills and public persona to generate awareness and  support  for WFP. John Kufuor joins a powerful team of WFP ambassadors including sporting legends such as the marathon runner, Paul Tergat and the footballer,  Kakà;  former  U.S. Senator, George McGovern, and the actress, Drew Barrymore. Key facts about WFP School Meal programmes: 66 million children go to school hungry each day – This is largely due to an increase in overall global school enrollment, and the food and financial crises have increased the ranks of the food insecure/undernourished. Approximately 70% of the 66 million are concentrated in ten countries (India, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Philippines). WFP calculates that US$3.2 billion is needed per year to reach all 6 million hungry school age children. US$1.1 billion would allow WFP to reach the 22 million children in Africa. Every year WFP feeds more than 20 million children in school meal programmes in some 70 countries. In 2008, WFP fed a record 23 million children. Over the past 45 years, 42 countries have taken over the responsibility from WFP for school meal programmes.

Eu Food

Small-scale farmers in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sierra Leone are soon to  receive  a  productivity boost, thanks to innovative projects of the UN World  Food Programme (WFP) funded with a 39-million euro donation from the European Union (EU). The  projects are aimed at helping poor farmers – most of them women – more efficiently  produce  food  through  programs  such  as group farming, crop diversification  and kitchen gardens. In some communities, WFP will provide food  in  exchange  for  work on projects aimed at improving irrigation and flood resistance, or planting trees. These  WFP  food security projects come under the first allocation from the new  1-billion  euro  EU  Food  Facility,  to  respond  to the growing food security  problems  faced  by many developing countries. About 1.5 million people will benefit from the first four WFP programmes. Sheeran  said  the  EU’s  commitment  to the world’s poorest farmers was an important  signal  that at a time of financial crisis in the industrialized world,  the organisation had not forgotten the needs of the most vulnerable people in developing countries. The allocations include the following: Bangladesh,  20  million  euro  to provide food and cash in exchange for
work  on  flood control, irrigation projects and raised seed beds, training in  on-farm entrepreneurship such as group farming and crop diversification and other income generation projects; Pakistan,  14  million  euro  to increase crop production, plant kitchen gardens,  provide food in exchange for work on water & sanitation projects, the  production  of 35 million tree saplings and the planting of 10 million trees; Sierra  Leone,  5.4 million euro to provide food in exchange for work on rehabilitation  of  inland  valley  swamps  and smallholder plantations and improvement of feeder roads to help farmers bring their produce to market.
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency and the UN’s frontline agency for hunger solutions. In 2009, WFP aims to feed around 100 million people in 77 countries: http://www.wfp.org/english/?n=999.

World Health Organization for cancer control

Geneva  World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan has appointed Ambassador Nancy Goodman Brinker, Founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, a breast cancer foundation, as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control As Goodwill Ambassador, Ambassador Brinker is expected to raise awareness about cancer as a global public health problem. She will also advocate for strengthening global action for cancer prevention and control in the context of the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2008. Her messages will emphasize the need for low- and middle income countries to strengthen comprehensive and evidence-based cancer control policies and programmes.   “I am very pleased to appoint Ambassador Nancy Brinker as a Goodwill Ambassador for WHO,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. “I look forward to Ambassador Brinker’s help in raising global awareness of the need for comprehensive cancer control policies. The disease burden has shifted from wealthier to less affluent countries, and her advocacy will help in building awareness in low- and middle-income countries. Ambassador Brinker served as United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2001 to 2003 and as U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007 to 2009.  During her career as a businesswoman, consultant, health care advocate and philanthropist, she has received many awards.   Ambassador Brinker has served on various boards, including Harvard University’s School of Public Health and was appointed by President Reagan to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board at the National Cancer Institute. With former First Lady Laura Bush, Ambassador Brinker helped launch the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research in the areas of awareness-building, grassroots advocacy support, research, training, community outreach, and women’s empowerment. On her appointment as WHO Goodwill Ambassador, Ambassador Brinker said: “I would like to thank the WHO for this great honor and opportunity. If we raise awareness about the global burden of cancer, its socioeconomic and psychological consequences on cancer patients and their families and the necessary actions for its control, we will be able to advance the global agenda in the fight against cancer. I will work diligently to effectively disseminate these messages to the world.”