EU’s Charles Michel pledges support to interim Libyan government

European Council President Charles Michel pledged support to Libya’s new interim government Sunday during a visit to Tripoli as the country seeks to end a decade of conflict.

“We command [sic] your efforts to come together in a spirit of national unity and reconciliation. The future of Libya is in your hands. You have a unique opportunity to build a united, sovereign, stable and prosperous country,” Michel said in a statement. 

The interim government was sworn in last month, with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah serving as prime minister until elections to be held later this year.

Michel stressed that the departure of “all foreign fighters and troops” from the country would be a precondition to rebuilding.

“The implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and the respect of the UN arms embargo will be crucial in this process. We encourage all institutions to ensure timely preparations for elections on 24 of December. And we are ready to increase our engagement,” he said.

The EU’s ambassador to Libya will also return on a permanent basis to Tripoli by the end of this month, Michel said.

The European Council president continues his tour of the region on Monday by meeting Tunisia’s President Kais Saied in Tunis. On Tuesday, he will be in Ankara, Turkey, where he is due to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

France, EU Reach Outline of Deal on Air France Rescue Package, Finance Minister Says

“We have an agreement in principle with European Commissioner [for Competition] Margrethe Vestager on new financial support for Air France,” the minister told the RTL broadcaster.

Le Maire added the Air France-KLM Board of Directors would meet on Monday to discuss the amount of the financial aid tranche and approve the bailout deal.

According to the minister, in exchange for financial assistance, the European Commission has been asking the airline to give up 24 take-off and landing slots at Paris Orly Airport.

“My position has been the same from the very beginning; I believe that there are too many [slots asked to be given up] and that there is no sense in supporting Air France and at the same time boosting competition by requesting 24 slots in Orly,” the minister said, adding that Air France would give up some slots, but not 24.

The Air France-KLM Group, a merger of French and Dutch airlines, has reported a 7.1 billion euro ($8.3 billion) loss last year as a result of the pandemic impact. The company received 7 billion euros from the French government, which owns a 14 percent stake in it, and 3.4 billion euros from the Netherlands in state assistance to deal with the post-coronavirus shocks.

EU Takes Poland to Court Over Judicial Independence

The European Union is referring Poland to … to judicial independence and the EU legal order.”
The European … in the infraction procedure,” EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said … director of Amnesty International’s EU office.
___
Scislowska reported …

China rejects EU’s statement on ‘harassment’ of journalist

Brussels [Belgium], April 4 (ANI): China has rejected the statement from the European Union (EU) which accused Beijing of pressuring BBC correspondent and other foreign journalists, claiming that the remarks were not in accord with facts.

Beijing has dismissed any attack and slandering of China by fabricating fake news and disinformation in the name of freedom of speech and the press.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called upon China to abide by its obligations under national and international law and ensure the freedom of speech and press.

This comes as tensions between the western countries and China escalated since last month after the EU, along with the US, the UK and Canada, imposed travel and financial sanctions on officials accused of abuses in Xinjiang in China’s northwest.

BBC correspondent John Sudworth, who was based in China for nine years, had left Beijing for Taiwan along with his wife, Yvonne Murray, a reporter for the Irish public broadcaster RTE, and their three children.

Both Sudworth and Murray have said they will continue to cover China from Taipei.

In response to these allegations, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU said on Saturday that BBC’s China correspondent John Sudworth and his family have worked and lived in China for 9 years. There is no pressure or threat against them, Chinese state media, Global Times reported citing the Chinese mission.

“China has and will continue providing assistance to foreign correspondents for their reporting in China. Yet we firmly reject ideological prejudice against China, we firmly reject any conduct that breaches press work ethics and morality, and we firmly reject any attack and slandering of China by fabricating fake news and disinformation in the name of freedom of speech and the press,” stressed the spokesperson.

According to The New York Times, the correspondent Sudworth said on Wednesday that he made the decision after being subjected to intensifying propaganda campaign targeting him and the BBC.

He also cited legal threats as well as the increasing difficulty of doing independent reporting in China without obstruction or harassment.

“This is the latest case of foreign correspondents being driven out of China as a result of continuous harassment and obstruction to their work, coming on top of the expulsion of at least 18 correspondents last year,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The departures of Sudworth and Murray are part of a larger recent exodus of foreign journalists from China.

Last year, the Chinese government expelled around 15 correspondents for American news organisations, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

According to The Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC), 2020 saw the largest expulsion of foreign journalists since the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

At least 18 journalists were forced to leave, hurried out and their visas were cancelled over national security concerns. A US media correspondent was reported having to “take three COVID tests over five days” as she attempted to report from Xinjiang, where Chinese state media has routinely claimed the Muslim-minority Uighurs are prospering, not being detained.

The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) of China had barred the broadcasting of BBC World News on the mainland last month, claiming that it has done a “slew of falsified” reporting on issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang based on interviews of victims surviving “re-education camps.” (ANI)

EU calls for peace efforts as Taliban ‘harvest poppies’ to prepare for war

In an interview with Ariana News, Arnout Pauwels Deputy Head of the European Union called on Ashraf Ghani to make concerted efforts to advance the peace process, and make sure Afghanistan’s interests are put first.

“President on the other hand also has to take into account what is alive in the country, what are the political forces, the political streams. So based on his sound political judgment he has to take the best step forward in the interest of his county and his people. So the voice of the president is extremely important,” Ariana News quoted Pauwels.

Pauwels also stressed on women’s participation in the negotiations will bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He also indicated that immediate change of power will never bring stability to Afghanistan, Ariana news quoted Pauwels saying, “We do not advocate any kind of quick change of power, it is not about power it is what you can bring to the country over a long term. So a power grab by one side or the other will not lead to stability”.

The EU Deputy Head also condemned the string of targeted killings and asked the Afghan government to bring the culprits to justice, he said: “the targeted killing is totally against all values I think of humanity. It is an extremely counter-productive move by their side. That should absolutely and totally stop immediately”.

Meanwhile, Human rights watch in the matter of Targeted killings accused the Taliban of being involved in the attacks on journalists, and especially female media workers in Afghanistan, and despite the efforts for peace violence has escalated.

Human Rights Watch claimed that “the Taliban commanders and fighters have engaged in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence against members of the media in areas where the Taliban have significant influence, as well as in Kabul.”

According to the watchdog journalism and freedom of media and speech are under the direct threat of extremism.

As the violence gets intensified in Afghanistan, the Acting Defense Minister Gen. Yasin Zia, and the head of the National Directorate of Security, Ahmad Zia Saraj indicated that the Taliban are still being facilitated through Pakistan and the entire world knows of their sanctuaries in Pakistan.

According to Gen.Yasin Zia, In trilateral meetings Taliban elders including Bajwa (Pakistan’s army chief) and Head of ISI have many times said they have ties with the Taliban.

Zia added the Taliban claims to have bases in Afghanistan is because they want to decrease the international pressures on Pakistan.

Taliban militants have always used civilians as human shields for their atrocities, Zia indicated.

Pakistan gives treatment to the wounded Taliban, the country is the main funding source of the group and the militants even have massive operating and training bases, Zia added.

Taliban claims of their camps inside Afghanistan is a deceptive move to mislead the international community and reduce pressure on Pakistan, Saraj explained.

Saraj hinted that the Taliban are planning to reshuffle their bases in the future because Pakistan is being criticized in every meeting because of the presence of the Taliban and their leaders there.

The NDS chief also said that the Taliban are behind the targeted killings in Afghanistan, he added the Afghan government cannot draw lines between the terrorist groups as they appear in many shapes such as Daesh, Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, but the main actor behind them are Taliban.

Saraj concluded that the Taliban does not want peace, they are currently busy harvesting poppies to prepare for battle.

European Parliament publishes statement on increased tensions over Russia’s military build-up in eastern Ukraine

POLITICO EU Confidential: EU faces Beijing backlash — European astronauts in conversation

A weekly podcast and newsletter featuring keynote interviews, quotes, and weekend reads on the forces shaping Europe.

By Cristina Gonzalez, Andrew Gray and Paul Dallison

Listen to the podcast on Spotify | Apple | Google | Simplecast | Stitcher | View in your browser

Welcome to EU Confidential, bringing you the latest from our podcast and a satirical look at the week’s news.

CATCHING UP WITH …

European astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Samantha Cristoforetti

Europe’s astronauts are preparing for a second round of trips to the International Space Station, and EU Confidential caught up with two of them amid a search for the next generation of space explorers.

First off, France’s Thomas Pesquet — known for snapping shots of cities from orbit — is scheduled to launch later this month, while Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti is due to fly next year.

Pesquet said he’s finished most of the preparation for his April 22 launch from the Kennedy Space Center. That includes fitting his space suit and much of the physical work needed to prepare for the arduous trip, his second to the ISS.

“You have to be in the best shape you can be for launch … as you lose muscle mass, you lose bone mass because there’s so many muscles you don’t use just floating around,” he told POLITICO’s Joshua Posaner.

He says he’s going to be looking for shots of Machu Picchu and Montreal from the ISS this time around. Looking further ahead, he reckons a 900-day journey to Mars and back is on the cards by 2035, though he’ll be long retired by then.

“I think we’re living in a golden age of space exploration,” said Pesquet.

Moon missions and that manned trip to Mars will be down to the new recruits. The European Space Agency taking applications for its new astronaut corps until the end of May.

Cristoforetti — a former fighter pilot — is the only woman in the current cohort, and says the next generation of euronauts will be tasked with “making traveling to space more normal, commonplace.”

“There are many, many young women out there that have these qualifications, it’s matter of sending the proper message that we want the broadest possible pool of applicants,” she said.

For now, European astronauts are forced to rely on other space powers to get them into orbit. Pesquet will launch on a SpaceX rocket alongside two Americans and one Japanese astronaut.

While he hopes one day Europe might have its own human spaceflight program, in the meantime Pesquet reckons the bloc can hold its own when it comes to space science.

“Technically we’re the best,” he said. “Even better than Elon Musk. He’s a step ahead of us for now, but we could do the same if we wanted to.”

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS WEEK 

China’s new bogeyman: China is turning up the heat on European politicians and businesses. Will that lead to the formation of a close anti-Beijing alliance between Europe and the United States?

DECLASSIFIED

Welcome to Declassified, a weekly column looking at the lighter side of politics.

What the Suez Canal ship captain missed: Boris Johnson’s sexploits

Some people are just lucky. The captain of that ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal, for example, might not at first glance seem to have had the best time of it during the past week, but he will at least have been too busy hiding in shame to have read about Boris Johnson’s sex life.

In what was a surprise to absolutely no one, tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri admitted a four-year affair with the British prime minister and serial philanderer, whom she nicknamed Alexander the Great, either because the PM’s real first name is Alexander or because neither man could be sure how many children he had fathered. (Johnson, as far as I can recall, has never named a city after his horse but there’s plenty of time and he does have a large parliamentary majority.) Arcuri also called Johnson a “cowardly wet noodle” — as opposed to all those heroic noodles?

Johnson apparently said one raunchy picture of Arcuri was “enough to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.”

Speaking of, er, frustration, European citizens are becoming increasingly restless as governments continue with their plan to vaccinate one person per country a month (rumors that the aforementioned Suez Canal ship captain is being brought in to oversee the EU’s vaccination rollout were unconfirmed at the time of going to press).

In Brussels, police were spooked by social media posts for a massive party called “La Boum” in the Bois de la Cambre, the city’s biggest park. The party turned out to be fake — good news for the police and local residents and bad news for those whose twin passions are electronic dance music and killing their elderly relatives.

At least when the Swiss vent their frustrations at being locked down, they don’t make much noise. The small northern town of Liestal was the scene of a gathering against anti-COVID measures that attracted several thousand people and was dubbed a “Silent Protest.” Constrained by their own title, the protesters were unable to shout about their frustrations and instead held up signs such as the straight-from-a-greetings-card-but-not-a-doctor “Let love guide you, not fear” and “Vaccines kill.” Ironically, the protest would have been much smaller if the anti-vaxxers had their way and we all ignored scientific advances and simply took our chances against smallpox and polio.

CAPTION COMPETITION

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Paul Dallison is POLITICO’s slot news editor.

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“EU Committed to Supporting Liberia’s Developmental Agenda” – Liberian Daily Observer

—-Ambassador Delahousse Discloses; ends EU-Liberia Country portfolio performance review

The European Union Ambassador to Liberia, Laurent Delahousse says that EU will remain committed to supporting Liberia in its development efforts.

He said the EU is here to contribute towards Liberia’s developmental agenda mainly in line with the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

Ambassador Delahousse made these remarks recently on at the opening of a two-day EU-Liberia Country portfolio performance review in Monrovia.

The EU portfolio review seeks to create a policy dialogue that is part of efforts to improve aid transparency and effectiveness through government’s decision-making. 

They also review the portfolio of the European Union funded projects by identifying challenges, lessons learned, and make recommendations for improvement in the implementation for future EU funded projects.

 “We do not do it out of the blue sky, but in the framework of regulation of accountability,” Ambassador Delahousse, emphasized.

“In this regard, there are things you can do and there are things you can’t do because we, too, have to account for the taxpayers’ money especially the people of the European Union Countries and many others,” the EU diplomat noted.

According to him, EU delegation is in Liberia to help the government to deliver and to as well address the needs of the people of Liberia.

He said over the next six years ranging from 2021-2027, they are working on their next line of projects in an EU team’s work approach, pointing out that whatever they do is not for themselves but rather for the people of Liberia.

For his part, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel D. Tweah, has underscored the need for cabinet ministers mainly those in the European Union portfolio performance platform to work hard in ensuring that they improve portfolio delivery.

Minister Tweah challenged officials of government and staff to have a proactive approach in addressing key issues of national concern in the interest of the people of Liberia.

“We should see our own challenge, write about them and find a way to solve them through our development partners”, he added.

He said gone are the days where partners will be demanding and or complaining relevant government ministries and agencies on how to spend their own monies on them instead of the government complaining the partners on making available funds intended to implement development projects for the people.

Minister Tweah made a reference to the Central Bank of Liberia’s delay on debt issue in which he had to make a personal phone call to the World Bank before said issue was addressed, even though the deadline has expired, stressing further that similar thing happens across all sectors of the country and government, pushing for more creative ways to shorting time in fulfilling their respective deliveries.

Appreciating the European Union for its continued support to Liberia, he reminded his colleagues that a development partner like EU wants results and it is incumbent upon them to work together as a government through accountability in order to solve problems of the people.

According to him, the two-day portfolio review is a practical manifestation of the energy the EU brings to help Liberia.

He pointed out that Liberia is under obligation to account for the European Union taxpayers’ money through the delivery of what they do.

“Lots of things are working, but at the same time some things are not working; there are multiple challenges and we need to get on the drawing board to strategize why they are not working and what needs to be done for them to work”,  he added.

The Finance Minister stated that the greatest priority of any Government is to enhance the service of the people, thereby providing the citizens the opportunity to realize their dreams in broad areas and sectors of the country.

He reminded his colleagues that they are under obligation to deliver to their people.

Tweah emphasized that government plans and mechanism have to move to the next level in the next three years of the current administration, stressing that practical beginning is now key.

Meanwhile, the dialogue which took place in Monrovia from March 31 to April 1, 2021, was attended by stakeholders, partners and the Government of Liberia to agree on the right balance between the implementation of short and long-term services. It also seeks to build the capacity of institution to work on upgrading the sustainability in project management.

Nutri-Score food labelling plan is not panacea, EU official says

The proposed colour-coded Nutri-Score labelling system should not be seen as a panacea for consumers to assess the healthiness of food, according to a member of the cabinet of EU’s agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski.

On Thursday (1 April), Roberto Berutti, a member of Wojciechowski’s cabinet, spoke at a public event organised by the youth section of Italy’s centre-right party Forza Italia, with which he stood for local public office in the past.

In the event, which was open to all via the Facebook page of the organisers, he was introduced as a member of Wojciechowski’s cabinet although he expressed his personal views on the thorny issue of Nutri-Score that is driving a wedge through Italy and France.

He criticised quite harshly this labelling system as “an important topic that will cause a lot of damage to the Italian agri-food sector.”

In the context of the EU’s flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), the European Commission is expected to put forward a proposal for a harmonised food labelling scheme that will also consider the nutritional aspects of foodstuffs.

The labelling framework most likely to get the nod from the Commission is the colour-coded Nutri-Score, developed and backed by France.

The Nutri-Score converts the nutritional value of products into a code consisting of five letters, from A to E, each with its own colour. However, it is seen as penalising some of the core products of the Mediterranean diet.

For this reason, the Italian government has offered the Commission another scheme called NutrInform, based on a “battery-powered” symbol that shows the consumer the nutritional contribution in relation to their daily needs, as well as the correct dietary style.

“The battery system is certainly a much more honest alternative for the legitimate need of the end consumer to know how food is made and from which original products the food they eat is derived,” Berutti said.

He left it to other speakers on the panel to explain the technical aspects and the reasons why there is “an ideological fallacy in describing the Nutri-Score as a panacea.”

According to him, it’s not only the survival of the Mediterranean diet that is at stake.

“They [Mediterranean countries] have to defend all that multitude of excellent products defined by the EU as products with protected designation of origins (PDO) or with protected geographical indication (PGI), which the European Union itself, in a schizophrenic manner, tries to penalise as the common narrative now is that meat is the devil, not to mention alcohol,” he said.

The cabinet to which Berutti belongs is only partially involved in the process, as the task of outlining a proposal for a harmonised food labelling scheme is within the mandate of the food safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

The Commission’s proposal is due in the fourth quarter of 2022 and will be preceded by an impact assessment and stakeholder consultations.

Speaking of other countries’ behaviour on the promotion of agricultural products, Berutti said that France has been remarkably silent on this issue so far, despite being the largest country after Italy in the EU in terms of PGI.

“It is absolutely strange that the French world is backing the wishes of the Greens, represented in disguise by the chair of the European Parliament’s environment committee [Pascal Canfin], and they are not rebelling against this excessively green wave, which is no longer a green transition but a green revolution,” he said.

He also mentioned that Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who is in charge of delivering the Green Deal, usually talks about the so-called international dimension of the F2F strategy in his meetings with other cabinets.

For Timmermans, the EU should export its model of sustainability to countries like the African ones, teaching them how to do agriculture in a sustainable way.

“Try to think of the examples he cited in many of the meetings we had? I’ll tell you, they were; Nestlé, Unilever, Mondelez and Danone,” he said.

“So if these are the champions of sustainability, my fear is that in the future they will be labelled with the “green” of healthy products, only ultra-processed products that can be graduated in terms of sugar content or fat,” he added.

This will, according to Berutti, end up losing a whole series of elements typical of the Mediterranean food tradition that has proven to be more a harbinger of longevity than many other diets.

“The attempt is to replace products traditionally grown in the field with those grown artificially using hydroponic or vertical garden processes. All this, we must avoid,” he concluded.

[Edited by Josie Le Blond]

U.S., EU to cooperate on China dialogue, Russia challenge- statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and the European Union have agreed to relaunch a bilateral dialogue on China and work together to address Russia’s “challenging behavior,” according to a joint statement on Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the EU high representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, “acknowledged a shared understanding that relations with China are multifaceted, comprising elements of cooperation, competition, and systemic rivalry.”

They will also cooperate on topics including reciprocity, economic issues, resilience, human rights, security, multilateralism and climate change, the statement said.

“Secretary Blinken and High Representative Borrell confirmed that credible multi-party democracy, the protection of human rights and adherence to international law support the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.

“Both aim to cooperate to promote secure, sustainable, free and open maritime supply routes and supply chains and look forward to deepening cooperation with like-minded partners where interests and approaches intersect.”

Blinken and Borrell also said they would address “Russia’s challenging behavior, including its ongoing aggression against Ukraine and Georgia; hybrid threats, such as disinformation; interference in electoral processes; malicious cyber activities; and military posturing.”

During their meeting in Brussels, the two pledged to work together as well on the global distribution of safe and effective coronavirus vaccines, and to ensure they are prepared for future pandemics.

Among other issues the two ministers discussed were cooperation on climate action, Iran and Turkey.

Liberia: EU and U.S. Ambassadors Applaud Arcelormittal – AllAfrica.com

Ambassadors of two European countries and America have lauded Arcelor Mittal Liberia for its investment in the country. A press release issued this week said.

“The United States ambassador to Liberia, the Head of the European Union Delegation in Liberia, and the French Ambassador recently visited ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) to learn about the existing operations, discuss the Company’s plans for the future and review its readiness to recommence construction,” the statement said.

U.S. Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy, E.U. Ambassador Laurent Delahousse, and French Ambassador Michaël Roux toured the AML mine, rail and port operations and visited the Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Yekepa. The guests also held a meeting with AML’s senior management headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Scott Lowe.

Briefing the Ambassadors, CEO Lowe said it was a great honor to have them visit AML and reaffirmed the company’s strong commitment to Liberia.

CEO sets out the vision for the future

The CEO, said the company has exciting expansion plans for the future in Liberia that will benefit all stakeholders, adding AML is strategically aligned to and supporting the Government’s Pro-poor Agenda and working closely with Government representatives.

The statement said, CEO Lowe told the diplomats that AML was planning to make a bold step into the future with the resumption of its expansion project known as Phase II at an additional cost of approximately $800m, taking AML’s total investment in Liberia to over $2.5Bn. The AML expansion will triple production from 5mtpa of direct shipment ore (DSO) to 15mtpa of high-value concentrate product with plans for further growth in the future.

Mr Lowe added that the project represents major economic and social benefits for the government and people of Liberia in jobs, revenue, and social development.

The current model of operations will be transformed with the introduction of expanded mining, state-of-the-art processing technology, and upgrades to rail and port infrastructure. Importantly, the project will also involve developing the skills of Liberians and expanding the life of the mine for up to thirty years.

Lowe said: “ArcelorMittal Liberia has been in Liberia since 2006, and we are in this for the long haul. We intend to be a part of Liberia’s long term future, delivering growth for the benefit of the country, community, employees, and shareholders.”

Ambassadors provide feedback

U.S. Ambassador McCarthy described the ArcelorMittal Liberia investment as a “hope for the future of Liberia” and encouraged the company and staff to continue the good work.

He said the AML VTC is exactly what Liberia needs, noting that the company has put the future in the people’s hands, and they [the youth] need to take it from there.

The French Ambassador Michaël Roux shared similar views about the impact of AML’s business and also highlighted the role of TVET in Liberia’s economic development.

Head of E.U. Delegation in Liberia Ambassador Delahousse spoke of the importance of Public-Private partnership, and hoped that other companies in Liberia or from abroad will come, invest, create jobs and give a future to all young Liberians.

The recent visit of the three diplomats followed earlier high-level visits by other members of the diplomatic corps and most recently, H.E. President George M. Weah to the AML Concession, something CEO Scott Lowe said is an indication of the strong partnership between AML, the government, the international community and people of Liberia.

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EU urges Lebanon to form government quickly

… , April 2 (KUNA) — The European Union on Friday urged Lebanese leaders … the interest of Lebanon. The EU urges the Lebanese leadership, once … the necessary reforms,” said EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and …

EU agrees to mediate in Cuba-U.S. relations: media

HAVANA, April 1 (Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) has agreed to mediate in Cuba-U.S. relations, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) reported Thursday.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell on Wednesday accepted the request made by the Group of Friendship and Solidarity with the People of Cuba in the European Parliament “to mediate before the U.S. government in order to remove Cuba from the unilateral list of countries that encourage terrorism,” the ACN reported.

In a letter written by Borrell to members of the European Parliament, which was made public Wednesday on Twitter, the high representative said, “in our contacts with the new U.S. administration, we will address this issue and call on the U.S. to lift this designation.”

In response, Ana Mari Machado, deputy president of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, tweeted Wednesday that the assembly appreciated the EU’s decision.

“Cuba does not sponsor nor promote terrorism. We support peace, solidarity and collaboration between peoples,” she said.

Cuba should have never been included in the list, Cuba’s ambassador to China Carlos Miguel Pereira said Thursday on Twitter, adding that “Cuba only sponsors and promotes solidarity and peace, not terrorism.”

“The European Union clearly states its constructive commitment to Cuba,” Carlos Alzugaray, senior university professor and Cuba’s former ambassador to the EU, told Xinhua.

“It has also an economic dimension: the European Union protects its economic interests in Cuba, which are threatened by (former U.S. Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo’s unilateral action,” he added.

Cuba was first designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982, and was removed from the list in 2015 under the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama as the two countries re-established diplomatic ties.

However, on Jan. 11, 2020, just a few days before then U.S. President Donald Trump left office, Pompeo announced that the United States had restored Cuba to the list.

In early March, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in a daily briefing that the United States is committed to reviewing Trump administration’s designation. But she also said, “a Cuba policy shift is not currently among President (Joe) Biden’s top priorities.”

EU Confidential #194: EU faces Beijing backlash — European astronauts in conversation

We explore the rapidly rising tensions between China and Europe and ask where the relationship between the two sides is heading. And we reach for the stars as we hear from two European astronauts — and get the lowdown on the search for the next generation of European space explorers.

POLITICO’s Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz, Matthew Karnitschnig and Stuart Lau get you up to speed on recent rows between China and the European Union — alongside the United States and others — after the EU imposed sanctions on Chinese officials accused of running internment camps for hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in the region of Xinjiang. Beijing hit back hard, with sanctions of its own on high-level EU officials, members of the European Parliament and others. Is Europe set to team up with the United States in taking a harder line against China? And what will be the consequences if it does?

Then we boldly go where EU Confidential has never gone before: into space, through conversations with European astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Samantha Cristoforetti. They give POLITICO’s Joshua Posaner a flavor of what life is like in the International Space Station and how they’re preparing for upcoming missions. We also shed light on Europe’s capabilities in space and reveal what the European Space Agency sees as the right stuff in its search for new astronauts.

UK steps in with 11th-hour extra £250m to stay in EU research scheme

The government has stepped in at the 11th hour with an additional £250m in funding to help pay for the UK’s association with Horizon Europe, the European Union’s funding programme for research and innovation.

Universities welcomed the move as “a significant affirmation of the government’s belief in research” which would avert the immediate threat to UK science.

Like Brexit, Covid has turned both the EU and the UK into losers

The new post-Covid geopolitical normal will feature a much weaker European Union than could ever have been foreseen before the crisis. Brexit, damaging to all concerned as it has undoubtedly proved, looks a mere distraction set against the impact of the coronavirus. The public health test-and-trace response, and death rates, in some EU member states, notably Germany, have been enviable, and many others have scored successes of their own, not least Belgium and the Netherlands, such important centres for vaccine production.

Yet throughout the year of turmoil, the European Union’s efforts to coordinate national responses have been either ineffective or downright disastrous. From the get go, when individual countries rushed to close borders and ban exports of protective equipment, ventilators and treatments, the authorities in Brussels have been bystanders. When hard-pressed nations such as Italy sought financial assistance, they were scorned by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. She was chosen to run the EU, it is rumoured, because Paris and Berlin favoured a weaker style of leadership in Brussels. They should be more careful what they wish for. Friends of the EU should take no pleasure in its travails, because Britain is no unconquerable island so far as the virus is concerned, but equally should send any illusions about the recent performance of the EU and its agencies. The answer may be “more Europe”, as President Macron used to say, or an end to integration, but the problem of EU competence (in both senses) over public health is plain.

Right now, the European Union finds itself in the embarrassing position of watching the British speed way ahead in the vaccination race (by fair means or foul), and in the more humiliating position of having to turn to Russia, of all places, for help. A third Covid wave is hitting parts of Europe hard. France is the latest to fall back into lockdown, even if Macron has tried to rebadge it as a “third way”. Hence the urgent need for vaccines in what the president calls “a race against time” for his country.

Taoiseach calls for ‘reset’ of UK-EU relations to solve Brexit issues

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called for a “reset” of the relationship between the EU and the UK to resolve issues stemming from the Northern Ireland Protocol.

                                                    <p class="no_name">The Taoiseach lamented the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the bloc and the UK following rows over Brexit and the supply of Covid-19 vaccines.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The Northern Ireland Protocol, designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit, has caused unrest among both unionists and loyalists, who have called for it to be scrapped.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Martin said he has told the EU the bloc’s relationship must be “constructive”.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">He said: “I think we need to reset the relationship.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">“I’ve made it very clear to our <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&amp;tag_organisation=European+Union">European Union</a> partners that the British-Irish relationship is a unique one, historically rooted.</p>
                                                    <h4 class="crosshead">‘Joint custodians’</h4><p class="no_name">“We’re both joint custodians of the (Good Friday) Agreement and nothing can come between us in respect of making sure that we work constructively together.</p>
                                                                                                                                                                                        <p class="no_name">“That’s our aim and our objective as a Government – to maintain a constructive relationship with Britain.”</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The Taoiseach said he has argued that “the only future has to be a constructive UK-EU relationship”.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The relationship, already damaged by Brexit, deteriorated further due to the EU’s brief suspension of the Northern Ireland Protocol in a row over vaccines.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The UK also suspended elements of the protocol unilaterally, by suspending customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland, a move dubbed “silly” by the Taoiseach.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The premier said the EU has already done a lot to “facilitate the uniqueness” of the protocol, but acknowledged there is “work to be done... to see what we can fine-tune”.</p>
                                                    <h4 class="crosshead">Tackle</h4><p class="no_name">He called for the use of special committees to tackle difficulties arising from the protocol, which have been provided for under the Withdrawal Agreement.</p>

                                                    <p class="no_name">He said: “We’ve got to try to work those committees to see, can we deal with those issues and make life as easy as possible for businesses.”</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">Despite these setbacks, the Taoiseach believes the relationship can get back on track.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">“I think it makes sense for Britain that it really works on its relationship with the EU. The EU is ready to engage,” he said.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">He told the paper that UK officials have been more constructive in recent weeks.</p>
                                                    <p class="no_name">The move towards a “win-win” deal on the supply of Covid-19 vaccines across <a class="search" href="/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&amp;tag_location=Europe">Europe</a> and the UK is a “very important” sign, he added. –PA</p>

Member States of OECS set to benefit from the implementation of two EU Funded Projects

Member States of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are set to benefit from the implementation of two European Union (EU) funded projects: The Biodiversity Support Programme for ACP Coastal Environments (BioSPACE) and the Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS (ILM).

BioSPACE contributes to the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States and coastal countries within the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).  It also supports the SAMOA Pathway through improving the management and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.

The ILM project, which complements BioSPACE and officially commenced in 2020, aims to optimize the contribution of land to agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the preservation of ecosystems and the essential services they provide. The project will contribute to climate-smart and sustainable agriculture farming systems and enhancement of cross-sector approaches to land use planning and management.  It will also support National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. In addition, it will contribute to curbing deforestation and forest degradation by reducing deforestation and forest degradation emissions, and strengthen ecosystem management in general.

The first joint Project Steering Committee Meeting of the OECS Environmental Sustainability Division for the BioSPACE and ILM projects was held on 10 March 2021, with key decision-makers within the sector along with officials of the OECS Commission and the EU participating.

Addressing the virtual meeting participants, Director General of the OECS, Dr. Didacus Jules, highlighted the importance of these projects to the sustainability of the Caribbean Region’s ecosystems.

He noted that, “One must bear in mind that in many instances, biodiversity and diverse ecosystems contribute to our social well being and our economic prosperity through the services they provide. Consider further that the loss of such diversity in nature because of the impacts of climate change and other natural and human induced hazards threatens the existence of flora and fauna species and causes loss of ecosystem functions.”  He added that, “The Caribbean, has been identified as one of the 34 top global biodiversity hotspots due to the real threats of biodiversity loss and extinction and given the unique flora and fauna of the region.

This means that urgent measures must be employed to mitigate further loss of biodiversity treasure” EU Ambassador to Barbados, The Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Małgorzata Wasilewska, emphasized the importance of such initiatives, giving a stark reminder that, “When scientific studies tell us that we have wiped out 60% of the planet’s biodiversity during the last 50 years only, this should be more than a wake up call.” However, she reminded that, “There is hope, but to keep this hope alive, any effort counts – at personal local, national or global level.”
In underlining the EU continued championing of climate change action and adaptation in the Caribbean Region, its strong partnership with the OECS, Ambassador Wasilewska reaffirmed,

“The European Union continues to trust the good work of the OECS and it renewed commitment, through projects such as these, to ensure an even more resilient region. These two projects are well transmitting our message, whether you consider your countries, as being small island states or large ocean states, we need to do a lot of work to preserve them. The European Union is a trustful partner to count on in this endeavour.

The Biodiversity Support Programme for ACP Coastal Environments (BioSPACE) and the Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS (ILM) will run for five years.

The Spread in Labor Costs Across the European Union

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