Romanian horses might be responsible for European meat scandal
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- Published on Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:42
- Written by BC & Agencies
A law banning horses from Romanian roads may be responsible for the surge in the fraudulent sale of horsemeat on the European beef market, a French politician said yesterday.
Horse-drawn carts were a common form of transport for centuries in Romania, but hundreds of thousands of the animals are feared to have been sent to the abattoir after the change in road rules.
Balkans: Rights Protections Lagging
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- Published on Friday, 08 February 2013 14:54
- Written by BC-Stuff
Human rights protection in the Western Balkans fails to match the region's aspirations for European integration, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013. Human Rights Watch documented human rights concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo during 2012.
The Western Balkan region has a mixed record of progress toward accountability for war crimes, Human Rights Watch said.
But little progress has been made in reducing discrimination and abuses against the Roma minority or finding lasting solutions for responding to the needs of refugees and internally displaced people. Human Rights Watch also cited concerns over harassment of journalists throughout the region and country-specific issues, including LGBT rights in Serbia, and Croatia's failure to deinstitutionalize people with intellectual or mental disabilities.
European Countries to limit Jobs to Croatians until 2015
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- Published on Saturday, 19 January 2013 00:13
- Written by BC & Agencies
France will probably follow the example of a majority of European Union member-states in imposing restrictions during the first two years of Croatia's EU membership in view of a possible influx of Croatian workers onto those markets, a French Foreign Ministry source told Hina news agency on Friday.
France intends to keep the existing regime of work permits which Croatians need to obtain in order to be employed in France.
"It is difficult for me to precisely answer this question, as the inter-ministerial committee has not yet raised this issue; we waited for the ratification before making a decision," the source said in response to the question about France's position on employment of Croatians after Croatia's admission to the EU, scheduled for 1 July.
On Thursday, the French parliament ratified the Croatia-EU accession treaty, and during a prior debate a French lawmaker called on the French government to take a step towards defining the French position on the employment of Croatians.
Scottish independence from March 2016
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- Published on Friday, 08 February 2013 15:15
- Written by Ioannis Michaletos
The Scottish government has drawn up a detailed paper outlining the possible transition to independence, BBC Scotland can reveal.
Under the plans, based on a "yes" vote in a 2014 referendum, independence day for Scotland would be in March 2016.
The first elections to an independent parliament would follow in May.
Cash only at the Vatican
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- Published on Saturday, 05 January 2013 02:45
- Written by BC & Agencies
Anyone heading to the Vatican had better pray they have enough cash with them after a move to block credit card payments.
The city-state can only take notes and coins for museum tickets and other services after Italy's central blanks stopped electronic payments.
To enter EU, Croatia must solve banking issue with Slovenia
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- Published on Saturday, 26 January 2013 17:15
- Written by BC & Agencies
The European Commission called on Slovenia and Croatia to urgently reach an acceptable solution to the issue of the now defunct Ljubljanska Banka so that the ratification of Croatia's Treaty of Accession with the European Union can be completed in time for Croatia to enter the 27-strong bloc on 1 July, as scheduled.
It is really vital for both sides, and I stress both sides, to immediately find a mutually acceptable solution to the Ljubljanska Banka issue, the European Enlargement Commissioner's spokesman Peter Stano said in Brussels on Friday when asked by the press whether the EC stuck to its stance that this issue was clearly a bilateral matter between the two neighbours which should not affect the process of ratification of the treaty in EU member-states.
Islam: Fastest-Growing Religion in Britain
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- Published on Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:37
- Written by Soeren Kern
Islam is the fastest-growing religion in England and Wales, according to new census data that the British government says "describes the defining characteristics of the population, who we are, how we live and what we do."
The latest tranche of data from Britain's 2011 Census was released on December 11. The statistics are for England and Wales only; the census in Northern Ireland and Scotland is separate and the government will release those figures at a later date.
The census data shows that the number of Christians in England and Wales declined by 11% (4.1 million) during the past decade, from 37.3 million in 2001 to 33.2 million in 2011.
During the same period, the Muslim population in England and Wales increased by 80% (1.2 million), from 1.5 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2011, making it the second-largest religion in Britain.
EU panel seeks power to fine, censor and fire journalists
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- Published on Wednesday, 23 January 2013 19:07
- Written by Stephen C. Webster
A series of recommendations issued Monday by the European Union's "High Level Group" proposes the establishment of "media councils" in every member state that would be monitored by the European Commission and given the power to fine, censor and even fire individual journalists if deemed appropriate.
"Media councils should have real enforcement powers, such as the imposition of fines, orders for printed or broadcast apologies, or removal of journalistic status," one of the group's recommendations suggests. "The national media councils should follow a set of European-wide standards and be monitored by the Commission to ensure that they comply with European values."
Council of Europe official: Say ‘no’ to hate speech
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- Published on Monday, 17 December 2012 15:54
- Written by Georgi Gotev
The consequences of hate speech on the Internet and through social media can be extremely serious, Snežana Samardžić-Marković, director general of democracy for the Council of Europe, told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.
British spooked by Bulgaria and Romania's migration
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- Published on Saturday, 19 January 2013 00:20
- Written by BC & Agencies
About 50,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria will come to the UK every year when restrictions are lifted next year, think tank Migration Watch suggests.
It predicts this level annually in the first five years after these controls end, warning of "significant consequences" for housing and jobs, the BBC reports.
German States Give Green Light on Bid to Ban NPD
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- Published on Monday, 17 December 2012 15:26
- Written by BC & Agencies
Germany's upper legislative chamber on Friday unanimously backed a bid to submit a petition to ban the far-right National Democratic Party to the nation's highest court. However, the initiative still requires approval from the German parliament and the cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Lawmakers in Berlin have been given the green light to file a complaint with the country's highest court seeking to ban the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) following a Friday vote by Germany's upper legislative chamber, the Bundesrat, on the issue.
The approval of the legal bid to ban the right-wing extremist party comes after governors of the 16 states had already agreed on supporting the measure earlier this month. They recommended that the Bundesrat, which represents Germany's 16 states, do the same.
