Pakistan disappointed with European Parliament’s resolution on blasphemy laws: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday said it is disappointed with the adoption of a resolution at the European Parliament on blasphemy laws in the country.

“The discourse in the European Parliament reflects a lack of understanding in the context of blasphemy laws and associated religious sensitivities in Pakistan and in the wider Muslim world,” Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.

“The unwarranted commentary about Pakistan’s judicial system and domestic laws is regrettable,” he added.

The spokesperson said Pakistan, being a parliamentary democracy with a vibrant civil society and free media and independent judiciary, remained fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights for all its citizens without discrimination.

“We are proud of our minorities, who enjoy equal rights and complete protection of fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution. Judicial and administrative mechanisms and remedies are in place to guard against any human rights violations,” he added.

The spokesperson mentioned that Pakistan has played an active role in promoting freedom of religion or belief, tolerance and inter-faith harmony.

At a time of rising Islamophobia and populism, the international community must exhibit a common resolve to fight xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence based on religion or belief, and work together to strengthen peaceful co-existence, he stressed.

The spokesperson further said Pakistan and the EU have multiple mechanisms in place to discuss entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including a dedicated dialogue on democracy, rule of law, governance and human rights.

“We would continue to remain positively engaged with the EU on all issues of mutual interest,” he maintained.

European Union accuses Apple of violating antitrust laws through App Store rules

European Union regulators are accusing Apple of violating the bloc’s antitrust laws, alleging that the company distorts competition for music streaming through rules for its App Store.

Spotify had objected to Apple’s rules.

The EU’s executive Commission said Friday it objected to how Apple applies rules in its App Store to music streaming services competing with its own Apple Music service, saying that it ends up costing consumers more and limiting their choice.

Cary-based Epic Games also has filed a complaint against Apple and its App Store rules in the EU. It also has filed an antitrust suit against Apple in the US, and a trial is set to begin May 3 at a federal court in California. Epic also is challenging Apple in the U.K. and Australia.

Epic’s fight centers around its globally popular Fortnite game and Apple’s charging of 30% sales fees through app store purchases. Epic created a workaround for the fees and Apple responded by banning Fortnite.

One of the main concerns outlined by the EU centers on Apple’s practice of forcing app developers selling digital content to use its in-house payment system, which charges a 30% commission on all subscriptions.

The EU’s investigation, which followed up on a complaint from the popular music-streaming service Spotify, found that fees end up being passed on to consumers.

A second concern is that that Apple prevents developers from telling users about cheaper payment methods.

“Our preliminary finding is that Apple is a gatekeeper to users of iPhones and iPads via the App Store,” the EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said in press release. “By setting strict rules on the App Store that disadvantage competing music streaming services, Apple deprives users of cheaper music streaming choices and distorts competition.”

Apple didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.

Under EU competition law, companies can be fined a percentage of their annual revenue for breaches, which in Apple’s case could run into billions of euros.

Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed confidence entering the Epic trial.

“The App Store has been an economic miracle. Last year, the estimates are that there was over a half a trillion dollars of economic activity because of the store. And, so, this has been just an economic gamechanger for not only the United States, but several countries around the world. And, we’re going to go in and tell our story. And we’ll see where it goes. But, we’re confident,” Cook told CNBC in an interview Wednesday after Apple posted another strong financial report.

Apple CEO ‘confident’ entering anti-trust showdown with Epic Games

European Parliament backs EU’s €7.9 billion defence fund

EU lawmakers on Thursday (29 April) approved the controversial €7.9 billion European Defence Fund (EDF), clearing the way for the bloc’s first-ever dedicated programme for military research intended to bolster military cooperation between EU member states.

The fund, first proposed under former European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, had been initially planned for €13 billion, but subsequently slashed by €5 billion in last year’s EU budget negotiations as a pandemic casualty.

The fund aims to strengthen Europe’s defence industry and reduce duplication in defence spending by co-funding defence research with member states, with up to 8% going to be spent on new “disruptive technologies”.

The programme will also cover the development of weapons prototypes, provided the member states involved commit to acquire the final product.

“The aim of the fund is not only to support research and development projects of the European defence industry but also to include new entities in cooperation networks and supply chains, including those that have not been active in this industry until now,” the European Parliament’s rapporteur on the fund, Polish MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR), said.

“The EDF will not subsidize bilateral cooperation between countries, as the minimum number of participants in the financed project is at least three entities from at least three member states,” he added.

The European Commission will directly manage the programme and the first grant competition is expected to be announced before the summer.

“We must increasingly be able to take our own security into our own hands and to be a security player on the world stage,” EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton told the European Parliament upon its approval. “The European Defence Fund is an essential building block in increasing independence for Europe,” he added.

“We must gradually be able to add to our soft power arsenal with more and more hard power,” he added.

The agreement on the fund comes as France spearheads a push for EU “strategic autonomy” to be able to stand alone on security matters in the aftermath of Brexit, uncertainty during the former Trump administration and amid an escalating geopolitical stand-off between the US and China.

‘Urban legends’

Speaking in Brussels, Krasnodębski sought to dismiss “urban legends” that the new programme set the bloc on the path to a united military.

“It’s not the first step to create a European army and the monies will not be used by member states to purchase military equipment together,” he said.

“The dreams of the first European platoon, or legion, or any other sort of formation will have to be left for the future.”

Ambitions on common defence have gathered steam in recent years, and all but two EU nations signed up to the landmark EU permanent structured cooperation (PESCO), aimed to help fund, develop and deploy armed forces together and make the EU’s defence sector more flexible and independent of the US.

EU’s defence industry has welcomed the EU’s recent moves, hoping for competitive support towards the dominating American competitors.

“We are convinced that the EDF is a major contribution to enhance European technological sovereignty in a strategic sector and stand ready to support the European institutions in their efforts to further develop European defence”, Secretary-General of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), Jan Pie, said.

However, the programme has also attracted a large amount of criticism, with some EU lawmakers and NGO’s warning the planned investments would lack transparency and parliamentary control.

During this week’s debate, some MEPs reiterated their worries about a “blank check” to the industry as the European Parliament won’t be involved in scrutinising the spending for the next seven-year.

Under exemption rules, the EDF will be carried through ‘implementing acts’ instead of ‘delegated acts’.

“This means that the European Parliament will hardly have a say as to how the fund will be implemented by the Commission and member states in the next seven years and the security interest argument is regularly used to bypass EU transparency rules – it is a dangerous precedent which undermines EU democratic control” stated Laëtitia Sédou, Project officer at European Network Against the Arms Trade (ENAAT).

Italy’s Patrizia Toia, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy, Committee (ITRE) said she wants to see the fund benefit SMEs, so “they’re not left by the wayside by large operators”.

But over the past years, the initiative has also faced criticism over ethical concerns.

One of the moot points during the negotiations had been the possibility that the fund could be used for the development of controversial weapons.

The agreement excludes the development of lethal autonomous weapons – so-called killer robots – and weapons systems prohibited by international law, such as land mines, or nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Any research projects involving autonomous weapons should require “meaningful human involvement”, Toia stressed.

European Parliament requires EU to introduce COVID certificates for a year

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the proposal to issue a certificate confirming the right to free movement in Europe during a pandemic.

Vaccination certificates must be entered in the EU for a maximum period of 12 months, European Parliament (EP) reported.

MEPs agreed that the new EU COVID-19 certificate – instead of the digital green certificate proposed by the European Commission – should be valid for 12 months, and not longer, the document says.

European Parliament backs US global minimum tax proposal

BRUSSELS, April 29 — The European Parliament today welcomed a US proposal to introduce a 21 per cent global minimum tax on corporations but said Europe should “go it alone” if the effort fails.

“Outdated international tax rules need to be overhauled, including a minimum effective corporate tax rate,” a statement said after the non-binding resolution was passed with a big majority.

The US proposal is intended to stop what Washington calls a “race to the bottom” among countries to see who can offer the lowest rate and would unwind a historic rate cut in the US under former president Donald Trump.

Crucially, it would not only affect US tech giants such as Google and Facebook, but also non-digital big businesses such as LVMH or Volkswagen, which are European.

In Europe the idea is backed by France and Germany, but is facing questions among smaller EU member states whose economies depend on keeping taxes low to attract big companies.

“We have a moral responsibility to ensure that digital multinationals will contribute their fair share, just like all other companies and citizens,” said Czech MEP Martin Hlavacek, who introduced the resolution.

The MEPs enthusiastically backed negotiations underway at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to agree on the minimum tax, but insisted that the EU should propose its own version for Europe that targeted big tech if no breakthrough is reached this year.

But EU-wide tax policy requires unanimity by the bloc’s 27 members states and earlier attempts for a digital tax were shot down by Ireland, which is the low-tax home for Google, Facebook and Apple in Europe. — AFP

European Parliament Passes Resolution Condemning Russia

^{Photo: Niko67000 (photo), Architecture-Studio — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://fr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8583420}

The European Parliament on April 29 passed a resolution threatening action against Russia over its treatment of jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, its military buildup on Ukraine’s border, and what lawmakers describe as “Russian attacks in the Czech Republic.”

The nonbinding resolution, supported by the five mainstream political groups in the European Parliament, was adopted by 569 votes in favor, 67 against, and with 46 abstentions.

The text of the resolution said that Russia “poses not only an external threat to European security, but is also waging an internal war on its own people in the form of the systematic oppression of the opposition and arrests on the streets.”

Read more:

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-european-parliament-condemnation/31228416.html

In Historical First, European Parliament Condemns UNRWA for Incitement in Teaching Materials

The rare decision came after vigorous activity by the Israeli IMPACT-se research, policy and advocacy organization which published extensive studies on the negative and anti-Semitic nature of UNRWA’s teaching materials. The studies show that UNRWA is teaching Arab students in its schools to reject the peace negotiations with Israel while promoting anti-Semitism, encouraging jihad, and glorifying terrorists and terrorism.

“The European Parliament has shown the way for all those who do not want to write blank checks to this deeply flawed organization. It is crystal clear that an external audit of UNRWA’s teaching materials is necessary before millions of taxpayer dollars are transferred to finance the daily radicalization of children,” stated IMPACT-se CEO, Marcus Sheff.

The Palestinian Authority attempted to oppose the move, UNRWA worked to remove the resolution from the agenda, and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh appealed to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the parliament last week to protect the contents of the textbooks used by UNRWA.

“I recommend that you also look at Israeli textbooks and find out if they contribute to peace or not. To say that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine is not incitement, to say that refugees have the right to return to their homes is not the delegitimization of Israel,” he claimed.

IMPACT-se has researched Israeli educational materials and has found that while they promote peace and understanding, the texts used in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) promote war and Jew-hatred.

An IMPACT-se report from January showed that PA school textbooks have “consistently shown a systematic insertion of violence, martyrdom and jihad across all grades and subjects.”

Miriam Lexmann, a member of the European Committee on Foreign Affairs, told Israel’s Channel 11 that “this is an important and clear message coming out of the European Parliament today that it rejects hate speech and violence in the Palestinian textbooks used by UNRWA. A solution to the conflict can only be achieved through educating societies to live in peace and mutual patience.”

UNRWA stated that it “does not teach hatred and violence in its schools but rather the opposite” and rejected the resolution that “was made based on politically motivated allegations.”

“UNRWA operates in a highly political environment and implements a policy of 0 patience for hatred, violence and discrimination,” it claimed.

Canada announced a February that it is launching an investigation into the problematic content of the UNRWA-produced educational materials.

UNRWA’s schools have long been exposed as a system in which virulent anti-Israel incitement is taught. Surveys of new textbooks issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and used by in its schools show that they continue to express the delegitimizing the state of Israel, encouraging violence and omitting any trace of encouragement for peace.

The books, which are strongly hostile to Israel and the Jewish people, are also used by UNRWA-run schools.

European Union appoints new envoy for Mideast peace process

European Parliament votes to ratify EU-UK trade deal

The lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of formally approving the deal with 660 votes in favor, 5 against, and 32 abstentions.

While the move is largely symbolic with few real-world ramifications, it marks the end of the road.

The vote concludes the years-long Brexit process and opens a new era where close collaboration between Brussels and London is expected to coexist with constant wrangling and disagreements.

The deal, which has already been ratified by the UK, conditionally came into force on December 31, 2020, but has technically still been open to debate since then.

EU leaders lauded the move on Twitter, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying she “warmly welcomed” the decision and President of the European Council, Charles Michel, echoing her words, adding: “It marks a major step forward in #EU-#UK relations and opens a new era.”

The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, said he “hugely welcome the overwhelming vote” and hoped “we can now begin a new chapter together as Europeans, characterized by friendly cooperation between sovereign equals”.

The Briton also thanked the European Commission and his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, for “helping get us here”.

HJ/PR

Malta must seek justice for Caruana, European Parliament

                                (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, APR 29 - The latest revelations on the

murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia spark great concern, in
particular over the possible involvement of ministers and
politicians in Malta, said a resolution approved with 635 votes
in favor, 46 against and 12 abstentions by the European
Parliament. The resolution examined the latest developments in
the case concerning the Maltese investigative reporter who was
killed by a car bomb and other connected probes, after the
testimony provided by convicted criminal Vincent Muscat.Expressing deep concern over the possible involvement in the
murder case of sitting ministers and politicians, the lawmakers
urged the government to ensure that those implicated in all
cases brought to light by the journalist face justice.

The MEPs recognized progress made in the investigation on the
murder and other connected cases of corruption and money
laundering, “although with great delay”, and asked for the probe
to go beyond the role of the chief of staff of the previous
prime minister. All charges of corruption and fraud should be
investigated and pursued “with the necessary rigor and at the
appropriate level”. (ANSAmed).

Model European Union holds virtual conference for students

This year, the chatter, debates and discourse that the Model European Union (EU) offers students shifted to a virtual setting.

Juan Arroyo, assistant professor in the Department of Politics, helped organize the Model EU Council Simulation beginning in July 2020. The location of the Model EU event usually alternates every other year between New York and Brussels, Belgium, where the headquarters of the European Union is located. However, after in-person events were canceled, Arroyo said the organizers were wondering if the timetable of the pandemic would allow the event to take place in person again. Eventually, they decided to host the Model EU event from April 10 to 18 over Zoom. From 13 countries, 112 students attended, five of whom were Ithaca College students. At the 2020 Model EU conference in Brussels, nine Ithaca College students attended.

Hosting the conference over Zoom reflects the way that the actual EU has been operating. Arroyo said the ongoing pandemic gives the model simulations urgency, as students get the opportunity to voice their opinions on how governments can best run their countries during the pandemic.

“This is why this has been going on for so many years and why we plan to keep this going as long as we can,” Arroyo said. “We think it’s valuable for students to understand how the European Union works and to open them up to experiences that will allow them to say in the future, ‘Oh you know what we might try? They do this in the European Union, maybe we can try this here.’”

Junior Julien Sobel played the Foreign Affairs Minister of Belgium at the last in-person Model EU conference, which was held a few months before the pandemic began. Having participated in both the virtual and in-person Model EU conferences, Sobel said the virtual experience lacks the intensity and passion that the in-person Model EU offers.

“When you’re in the same room with the people that you’re tackling these issues with, … there can be that sort of empathy and understanding on an interpersonal level,” Sobel said. “There can also be that anger and that argumentativeness, which is sort of amplified in that in person atmosphere.”

The Model EU meetings give students the ability to debate and discuss important issues, like COVID-19 and the economy. For senior Lauren Smith, who played the president of the European Council in the virtual simulation, hearing out students on some issues was difficult. 

“I know that for me personally, the speaking was such a test of patience,” Smith said. “Even though it’s a simulation, you might have people who have to play roles that they don’t agree with. That’s a whole other obstacle to overcome … to argue for a position that you don’t even support. … I was chairing the meeting, and I wasn’t allowed to sway toward either side or allow any kind of judgement. So I had to just sit there and stay straight–faced as we discussed EU arms exports to Saudi Arabia.”

Junior Ryan Ingerson said that being able to attend the event gave him a fresh perspective that he does not receive in his classes.

“The Business School has a lot of great values to it,” Ingerson said. “But they teach a very specific mindset, and you can see it in a lot of the business students. Getting out of that and starting getting interested in politics, even though it does nothing for my major or minors, I’ve really learned about a lot of advocacy work, global political trends, and it’s more focused on stakeholders rather than shareholders.”

Since the event was held over Zoom, it allowed for students in areas of the world that normally miss out on attending in person to join in. Students from countries like Indonesia and Brazil were able to participate.  

Arroyo said there is talk among the organizers about hosting future Model EU events in a hybrid setting, like many of the classes that schools around the world are offering. 

Sophomore Mia Loretto, who attended the conference, said she would support this proposal, which would bring in a wider range of students. However, she said she wonders how it would function, as balancing both Zoom and in-person events can be a challenge, especially for something as debate- and discussion-heavy as Model EU.

“I definitely think having the hybrid idea is smart, especially if you take into account that not everyone can afford to go to a different country, and I think that’s a more accommodating and inclusive way, so I would be all for hybrid,” Loretto said. “I think it would definitely affect how things are run. Hybrid classes here, it’s hard because half the people are in class and half are on Zoom, and it’s difficult to divert your attention to both things.”

European Parliament Wants SWIFT Shut-Off, Halt to Russian Energy Use ‘If Ukraine Aggression Continues’

Over 50 European Parliament lawmakers have tabled a resolution proposing disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT payment system and halting the purchase of Russian oil and gas supplies if Moscow’s alleged “aggression and continued destabilisation of Ukraine, hostile behaviour towards and outright attacks on EU member states and societies” escalates into military action.

In a draft resolution tabled on Wednesday “on Russia, the case of Alexei Navalny, the military build-up on Ukraine’s border and Russian attacks in the Czech Republic,” the group of mostly Eastern European lawmakers suggested that if the current tensions over Ukraine turn into an outright Russian invasion, imports of “oil and gas from Russia to the EU [must] be immediately stopped, while Russia should be excluded from the SWIFT payment system, and all assets in the EU of oligarchs close to the Russian authorities and their families in the EU need to be frozen and their visas cancelled.”

The resolution does not clarify what might provoke Russia to “invade” Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly urged the current government in Kiev to make good on its commitments under the Minsk peace accords.

The resolution goes on to blame Moscow for the deterioration of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, and criticises Russia for suspending “the right of innocent passage for warships and commercial vessels” through the Kerch Strait until 31 October. 

Calling opposition vlogger Alexei Navalny “Russia’s best known anti-corruption activist and opposition politician,” the resolution demands his immediate release, and calls for an investigation into the alleged “poisoning” and “assassination attempt” against him. Navalny was imprisoned after returning to Russia in January over breaches of probation to his suspended sentence in a 2014 fraud case.
The resolution goes on to accuse Russia of a litany of crimes, including election meddling, “the use of disinformation, deep fakes, malicious cyberattacks, sabotage and chemical weapons,” and the latest claims of Russian involvement in arms depot blasts in the Czech Republic, and urges the EU to “reduce its dependence on Russian energy,” stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and cancel multi-billion-dollar nuclear power plant construction projects with Rosatom.

Relations at Low Point and Could Get Worse

Also on Wednesday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that relations between Moscow and Brussels were at a “low point” and could deteriorate further in the future. Borrell accused Russia of “pretending” to be a neutral mediator in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and claimed Moscow was not interested in the realisation of the Minsk agreements.

“Up to now, Russia has shown no willingness to end the conflict on terms that would safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. For Russia, the full implementation of the Minsk agreement is not a key condition. For us, it is,” he alleged.

Under the terms of the Minsk accords, signed in early 2015 in the Belarusian capital after months of brutal fighting between Kiev forces and militias in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, the breakaways would return to Ukrainian jurisdiction in exchange for broad autonomy. The two sides made good on their promises to halt fighting and move heavy military equipment away from the line of contact, but the agreement’s implementation has since been stalled, with Ukrainian lawmakers refusing to proceed with the legislation to grant the Donbass autonomy.
Earlier on Wednesday, in an interview with Sputnik, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western nations of trying to convince Moscow to “soften” the Minsk accords and to change the sequence of the implementation of its provisions, and warned that doing so would lead to a massacre of its residents.