Roberta Metsola

#Finnishgovernment has sent letters to all EU´s #commissionerdesignates. Jozef Sikela got one too. There would have been space to highlight EU´s legal commitment and primary objective of EU #development policy, as laid down in Article 208 #TFEU, which is the reduction and, in the long term, eradication of poverty. It would have been nice to see other buzzwords (like #globalgateway) in the letter. Those words are #nexus #democracy #peace #inequality. And not only as words, but as a frame to guide all actions. CONCORD Kestävän kehityksen toimikunta ja sitoumukset @kehityspoliittinentoimikunta

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In June 2024, the execution of the Baka v. Hungary judgment was on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers (CM) of the Council of Europe again - for the ninth time. Despite the key importance of the case to the independence of the Hungarian judiciary, despite the ongoing enhanced supervision process by the CM, several CM decisions (including an interim resolution), and the eight years that have passed since the delivery of the judgment by the European Court of Human Rights, the Hungarian authorities remain totally reluctant to take the general measures required for the implementation. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee welcomes the decision of the CM to urge the Hungarian authorities in a letter to find swift solutions to fully abide by the judgment. This step has rarely been taken by the CM, only in a handful of cases. https://lnkd.in/dRf86Bcr In our latest communication to the Committee of Ministers, we argued that constitutional-level legislative amendments are necessary to guarantee beyond doubt the freedom of expression of judges as required by the ECtHR’s jurisprudence. See our submission: https://lnkd.in/dn5iCxtU #ruleoflaw #Hungary #justice #judicialindependence #freespeech

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European democracy is at a crossroads. The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) aims to amplify citizens' voices in policy-making. However, is it living up to its promise? Explore the latest insights and join the conversation on strengthening our democratic processes. Read more 👇🏼 #ECICampaign #EUdemocracy #PublicPolicy #CivicEngagement #ECITakeTheInitiave

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This year’s International PACE Event will be hosted by the The Romanian Lobbying Registry Association/ Asociatia Registrul Roman de Lobby and the PACE - Public Affairs Community of Europe(PACE). This event aims to encourage participants to engage in an active debate and demonstrate how ethical and transparent lobbying can strengthen democratic processes and protect the public interest. The 2024 Summit will focus on what the future holds from multiple public affairs perspectives, through exploring the ever-changing landscape of governance from the lens of upcoming elections, the impact and influence of artifical intelligence, and mitigation of threats through responsible and transparent partnerships between the private and public sphere. Each panel will feature discussions on the following topics: Regulating influence. How do we prepare for the future? Recommendations of the Regulation of Lobbying from international organisations Romania’s opportunities: Exploring Perspectives for Good Governance and Ethical Practices Presentations of EC and National Developments on Lobbying Regulations – Associations The future is here. AI in the future of Governance. Deep fake dangers for democracy Each year, the PACE Summit serves as a platform for thought-provoking discussions and knowledge exchange among delegates representing over 14 countries from across Europe. It is a gathering that fosters collaboration and drives meaningful change in the realm of public affairs. #publicaffairs #publicaffairssolutions #PACE

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Hungary's presidency of the #EUCouncil began on July 1st amidst controversy. With a focus on #WesternBalkans accession, migration, and economic competitiveness, can #Hungary navigate the EU transition while upholding European values? Our BiEPAG member Marika Djolai with a blog on this topic👇 https://lnkd.in/dvr7P9sd #BiEPAGblog #EU2024 #EUCOPresidency #EUCO

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CPJ’s Europe Representative Attila Mong and European Union Representative Tom Gibson were recently in Slovakia, where they met the parents of murdered investigative journalist Ján Kuciak. In 2018, Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were fatally shot at their home. Kuciak reported on corruption for Aktuality.sk and had uncovered allegations involving prominent business figures with suspected ties to the government and organized crime. Despite the conviction of four hitmen and intermediaries, the suspected mastermind has twice been found not guilty. The Supreme Court is set to rule on an appeal. https://lnkd.in/eSE2RgQE Justice delayed is justice denied. CPJ will stand with the family until full justice is won. Slovak authorities must protect press freedom and the safety of journalists. Photo: The parents of murdered investigative journalist Ján Kuciak stand with CPJ’s Europe Representative Attila Mong and European Union Representative Tom Gibson (Credit: CPJ) #AllForJan #Slovakia #PressFreedom #Democracy #EndImpunity

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Are you curious what is Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and what we do? 📌 one of the political bodies of the Council of Europe 📌 political assembly of local and regional elected with 612 mayors, governors, councillors, etc. 📌 representing 130 000 local and regional authorities from all 46 Council of Europe member states 👉 Mission:  Promote, strengthen and defend local and regional democracy in Europe by following the principles set out in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. 

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Pushbacks (summary removals) are unlawful and violate the right to asylum, the right to life and the prohibition of torture 🙅‍♀️ I am very satisfied to see that litigation on the topic is advancing, before various international fora 🙌 Three recent highlights: 👉 The European Court of Human Rights has held a very rare public hearing in two Chamber cases concerning pushbacks at the infamous Evros river border between Greece and Turkey (where hundreds of foreigners are routinely stuck, ill-treated by authorities from both States and left to die on islets even when they have obtained a favourable interim measure decision from the ECtHR: see report https://lnkd.in/e43auHb2 ) 👀 more information on the Chamber hearing: https://lnkd.in/eGzjbcGh 👉 Front-Lex has filed with the support of leading litigators and academics a first-of-its-kind case before the #ECtHR concerning the absurd pushback of a EU citizen at that same border, which likely happened because of discrimination based on the Applicant's looks 👀 more information on the case: https://bit.ly/3Xq4Ivh 👉 The Court of Justice of the EU has ordered Hungary to pay significant penalties for failure to bring his asylum system in conformity with EU law, notably by allowing removals from territory without examination of asylum requests. 👀 more information below Let's keep the good fight everybody!! #echr #humanrights #CJEU

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Bulgaria’s President has refused to veto the anti-LGBTIQ+ law, aligning the country with Russia’s oppressive ideology over European values. We call on the European Commission and EU member states to take immediate action, including sanctions and freezing EU funds. Read our full statement and join us in standing up for equality and human rights. 🌍🌈 #LGBTIQ #HumanRights #EUAction #Equality #ForbiddenColours

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☝️For successful re-socialisation and positive changes in life, convicts need a tailored approach by probation officers and penitentiary institutions. 🗣 That opinion was expressed by National Expert of EU Project Pravo-Justice Olena Kochura at the meeting of the working group on the re-socialisation of convicts within the framework of the implementation of the project “Advancing Justice and Accountability in Ukraine: Strengthening and Support of the Penitentiary System.” 💬 “The unified risk assessment of re-offending, which is used to prepare a pre-trial report and design social and educational work after the conviction, will contribute to understanding the reasons for committing an unlawful act by an individual. This tool, developed with the assistance of EU Project Pravo-Justice, will help to plan individual measures that are needed for the successful re-socialisation of a person,” said Olena Kochura. 🔹 It is extremely important, she said, to make sure that both penitentiary and probation staff believe in the convicted person and motivate him or her to change his or her life. 🤝 Olena Kochura also emphasised the need for close cooperation of all interested parties for the successful reform of the penitentiary system and the development of probation in Ukraine. 💬 “During the implementation of the reform, the synergy of all related parties – Ministry of Justice and stakeholders – is extremely important. There must be a common, single path to follow so that new initiatives complement each other, rather than conflict and inhibit progressive innovations,” added Olena Kochura. #pravojustice #penitentiary #convicts

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ILGA-Europe and ERA just launched our joint #EUEnlargement Review assessing gaps in legislation and policy for the human rights of #LGBTI people in the enlargement countries, and identifying priorities. The review will feed into the European Commission’s annual Enlargement Progress reports for #Albania, #BosniaandHerzegovina, #Georgia, #Kosovo, #Moldova, #Montenegro, #NorthMacedonia, #Serbia, #Turkey, and #Ukraine. The annual #enlargement report process is a key moment to remind governments of the criteria that need to be met and point out where advancement on rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights are needed to advance the process. It is especially important that the #EU insists that the protection of LGBTI people’s human rights are a core part, as they are often falling behind the requirements. Read here the report in full 👇

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❗ On 8 April 2024, The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to the European Parliament (LIBE) held a hearing on the Cooperation Frameworks on border and migration management with Bulgaria and Romania. The Cooperation Frameworks build on the results from the six-month Pilots projects, carried out in Bulgaria and Romania in 2023. 🔷The exchange of views took place with: - Mihai-Cătălin Necula, State Secretary, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Romania - Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director-General in charge of Schengen & Internal Security, Euorpean Commission (HOME.DDG2) - Nina GREGORI, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Asylum (European Union Agency for Asylum – EUAA) - Anton Zlatanov PhD - Director of Border Police Directorate, Bulgaria - Desislava Todorova, on behalf of Border Violence Monitoring Network Through its cooperation with Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN), Center for Legal Aid Voice in Bulgaria received the valuable opportunity to participate in the hearing as the only representative of the civil society. The exchange of views on Bulgaria and Romania demonstrated how unpopular the migration situations and the migration policies of the both countries are; the disconnect between adopting policies and the realities on the ground; and how skinny the space of the civil society in decision-making processes is. Record of Desislava Todorova's presentation you can see here: https://lnkd.in/djFPUUPb #migration #notmypact #bordermanagement

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Cutting red tape and boosting competitiveness must be the top priority for the incoming Commission. Particularly if we want innovation made in the EU. So in this week’s #CommissionerHearings, I asked Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner-designate for Tech Sovereignty, how she plans to: 1️⃣. Cut bureaucracy by 25-35% 2️⃣. Ensure an implementation of the #AIAct that boosts competitiveness 3️⃣. Commit to the #OneInTwoOut principle I think Virkkunen is willing to go into the right direction but her answer isn’t concrete enough. What’s your takeaway? ⤵️

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💬 "Living next to aggressors affects our region's prospects for economic and social convergence - the #EU's Cohesion Policy needs to take this into account by adapting existing instruments to ensure additional focus on our region," said Mindaugas Liutvinskas, 🇱🇹 Vice-Minister of Finance, at a high-level discussion on the future of Cohesion Policy in #Brussels during #EURegionsWeek. According to Vice-Minister Liutvinskas, cohesion policy needs to respond to the specific challenges of the regions, especially in the context of the challenges posed by Russia's war against #Ukraine 🇺🇦. 💬 "Today, the EU 🇪🇺 faces unprecedented challenges and a significantly deteriorated security environment. Cohesion Policy - as the EU's main long-term investment instrument - needs to take into account the different social, economic and territorial realities of the Member States and ensure sufficient flexibility to implement investments in line with the needs of specific regions - from infrastructure development to attracting talent and promoting innovation and high added value creation," he said. To get a better sense of it - check out this video ⤵️ #LTinEU

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With the proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act, which are already under consideration in the National Assembly, Bulgaria is one step away from introducing a significantly stronger and more effective mechanism for the protection of consumers' collective rights. The amendments aim to modernise and extend the scope of the existing legal framework to cover new areas of protection and at the same time introduce swifter and more efficient judicial procedures. https://lnkd.in/dykR9CC5

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📣 Standing up against SLAPPs in Romania: Advocating for the implementation of the Ghiulfer Predescu judgment Romanian journalists believe legislation does not sufficiently protect them against the rising number of SLAPPs aimed at silencing their work, as demonstrated by the #ECtHR case law. In fact, following her appearance on a TV show, journalist Ghiulfer Predescu was held civilly liable for defamation for having criticised the then Constanța’s Mayor and was ordered to pay civil damages to him. In 2017, the ECtHR ruled that the restriction on her #freedomofexpression was unnecessary in a democratic society and that the domestic courts had failed to adequately justify how the excessively high compensation she was ordered to pay was proportionate to the impugned acts. ⚖ To date, the case remains pending #implementation before the Committee of Ministers (CM) of the Council of Europe. EIN member APADOR-CH has criticised the unpredictability of Romanian practice on awarding moral damages in #defamation cases, pointing out that the non-implementation of the Predescu judgment has resulted in nine similar ECtHR judgments against #Romania since 2017. ❓ The CM Rec on countering the use of SLAPPs and the EU anti-SLAPP directive: a beacon of hope for Romanian journalists? The EU anti-SLAPP directive, effective since May 6, 2024, introduces strong procedural safeguards for cross-border SLAPP cases. These safeguards equip courts to address abusive litigation and deter potential claimants. Under the directive, stakeholders targeted by #SLAPPs can request early dismissal of their case if the claim is deemed unfounded, while those who file abusive lawsuits against public participation could be ordered to cover legal costs and face penalties. 💡 Given the persistence of SLAPPs, APADOR-CH has recommended that Romanian authorities implement the EU anti-SLAPPs directive while also extending the protections provided therein to regular SLAPP cases. This would bring Romanian legislation – and thus Romanian practice on the matter – in line with the CM’s Recommendation on countering the use of SLAPPs, which refers to necessary procedural safeguards and remedies. According to the recommendation, courts should be empowered to manage cases efficiently, allowing early dismissal of SLAPPs, ensuring that defendants can seek the restitution of legal costs, and the amount of moral damages that journalists can be held liable for in defamation cases should be limited. 🚨 Advocacy and reform efforts at the national level regarding the implementation of the EU anti-SLAPP directive must also include CM recommendations in order to guarantee #mediafreedom and contribute to the full and effective #implementation of Ghiulfer Predescu v. Romania. 🔗 Link to main resources in the first comment below 👇 🤝 Share for raising-awareness on SLAPPS and keep sharing the words of ECtHR implementation! #projecktforchange

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🔵The hearing of Commissioner and Executive Vice-President-designate for Cohesion and Reforms, Raffaele Fitto is taking place in the European Parliament. We welcome Fitto's statements on the need for a stronger and more modern #CohesionPolicy👏 #EPHearings

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If you ever wondered why do democratically elected politicians get away with autocratizing Hungary, we have the answers for you in this major new publication by Policy Solutions and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Democracy of the Future Office in Vienna: https://lnkd.in/dTdXzN47 In Hungary, party loyalty emerges as the most influential factor in determining acceptance of violations of democratic norms. Partisanship outweighs anti-democratic behavior even more in Hungary than in other countries. Policy positions play a much smaller role, but even here undemocratic attitudes are always fully compensated for by voters' preferred policies. Hungarian respondents show a unique pattern in their willingness to trade democracy for all policy areas. More details below 👇  

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