tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033576345571393232024-02-20T16:57:55.340+01:00Marta PachecoIt's up to you. themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-2176357940733225472022-06-16T11:35:00.004+02:002022-06-17T11:38:35.472+02:00EU turns to Egypt and Israel to ensure alternative gas supplies<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Article published in <a href="https://brusselsmorning.com/eu-turns-to-egypt-israel-to-ensure-alternative-gas-supplies/24977/" target="_blank">Brussels Morning</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The EU signed a new three-year energy agreement with Egypt and Israel as Brussels remains determined to seek alternatives for its energy dependence on Russia. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Recent discoveries in the Mediterranean have made the region a potential source of new imports.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday in Cairo by Israel’s Energy Minister, Karine Elharrar, along with Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum, Tarek El Molla, and the EU’s Energy Commissioner, Kadri Simson.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The EU also signed a trilateral MoU for the export of natural gas to Europe from Israel and other sources in the Eastern Mediterranean region which will be liquefied in Egypt before being sent to the EU.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Today Egypt and Israel make a commitment to share our natural gas with Europe and to help with the energy crisis,” said Elharrar.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The agreement follows deals simitars to those between the EU and the US and the EU and Qatar. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“This is a big step forward in the energy supply to Europe, but also for Egypt to become a regional energy hub. It is for us also very important to look forward into the new forms of energies. And these are, of course, the renewable energies,” said Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">el-Molla said the deal was a “milestone” and could be an opportunity to further increase cooperation between other Mediterranean countries. The European Commission said it now expects to import 7bcm of LNG from Egypt in 2022, up from an originally expected 5bcm. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“I look forward to working with Egypt as COP27 Presidency to build on the good momentum from last year in Glasgow. Egypt is also a crucial partner in our efforts to move away from Russian fossil fuels and towards more reliable suppliers,” added von der Leyen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Not enough</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite the celebration of a new forged deal, analysts cautioned that the ability of either Egypt or Israel to ship large additional volumes to the EU in the short term was limited, and that the deal in Cairo would not be enough to fill the gap left by Russian deliveries, which accounted for about 40% of the bloc’s gas imports in 2021.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“The agreement does not lay out any specific timeline for the ramp-up in LNG flows from Egypt or for the construction of a new pipeline to ship extra volumes of Israeli gas to Egypt,” said Leo Kabouche, LNG market analyst at Energy Aspects in London to the Financial Times.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-76882202114520034432022-05-16T12:21:00.003+02:002022-05-30T12:25:44.338+02:00US to send two shiploads of gas to Bulgaria amid Russian’s energy cut<p><a href="https://brusselsmorning.com/us-to-send-two-shiploads-of-gas-to-bulgaria-amid-russians-energy-cut/24317/" target="_blank"> Article published in Brussels Morning</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIZ9HF0aS5vrYiGbJ2WVxgWE93vX5Emn6iWh8oSQFi7PBOzUMeqFN6C0C5snUTenJDY6EsoPcZMZ2W5BOIuJQEfSA3wWndTaqySSf-ZAc9sWhZIguU95iCrrxfhO7jDRsewxttDPEV8wdVVuHnDFfCio2kaBQyhcdrJxyqJctYH2KJGlcUhxdBpaXcQ/s500/Gazprom.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcIZ9HF0aS5vrYiGbJ2WVxgWE93vX5Emn6iWh8oSQFi7PBOzUMeqFN6C0C5snUTenJDY6EsoPcZMZ2W5BOIuJQEfSA3wWndTaqySSf-ZAc9sWhZIguU95iCrrxfhO7jDRsewxttDPEV8wdVVuHnDFfCio2kaBQyhcdrJxyqJctYH2KJGlcUhxdBpaXcQ/w560-h374/Gazprom.jpeg" width="560" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><b>Belgium, (Brussels Morning)</b> — After Russia’s Gazprom cut off gas deliveries to Bulgaria on 27 April, the country is set to receive two shiploads of US gas on 8 June and 23 June.</span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said two US gas tankers are headed to Bulgaria noting that a review of the options available to address the energy crisis showed that the gas price on the US market was a quarter of the EU price.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The two shiploads of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US were contracted directly with a US company during Petkov’s working visit to Washington on 9 and 10 May, according to the Bulgarian News Agency BTA.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Multiple suppliers</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The PM said that the US lower price will end up being equivalent to the price of Gazprom supplies. Trying to secure multiple suppliers, Bulgaria has also forged a deal with Azerbaijan, with deliveries expected for 1 July. “I want to prove that Bulgaria is not dependent and that no one can twist its arms,” he said.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking on the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) earlier on Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Chef de Cabinet, Lena Borislavova, said that the Azeri gas is priced at 25-26 euros, whereas the current price in Europe is 90 euros.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Borislavova said the country needs between “12 and 20 tankers of gas per year to guarantee supplies”. She added that negotiations are underway on medium- and long-term gas supplies “at prices three or four times lower than the last agreed prices with Gazprom”. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Additional options are being sought for gas supplies from Turkmenistan, Egypt, Turkey and elsewhere. The long-term gas agreements will be signed directly with the suppliers, without any intermediaries.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">National considerations</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite having its own refinery infrastructure, Borislavova said that at the moment, no economic or legal considerations could lead to the nationalization of strategic facilities such as the LUKoil Neftochim refinery of Burgas, which is owned by Russia.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a related development, the natural gas transmission and storage system operator Bulgartransgaz Executive Director Vladimir Malinov said that Bulgaria has started talks with Turkey for gas supplies through its territory. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After visiting the Chiren gas storage facility on Sunday, Malinov told BNT that Bulgartransgaz expects to be able to fill it up by the autumn from the current 21% of its capacity, a normal volume for this time of the year. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Around one million cubic metres of gas are fed to the facility on a daily basis. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Malinov also said that Bulgaria is not going to suspend the transiting of Russian gas via its territory to Serbia and Hungary.</span></div><div><br /></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-26810190461646716962022-03-30T11:47:00.049+02:002022-05-30T12:28:33.119+02:00Conflict in Ukraine moves to dangerous rhetoric of chemical weapons<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_cr9n5ems0WI9UKvdp8drir_ahEZkgSyuLWd8lWFJaBmE_ZLX7Q6vgEU83R0KVspSObpjv3xaf1CAZ2GZJINprZv_Do9hz9EI2JWvyX7UO3xSqkDMJ-FVqPhGH1mmSyibDXaY7EnM3V0A5CcqWexOuxDKdAomBW5ArmQqStE9mCnLn9aqp7roVh10g/s640/OPCW.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_cr9n5ems0WI9UKvdp8drir_ahEZkgSyuLWd8lWFJaBmE_ZLX7Q6vgEU83R0KVspSObpjv3xaf1CAZ2GZJINprZv_Do9hz9EI2JWvyX7UO3xSqkDMJ-FVqPhGH1mmSyibDXaY7EnM3V0A5CcqWexOuxDKdAomBW5ArmQqStE9mCnLn9aqp7roVh10g/w645-h404/OPCW.jpeg" width="645" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With the war in Ukraine entering its second month, several media outlets have started speculating over the possibility of chemical weapons being used in warzones across Ukrainian territory. </span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">During his official visit to Brussels last week, US President Joe Biden said NATO “would respond” if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine. When asked if the US had evidence that Vladimir Putin is under the possession of chemical weapons, Biden said he wouldn’t comment.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">"We are partly concerned because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext that it could use chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine,” said NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Blame game</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The concern, however, seems to be weaving on both sides of the battling parts. According to The Telegraph, Russia has <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/24/russia-accuses-hunter-biden-funding-ukrainian-biological-weapons/" target="_blank">accused</a> US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, of funding biological weapons labs in Ukraine. The paper claims that the accusation has raised fears that the Kremlin is laying the groundwork to use chemical weapons in Ukraine.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On 8 March, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also accused Ukraine of maintaining dangerous biological weapons labs: "The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone. It should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification," said the spokesperson Zhao Lijian. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>US aware of “biological research facilities”</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The US responded on 9 March with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, long in charge of US policy in Ukraine, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Marco Rubio, hoping to debunk growing claims that there are chemical weapons labs in Ukraine, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y39veTO7kF4&ab_channel=GlennGreenwald" target="_blank">asked</a> Nuland: “Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Nuland did not deny the claim. With palpable discomfort and halting speech, the US diplomat acknowledged the existence of “biological research facilities” saying the US was concerned they would be used by Russian forces. “We are working with the Ukrainian forces to prevent that these research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach,” said Nuland.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On 15 March, in a <a href="https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1502960938147729413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1502960938147729413%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalresearch.ca%2Fvideo-there-are-25-us-funded-biolabs-in-ukraine-tulsi-gabbard%2F5774204" target="_blank">short video</a>, Gabbard said there are more than 25 US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine and called for a ceasefire at the laboratories as they could spread dangerous pathogens. Gabbard urged for the labs to me “shut down immediately” and the pathogens they hold to be destroyed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“Instead of trying to cover this up, the Biden-Harris Administration need to work with Russia, Ukraine, NATO and the UN to immediately implement a ceasefire for all military action in the vicinity of these labs,” urged Gabbard.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Republican Senator Mitt Romney accused his ex-House counterpart of spreading “treasonous lies” that amounted to Kremlin propaganda: “Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives,” <a href="https://twitter.com/MittRomney/status/1503113473819041796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1503113473819041796%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalresearch.ca%2Fvideo-there-are-25-us-funded-biolabs-in-ukraine-tulsi-gabbard%2F5774204" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Mitt Romney in response to Tulsi Gabbard’s video post.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Russia speaks</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As for Moscow, it maintains that laboratories in Ukraine have been funded by the US military to develop biological weapons components, yet local staff was being kept in the dark about their research. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The statement was given by Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, who commands the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces of Russia. “We believe that components of biological weapons were being made on the territory of Ukraine,” said Kirillov to RT .</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On 17 March, Kirillov <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/552177-ukraine-biolabs-weapons-military/" target="_blank">presented</a> documents and imagery during a briefing with the Russian Defense Ministry, showing why the military has come to such a conclusion: “The documents have the signatures of real officials and are certified by the seals of organizations,” he said adding that “journalists and experts in the West” can “verify their veracity”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One document, dated March 6, 2015 reportedly confirms the “direct participation of the Pentagon in the financing of military biological projects in Ukraine”, according to Kirillov. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kirillov went on saying that the US officially funded the projects through the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, based on the Agreement on Joint Biological Activities. However, the evidence shows that the real recipients of some $32 million in funds were Ukrainian Defense Ministry laboratories in Kyiv, Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Countering bioweapons</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As the blame-game goes on, evidence from the Washington Post’s <a href="https://archive.ph/BxAzc" target="_blank">archive</a> dating back to 2005, reveals that, as of that year, the US and Ukraine agreed to work jointly to prevent the spread of biological weapons in Kyiv. The agreement was announced by former Senators Richard G. Lugar and Barack Obama.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One of the labs that received funding, according to the report, was the I.I. Mechnikov Antiplague Scientific and Research Institute, in the Black Sea port city of Odessa. It’s not clear, however, until when the agreement was in place between the US and Ukraine. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Syria's reminiscences</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On April 7, 2018, Douma, Syria, traveled the world after reports of the use of chemical weapons. To this day, what happened in Douma remains to be explained. After the episode, an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) began. Expert toxicologists have ruled out the possibility that chlorine gas was the cause of the victims' deaths. However, leaked information from <a href="https://wikileaks.org/opcw-douma/" target="_blank">Wikileaks</a> exposed how senior OPCW officials had censored the explosive discovery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the early days of the OPCW investigation of an alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria, toxicology experts ruled out the use of chlorine gas as the cause of death for the more than 40 civilians found at the scene. Instead of publishing this finding, senior OPCW officials withheld it and then launched an investigation into a veteran inspector who questioned OPCW's censorship.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The suppression of toxicologists is among a number of deceptions by the OPCW leadership aimed at corrupting the scientific process of the investigation at Douma, as detailed in The Grayzone’s investigation and the various official documents presented by Wikileaks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>German toxicologists</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In early June 2018, four OPCW staff went to Germany to meet with toxicologists/pharmacologists, all recognized world experts in chemical weapons poisoning. The trip was approved at the highest levels through a Mission Alert Order. The delegation consisted of Dr. Brendan Whelan and Dr. Sami Barrek, both senior members of Douma's investigation team, Dr. Marc Blum, Head of the OPCW Laboratory, and Dr. Soumik Paul, Head of the OPCW Health and Safety Branch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">German experts saw numerous photos and videos of the victims and were told what the alleged witnesses had described to inspectors. Some alleged witnesses claimed a rapid, even immediate onset of severe foaming due to exposure to a toxic chemical (Original Report for 7.82). As the final report revealed: “Victims began arriving [to the hospital known as Site 1] shortly after 7 pm with excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth.” (paragraph 8.56). The alleged attack took place around 7:00 pm (paragraph 8.58).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Within an hour, toxicologists easily confirmed what the OPCW team and other experts already suspected – that such a rapid onset of profuse foam was incompatible with exposure to chlorine. According to the leaked minutes of that meeting, previously published by <a href="https://wikileaks.org/opcw-douma/" target="_blank">Wikileaks</a>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">“…experts [toxicologists] were conclusive in their statements that there was no correlation between symptoms and exposure to chlorine. In particular, they stated that the appearance of excessive foam, due to pulmonary edema, observed in photos and reported by witnesses, would not occur in the short period of time between the reported occurrence of the alleged incident and the time when the videos were recorded (approximately 3-4 hours).”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The evidence was now overwhelming that the more than 40 victims filmed at Site 2 had not been killed by nerve agents or chlorine gas. But the Douma samples did not reveal any other toxic chemicals that could have caused the rapid foaming. Could it be that the highly toxic chemical had not been detected in the samples? The OPCW team and German toxicologists discussed this possibility, but found it unlikely.</div></div></span></div><div><br /></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-59573868093051765092022-03-18T20:19:00.018+01:002022-04-12T12:06:22.468+02:00Oliver Stone’s 2016 Ukraine on Fire defies mainstream narrative on Russia-Ukraine war<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://traveltomorrow.com/oliver-stones-2016-ukraine-on-fire-defies-mainstream-narrative-on-russia-ukraine-war/" target="_blank"> Article published in Travel Tomorrow</a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="330" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YfC7s1A1KjI" width="517" youtube-src-id="YfC7s1A1KjI"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfC7s1A1KjI" target="_blank">Ukraine on Fire</a> presents a likely controversial overview of Ukraine’s political history leading up to the 2014 protests in Euromaidan and shedding light on today’s military developments in Eastern Europe.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Directed by Igor Lopatonok and produced by Oscar winner Oliver Stone, the 2016 documentary defies the mainstream media narrative on the geopolitical analysis of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, spanning events from the World War II to the Cold War. The film features the international pressure over Ukraine — leading to an apparent coup d’état ousting the democratically elected Viktor Yanukovich and culminates with the implications of NATO expansion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">In the documentary, Oliver Stone uses his critical lens on the Ukraine crisis, and more specifically on the role played by the US. Labelled as propaganda by the Western media, Russia’s argument of “denazifying” Ukraine as a justification for the invasion is analysed in Ukraine on Fire with the spotlight on a number of neo-nazis groups that, over time, seemed to have incorporated the Ukrainian National Guard.</span></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></h4><h2><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Ukrainian Nazis joining forces with Hitler</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">In a throwback to World War II, the documentary denounces the estimated 80,000 Ukrainian ultra-nationalists — notorious for their cruelty towards the Polish, the Jewish and Russian people — who have joined the Schutzstaffel, the infamous Nazi SS.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">In 1929, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) was founded by Stefan Bandera, an ardent nationalist known by the CIA for leading a “reign of terror” and masterminding several ethnic cleansing operations, such as the 1941 Babi Yar massacre, where nearly 34,000 Jews were killed. However, after the war, Bandera fled to Europe, backed by the CIA for safe entry.</span></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></h4><h2><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Cold War</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">“The CIA’s fingerprints can be found throughout the conflict,” the film stated, referring to the aftermath of the protests in Ukraine, both the 2004 and 2014 revolutions and events dating back to the Cold War. According to the documentary, CIA documents declassified in 2016 reveal strong ties between US intelligence and Ukrainian nationalists since 1946.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span face="Titillium Web, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif">Such ties would serve as a possible source of counter-intelligence against the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Ukrainian nationalists were part of numerous military operations, including <a href="https://www.academia.edu/33294203/Cold_War_Allies_The_Origins_of_CIAs_Relationship_with_Ukrainian_Nationalists_s" target="_blank">Operation Belladona</a>, Operation Lynx, and Operation Trident. </span><span face=""Titillium Web", Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif">Yet, during the Nuremberg trials in 1945-1956, Ukrainian Nazis were spared from proper justice. “By 1951, the Agency [CIA] excused the illegal activities of OUN’s security branch in the name of Cold War necessity,” reads a declassified memo from the CIA.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The Ukrainian ultra-nationalist movement kept growing with names like Dmytro Dontsov, Andriy Melnyk and Roman Shukhevych shaping the neo-Nazi movement. In 1989, the Ukrainian nationalist organisation Narodny Rukh (People’s Movement) was created, serving as an incubator for neo-Nazi leaders against the Soviet Union’s trajectory towards the West guided by Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika and Glasnost policies.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Shortly before the end of the Soviet Union, in 1991, Oleh Tyahnybok founded yet another nationalist group, Svoboda, which ideology was the purging of Jews and ethnic Russians in Ukraine. As early as 2012, the BBC reported the danger of Ukraine’s ultra-nationalists, particularly Svoboda, and the EU passed a <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2012-0507_EN.html" target="_blank">resolution </a>condemning the group as anti-Semitic and xenophobic.</span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span face="Titillium Web, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Titillium Web, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif"><b>US ties with Svoboda</b></span></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Despite the warnings from Europe, Victoria Nuland from the US State Department met Tyahnybok, Svoboda’s leader, in February 2014, ahead of the Euromaidan protests. The plot thickens when Nuland was caught on tape with the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, masterminding an apparent coup d’état. “Now it would be great to help glue this thing and have the UN help glue it and, you know, f*ck the EU,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkfpGCAAuw&ab_channel=StormCloudsGathering" target="_blank">said</a> Nuland.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Recalling his troubled tenure as a President (2010-2014), Viktor Yanukovich told Oliver Stone: “My high-level contact was VP Joe Biden. We had frequent phone conversations but the problem was that Mr Biden said one thing but they did different things in Ukraine.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for Mr Pyatt, the US Ambassador, Yanukovich said he received visits from Maidan representatives all the time. “We got the impression that the headquarters in charge of the whole process was in the US embassy,” said Yanukovich.</span></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></h4><h2><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>EU and IMF pressure</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Throwing back to 2013, Yanukovich explained that Ukraine was going through a difficult economic period and the country was torn between turning to the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), or Russia. With an existing trade agreement with Russia, Yanukovich sought to negotiate a new — and better — agreement, but both the EU and the IMF offered “unacceptable solutions”, he said.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">“A significant rise in utility rates, for electricity and natural gas. This would mean a lot more expenses for the people, while their income would stay at the same level,” said Yanukovich about the IMF’s proposal. Ukraine suggested other solutions, but these were officially rejected by the IMF in November 2013.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Kyiv was left with Russia, which said it was ready for partnership if their interests were taken into account. Interviewed by Oliver Stone, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said that an agreement with Ukraine “would mean that EU goods would enter the Russian market without any negotiations”, which was not tolerated by the EU.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Talking about the trade agreement proposed by the EU, Yanukovich said that Ukraine couldn’t go ahead because it “required essential economic expenses and Europe didn’t provide any loss balancing.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Euromaidan</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After Ukraine’s decision to move towards the East for trade partnerships, the documentary reveals the manufacturing of a protest, with Euromaidan right behind the corner. As the November 2013 protest started in Ukraine, three new TV channels went on the air and suddenly became stunningly popular. Spilno TV was launched on November 21, Hromadske TV went live on November 22 and Expresso TV followed on November 24. These channels went viral supporting the protests, which were asking for an alignment with the EU and encouraging more and more people to go to Maidan.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Eventually, the protests led to overthrowing the President Yanukovich after an apparent coordinated action between the US and Ukrainian nationalist groups. Such outcome was reported by the filmmaker as the result of a successful staged revolution which included “money, the media and techniques”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>NATO expansion</b></span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">A crucial element featured in the documentary is NATO’s military threat bordering the Russian Federation. NATO has not stopped expanding since the fall of the Soviet Union, growing from 17 countries in 1990 to 30 today, several of which were once part of the Soviet-led Warsaw pact.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">“Why do we react so vehemently to NATO’s expansion?” asked Putin. “We are concerned with the decision-making process. I know how decisions are made. As soon as the country becomes a member of NATO, it can’t resist the pressure of the USA.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Putin stressed the military threat that NATO membership poses to Russia, saying that “anything at all can appear in such country such as missile defense systems, new bases, or, if necessary, new missile strike systems.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Putin’s lack of sense of security has been compared to the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the US drew a red line in respect of the installation of medium-range missiles 70 km from its border and the world was at the brink of nuclear war.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">“This is a very dangerous topic. It’s a topic of war. War between the US and Russia would be complete madness,” said Yanukovich referring to NATO expansion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Described by critics as Russian propaganda, Oliver Stone’s Ukraine on Fire 2016 documentary presents verifiable claims that bring a different perspective when reflecting on the military escalation in Ukraine and have recently been <a href="https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2022/03/11/john-mearsheimer-on-why-the-west-is-principally-responsible-for-the-ukrainian-crisis" target="_blank">voiced</a> by the US political scientist John Mearsheimer.</span></div></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-19054100154993977682022-03-18T19:48:00.002+01:002022-04-22T19:53:49.287+02:00Why is the EU fuelling a new arms race?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Article published in <a href="Why is the EU fuelling a new arms race?" target="_blank">Brussels Morning</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUv2n8VuVfz48m8X-yZ0sLKO4Qepk3nRPVkrU9Cc5_Bs3j2nI5jE04SRxiij9EOx_01lr6giyPj2wMPm1iSjZIPNzxW_snVBt-1hDuQ9kPfgDyOiw8EaLAE8mq2gzzhy1ow8sPQ_oI1CqIZ3fHPIOEUWlmkMJGT8dJqPBpt1irSQDBSoU_i9K5Jpbt8Q/s500/shutterstock_2067697562.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUv2n8VuVfz48m8X-yZ0sLKO4Qepk3nRPVkrU9Cc5_Bs3j2nI5jE04SRxiij9EOx_01lr6giyPj2wMPm1iSjZIPNzxW_snVBt-1hDuQ9kPfgDyOiw8EaLAE8mq2gzzhy1ow8sPQ_oI1CqIZ3fHPIOEUWlmkMJGT8dJqPBpt1irSQDBSoU_i9K5Jpbt8Q/w630-h354/shutterstock_2067697562.jpeg" width="630" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Europe’s role in mediating the war in Ukraine is under question following an investigative report that in effect suggests the EU is fuelling a new arms race. A second report, denounces the selling of weapons by EU member states to Moscow, since the 2014 embargo.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">European Defence Fund</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The joint report from the Transnational Institute (TI) and the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) is based on an analysis of the European Defence Fund (EDF) (2021-2027), which has an 8 billion euro budget for research and development (R&D) of military materiel. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, because it was still too early to conduct a detailed analysis of the EDF’s impact, the investigators explored two predecessor programmes — the Preparatory Action for Defence Research (PADR 2017–2019), with a budget of 90 million euro to fund defence research, and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP 2019–2020), with a budget of 500 million euro to fund the development of defence equipment and technology.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The report is highly critical of the astronomic jump in the EDF’s budget 2017-2021, a 13.6-fold increase over that for the previous programmes. These budgets are intended to fund research and develop new weaponry, as well as to enhance existing armaments by integrating new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned or autonomous systems.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Questionable principles</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Those conducting the investigations claim the EU acted contrary to the bloc’s founding principle of promoting peace and suggest that the Union is trying to establish itself as a global military power. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the report, the EU’s “decision-making processes and budgets have been captured by highly lucrative corporations that exploit these political spaces for their own gain.“ </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It accuses some of the corporations involved of “highly questionable practices“, which, it asserts, pose serious questions about human rights and the rule of law, two of the EU’s core values. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beneficiaries under the EDF are involved in “highly controversial arms exports” to countries experiencing armed conflict or with authoritarian rulers in regions where human rights violations are commonplace, the report claims. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Regrettably, these practices seem to unfold by design. The TI and ENAAT report reveals that the European Commission proposal establishing the EDF was based on a report presented by 16 private representatives on Defence Research and that it included entire sections copied verbatim from the defence fund proposal as written by the representatives.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Anti-war voices warned for years about the dangers of the EU pumping billions of taxpayer money into armament — a union founded on peace, churning funds into weapons of war”, MEO Clare Daly, exclaimed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">EU selling weapons to Russia</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In continuous disregard for the principles the EU preaches, member states have been exposed as selling weapons to Russia since the 2014 embargo. Ten EU countries exported 346 million euro worth of military equipment, which is considered likely to have been deployed for use in the ongoing military conflict.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The deals were exposed by yet another inquiry, this time by Investigate Europe, which looked into the various types and origins of military apparatus shipped to Russia up until 2020, ranging from missiles, aircraft, rockets, torpedoes, and bombs to vehicles of war. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">France, Germany and Italy are in the top tier of these military “black sales”. Paris sold 152 million euro worth of military equipment to Russia, and accounted for 44% of European arms exported to the Kremlin.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The 2014 arms embargo allowed contracts which were already signed to be completed. Therefore legal arms sales to Russia continued for some time, but no new contract was signed and deliveries dropped significantly”, MEP Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence told Brussels Morning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ570jFgEbzpR-Qr1H8KkuxehgRMI8maK4wvTQHK-CkhStMmYVwfz7YlZ6SfrpR3SVkbTwNJ_wLGJl4V78eFaEFPv4Z0nT6Tw_mZ5Czlebfbc4ZbRrNAQo1P9rZq3JLluFxBTXs6ffNCIb1OL21cqVN_fc-vBk9PJzY66EYILK6C3qSJl0xCm01RzpQ/s400/MEP-Nathalie-Loiseau-400x225.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ570jFgEbzpR-Qr1H8KkuxehgRMI8maK4wvTQHK-CkhStMmYVwfz7YlZ6SfrpR3SVkbTwNJ_wLGJl4V78eFaEFPv4Z0nT6Tw_mZ5Czlebfbc4ZbRrNAQo1P9rZq3JLluFxBTXs6ffNCIb1OL21cqVN_fc-vBk9PJzY66EYILK6C3qSJl0xCm01RzpQ/s320/MEP-Nathalie-Loiseau-400x225.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">MEP Nathalie Loiseau</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to Loiseau, France also canceled the contract for the sale of two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, despite the deals having been signed before 2014. The French MEP acknowledged the situation as “clearly inappropriate”, adding that the 2014 arms embargo “was not comprehensive enough”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Germany exported 121.8 million euro in military equipment to Russia, representing 35% of all EU arms exports to Russia. The total mainly represented the sale of icebreaker vessels, but it also included rifles, and “special protection” vehicles. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Italy, meanwhile, sold 22.5 million euro worth of military equipment to Moscow between 2015 and 2020. Military vehicles produced in Italy – the IVECO-manufactured Lynce model, for example – were spotted by a TV channel La 7 journalist on the Ukrainian frontline at the beginning of March, according to the Investigate Report.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other countries listed as selling artillery to Russia included Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Finland, Slovakia and Spain.</span></div></div><div><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div></i></span></div></i></span></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-91796110772649141342020-10-21T20:04:00.085+02:002020-11-02T20:36:29.039+01:00John Christensen's Interview: Corporates remain too big to fail, too big to jail<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://brusselsmorning.com/2020/10/19/tax-avoidance-lies-at-the-heart-of-europes-inequality/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Interview from Marta Pacheco published in Brussels Morning</span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Taxation is one of the most powerful means of corporate regulation. By the end of the year, the European Commission is expected to announce a new initiative that is set to transform the business taxation for the 21st century. </span></i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By the end of the year, the European Commission is expected to announce a new initiative that is set to transform business taxation for the 21st century. Earlier this year, the EU executive announced a series of measures aimed at curbing corruption by fighting tax evasion and tax avoidance, promoting good governance in the EU and beyond, as well as revising the “Automatic Exchange of Information” directive. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brussels Morning talked with John Christensen, director of the Tax Justice Network, who in 1996 blew the whistle on a fraud involving a criminal currency trader and the local subsidiary of Switzerland’s largest bank — Union Bank of Switzerland. In 2017, Christensen, co-produced the documentary <a href="https://themartache.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-spiders-web-britains-second-empire.html" target="_blank">“The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire”</a>, in which he exposed in detail how the super-rich exploit the flawed tax system to escape taxes and hide their wealth, thus contributing to widening the gap of extreme inequalities in the world. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlXcd7gO9tsTXqmq35lqaKh2NPJ2lAtkv5oyxFkqLc8RsigA0M9AZpjJkhJd3yObgXL2wPirnRorIExnqkfzm8sy2or9_ABdCBYCEH1TgYvabcT7Ov3mkHZX9yyAk5vavCXU325sdGtHP/s300/download.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlXcd7gO9tsTXqmq35lqaKh2NPJ2lAtkv5oyxFkqLc8RsigA0M9AZpjJkhJd3yObgXL2wPirnRorIExnqkfzm8sy2or9_ABdCBYCEH1TgYvabcT7Ov3mkHZX9yyAk5vavCXU325sdGtHP/w436-h244/download.jpeg" width="436" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">John Christensen, Tax Justice Network Director </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Brussels Morning (BM): Could you tell us what is the professional trajectory one needs to follow to become a champion of equitable taxation ?</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>John Christensen (JC): </b>I originally trained as a forensic investigator and my ambition was to make documentary movies. In 1978 I started to investigate how financial market liberalisation was profoundly reshaping the global political economy, and because I grew up in the British tax haven of Jersey I was intrigued by the role that tax havens play in globalised markets. I could see that tax havens enable big companies and very rich people not only to avoid paying tax, but also empowered these people and companies to use their enormous political leverage to secure tax breaks, or deregulation, or some kind of subsidy. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Back in 1978 this subject was completely unresearched and you couldn’t even study it because there wasn’t a university anywhere in the world offering a course focusing on tax havens. It was as if tax havens didn’t exist. So I decided to head off and investigate by myself, completely alone. I finished my training in forensics investigation, studied for a degree in applied economics — looking at world trade and investment theory — and then I did a master’s degree in law and economics. After doing all that I went offshore. I returned home to Jersey and took a job with Deloittes in their offshore company and trust administration division. That’s the coal face where I learned how offshore works in practice. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After a couple of years with Deloittes, I was recruited to head the government economic service in Jersey, which I did for over a decade. By the time I left Jersey in 1998 I’d gained a lot of professional experience of working inside a tax haven, in both the private and public sectors. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: What led you to found the Tax Justice Network?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: What I learned in Jersey was that the rapid spread of tax haven activity had undermined any possibility for globalization to improve the lives of the majority of people, especially in the global South. Worse, they had become a major threat to social stability and democracy. I discussed this with activists and anti-poverty NGOs from all over the world, and in November 2002 we agreed to launch a global network to tackle tax havens. That’s how the Tax Justice Network came into existence. In 2003, I was appointed as its first executive director.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: What have been the main cases the Tax Justice Network has brought before the European Commission?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Initially we focused on transparency measures. A lot of corrupt practices — including tax evasion and tax avoidance — are protected by the absence of accounting and legal transparency. So our focus was on a new International Financial Reporting Standard for all multinational companies to require them to publish accounting information at country level, known as country by country reporting (CBCR). CBCR reveals the ways in which big companies avoid taxes. We were successful; country by country reporting is now a global standard. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To begin with, there was a lot of resistance to CBCR, particularly from large companies and accounting firms, who claimed it would be too expensive for them to produce the information. Being trained professionals we were in a position to challenge them, arguing that because this information is material to understanding risks at country level, all boards of directors should have access to this information, and the information should also be available to other stakeholders, including employees, investors, and the communities in which they operate. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: What were the Tax Justice Network major achievements?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Apart from the important corporate transparency demands, we also won the argument for adopting ”Automatic Information Exchange” between tax authorities as a new global standard. Tax havens had successfully blocked this approach for many years, and I was constantly told by politicians “you will never achieve that”, and “it will not happen in your lifetime”. But automatic information exchange is now the global standard, and we can claim credit for that. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We can also claim credit for pushing for a global standard for making information about company ownership publicly available. A lot of corrupt practices are hidden behind offshore shell companies, making it hard for investigators to find out who really owns these companies. In most cases the people who are listed are not the true beneficial owners. We’ve made the case, working with anti-corruption organisations around the world, for that information to be made publicly available. The EU has accepted our arguments and implemented public registers. So we’ve made some progress towards tackling tax havens, but there’s still a long way to go.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">EU’s tax structure: a political failure</span></i></b></h3><div><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhz4C1qQIYu34Kgb4pYXRlwDoYtzXCpYhCL4ZaIE0mDLXm0hX72NvFZAuv0ICgqm64nPjWxlfe-KLfLMTuJYkW-mYnejHh8Ra04notLhhQ8OzroWHAszbf_x-RayB5WCLBV7rYbWlIwzGo/s750/Tax-Avoidance-Lies-750x375.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="750" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhz4C1qQIYu34Kgb4pYXRlwDoYtzXCpYhCL4ZaIE0mDLXm0hX72NvFZAuv0ICgqm64nPjWxlfe-KLfLMTuJYkW-mYnejHh8Ra04notLhhQ8OzroWHAszbf_x-RayB5WCLBV7rYbWlIwzGo/w536-h268/Tax-Avoidance-Lies-750x375.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><i><br /></i></span></b></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: What are the major reforms the EU should incorporate into its tax system?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">JC: We must recognise that tax regimes in the EU are increasingly regressive, contributing to levels of wealth and income inequality so extreme that they threaten social and political stability. I identify two areas of tax policy where the EU has significantly failed to take sufficient action: the first involves the race-to-the-bottom on corporate tax rates, which is disastrous. The EU should have agreed a common tax base and a minimum tax rate of around 25 percent decades ago. These are important steps towards abandoning the failed arm’s length method for taxing multinational companies and adopting unitary taxation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The EU has for a long time taken a permissive attitude towards tax competition. When talking to experts, it seems to be broadly accepted that tax competition is anti-democratic and economically harmful because the beneficiaries of tax competition are almost always multinational companies and the losers are almost always local companies. The EU’s thinking here is profoundly mistaken, and the EU needs urgently to reverse out of the race-to-the-bottom and push in the direction of enhanced cooperation to block tax havens from undermining the tax sovereignty of other countries. If the EU wants to improve the lives of its citizens, a race-to-the-top on better regulation and more progressive taxation would be far more worthwhile than the foolishness of a race-to-the-bottom.</span></p></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The second crucial step which the EU needs to take follows on from the need to tackle tax havens. Recently, the European Commission removed the Cayman Islands from the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. How did that happen? The Cayman Islands rank third, behind the BVI and Bermuda, on the Corporate Tax Haven Index, yet the EU drops it from its own blacklist. Worse, the EU blacklist doesn’t include Ireland, or Luxembourg, or the Netherlands, all of which are prominent tax havens, so we still cannot take seriously the Commission’s promises to tackle this issue. And this failure contributes in a big way to undermining public confidence in the EU itself. The Corporate Tax Haven Index and the Financial Secrecy Index, both published by the Tax Justice Network, provide objective and independent rankings of the world’s leading tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions; the EU should abandon its politically compromised blacklisting process and substitute these indices.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>BM</b>: <b>There is a feeling that there is a huge discrepancy between income tax and corporate taxation. Why can’t we make companies pay their fair social share?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: It seems to me that for decades, countries in the EU, and others, have been basing their tax policies around supporting the big multinational companies to gain market positions around the world, and they have been doing this by giving preferential tax treatment to multinationals compared to small and medium enterprises. And this is not always obvious because often it is a case of being lenient towards offshore tax avoidance. But tax avoidance isn’t a legitimate activity in any circumstances, and this leniency creates a harmful market distortion: It’s essentially an indirect subsidy to big companies which allows them to operate as economic free riders. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think this is based on the politically mistaken idea that we need to support “our “multinational companies. In the long run, this leniency towards tax avoidance strengthens monopolies and weakens small companies, innovators and job creation. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: Multinationals like Apple and Microsoft can use the extra cash that they don’t pay in taxes (and their competition does!) to aggressively market their products and buy out smaller firms that do. Do you feel that ‘tax competitiveness’ can be regulated in the Single Market given the reliance of a number of member states on the model? </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: The EU needs to totally rethink its competition policy. I favour applying higher tax rates to excess profits generated by monopolies, but I think the EU needs to go much further in shaping its competition policy, accepting that many companies are given monopoly rights through their intellectual property rights that can go on for decades. That is fundamentally anti-market and anti-competition. And to make matters worse, current tax rules allow these companies to park their intellectual property rights in offshore subsidiaries registered in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, or other tax havens, and to shift their profits there to avoid taxes. Anyone looking for the systemic roots of inequality should start by looking at how tax havens have disastrously distorted market economies. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: Income tax in Europe is 51% in some countries. How do you see a tax system based on consumption and not on income as a means to reform capitalism? </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Faced with capital mobility and massive lobbying from powerful corporations, political leaders feel themselves incapable of defending domestic tax sovereignty and resisting race-to-the-bottom pressures. In response, they have shifted tax charges away from capital by largely abolishing wealth taxes and lowering corporate income tax (CIT) rates, while at the same time increasing value added and similar consumption taxes, and cutting back heavily on welfare provisions.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The decades-long trend away from direct taxation of wealth and income must be reversed. The COVID-19 pandemic makes it imperative that the EU reduces reliance on regressive indirect taxes like VAT, and makes much greater use of wealth taxes and excess profits taxes on the monopoly rents being generated by some companies.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: LuxLeaks, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, FinCEN, and with whistle-blowers like Rudolf Elmer, Hervé Falciani coming forward… It’s official that chronic excess of debt is a consequence of central banks’ reckless modus operandi, perhaps based on orthodox neoliberal practices. Yet, debt is now regarded as something normal. Is there a sense of apathy? </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: I’m more optimistic than the question suggests. It’s not a question of people feeling powerless. We can see this in the US elections, where there is an astonishing level of political activism, whether coming from the right wing supporting Trump, or the centre-left supporting Biden. The Brexit divisions in the UK also revealed a huge level of public participation from across a wide spectrum of society. There is a degree of political activism now that I haven’t seen in my lifetime and that shows how passionately engaged people truly are. I think the same applies in most European countries. What I think is missing is a coherent sense coming from progressives that another world is possible. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Since the banking crisis of 2008, people have begun to lose confidence in any idea that returning to what was previously regarded as “normal”, amounts to a good idea. The public wants a radical departure from neoliberalism, preferably in the direction of a Green New Deal, to tackle both the climate crisis and the inequality crisis. And the COVID-19 crisis has shown that states will necessarily be key players in shaping and financing the enormous investments required to make a transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy to a genuinely sustainable, renewables-based economy. This will require a massive change of behaviour on the parts of central banks, which haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory, either in terms of preventing waves of banking crises, or in recognising the enormous existential risks posed by the climate crisis.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: The general sentiment of the public towards any kind of banking activity is one of great distrust…</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: And rightly so. Banks played a key part in the 2008 financial crisis. They were bailed out by states, and then went back to business-as-usual. Ten years later we have record levels of corporate debt, record levels of household debt, record highs on stock markets, and record property prices. Clearly something is not right; the global economy is even more fragile than it was before the financial crisis. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: The TV documentary you co-produced in 2017 — “The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire” — is a comprehensive eye-opener about the global-scale of the tax evasion issue How is it that the City of London manages to avoid the scrutiny of political scientists and economists? </span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: This reflects the way in which neoliberalism penetrated the state and most of the institutions of modern democracy, including media concentration in the hands of unaccountable billionaires, and the massive funds flowing into bogus think tanks, which then publish bogus research to distort political arguments. I think something similar has happened to academia. Too many academics say they can’t secure research funding to do this kind of critical analysis or critical accounting, and not surprisingly they’re concerned about the consequences of exposing the corruption that lies at the heart of offshore finance.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From my own experience, going back to when I blew the whistle on corrupt politicians and regulators in Jersey, once you stick your neck out, you can expect to be personally attacked. Former friends and allies will fall back into the shadows because they’re frightened of losing their jobs. The police and judiciary will do nothing, and you run the risk of ending your career. It takes tremendous personal courage to engage in the kind of in-depth investigation of what is truly happening behind the surface of the City of London and other offshore financial centres. In most cases, we would know nothing about the corrupt practices were it not for the heroic whistleblowers behind the LuxLeaks, the Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers, and the recent Jersey offshore scandal.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: There was an understanding that a common OECD framework (on domestic tax Base Erosion and Profit Shifting – BEPS) would allow cooperation between developed economies on limiting tax avoidance. How is that working?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: When the OECD first announced the BEPS programme many years ago, I asked them whether this would open the door to a comprehensive shift away from the arm’s length method, which is flawed beyond repair, towards unitary taxation. But the OECD seemed determined to retain the arm’s length method, and the result is even greater complexity, even more possibility for lengthy and expensive disputes and arbitration processes, but still no clarity on how to tax multinational companies in this age of the digital economy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The fact that they weren’t prepared to abandon the previous flawed system is not because of a political failure — quite the opposite. The previous system suits powerful interests — the big companies and big countries, like the US and the UK, and several other major EU countries. They’re perfectly happy to continue with this system because the losers are the poorer countries, which are not allowed to play a role in the decision-making processes. This isn’t an economic issue. This is all about the politics of corporate power.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think this is a huge challenge facing humanity, ranking alongside climate crisis. We’ve seen the rise of extremely powerful corporations, which are highly aggressive in shaping policies, particularly around regulation and taxation, to suit their interests. And the BEPS process demonstrates the extent to which corporate power is able to resist change that would benefit the vast majority of people on this planet.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: The European Commission pledged to do more about tax evasion, but it seems like the system has a solid structure in place to protect those who commit the fraud and punish those who come forward to expose it. Is there any way change can be achieved by political means?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Yes, I’m reasonably optimistic because we have a lot of support coming from the European Parliament to strengthen whistleblower protection, which is an important step forward. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We need to recognize that whistleblower protection is expensive. At high-level, particularly in financial services, a whistleblower is likely to suffer enormous financial damage as a result of whistleblowing. I would like to see in the EU, the development of a system of payments to support whistleblowers and, at the very least, to not allow financial penalties to discourage whistleblowing. And the payment should not come from general taxation. It should come from a levy imposed on the financial services sector and administered by an independent body.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Without whistleblowers, we would have made almost no progress during the last 30 years. We have seen how whistleblowers have been attacked — Antoine Deltour, Hervé Falciani and my own experience in Jersey. The attacks have been ferocious. The attackers have never been penalised for their bullying behaviour, which is, in many cases, criminal. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: Do you think EU Commissioner for Competition Margethe Vestager is doing a good job?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Initially, I was encouraged by her appointment, but less so now. She hasn’t significantly changed EU competition policy, which seems to start from a confused position of thinking that in order to support European companies to compete on the world stage we must allow them to monopolise domestic markets. So, in one sector after another, we’ve seen mergers and acquisitions which have concentrated corporate power, and we’ve seen a steady modification of intellectual property rights which also concentrate corporate power, and we’ve seen the relentless rise of corporations both too big to fail and too big to jail. And the competition authorities appear powerless to take effective action to protect public interest.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">BM: How will the Tax Justice Network respond to such persistent challenges?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>JC</b>: Well, our work on investigating tax havens and identifying the areas where they fail to meet standards on transparency and regulatory compliance goes on, and we will continue to explore ways in which tax havens harm human rights, democracy and international security. We have some new initiatives underway, including the imminent launch of a new anti-monopoly network to fight back against excessive corporate power. We’re optimistic that this will become as large and influential as the Tax Justice Network.</span></p>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-83840671839042138702020-10-20T10:02:00.002+02:002020-11-02T20:39:02.357+01:00European Commission announces 2021 work programme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsutfekTcUcPLrkGwUfM8ZdPB2Zdr9gUYxc1VwCOfGj0_0alEa3D7ZVLTxGvdbCQ3g6lbYhiiiL8-eBApy2k_Z0Lh_7pGUyEG1CufKPTkCq3hukAc7eFlLM4MQ7EcoAo2g4GV1EMuQVfdX/s640/P044199-446795.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsutfekTcUcPLrkGwUfM8ZdPB2Zdr9gUYxc1VwCOfGj0_0alEa3D7ZVLTxGvdbCQ3g6lbYhiiiL8-eBApy2k_Z0Lh_7pGUyEG1CufKPTkCq3hukAc7eFlLM4MQ7EcoAo2g4GV1EMuQVfdX/w526-h394/P044199-446795.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Commission’s 2021 work programme, presented by EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic today, largely takes into account the corona recession that has hit hard the global economy. Sefcovic said that EU action and coordination were required in order to avoid turning an “economic crisis into a social crisis”. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“The European Commission (EC) will continue its efforts to secure a future vaccine for Europeans and to help our economies recover, through the green and digital transition,” said Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Under its communication, the EC stated that “we have the investment to match the vision and the ambition” focussing on the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument along with a reinforced EU budget for 2021-2027. “Our economies need continued policy support and a delicate balance will need to be struck between providing financial support and ensuring fiscal sustainability,” it further reads the EC’s announcement.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> “In 2021, we plan to table 86 major initiatives, in 44 packages, defining for the entire decade,” shared Sefcovic on social media.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Carbon border adjustment and sustainable transport</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals as well as the Paris Agreement will stand as the guiding tools of the EC action. On this note, some of the new steps announced by the EU executive include a proposal on a carbon border adjustment mechanism to help motivate foreign producers and EU importers in order to reduce their carbon emissions as well as a series of measures on smart and sustainable transport, including a revision of the regulation on the trans-European transport network and of the directive on intelligent transport systems.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Circular economy</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Commission proposed to continue the implementation of the circular economy action plan, looking at eco-design and sustainable products, in particular circular electronics, including improving the collection, reuse and repair of mobile phones, laptops and other devices. The EU executive also set the intention of following up the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the farm to fork strategy. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Digital transition</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the digital transition, a roadmap will be tabled with clearly defined goals for 2030, such as for connectivity, skills and digital public services. With regards to Artificial Intelligence, the Commission will develop legislation covering its safety, liability, fundamental rights and data aspects. A new European digital identity is also on the EC’s agenda “to make it easier to do tasks and access services online across Europe”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Taxation and Capital Markets</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Moving towards taxation issues, the EU executive said it will continue working for an international agreement for a fair tax system that provides long-term sustainable revenues. In case this attempt fails, the Commission will propose a digital levy in the first half of next year. A revision of competition rules is also on the EU’s agenda in order to ensure they are fit for the changing market environment, including the accelerating digitalisation of the economy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Commission is also eager to make progress on the Capital Markets Union and the Banking Union. For this matter, the EC proposed to revise the framework for handling EU bank failures, take measures to boost cross-border investment in the EU and step up the fight against money laundering. This will come together with legislation on sustainable corporate governance in view of fostering long-term sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour. The notorious green bonds were also introduced to push for sustainable financing. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Social measures</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The European Pillar of Social Rights will be the compass of Europe’s recovery when it comes to social matters. This includes a new European child guarantee aimed at reducing child poverty and inequalities, by ensuring access to health and education for all children.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, a new communication will be tabled for a revamped EU’s humanitarian aid, which will focus on new ways of working with EU’s partners and other donors.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A new biomedical agency</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Commission is also set to update the new industrial strategy for Europe to take into account the impacts of the corona recession. Also, a new pharmaceutical strategy will look at the security of Europe’s supply chain and ensure citizens can rely on high quality medicines.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A revamped Schengen</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Additionally, they will propose to establish a new agency for biomedical advanced research and development and a new strategy for the future of Schengen and stronger Schengen rules.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The new pact on migration and asylum will also be subject of assessment. In this context, the Commission will propose a number of measures on legal migration, which is set to include a “talent and skills” package.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-19562461866917495982020-10-07T23:10:00.010+02:002020-11-02T20:52:25.525+01:00 Fair taxation: Member States update EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-3g2YClDduTtzt1CuQhxzEaFCwZ5oMH_B5yYHW_2a8H4hvims0x-MHvwxFD7qXoL4phVmbrkm4NQc3lYCBDNiT9G11eI_VDH6dEgBcCn11kHdZgrdUWszedwT9UWyAFl_jpcHDyqIqko/s756/fairtax.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="756" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-3g2YClDduTtzt1CuQhxzEaFCwZ5oMH_B5yYHW_2a8H4hvims0x-MHvwxFD7qXoL4phVmbrkm4NQc3lYCBDNiT9G11eI_VDH6dEgBcCn11kHdZgrdUWszedwT9UWyAFl_jpcHDyqIqko/w604-h215/fairtax.jpg" width="604" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #454545; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EU Member States </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">added</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> two countries – </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Barbados and Anguilla</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> – to the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. Both jurisdictions were added to the list due to tax transparency concerns. At the same time, the EU has now </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">completely delisted the Cayman Islands</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">Oman</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, since they have now delivered on their pending commitments to remove a harmful tax regime and increase tax transparency respectively. Today’s update keeps the number of constituents of the EU list at 12: </span></div></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>American Samoa</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Anguilla</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Barbados</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Fiji</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Guam</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Palau</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Panama</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Samoa</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Seychelles</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Trinidad and Tobago</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Vanuatu </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">US Virgin Islands</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Under the EU listing process, jurisdictions are assessed against three main criteria – tax transparency, fair taxation and real economic activity. Those that fall short on any of these criteria are asked for a commitment to address the deficiencies within a set deadline, and run the risk of being added to the list of non-cooperative jurisdictions if these commitments are not met. That said, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Member States again decided to grant certain extensions to some countries on the current ‘grey list’ to fulfil the commitments they have taken. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #454545;">This is the first update of the list since the </span><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1334"><span class="s1" style="color: #e4af09;">Commission announced plans in July</span></a><span style="color: #454545;"> to review the geographic scope and criteria of the listing process, and to evaluate the defensive measures currently being applied by the EU and individual Member States against listed countries and territories.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: #454545;"> </span></span></p>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-27001629154827187472020-10-06T20:28:00.003+02:002020-11-02T20:36:45.343+01:00EU’s plastic strategy at risk, warn EU Auditors<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://brusselsmorning.com/2020/10/06/eus-plastic-strategy-at-risk-warn-eu-auditors/" target="_blank">Article published in Brussels Morning</a></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzthfUEG1LG8Bo_R9YXC4bdHHvH8e9ILygMwQIBRaXR5pt_qcs2M5WpvpE1U7MIQH7nqagmJ8CPHWhfU25MXPT0XMYoiWWeJIUuNa6FV-zG3mnDlkzGFxwuQDj4A7O1Z-cmL0JxRn5LAGj/s750/EU-plastic-750x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="750" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzthfUEG1LG8Bo_R9YXC4bdHHvH8e9ILygMwQIBRaXR5pt_qcs2M5WpvpE1U7MIQH7nqagmJ8CPHWhfU25MXPT0XMYoiWWeJIUuNa6FV-zG3mnDlkzGFxwuQDj4A7O1Z-cmL0JxRn5LAGj/w661-h331/EU-plastic-750x375.jpg" width="661" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) published a review claiming “there is a significant risk that the EU will not meet its plastic packaging recycling targets for 2025 and 2030.” At stake is the EU Action to tackle plastic packaging waste under the European Green Deal (EGD). In the EU, more than 60% of plastic waste still comes from packaging, but only 40% of that packaging is recycled. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Describing the new recycling targets for plastic packaging as “a daunting challenge”, Samo Jereb, the Member of the ECA responsible for the review, pointed out how the EU must reverse the current practice “whereby we incinerate more than we recycle.” He noted pointedly that by “resuscitating single-use habits amid sanitary concerns, the COVID pandemic shows that plastics will continue to be a mainstay of our economies, but also an ever-growing environmental threat.”</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The European Commission (EC) adopted its plastics strategy in 2018, updating the 1994 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and doubling the current recycling target to 50% by 2025 and to 55% by 2030.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">However, according to the ECA, nearly a third of the Union’s reported plastic packaging recycling rate is achieved through reliance on shipments to non-EU countries for recycling. As of January 2021, under the soon to be enforced Basel Convention, most plastic waste shipments will be banned. This, combined with the lack of capacity to treat plastic waste within the EU, constitutes another risk to achieving the new targets.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Commission’s delicate ambitions</b></span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On 11 March, the European Commission (EC) published its “New Circular Economy Action Plan” listing some 50 actions to combat the ever-growing plastic waste being generated by humans. One of the most positive actions is the pledge to develop new measures on making products more sustainable. To achieve this, on 15 September, the EC launched the “Sustainable products initiative” which aims at revising the Eco design directive. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The objective is to not only to design a good strategy but also how to operationalize it effectively from a financial and infrastructural perspective. Frans Timmermans, the EU Commissioner in charge of the Green Deal, will elaborate on this at the Budapest Climate Summit when he talks about how the Commission intends to deliver on its green goals. Soon, the EU executive is expected to launch a renewed sustainable finance strategy, a crucial initiative that will outline how to underwrite the sustainable transition.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In 2018, the EC put forward “A European Strategy for plastics in the circular economy — Local and regional dimension” in line with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Shortly afterwards, In December 2018, the Commission created the Circular Plastics Alliance to help plastics value chains boost the EU market for recycled plastics to 10 million tonnes by 2025. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In 2015, Jean-Claude Junker’s Commission delivered the circular economy action plan, which outlined the bloc’s first ecological objectives. These covered the cycle from production and consumption, to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. The EU’s circular economy gained momentum with the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Rethink Plastic Alliance calls for more</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">However, despite all the green initiatives and its green ambitions, NGOs ask for more from the EU exectutive. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Rethink Plastic Alliance welcomed the Commission’s plans to curb plastic pollution but it showed reservations, in particular with regards as to how the Commission intends to set a policy framework for bio-based and biodegradable plastics. “These plastics, which are too often pushed as a solution, are mostly applied as single-use materials with similar environmental impacts to conventional plastics, especially in the ocean,” they warned.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Alliance accused the Commission of confounding consumers by referring to a “direct substitution of conventional plastics with bio-based and biodegradable plastics” claiming that it will “amount to greenwashing.” The plastics network called on the EC to develop EU legislative measures to address pollution from all primary microplastics.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">EU’s watchdog remains sceptical </span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The EU’s watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has raised questions regarding the overall “official version” of the EGD. “The fingerprints of industry, and in particular the fossil fuel industry, can be seen all over the EGD,” the CEO reports in a research paper.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“In spite of all its rhetoric, the EGD does not seek to transform, but rather to accommodate, the status quo. It does not rethink the economic system that is the root cause of the climate, ecological, and financial crises. It continues to promote economic growth while seeking to manage the environmental and social impact,” the CEO analysis declared.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The EU watchdog body noted that the EGD is the number one most lobbied-on topic in Brussels, pointing out how, in the first 100 days after the Green Deal was announced on 11 December 2019, key members of the Commission in charge of the deal met with business interest representatives 151 times, roughly 11 meetings a week. “They only met 29 times with public interest representatives, which is about two meetings a week,” CEO commented.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“The fossil fuel industry wants the EGD to focus on ‘solutions’ that allow them to keep their business model, based on the extraction and production of fossil fuels, or at least to control the energy transition as much as they can, making sure they can keep profiting from it.”</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">However, the update of the EC’s legal framework for plastic recycling in 2018 does reflect the EU’s increased ambitions and it could help boost plastics recycling capacity. The scale of the challenge facing Member States should not be underestimated. EU auditors strongly call on concerted action to get the EU on a good track within the coming five-to-ten years.</span></p>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-27856216975623997652020-10-02T20:33:00.001+02:002020-11-02T20:35:54.128+01:00Commission urged to look into Amazon’s alleged spying on workers<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://brusselsmorning.com/2020/10/02/commission-urged-to-look-into-amazons-alleged-spying-on-workers/" target="_blank">Article published in Brussels Mornin</a>g</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnl_YFNVW9vhHuat9Xfipr6rk3_KpNLzg_GUSezDeNaL7brUNNp5KQ8rPRKc-Byu-9r76mvh8IH0VaPyzasCKsYmihr_uW9LNaUHYshlZInxPFBpLoaYPEoeDWygi6R8smjIpDwpO8hgR/s600/Commission-urged-to-look-into-Amazons-alleged-spying-on-workers-600x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnl_YFNVW9vhHuat9Xfipr6rk3_KpNLzg_GUSezDeNaL7brUNNp5KQ8rPRKc-Byu-9r76mvh8IH0VaPyzasCKsYmihr_uW9LNaUHYshlZInxPFBpLoaYPEoeDWygi6R8smjIpDwpO8hgR/w589-h368/Commission-urged-to-look-into-Amazons-alleged-spying-on-workers-600x375.jpg" width="589" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The European Commission has received an appeal from trade unions to investigate Amazon’s efforts to spy on employees, the Guardian reported yesterday. The complaint was sent to Commissioners Nicolas Schmit and Thierry Breton, in charge of jobs and social rights and the internal market, respectively. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At stake are claims, initially reported by Vice in early September, that Amazon has been engaged in surveillance activities that amount to spying on its workers’ private and public social media groups in an effort to prevent them from banding together against the online giant. The joint request from the trade unions cites Amazon’s alleged attempt to spy on workers as “potentially illegal”. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Amazon’s plans to ramp up surveillance of workers across Europe and globally are yet another reminder that EU institutions should closely investigate Amazon’s business and workplace practices throughout the continent, as we suspect them to be in breach of European labour, data and privacy laws that our citizens expect to enjoy,” the letter to the Commission stated, according to the Guardian report.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the UK alone, the company’s total permanent workforce numbers more than 40,000 employees, according to Amazon’s website. In Germany, the total number of permanent employees exceeded 18,000 in 2018. In June this year, the German trade union Verdi urged Amazon workers to engage in a 48 hours strike to “step up the pace” of wage negotiations.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Amazon, a tale of servitude</span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The online giant retailer has often been on the spotlight accused of deplorable company policies. Several Amazon employees have come forward with complaints about the lack of basic benefits and protections, including sick leave. Adding to its poor corporate reputation, a recent investigative report from the Centre for Investigative Reporting concluded that Amazon employees suffer more work-related injuries than the industry average. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the early onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Amazon employees in the US protested about the scarcity of hand sanitizer, gloves and masks at warehouses. Numbers of workers took to the streets to protest for better conditions. As a result, some were fired, it being claimed that disrespected “social distancing guidelines”. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In March, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced a USD25 million relief fund for workers who contracted COVID-19 during the pandemic. A week later, the company also announced it was donating USD1 million to four foundations in the larger Washington DC area to help pandemic relief efforts. On 2 April, Bezos pledged to give USD100 million to Feeding America, a non-profit organisation which runs food banks across the United States.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bezos’ cash cow</b></span></h3><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The company has registering record profits amidst the pandemic. Between April and May 2020, Amazon recorded nearly USD89 billion in sales and USD5 billion in profits, according to Vox. Charitable or philanthropic disbursements by Bezos back in March and April represent a pittance compared to what he has made since the pandemic began. His net worth is currently estimated at USD175.3 billion, roughly Euros 150 billion. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“The company should spend its record-breaking profits not on sleek public relations campaigns but on workers’ benefits,” wrote Maha Hilal for Al Jazeera. In April, Hilal reported, Amazon executives had sought to prevent unionisation, a recurring feature in the Bezos business model.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The EC Commission is already conducting anti-trust investigations into Amazon’s role as an online platform. The question now is will the EU executive intensify pressure on the world’s reportedly richest man?</span></p>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-37407738611840880932020-09-16T09:20:00.015+02:002020-11-02T20:46:50.679+01:00Von der Leyen delivers first State of the European Union <p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W064C5RO6bxv8O8xYQJpaKdXH8NwIaXngES7jM7wrgZhdvY7q4UaQIKD7qY3KpS1ncXRAZVzrAW4uFBnVYJaPZYcO1YonOpZ5oWv7mtTwHbQi0d8mwNVaULtM-9s_ZQ1W0sq7SBLOBcZ/s899/soteu-vdl-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="899" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W064C5RO6bxv8O8xYQJpaKdXH8NwIaXngES7jM7wrgZhdvY7q4UaQIKD7qY3KpS1ncXRAZVzrAW4uFBnVYJaPZYcO1YonOpZ5oWv7mtTwHbQi0d8mwNVaULtM-9s_ZQ1W0sq7SBLOBcZ/w453-h303/soteu-vdl-1.jpg" width="453" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today, the Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen addressed her first “State of the European Union” (SOTEU) speech before the European Parliament. The annual discourse, which started early in the morning, focused inevitably on the COVID-19 crisis and its impact in Europe. On top of a rather unpredictable health crisis and an imminent Brexit, Europe is now dealing with violence on its neighbourhood and recurring migrant crisis insists on showing Europe’s fragilities.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Next week, we will put forward the New Pact on Migration. We'll take a human and humane approach. Saving lives at sea is not optional and those countries who fulfill their legal and moral duties or are more exposed than others, must be able to rely on the solidarity of our whole EU,” said von der Leyen.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before the impossibility of ignoring the pandemic that has affected worldwide economies, societies and ways of living, von der Leyen’s introductory notes focused on the challenges that COVID-19 have brought to Europe and how to get out of this health crisis with greater resilience. “We need to built a stronger European health Union,” delivered the president during the speech on Wednesday. Von der Leyen announced the upcoming empowerment of the European Medicines Agency and the ECDC, as well as a discussion regarding health competences. A Global Health summit was announced for the next year, in Italy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Overall, a more resilient Europe means stronger economies and welfare systems ready to respond to people’s needs. Von der Leyen tried to reassure roughly 440 million citizens that instruments such as the Multiannual Financial Framework will boost the continent’s shape and help member states to get back on the recovery track.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Despite the significance of each of the Commission’s endeavours, the European Green Deal has attracted particular attention as it is poised to revamp the entire economy and finance in Europe. In fact, the EU is striving to be the first climate-neutral continent in the world and it hopes to inspire other nations to follow the lead.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The digital upgrade in Europe is another top priority. In late July, the EU’s Innovation and Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel informed that developing digital competencies throughout the EU as well as encouraging gender equality in the bloc’s digital economy are two key areas that the Commission will seek to promote as part of the upcoming revamped Digital Education Action Plan.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Essentially, overall recovery will need strong policy direction, as well as investment. This prediction was outlined in greater detail in the Communication on Europe’s Recovery Plan. It was further reflected with new proposals mentioned in the Commission’s Letter of Intent to the European Parliament and Council on the occasion of the SOTEU. Finally, these will feature as part of a well-developed Commission Work Programme for 2021, to be adopted in October 2020. </span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The SOTEU was first introduced ten years ago, after the Lisbon Treaty entered into force. Since then, it became a famous yearly ceremony, connecting the work developed by the EU and its citizens. </span></p>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-56381247143376166072020-09-14T23:24:00.008+02:002020-11-02T20:39:38.037+01:00EU's Anti-Fraud Office delivers 2019 report<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqfUvU4Lsh9cAjghuc4v7yufG06Ra58mDhPDyn1Xl9JAk_N9c9E8X7qmHpSUypMYJ45puX2CkL3Oea3win2-fLMs2u3g7Y-1aWcVt1yhxJ55YkbSoeoVAjTfckFJMRpVyOMczXlsk2btB/s1200/olaf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="1200" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqfUvU4Lsh9cAjghuc4v7yufG06Ra58mDhPDyn1Xl9JAk_N9c9E8X7qmHpSUypMYJ45puX2CkL3Oea3win2-fLMs2u3g7Y-1aWcVt1yhxJ55YkbSoeoVAjTfckFJMRpVyOMczXlsk2btB/w625-h273/olaf.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <b>European Anti-Fraud Office </b>(OLAF) released yesterday ”The OLAF report 2019”, summarizing the main achievements on their efforts to tackle fraud, corruption and mismanagement within the Union. According to the 60-page document, in 2019 alone, OLAF has recommended the recovery of €485 million to the EU budget. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Some of the most striking trends revealed by OLAF investigations during the course of 2019 include collusion and manipulation of procurement, cross-border schemes that make detection more difficult, frequent targeting of projects in third countries, continued targeting of research funding and finally, smuggling and counterfeiting involving complex cross-border networks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">“We stand ready to deploy our arsenal of tools to ensure that not a cent of the EU budget is lost to fraud, that EU businesses do not suffer unfair competition from cheap substandard imports that do not pay taxes and that EU citizens are safe from dangerous products, including those that they increasingly buy online,” stated OLAF’s Director-General <b>Ville Itälä</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As stated in their annual report, in 2019, OLAF concluded 181 investigations issuing a total of 254 recommendations to the relevant national and EU authorities. The EU’s Anti-Fraud bureau opened 223 new investigations, following 1174 preliminary analyses carried out by OLAF experts. In addition to investigation and coordination efforts, OLAF planned or provided support to 13 joint customs operations which led to significant progress in its bids to fight the illegal trade in tobacco products by helping national authorities seize more than 251.4 million cigarettes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">EU's watchdogs call for more transparency</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Nevertheless, major issues remain to be addressed. Back in June, the EU watchdog <b>Corporate Europe Observatory </b>(CEO) and <b>Global Health Advocates</b> (GHA), delivered two reports condemning the way the EU is funding scientific research. The first report is called “More private than public: the ways Big Pharma dominates the Innovative Medicines Initiative”, and the second, “Research & Destroy: the factories of the industrial bioeconomy threaten the climate and biodiversity”.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">According to these reports developed by <b>Martin Pigeon</b> (CEO) and <b>Marine Ejuryan</b> (GHA), industrial lobbies have managed to control the use of at least 3.6 billion of euro in European public research funds in the guise of innovation.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">According to the authors, the reports reveal that “these lobby groups have prevented partnerships from meaningfully investing into research projects that address societal challenges such as epidemic preparedness or to invest in viable climate solutions; the EU research funds were mostly used to fund their own commercially profitable research projects instead.”</span></div></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-35962011177812820972020-09-09T21:36:00.001+02:002020-09-09T21:36:35.969+02:00DAY 3 Joe Lauria's Daily Report on Assange Extradition Hearing<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ye3P6DUTZJU" width="480"></iframe></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-38217503594865318562020-05-20T21:41:00.001+02:002020-05-20T21:41:17.308+02:00The strange new world of Nanoscience, narrated by Stephen Fry<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/70ba1DByUmM" width="555"></iframe></div>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-14783112239308092442020-04-23T14:45:00.002+02:002021-11-19T16:51:00.615+01:00A "WALL" was Found At The Edge Of Our Solar System<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qYgIfpsEPiU" width="555"></iframe></div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-1927846800562440542020-04-20T10:09:00.001+02:002020-11-02T20:40:04.205+01:00EU toolbox to guide Member States on the ethical use of mobile apps to fight COVID-19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OjYEdKD4VxtNbiJY6sFfCmqilMb5YguFt4WQ4qsUQYMn2tUGB06u4HGLMrDasWBq1pOP5ApNTvtdGxHGurt-QJ7HAA_qa0jW5FegjCn2npr0DPRz6oJ4sug5ZJcKgJePA6j5YTKXia79/s1600/ai+covid19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OjYEdKD4VxtNbiJY6sFfCmqilMb5YguFt4WQ4qsUQYMn2tUGB06u4HGLMrDasWBq1pOP5ApNTvtdGxHGurt-QJ7HAA_qa0jW5FegjCn2npr0DPRz6oJ4sug5ZJcKgJePA6j5YTKXia79/s640/ai+covid19.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
On
April 15th, the e-Health Network branch of the European Commission published
the EU toolbox: “<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/ehealth/docs/covid-19_apps_en.pdf"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><b>Mobile
applications to support contact tracing in the EU’s fight against COVID-19</b></span></a>”.
This communications aims at guiding Member States on how to best use mobile
apps to tackle COVID-19 while safeguarding data privacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The
common approach aims to exploit the latest privacy-enhancing technological
solutions that enable at-risk individuals to be contacted and, if necessarily,
to be tested as quickly as possible, regardless of where they are and the app
they are using. It explains the essential requirements for national apps,
namely that they be:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">voluntary;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">approved
by the national health authority;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">privacy-preserving
- personal data is securely encrypted; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">dismantled
as soon as no longer needed.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
Mobile
apps have potential to bolster contact tracing strategies to contain and
reverse the spread of COVID-19. EU Member States are converging towards
effective app solutions that minimise the processing of personal data, and
recognise that interoperability between these apps can support public health
authorities and support the reopening of the EU’s internal borders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
Member
States agreed on April 16th that COVID-19 mobile applications should not
process the location data of individuals, because "it is not necessary nor
recommended for the purpose of contact tracing".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
"Collecting
an individual's movements in the context of contact tracing apps would create
major security and privacy issues," states <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/ehealth/docs/covid-19_apps_en.pdf"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">the EU
toolbox adopted</span></a> by EU countries and supported by the
European Commission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The
EU toolbox was delivered following the European Commission’s <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/recommendation-apps-contact-tracing_en"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">recommendation</span></a>,
released on April 8th, on apps for contact tracing. This recommendation
reflects on a common Union toolbox for the use of technology and data in order
to combat and exit from the COVID-19 crisis, in particular concerning mobile
applications and the use of anonymised mobility data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The <a href="https://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=13794563&msgid=422967&act=7Z1Z&c=1332629&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Finfo%2Ffiles%2Frecommendation-apps-contact-tracing_en&cf=22405&v=88d5c1df21e0813f32892f81a21f34ed8384dd2a64ebc7e636fbd0dd7e55a094"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">recommendation</span></a> sets
out a process towards the adoption with the Member States of a toolbox,
focusing on two dimensions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A
pan-European coordinated approach for the use of mobile applications
for empowering citizens to take effective and more targeted social
distancing measures and for warning, preventing and contact
tracing; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A common
approach for modelling and predicting the evolution of
the virus through anonymised and aggregated mobile location data.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
Additionally,
on April 16th, the Commission published <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_670"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">the EU
approach for efficient contact tracing apps</span></a> to support gradual
lifting of confinement measures. Also on April 16th, the European Commission
published <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/5_en_act_part1_v3.pdf"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">guidance</span></a> on
the development of new apps that support the fight against coronavirus in
relation to data protection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
Since
the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Member States, backed by the Commission,
have been assessing the effectiveness, security, privacy, and data protection
aspects of digital solutions to address the crisis. Contact tracing apps, if
fully compliant with EU rules and well coordinated, can play a key role in all
phases of crisis management, especially when time will be ripe to gradually
lift social distancing measures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The
Commission guidance sets out features and requirements which apps should meet
to ensure compliance with EU privacy and personal data protection legislation,
in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
the ePrivacy Directive. However, the guidance is not legally binding. It
is without prejudice to the role of the Court of Justice of the EU, which is
the only institution that can give authoritative interpretation of EU law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The
present guidance addresses only voluntary apps supporting the fight against
COVID 19 pandemic (apps downloaded, installed and used on a voluntary basis by
individuals) with one or several of the following functionalities:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Provide
accurate information to individuals about the COVID-19 pandemic;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Provide
questionnaires for self-assessment and for guidance to individuals (symptom
checker functionality);</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alert
persons who have been in proximity for a certain duration to an infected
person, in order to provide information such as whether to self-quarantine and
where to get tested (contact tracing and warning functionality);</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Provide
a communication forum between patients and doctors in situation of
self-isolation or where further diagnosis and treatment advice is provided
(increased use of telemedicine).</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
This
guidance does not cover apps aimed at enforcing quarantine requirements
(including those which are mandatory).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
By
the end of April 2020: Member States with the Commission will seek
clarifications on the solution proposed by Google and Apple with regard to
contact tracing functionality on Android and iOS in order to ensure that their
initiative is compatible with the EU common approach.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-82081795564110144492020-04-19T09:23:00.001+02:002020-04-19T09:38:56.660+02:00Shoshana Zuboff on surveillance capitalism | VPRO Documentary<div style="text-align: center;">
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'“Surveillance
capitalism,” Zuboff writes, “unilaterally claims human experience as free raw
material for translation into behavioural data. Although some of these data are
applied to service improvement, the rest are declared as a proprietary behavioural
surplus, fed into advanced manufacturing processes known as ‘machine
intelligence’, and fabricated into prediction products that
anticipate what you will do now, soon, and later. Finally, these prediction
products are traded in a new kind of marketplace that I call behavioural
futures markets. Surveillance capitalists have grown immensely wealthy from
these trading operations, for many companies are willing to lay bets on our
future behaviour.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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While
the general modus operandi of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/google"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Google</span></a>, Facebook et al has
been known and understood (at least by some people) for a while, what has been
missing – and what Zuboff provides – is the insight and scholarship to situate
them in a wider context. She points out that while most of us think that we are
dealing merely with algorithmic inscrutability, in fact what confronts us is
the latest phase in capitalism’s long evolution – from the making of products,
to mass production, to managerial capitalism, to services, to financial
capitalism, and now to the exploitation of behavioural predictions covertly
derived from the surveillance of users. In that sense, her vast (660-page) book
is a continuation of a tradition that includes Adam Smith, Max Weber, Karl
Polanyi and – dare I say it – Karl Marx.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Viewed
from this perspective, the behaviour of the digital giants looks rather
different from the roseate hallucinations of Wired magazine. What one
sees instead is a colonising ruthlessness of which John D Rockefeller would
have been proud. First of all there was the arrogant appropriation of users’
behavioural data – viewed as a free resource, there for the taking. Then the
use of patented methods to extract or infer data even when users had explicitly
denied permission, followed by the use of technologies that were opaque by
design and fostered user ignorance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And,
of course, there is also the fact that the entire project was conducted in what
was effectively lawless – or at any rate law-free – territory. Thus Google
decided that it would digitise and store every book ever printed, regardless of
copyright issues. Or that it would photograph every street and house on the
planet without asking anyone’s permission. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook_Beacon" title=""><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Facebook
launched its infamous “beacons”,</span></a> which reported a user’s online
activities and published them to others’ news feeds without the knowledge of
the user. And so on, in accordance with the disrupter’s mantra that “it is
easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission”.'<o:p></o:p></div>
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themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-13618396915114898542020-04-10T11:44:00.000+02:002020-04-19T11:50:19.158+02:00Documentary: The Crisis of Science (The Corbett Report)<div style="text-align: center;">
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In 2015 a study from the Institute of Diet and Health with some surprising results launched a slew of click bait articles with explosive headlines: “Chocolate accelerates weight loss” insisted <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/567211/Chocolate-weight-loss-lowers-blood-cholesterol-aids-better-sleep"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">one</span></a> such headline.</div>
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“Scientists say eating chocolate can help you lose weight” declared <a href="https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/scientists-say-eating-chocolate-can-help-you-lose-weight-669617.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">another</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Lose 10% More Weight By Eating A Chocolate Bar Every Day…No Joke!” promised yet <a href="https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--M2ETWfop--/1281238327497523746.jpg"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">another</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was just one problem: This was a joke.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The head researcher of the study, “Johannes Bohannon,” <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-1707251800"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">took to io9</span></a> in May of that year to reveal that his name was actually John Bohannon, the “Institute of Diet and Health” was in fact nothing more than a website, and the study showing the magical weight loss effects of chocolate consumption was bogus. The hoax was the brainchild of a German television reporter who wanted to “demonstrate just how easy it is to turn bad science into the big headlines behind diet fads.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Given how widely the study’s surprising conclusion was publicized—from the pages of <a href="https://youtu.be/8wQEYoyCU-g?t=55"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Bild</span></a>, Europe’s largest daily newspaper to the TV sets of viewers in Texas and <a href="https://youtu.be/-35dij13n-U?t=1528"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Australia</span></a>—that demonstration was remarkably successful. But although it’s tempting to write this story off as a demonstration about gullible journalists and the scientific illiteracy of the press, the hoax serves as a window into a much larger, much more troubling story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That story is The Crisis of Science. This is <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">The Corbett Report</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What makes the chocolate weight loss study so revealing isn’t that it was completely fake; it’s that in an important sense it wasn’t fake. Bohannes really did conduct a weight loss study and the data really does support the conclusion that subjects who ate chocolate on a low-carb diet lose weight faster than those on a non-chocolate diet. In fact, the chocolate dieters even had better cholesterol readings. The trick was all in how the data was interpreted and reported.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As Bohannes explained in his post-hoax confession:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Here’s a dirty little science secret: If you measure a large number of things about a small number of people, you are almost guaranteed to get a ‘statistically significant’ result. Our study included 18 different measurements—weight, cholesterol, sodium, blood protein levels, sleep quality, well-being, etc.—from 15 people. (One subject was dropped.) That study design is a recipe for false positives.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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You see, finding a “s<b>tatistically significant result</b>” sounds impressive and helps scientists to get their paper published in high-impact journals, but “statistical significance” is in fact <b>easy to fake</b>. If, like Bohannes, you use a small sample size and measure for 18 different variables, it’s almost impossible not to find some “statistically significant” result. Scientists know this, and the process of sifting through data to find “<b>statistically significant</b>” (but ultimately meaningless) results is so common that it has its own name: “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359000/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>p-hacking</b></span></a>” or “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124898/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;"><b>data dredging</b></span></a>.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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But p-hacking only scrapes the surface of the problem. From confounding factors to normalcy bias to publication pressures to outright fraud, the once-pristine image of science and scientists as an impartial font of knowledge about the world has been seriously undermined over the past decade.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although these types of problems are by no means new, they came into vogue when J<b>ohn Ioannidis</b>, a physician, researcher and writer at the <b>Stanford Prevention Research Center,</b> rocked the scientific community with his landmark paper “<b><a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Why Most Published Research Findings Are False</span></a>.</b>” The 2005 paper addresses head on the concern that “most current published research findings are false,” asserting that “for many current scientific fields, claimed research findings may often be simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias.” The paper has achieved iconic status, becoming the most downloaded paper in the Public Library of Science and launching a conversation about false results, fake data, bias, manipulation and fraud in science that continues to this day.<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/sciencecrisis/">The Corbett Report</a></div>
</div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-82083204388064703472020-04-08T21:58:00.003+02:002020-04-08T22:00:06.854+02:00Whistleblower Rui Pinto leaves jail and will cooperate with the Judiciary Police<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnKlyCLgZCTWxKjB_hg300dc4lbF0v8Q-GZd0UVHta1j_Pd_2DEmpvmtrLS7rKgkBo1geQ3gejM_7WQFSW5KsUbIjqNHiK6HWEbXY7YXk4oBwhAzCpKwDEKWGME6YeYv1xXjlvlZs5EB1/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-04-08+at+21.55.07.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="601" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnKlyCLgZCTWxKjB_hg300dc4lbF0v8Q-GZd0UVHta1j_Pd_2DEmpvmtrLS7rKgkBo1geQ3gejM_7WQFSW5KsUbIjqNHiK6HWEbXY7YXk4oBwhAzCpKwDEKWGME6YeYv1xXjlvlZs5EB1/s640/Screen+Shot+2020-04-08+at+21.55.07.png" width="600" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.dn.pt/pais/hacker-rui-pinto-sai-da-cadeia-e-fica-a-guarda-da-pj-12036588.html">Source</a> (in Portuguese)</span></div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-2608630057484419432020-03-25T11:01:00.001+01:002020-11-02T20:40:39.325+01:00What if internet by satellite were to lead to congestion in orbit?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMa9X37yzKniYzY12OEMCYUZKkSfLfkXTvGRgFPXwC2mBr6cmG9_645ekli_YO_gUA21tLVSDdO3XRwKhNMe3xbxgOgwg-jVSUCJN6hI-IC8nz_izsDi2Q6r9JBjTCXwAbnyX9lLZ3tOF/s1600/satcom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="582" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMa9X37yzKniYzY12OEMCYUZKkSfLfkXTvGRgFPXwC2mBr6cmG9_645ekli_YO_gUA21tLVSDdO3XRwKhNMe3xbxgOgwg-jVSUCJN6hI-IC8nz_izsDi2Q6r9JBjTCXwAbnyX9lLZ3tOF/s640/satcom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Internet
satellite companies, such as Starlink, OneWeb and Blue Origin (Amazon), aim at
providing global internet access via satellites. This will bring many benefits
to citizens, isolated regions and the global economy, but what if internet
satellites collide with other satellites? What if an internet satellite company
becomes the next internet monopoly? What if satellite debris hits people on the
ground?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Throughout
history, humans have developed ways of communicating and transferring knowledge
over long distances, from transmitting public information via smoke signals and
sending private messages via homing pigeons to developing modern
telecommunication technologies, with the internet at the top of the list. The
internet is a global network of interconnected computers that communicate with
each other by sending and receiving signals. Although the military used the
internet as early asthe 1960s (<b>ARPANET</b>), it took until the 1990s to
commercialise the network for the public. The internet is provided at local level
by different organisations that serve limited geographical areas either via
wire (fibre optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless connections. The
organisations that connect end-users to the internet are known as <b>internet
service providers</b> (ISPs).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Starlink</b>
aims at providing worldwide high-speed internet access via thousands of
satellites. The project is run by an American aerospace company, <b>SpaceX</b>, which
plans to serve North America by 2020 and the rest of the globe by 2021. In
October 2019, paperwork for an additional 30 000 satellites was filed, on top
of 12 000 that have already been approved by the United States <b>Federal
Communications Commission</b> (FCC). Once approved, the FCC will submit these
filings to the <b>International Telecommunication Union</b> (ITU), the United Nations
agency that coordinates telecommunications at international level. Although
launching a great number of satellites was hitherto considered an expensive
option, SpaceX benefits from its relatively cheap launchers due to its success
in developing reusable rockets. The revenue from Starlink will be invested in
SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk's goal of colonising Mars. Europe has long been
interested in Mars exploration, and the European Union supports missions to
Mars via the European Space Agency (<b>Aurora</b> and <b>ExoMars</b>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Potential
impacts and developments</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">With
the explosive spread of digital transformation, the internet has become a vital
element of human life, from contacting people and shopping online to
controlling internet-connected devices. Nevertheless, half of the world's
population still has no internet access, and many areas in the world, including
oceans and remote islands, are not easily accessible. Global internet access
would therefore not only connect isolated regions of the planet to the internet
but also provide dense cities with high-speed internet of low latency (the
delay between sending a signal and receiving a response). This would have a
positive impact in various sectors, including the following examples. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>Every <b>internet of things</b>(IoT) device needs the
internet to communicate. For example, medical devices could access the internet
to contact an ambulance, and self-driving cars could access the internet to
pick the best route. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>Rural areas, which historically suffer from a
lack of services, could accelerate their development. Moreover, children in
these areas would have access to online education.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In the ocean, fishermen and sailors could access
the internet easily, and the availability of the internet would help in ocean
governance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>Internet coverage in <b>farming</b> would allow for
more information transfer, and increase capabilities for planting, harvesting
and other activities in the food cycle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Global internet access would open new markets
for internet technologies, as well as boost the creative industries. It is
worth mentioning that internet satellites could be a cheaper solution for 5G
deployment than replacing ground infrastructure. For example, it is estimated
that shifting to 5G in the USA using fibre optics will cost US$130–150 billion,
whereas the entire Starlink project will only cost around US$10 billion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Some
technical risks arise from the life cycle of satellites and the nature of
satellite communications. Signals transferred in an open medium (air or space) are
easier to interrupt and could be collected by unintended receivers, although
decrypting the signal would have to take place before accessing useful
information. At the end of its life, <b>an internet satellite turns into
uncontrolled space debris that contaminates space and can potentially cause
collisions</b>. While there are projects that aim at removing debris from space,
such as <b>RemoveDEBRIS</b> and <b>ESA ADR</b>, Starlink satellites are designed to avoid
contamination of space by <b>burning up in Earth's atmosphere</b>, which results,
however, in fragments that could reach the ground. In addition, astronomers are
concerned that the growing number of satellites obscures their view of the
Universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Since
covering the globe with internet via satellites implies <b>no escape from exposure
to electromagnetic waves</b>, there are <b>concerns about the health impacts of the
radiation</b>. Although the <b>relation between cancer and telecommunication waves is
controversial</b>, it is agreed that the risks depend on the <b>type of wave and the
intensity of radiation</b>. International standards, set by the <b>International
Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection</b> (ICNIRP), define radiation
exposure limits. The EU rules on electromagnetic fields are laid down in
<b>Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC</b>, based on the ICNIRP guidelines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Data
has grown exponentially in recent years, and globalising internet connectivity
would boost the already tremendous growth of data. However, storing massive
amounts of data comes at a cost: it consumes energy, much of which contributes
to carbon emissions. Moreover, the machine-learning industry is hungry to
develop what can be sold as artificial intelligence by mining these data using
intensive computing power. Having thousands of satellites in space would
intersect with European space projects and would require coordination of
satellites in order to avoid collisions between European and internet
satellites. In September 2019, the <b>European Space Agency performed an evasive
manoeuvre to avoid a potential collision with SpaceX</b>, demonstrating an urgent
need for space traffic management with more intelligent control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As
internet infrastructure (cell towers or fibre optic cables) is expensive to
build, it is not easy to break the monopoly of the current players in the
market. <b>If successful, internet satellites would break the present ISP
monopoly, but might perhaps replace it with another monopoly. A global internet
satellite service would also weaken the potential for internet censorship
compared to the present situation</b>, where local authorities control internet
access by blocking websites or even shutting down the internet via national
ISPs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Anticipatory
policy-making</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As
internet satellites are not deployed in air space, but in outer space, which
according to international law, is <b>free for use by all states and thus not
subject to a claim of sovereignty</b>. However, international space law enforces
liability for any damage caused by space objects and obliges states to avoid
harmful contamination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It
is advisable that future <b>EU space policy</b> consider the swift development of
internet satellites. It is vital that EU legislation is reviewed with an eye on
the <b>potential risks such as the health impacts</b>, the <b>internet monopoly</b>, <b>signal
disturbances by destructive interference</b>, and the consequences of <b>satellite
debris</b>. Some of these issues (i.e. signal disturbances and satellite debris)
were addressed in the Commission's proposal for the Space Programme in 2018. A
critical issue is the balance between the risks and gains, especially the
tradeoff between the security of the European Union and catching up with
competitive technological advances. The security aspects include ensuring the
robustness of communications and the ISPs' compliance with the EU's General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Additionally, handling soft impacts is also
needed, perhaps by pushing ICT industries towards cleaner energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><!--EndFragment--><i><span>This article was written by <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2020/641523/EPRS_ATA(2020)641523_EN.pdf">Science and Technology Options Assessment </a>Committee of the European Parliament.</span></i></span>themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-46097389128768427012020-02-28T10:12:00.001+01:002020-11-02T20:40:58.456+01:00White Paper on Artificial Intelligence<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">
The
European Commission has launched on February 19 a White Paper on “<b>Artificial
Intelligence – A European approach to excellence and trust</b>” which is open for
consultation until May 19. This document builds up on existing documents such
as the “<b>Report: Artificial Intelligence a European perspective</b>” from 5 December
2018, the “<b>Coordinated Plan on AI</b>” from 7 December 2018, and the “<b>Political
guidelines for 2019-2024</b>” launched by the new president of the Commission,
Ursula von der Leyen.<br />
<br />
With
this White Paper, the European Commission aims to be at the forefront of the
next (industrial) data wave by creating a so-called "ecosystem of
excellence" and "ecosystem of trust" to boost the uptake of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and address the risks associated with certain uses
of this new technology.<br />
<br />
The
White Paper on AI outlines Europe’s plans to regulate the Artificial
Intelligence sector, adding to and expanding on the Commission’s aims
to better prepare Europe for the digital age. Additionally, the White
Paper contains the Commission’s framework for a formal regulatory body focused
on AI, but doesn’t propose specific rules or laws to be adopted.<br />
<br />
Overall,
the White Paper recognises the opportunities AI presents to Europe’s
digital economy and its different sectors, and presents the Commission’s vision
for a coordinated approach to promoting the uptake of AI in the EU and
addressing the risks associated with certain uses of AI. </span></div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-50191099807054658742020-02-04T20:37:00.000+01:002020-04-08T20:38:56.420+02:00Bobby Kennedy For President<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="333" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Io3uQ6Q4NlU" width="555"></iframe></div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-31055431230636764642020-02-03T10:20:00.001+01:002020-11-02T20:41:15.041+01:00Space as an enabler of security and defence, said Internal Market Commissioner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><span style="font-size: medium;">
Although
it has been a taboo at the European level up to now, the time has come to break
this taboo and to recognise that space is an enabler of security and defence,
with a defence dimension for Galileo and a security element for Copernicus,
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said at the 12th Space Policy
Conference in Brussels on 22 January.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
In
his address at the Conference, the Commissioner stressed that the security and
defence element of the space programmes would be strengthened with the
progressive launch of two new initiatives – a Space Situational Awareness (SSA)
system to monitor space debris, and a Governmental Satellite Communication (GovSatCom)
initiative to provide Member States with reliable and secure satellite
communication to support police, border protection and civil defence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
These
programmes will be partly under the responsibility of the European GNSS Agency
(GSA) as its mandate expands with the creation of the new European Agency for
the Space Programme (EUSPA). Speaking at the conference, GSA Chief Operating
Officer Pascal Claudel noted that, while some of the elements in the EUSPA
mandate had yet to be finalised, the GSA was already preparing to take it up
and, in particular, has started preparatory activities for GovSatCom.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-38517508543379114562020-01-08T17:45:00.000+01:002020-02-06T08:03:55.211+01:00Remembering JFKIn a Kennedys mood...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0a9fARRIWSBDZ1KyF0f8WwttbmKebCYj1t8Eati1bWxnnrN-5A7b6lUZ1x8dlZTw81MU7KEEEj3gNLBSSkIJJAmU0zouRZu75kNSb8cJ-TvttMw2So7YIlsFl3B5MzWxkNb9cC4ltM2e/s1600/jfk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0a9fARRIWSBDZ1KyF0f8WwttbmKebCYj1t8Eati1bWxnnrN-5A7b6lUZ1x8dlZTw81MU7KEEEj3gNLBSSkIJJAmU0zouRZu75kNSb8cJ-TvttMw2So7YIlsFl3B5MzWxkNb9cC4ltM2e/s640/jfk.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sure, a movie nearly three and a half hours can start off as slightly daunting but JFK is a <b>must watch</b>. Already dating from 1991, this film tells a timeless history that tries to provide answers for those trying to go further the official narrative of "Oswald, the lone wolf". I decided to watch this in a period while I'm reading Brothers, from David Talbot, the founder of Salon magazine.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BckPa2_A8gI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="379" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BckPa2_A8gI?feature=player_embedded" width="555"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Minute 3.21</b> <b>- "It's up to you"</b></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWHbIkht_yIMibufZbTTpCXKptfg_2Vv9D4tJXkfDoI18-b0IJDyA4S8R0G2RumqnuIZUKGgh5gXxduOWYRXusBe_os9G8IJvNl7isvRmOG80rGpmn4IhWynAec9TdYBKEcqm_YFHYB1i/s1600/talbot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWHbIkht_yIMibufZbTTpCXKptfg_2Vv9D4tJXkfDoI18-b0IJDyA4S8R0G2RumqnuIZUKGgh5gXxduOWYRXusBe_os9G8IJvNl7isvRmOG80rGpmn4IhWynAec9TdYBKEcqm_YFHYB1i/s640/talbot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203357634557139323.post-72564946464765482682019-12-03T17:49:00.000+01:002020-02-03T17:50:18.492+01:00Sophie's World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmM2U8U0y2ezciZwXqAP5sq_kp0naYu7A6gi8588GRgAVnwE3g2A-Euo_6iDWSNvNy7vlLiQer8b112TtYIOxuCb8-bLzcCdDSSV2W-phEyKYWBepU72V2wAxEsmhqyjkCcUCOHm2yqT6/s1600/sophie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmM2U8U0y2ezciZwXqAP5sq_kp0naYu7A6gi8588GRgAVnwE3g2A-Euo_6iDWSNvNy7vlLiQer8b112TtYIOxuCb8-bLzcCdDSSV2W-phEyKYWBepU72V2wAxEsmhqyjkCcUCOHm2yqT6/s640/sophie.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
<br />
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Either you're 15 years old, 30, 60, 100.... please read me.</div>
themartachehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534962207042560489noreply@blogger.com0