The Council of the European Union has a 6-month period rotating presidency, a method introduced by the 2009 Lisbon Treaty by which Member States work closely with one another in groups of three, referred to as ‘trios’. Each Member States holds the presidency for 6 months ensuring that every country has a turn without elections … Continue reading The Swedish Presidency within the Council of the EU
Situated in the Middle East, the Republic of Turkey and the Syrian Arab Republic share a 900 kilometre border, the zone of various earthquakes which took place over the last month. Earthquakes are caused by sudden movements of tectonic plates. Such movements take the form of seismic waves which cause the shaking of the Earth’s … Continue reading The EU’s Humanitarian Aid for Turkey and Syria
Transport has become a basic life necessity for the European Union and beyond, making it a fundamental factor of European integration. Being comprised of over 700 million citizens, the European Union’s transport networking system consists of various modes of transport including trams, cars, trains, and airplanes, making them to most readily available and utilised modes … Continue reading Transporting Networks in the EU
It has been a week since a missile hit Przewodow, a Polish village, west of the border neighbouring Ukraine, on Tuesday the 15th of November 2022, with two innocent victims being killed in such a tragedy. The “Russian-made” missile hit Polish soil at a time when Russia launched one of its largest missile attacks on … Continue reading Russian-made Missile hits Poland, what does this mean?
On Sunday 25th September, Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy party rose to power after winning the Italian election. This makes her Italy’s first female Prime Minister in history leading a party with neo-fascist roots. Meloni first became involved in politics back in 2006 and in 2012 she co-founded the Brothers of Italy … Continue reading The Rise of Meloni and the Far-Right Party
The ongoing war which started back in February 2022 has paved the way towards an ever-growing concern of food scarcity for millions worldwide. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a global food crisis as Russian troops have been ordered to blockade the ports of the Black Sea, bombard Ukrainian grain warehouses and machinery as … Continue reading The EU and the Global Food Crisis
Bulgaria is situated on South-eastern Europe and became a European Union member state as of 1st January 2007. Its entry into the European Union meant that it satisfied the requirements and conditions found within what is known as the ‘Copenhagen criteria’. A stable democracy and rule of law, a secure economy, and the ability to accept all European Union legislations are amongst what is found within the … Continue reading Bulgaria and the non-European Union citizens residence permits
With the end of the term 2021/2022, ESO held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 17th May 2022 at the University of Malta and simultaneously online via Zoom. The AGM confirmed the appointment of the new executive team for the term of 2022/2023. It was agreed upon by the members present, that Kylie Fenech would … Continue reading STQARRIJA: ESO AGM 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in securing re-election, despite the surge of radical ideologies, characterizing the last five years in office with violent protests and a succession of Covid lockdowns and curfews. President Macron is the first president in 20 years to secure re-election for a second term, since Jacques Chirac, relying on the … Continue reading Europe wins in France
Moldova`s President Maia Sandu said that a series of attacks in the Russia-backed breakaway region of Transdniestra have taken place, attributed to separatist factions within the territory to increase tensions. In the early morning of April 26th, two blasts occurred in the village of Maiac, Grigoriopol district: the first at 06:40 and the second at … Continue reading sounds like false flag
In the first two months of 2022, war in Eastern Europe is seemingly becoming an inevitable and irreversible reality. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia since 2012, stated his intention to invade Ukraine with the aim of protecting the people subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv (Ukrainian) regime. Therefore, he allegedly aims to solely … Continue reading Russia declares war on Ukraine
Albania is one of the EU's candidate countries that has been experiencing internal turmoil due to conflict between Berisha (former) and Basha (current) leaders of the Centre-Right Democratic Party of Albania (PD). This very public war that has been raging on, reached its peak when the current PD Leader ousted Berisha. The US and EU … Continue reading Turmoil within albania`s Democratic Party (PD)
The Maltese yet again find themselves in the limelight of European Politics, this time with Dr. Alex Agius Saliba being elected as the Vice-President of the Socialists and Democrats group within the European Parliament. Elections took place last Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, resulting in Agius Saliba receiving 85% of the votes. Agius Saliba will be … Continue reading Maltese S&D Vice-President: Alex Agius Saliba
Domestic abuse can be defined as a pattern of incidents of coercive, controlling, degrading, threatening, and violent behaviour, that includes sexual violence. Below are some signs to look out for that indicate that a person is being physically abused:• Blackened or swollen eyes.• Busted lips.• Sprained wrists.• Bruises on the limbs. There are signs of … Continue reading The Brutal Hand
The islands of Malta and Gozo are once again in the limelight of European Politics’ news as First Vice President of the European Parliament, Robert Metsola, officially expresses her bid for the Presidency of the European Parliament. Metsola, which happened to be one of the first individuals to graduate from the European Studies bachelors degree … Continue reading Roberta Metsola’s candidacy for European Parliament President
Legal disputes between Poland and the European Union have been ongoing for the past six years, gradually increasing in severity. These disputes experienced a dramatic escalation on the 7th of October, 2021, after a ruling was passed by Poland’s constitutional tribunal. This ruling argued that when it comes to certain EU laws, the Polish constitution … Continue reading Poland’s court ruling and the EU legal order
Due to the few sign-ups to the Blue Card scheme, the European Parliament (EP) approved the EU `Blue Card` reform which had; 556 in favour, 105 against, and 31 abstainers. The original purpose the `Blue Card` which was introduced in 2009, was to bring highly skilled workers from outside the EU to plug in the … Continue reading What`s up with the Blue Card Reform?
The 26th of September 2021 marked the end of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s sixteen-year rule on Germany in a parliamentary election. Olaf Scholz, leader of the German Social Democrats (SPD), a centre-left political party, claimed that they gained victory over former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political party. Angela Merkel was the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic … Continue reading Change hitting germany
The Polish editorial office ‘Belsat TV’, based in Minsk, Belarus, was systematically raided by the Belarussian police on the 21st of May 2021. Belsat TV was the last standing independent platform in Belarus under the rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. This was due to the approximately 500 arrests of journalists and media professionals since August … Continue reading The situation in Belarus
On July 15th, 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) reaffirmed the prohibition of wearing any visible form of expression of political, philosophical or religious beliefs in the workplace, thus supporting employers who restrict women from wearing Hijabs and other religious attires to their workplace, with the aim of maintaining a neutral … Continue reading The ban on Hijabs
Close to the end of June 2021, Hungary passed a law, imposing a ban on any LGBTIQ+ references for minors, which law led to several controversies in the EU. This implies that homosexual individuals are banned from appearing in educational matters or TV programmes in instances aimed for individuals under 18 years of age. This … Continue reading What actions can the EU take on Hungary’s situation?
Neil Agius, a 35 year old ex-Olympian broke the world record for the Longest Ocean Swim. This world record was previously held by the British Chloe McCardel with a distance of 124.4km. Neil Agius completed the 125.6km swim in 52 hours, which started from Linosa and ended in Gozo. The original route was from Tunisia … Continue reading Neil Agius breaks the world record!
The 24th of June 2021 marked another milestone for human rights. The European Parliament took a vote on a resolution that declares safe access to abortion as a human right. The resolution was passed with 378 votes in favour and 225 votes against. This resolution was proposed as a confrontation towards Member States that limit … Continue reading Abortion: A Human Right?
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is known for being a global anti-money laundering watchdog, responsible for setting international standards to prevent illegal financial activities. After the vote taken yesterday among the FATF Task Force, the results showed a resounding agreement to list Malta on the Grey List of untrustworthy jurisdictions. The FATF updates two … Continue reading Malta Grey listed
The DB Group put forth a proposal to the Maltese Planning Authority consisting of a 31-storey tower and a 17-storey hotel located close to St George’s Bay in St Julians. Back in 2019, the approval of this project was halted by the Maltese Court as it was identified that one of the Planning Authority’s board … Continue reading The approval of DB Tower
As another term came to an end, on Monday 17th May 2021, ESO held its Annual General Meeting virtually on Zoom. AGM confirmed the President, Vice President, Secretary General, Public Relations Officer, Events Officer and International Office of the new executive team for the term 2021/2022. Furthermore, elections for Financial Officer, Media Officer, Social Policy … Continue reading Stqarrija: ESO AGM 2021
On Tuesday, the European Commission accepted the agreement which was concluded by the European Parliament and the Council on the revised rules of the Blue Card Directive. Amendments included more flexible admission conditions, enhanced rights and the possibility to move and work more easily between EU Member States. As stated by Ylva Johansson, the Commissioner … Continue reading A political agreement on new rules for EU Blue Card
On Thursday morning, it was announced that the European Parliament passed a motion in favour of a Commission proposal for the Digital Green Certificate, now renamed the EU COVID-19 Certificate. 540 MEPs voted in favour of the proposal, while 119 voted against, and a further 31 abstained from the vote. This digital certificate aims to … Continue reading European Parliament Approves EU COVID-19 Certificate for Travel
Last week, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed a handful of anti-LGBTIQ constitutional amendments. These include a ban on same-sex marriages because now according to the Russian constitution, marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Another amendment prohibits transgender members of the LGBTIQ community from adopting children. These amendments were supported … Continue reading Russia bans Same-Sex Marriage and Transgender Adoption
Earlier today, the European Parliament passed a motion declaring the entirety of the EU's territory as an 'LGBTIQ Freedom Zone' with 72% of the Parliament voting in favour. This was part of a resolution created by the LGBTI parliamentary group, of which Maltese MEP Cyprus Engerer was a primary negotiator. In a speech made in … Continue reading EU is declared an LGBTIQ Freedom Zone
Last week on the 23rd of February 2021, Maltese MEP and first vice-President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, will be in charge of leading an investigation regarding charges of corruption levelled against the European Union's border agency, Frontex. https://twitter.com/RobertaMetsola/status/1364127428520607746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1364127428520607746%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimesofmalta.com%2Farticles%2Fview%2Froberta-metsola-to-lead-mep-investigation-of-frontex-abuse-claims.853565 Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. It is a critical component of … Continue reading European Parliament Vice-President Roberta Metsola to investigate Frontex violation
ESO is extremely grateful to Ms. Roberta Zahra, Assistant Director Consular Services and Maltese Living Abroad, for providing valuable information contributing to the writing of this article. 1. How can the Foreign Affairs Ministry help students while abroad? 1.1 In case of theft or loss of money and official documentation: The family of the student … Continue reading Students who Travel to Study
Earlier today, the European Medicines Agency gave the go-ahead for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be administered to adults over the age of 18, as it was deemed effective and safe enough. The European Commission is set to formally give its approval for a conditional market authorization later today. This makes the Oxford vaccine the third … Continue reading Third COVID-19 Vaccine Approved by EMA
Last Thursday, the European Parliament approved the Maltese MEP Alex Agius Saliba’s resolution of the ‘Right of Disconnect’. A total of 472 MEPs from 681 voted in favour of this proposal. https://twitter.com/TheProgressives/status/1352278709756194817?s=20 The Right to Disconnect refers to legal provisions allowing workers to not answer work-related emails or phone calls during their free time. This … Continue reading MEP Alex Agius Saliba’s proposal ‘Right to Disconnect’ approved by the European Parliament
Today, Joe Biden was officially inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America. Alongside him, Kamala Harris was also sworn in as America's first female, African American and South Asian Vice-President. Biden vowed to assemble national unity to lead America through one of the most critical chapters in its history. https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1351935935945060352 The … Continue reading Joe Biden Sworn In as the 46th President of the USA
On 21st December 2020, many Europeans woke up to the news that many features in Messenger and Instagram apps have been removed due to the new privacy rules in the European Union (EU). Messaging apps will comprise EU rules known as the ‘ePrivacy Directive’. In respond to this Facebook had to deactivate several features. A … Continue reading New EU Privacy Regulations’ effect on Social Media
In collaboration with the Malta Medical Students' Association (MMSA) Trust is at the centre of a doctor-patient relationship: trust in the practitioner’s capabilitiesbut also trusting that the patient will follow the famed ‘doctor’s orders’. In a world reelingdue to a destructive pandemic which has lead to healthcare workers taking on a heroicimage, surely the level … Continue reading The European Union’s impact on a trusted healthcare system
Earlier today, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented his resignation to King Willem-Alexander van Oranje, along with that of his entire cabinet. This came after a report exposed his government's failure to defend over 20,000 families from overeager tax inspectors. https://twitter.com/DarrenEuronews/status/1350063454908985347 The tax office in the Netherlands had accused thousands of families of fraud … Continue reading The Netherlands’ PM Rutte Resigns with Cabinet over Child Benefits Scandal
On Wednesday 6th January 2021, the European Medicines Agency, EMA recommended Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for conditional market authorisation. https://twitter.com/EMA_News/status/1346793570334867457 This was done following an extraordinary meeting, which at first was scheduled on the 12th of January, but due to the pressure done by the EU member states, the agency met on Wednesday 6th January. Later … Continue reading Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Authorised by EMA
On December 30th 2020, EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel signed the Brexit trade deal and soon after Boris Johnson also put his name to the documents after the UK Parliament approved this deal in the context of a looming deadline. https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1344205436384374785 As agreed, the UK left the EU single market and … Continue reading What are the new changes for Malta and the EU post-Brexit?
ESO - European Studies Organisation 