All posts tagged: European

Influencer MEP Fidias Panayiotou turns down Cypriot seat to stay in European Parliament – POLITICO

Influencer MEP Fidias Panayiotou turns down Cypriot seat to stay in European Parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The center-right Democratic Rally party scored the most votes in Sunday’s elections, which saw the ultranationalist National Popular Front double its share of seats in the 56-member parliament. “Fidias,” as Panayiotou styles himself, has gained some 2.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel since he began posting in 2019. The 26-year old influencer shot to fame after embarking on a mission to hug tech billionaire Elon Musk, and in 2024 launched a successful bid to become a lawmaker in the European Parliament. Since his election, Panayiotou has raised eyebrows with a visit to Russia and caused uproar by referring to paralympians with intellectual disabilities as “loonies.” He created the anti-establishment Direct Democracy party six months ago, and in the lead up to Sunday’s vote he regularly campaigned wearing a clown nose. Panayiotou’s group ultimately finished in sixth place, securing four seats. “We could’ve done better but we’re happy with what has happened, this is a small victory,” he said. Yiannis Laouris, a neuroscientist considered by some as Panayiotou’s ideological mentor — a label he rejects — …

Bournemouth’s European dream a ‘perfect ending’, says departing Iraola

Bournemouth’s European dream a ‘perfect ending’, says departing Iraola

Published by Sam Flores

May 25 : Bournemouth’s qualification for Europa League after a sixth-place Premier League finish was a perfect ending, departing manager Andoni Iraola said, admitting that he once believed reaching Europe was almost impossible. The 43-year-old Spaniard, who said in April he would leave the club at the end of the season after taking charge in 2023, oversaw a dramatic rise that culminated in Bournemouth’s best-ever Premier League finish. “I am quite hard but I have been really close (to tears). I cannot ask for much more,” Iraola told BBC Sport. “I have been so lucky to be in this moment with this group of players with this club. I think it is the perfect ending and I am so thankful.” Bournemouth, who were in the third tier of English football 13 years ago, will play in Europe for the first time in their history. Iraola said securing European qualification had not been part of his initial expectations, as his primary focus was to reshape the team’s style of play. “I had no idea (about reaching …

UK Leads European Nations In Hiring Over-50s

UK Leads European Nations In Hiring Over-50s

Published by Jenni Sidey

Over the past two decades, ageing populations, rising retirement ages and higher education levels have contributed to rising employment rates among workers aged 55 and over across OECD countries. Yet many workplaces are still designed around shorter careers, leading many people to leave work earlier than they need or want to. This deepens the demographic pressures facing ageing societies, including labor shortages, as early exits reduce the number of employees and inflate public welfare and healthcare costs. The OECD argues that employers play a decisive role in enabling longer working lives through hiring practices, access to training, job quality and workplace conditions. To help organizations assess and improve their approach, the OECD recently launched a Longevity Readiness Tool, which benchmarks policies and practices across sectors and countries to identify where action is most needed. As Statista’s Anna Fleck details below, the data reveals wide differences in how countries support older workers. In hiring, the United Kingdom ranked highest in Europe in 2023, with people aged 50 and over accounting for roughly 12 percent of new hires. Finland followed at 9 …

The future of European security — live updates – POLITICO

The future of European security — live updates – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

PRAGUE — As America pulls away from historic commitments to European defense and Russia renews its threats, Europe’s security community is meeting in Prague for the annual GLOBSEC gathering. The three-day meeting comes in the wake of Washington’s decision to blindside Poland by withdrawing thousands of rotating troops from Eastern Europe, as countries figure out how to calibrate themselves with the NATO alliance ahead of a crucial summit in July. It also takes place in the shadow of fresh threats from Russia, with a Kremlin spokesman saying Wednesday that the military was preparing a response to claims Ukraine was preparing to launch drones out of Latvia — a stance described as unacceptable and dangerous by European leaders. POLITICO will be sitting down with top officials on Thursday including Janne Kuusela, Finland’s permanent defense secretary, Karel Řehka, the Czech Republic’s top general, and Josef Aschbacher, the European Space Agency’s director general. We’ll also be covering conversations on security around energy, health and more. Follow along with us. Source link

European countries reach new agreement on human rights – here’s what it means for the UK’s immigration debate

European countries reach new agreement on human rights – here’s what it means for the UK’s immigration debate

Published by Sam Flores

The 46 countries bound by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) have signed a new declaration on migration, setting out how they believe human rights law should apply to migration issues. With the ECHR playing a contentious role in immigration discourse in the UK, the UK government trailed this declaration as a “more modern interpretation” of the ECHR that would help “restore order and control”. Yet the declaration may not change very much in practice. The ECHR is a key human rights treaty signed by almost every European country, binding them to respect a list of fundamental rights. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has the final say in interpreting what these rights require in practice. Two ECHR rights are particularly important when it comes to immigration: Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life), and Article 3 (the right to freedom from torture or inhuman treatment). This new declaration, signed in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău, follows a campaign by some countries, including the UK, to change the …

Why European fusion must move beyond research and into delivery

Why European fusion must move beyond research and into delivery

Published by skeptic

As innovation takes fusion technologies to the next level, the European Fusion Association’s Tom Reynolds discusses what Europe must prioritise in order to lead in the fusion race Europe’s fusion sector is entering a new phase — one defined less by scientific possibility and more by industrial delivery. As investment accelerates, supply chains emerge, and governments sharpen their strategic priorities, the debate around fusion is shifting from if the technology can work to how it can be deployed at scale. The Innovation Platform spoke to Tom Reynolds, Head of Communications at the European Fusion Association, to discuss what Europe must do to deliver fusion from a concept to a reality. Why is the current way of talking about fusion no longer sufficient? Fusion is still often discussed in terms of scientific progress and timelines – whether it will reach the grid in the 2030s, or later. That framing is increasingly out of date. The more immediate question is not when fusion will arrive, but how it will be delivered – and where the industrial capability …

European prosecutors probe €11M cost of Greece’s migrant camps – POLITICO

European prosecutors probe €11M cost of Greece’s migrant camps – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In addition to the exorbitant cost, the process had also drawn the opposition’s attention because a New Democracy official had been appointed director of the ministry’s Technical Service, which was in charge of both constructions. Then-Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi defended the appointment when the issue was raised in parliament in 2020, arguing that the technical service then operated through NGOs, which managed 82 percent of EU migration funds. The first contract now under EPPO investigation involves the expansion of an existing camp in Malakasa, built in order to accommodate 1,500 migrants transferred from the islands. The contract was awarded in April 2020 to a company based in Athens, without prior tender. While the initial deal for the structure’s basic maintenance was worth €4.3 million, the project was eventually delivered after at least five extensions and a supplementary contract worth €1.7 million. Former Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi speaks to the press prior to a meeting in the Europa building in Brussels on Nov. 25, 2022. | Thierry Monasse/Getty Images The EPPO is also probing …

Lisa Nandy Slaps Down Wes Streeting For Saying UK Should Rejoin European Union

Lisa Nandy Slaps Down Wes Streeting For Saying UK Should Rejoin European Union

Published by Sam Flores

Wes Streeting and Lisa Nandy when they were in the cabinet together. Lisa Nandy has slapped down Wes Streeting after he said the UK should rejoin the European Union. The former health secretary, who quit the cabinet on Thursday, said Britain needs “a new special relationship with the EU”. The Labour leadership hopeful added: “Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union.” But on Sky News on Sunday, Wigan MP Nandy described Streeting’s comments as “a bit odd”. “If rejoining the EU is the answer to what we were just told loud and clear by the country and parts of the country like mine, where we lost 25 out of 25 wards, 24 of them to Reform,” the culture secretary said. “If rejoining the EU is the answer, then essentially what we’re saying to people is life was fine in 2015, we just need to go back there. I know Wes is coming up to campaign in the [Makerfield] by-election quite soon. “He will hear loud and clear from …