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At a time when the attention of the European Union is focused on preventing Russia from conquering Ukraine, Poland is reigniting a conflict from the past with the countrys de facto ruler on Thursday calling for Germany to pay 6.2 trillion zoty (1.3 trillion) in reparations for its 1939-1945 occupation.

This is our goal, Jarosaw Kaczyski, the head of Polands ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, said on the 83rd anniversary of Nazi Germanys invasion of Poland.

I know that we are embarking on a path that will take a long time and will not be easy. We do not promise quick successes, Kaczyski said in a press conference to publicize a report prepared by Law and Justice.

Poland was ravaged by Germanys invasion and occupation, with about 6 million deaths a fifth of the population (including almost all of its Jewish people). Warsaw was left a smoking ruin. Thursdays news conference was held in Warsaws royal castle, a building destroyed during the war and only rebuilt in the 1970s.

The Germans invaded Poland and did great damage to us. The occupation was extremely criminal, incredibly cruel and caused effects that in many cases continue to this day, Kaczyski said.

But Polands post-war communist government a satellite of the USSR agreed to drop demands for reparations against East Germany in 1953, making it legally complicated for Warsaw to file any claims. Poland also gained large territories from Germany after the war, while losing about a third of pre-war Polands lands to the Soviet Union.

The position of the Federal Government is unchanged, the reparations issue is closed, said Germanys foreign ministry. Poland renounced further reparations a long time ago, in 1953, and has confirmed this renunciation several times. This is an essential basis for todays European order. Germany stands politically and morally by its responsibility for the Second World War.

There is no chance for reparations, Radosaw Sikorski, a member of the European Parliament from the opposition Civic Platform party and a former Polish foreign minister, said in a radio interview, warning that the only impact will be to worsen relations between Warsaw and Berlin. Its pure propaganda, a fairy tale for the nave.

Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform and a former Polish prime minister and president of the European Council, accused Kaczyski of playing politics with his demand.

This is not about any reparations from Germany, this is about a political campaign, he said. Jarosaw Kaczyski is not hiding it, that they want to rebuild support for the ruling party with this anti-German campaign.

PiS hopes to win an unprecedented third term in power in next years parliamentary election. Although the party is still leading in opinion polls, it has been losing ground to the opposition as the country deals with high inflation, slowing economic growth and soaring energy prices.

Kaczyski has long seen Germany as Polands historic enemy, despite both countries being in NATO and in the EU, and Germany being by far Polands largest trading partner. Hes suspicious that Berlin is using the EU as a cover to build the Fourth Reich.

Polands relationship with Germany has taken a further battering thanks to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has been one of the most enthusiastic backers of Kyiv, sending money and weapons to Ukraine, while leading the charge to cut off imports of Russian energy and to block Russian tourists from visiting the Continent. Berlins caution in moving rapidly in the same direction has aroused Polish anger.

Kaczyskis demand is still not official government policy, and Warsaw hasnt issued any formal request to Berlin.

We are obliged today to calculate these losses as accurately as possible and present a proper account to those who owe it, said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Berlin feels that the 1990 deal allowing West and East Germany to unify ended all outstanding issues related to the war, and rejects demands for reparations.

Germany has paid compensation to individual victims of the Holocaust and to people forced to work as slave laborers, but not to other countries; Greece has an outstanding claim estimated at 289 billion, but the German parliament found it does not have legal merit.

Wilhelmine Preussen contributed reporting.

This article has been updated with comment from the German foreign ministry.

Read more from the original source:
Poland to Germany: Pay up! - POLITICO Europe

Within the framework of monthly programmes monitoring meetings, the ECOWAS Commission received the European Union delegation in Nigeria, at its premises in Abuja on 23 August 2022.

The main objective of this bilateral meeting is to review key ongoing programmes as well as those identified under the new EU funding instrument.

The meeting was attended by the Head of Cooperation of the European Union in Nigeria, Ms Ccile Tassin-Pfizer accompanied by her collaborators, in particular the Deputy Head of Delegation and Head of Political Section, the Head of the finance, contracts and audit, project managers, as well as ECOWAS staff, in particular the Director of External Relations (Session Chairman) and Directors in charge of Peacekeeping and Regional Security; Energy and Mines; Humanitarian and Social Affairs; Political Affairs; Finance/Financial Reporting and Donations; and Transport.

Several items on the agenda were the subject of intensive discussions, in particular those relating to the activities planned under the New Instrument for Cooperation of the European Union (NDICI), the Annual Action Plan (PAA) 2022 and 2023, Blue Economy, Stabilization, Peace and Security, Climate Change, Human Development and Gender Issues.

During the exchanges, the two parties expressed current concerns related to democratic and security challenges, and indicated the need to continue the programmes already underway in these areas.

In the field of Climate Change, the parties shared the same points of view relating to the strengthening of actions to the definition of joint action plans in order to face the various climate challenges of the West African Region.

The issue of human development captured the attention the EU and ECOWAS, which agreed to finalize the action plan initiated in this area and which should help in the formulation of relevant projects to be initiated in this area.

Within the framework of Institutional Support to ECOWAS, the Directors present at the meeting indicated the need to maintain the Support Cell for the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO Support Cell) which

provides essential and necessary assistance for the validation of the EU pillars by ECOWAS, hence the importance of finding the necessary support for the sustainability of its operation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

This Press Release has been issued by APO. The content is not monitored by the editorial team of African Business and not of the content has been checked or validated by our editorial teams, proof readers or fact checkers. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union organise their monthly Coordination meeting at the ECOWAS headquarters in...

In Genbeta we have already told that the Publications Office of the European Union gives away gigantic maps and printed publications. We were impressed when we received them, because yes, they comply and if there is availability, they do not take long to send them. Now, along with everything we had mentioned, we have discovered two other materials.

For children, we had already talked about Pac-Man, a publication designed for children to learn about the European Union while playing. There was also the Europe, Better Together! educational kit. Now weve foundIn the farm Y Treasure hunt on the farm.

13 TRICKS to get the MAX out of GOOGLE MAPS

First of all, the Office offers On the farm, a free coloring book where we will find animals, bushes, tractors, trucks and the typical elements of some rural environments.

If instead of ordering them we want to color them on the computer itself or print them, as always we can save the PDF and choose which pages we want to see in full color. The edition they send is from 2019, but if we are interested in having more variety, there are others from 2006 and 2010 that we can find in the All editions (3) button that appears like this if we have selected that the language of the web be Spanish.

To request it, no registration will be necessary, just fill in our contact information and address.

With Treasure hunting on the farm we are indeed facing a 2021 and printed story that tells an educational story. As with On the farm, it is educational material with which children will learn about food processes and production, health, the importance of bees in agriculture, habitat, etc.

It has 40 pages and can be ordered in both Spanish and English, along with other official languages of Member States. As on other occasions, the system only allows us to request one copy of each publication per person.

In this case, the website says that there is only one copy available, but that message appears with books in any language, so it seems more like a way to control that the submission of publications is not abused than the fact that there is little stock.

Link:
The European Union gives away these stories and coloring books, along with large maps: so you can receive them for free - Gearrice

The European Commission has provided EUR 150,000 (UGX 566 million) in humanitarian funding to assist the families most affected by the recent extensive rains, resulting in flooding and landslides in multiple districts in eastern Uganda near Mount Elgon.

The European Commission has provided EUR 150,000 (UGX 566 million) in humanitarian funding to assist the families most affected by the recent extensive rains, resulting in flooding and landslides in multiple districts in eastern Uganda near Mount Elgon. The heavy rainfall has led to the loss of life, hospitalisations and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. Over 20.000 people have been affected, 24 people killed and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed. Road infrastructure, health centres, schools and water facilities have also been affected by the flooding, posing a great risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

The EU funds will support the Ugandan Red Cross Society (URCS) in delivering much-needed relief assistance in the aftermath of the floods and landslides, especially to displaced families whose houses were extensively damaged by the heavy rains. Assistance will include the provision of emergency essential household items, including blankets, mosquito nets, solar lamps, jerry cans, soap and kitchen sets, as well as tarpaulins for temporary shelter.

The URCS will further provide multi-purpose cash and voucher assistance to meet the food, livelihoods, and shelter as well as basic needs of the 500 most vulnerable households in the Elgon sub-region. The approach is based on the needs and response assessment that informed the cash and voucher support feasibility among the affected communities.

Many of the affected have also taken shelter in government schools and community halls. With overcrowding and limited sanitation facilities, the risk of a disease outbreak is high. This funding will support the provision of water treatment tablets to prevent water-borne diseases. The URCS will reinforce health centres with mobile health teams to reach the most vulnerable people. The Red Cross society will also conduct health promotion exercises, give psychosocial support as well as provide menstrual hygiene kits for women and girls of reproductive age.

Running for four months, this operation will assist over 9,000 people in the 3 most affected districts including Mbale, Bulambuli and Bukedea districts.

The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Background

About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises. The European Commission ensures rapid and effective delivery of EU relief assistance through its two main instruments: civil protection and humanitarian aid.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department (ECHO), the European Commission helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the department provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs. For more information, please visit the European Commission's website.

About the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund

The European Commission has signed a EUR 3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to small-scale disasters those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of 3 million.

For further information, please contact: Mathias.Eick@echofield.eu or +254 722 791 604

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European Union brings relief to the victims of flooding and landslides in Uganda - Uganda - ReliefWeb

As regards information displayed on this page, the Island of Heligoland, the territories of Bsingen, Ceuta, Melilla, Livigno, Campione d'Italia and the Italian waters of Lake Lugano are subject to the same rules as non-EU countries.

As soon as you buy a product from a non-EU country, then effectively you become an importer and become liable to Customs and Excise Duty as well as Value Added Tax (VAT) payments. If the terms of sale do not specify another arrangement, the goods would normally be held by the Customs Authority at entry, pending the payment of duty and tax.

Customs officers examine packages arriving from outside the EU in order to:

On the basis of the data provided in the customs declaration, the supporting documents that accompany it and any information which they may request, the competent customs officers determine, impose and collect Customs duties that are due.

Customs duty is calculated as a percentage of the customs value of the goods:

See how the customs value is calculated in the EU Member States.

Customs Duty is not due for goods, provided directly to the buyer when their value does not exceed 150 euros.

This exception does not apply to perfumes and toilet waters, tobacco or tobacco products and alcoholic products which are subject to special limits on the quantity provided.

The import VAT is calculated as a percentage (VAT rate) of the taxable amount.

You can check the VAT rates applied in each country.

VAT is not due when the total value of all goods in a consignment (value not inclusive of customs duties or transport costs) is less than a threshold. The threshold may vary from 10 euros to 22 euros, depending on the EU country. Certain countries however, exclude mail orders from the exemption. This exception does not apply to tobacco or tobacco products, to perfumes or toilet waters and alcoholic products.

The import VAT may either be included into the overall delivery price or not.

The goods will be held by the Customs Authority at entry into your country, pending the payment of excise duty.

Rates of excise duty are set by each individual Member State. See the applicable rates for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

See which EU Member States apply excise duty exemptions for small gifts.

Cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco must bear health warnings and fiscal marks, and containers of spirits that are larger than 35cl must bear a duty stamp.

The Customs Declaration provides information to the Customs authorities about the goods that you are importing.

This declaration must be submitted by a person established in the EU or his representative who is able to present the goods to customs. In the ordinary case this could be the buyer, the company that ships the goods or the carrier who acts as a representative.

See national rules and procedures applicable to customs declarations.

If you are the person who submits the Customs Declaration, a courier company may offer to make the declaration on your behalf, but there is normally a charge for this service.

If you are not the person who submits the Customs Declaration, you should verify with the supplier that it is submitted.

The Customs Declaration should indicate correctly the nature of the goods and their value not taking into account taxes, charges, transport or other additional costs.

Some commercial websites will offer to show a value on the Customs Declaration that is much lower than the actual price paid so that the customer does not have to pay duty and/or VAT when the goods enter the Member State of import. It is in the customer's own interest to make sure that the declaration has been submitted and is accurate. If no declaration is made, or the information in it was found to be inaccurate, the acceptance of the declaration, and thus the delivery of the package to the receiver may be delayed or even not take place as the Customs officials are entitled to make further enquiries and impose penalties and sanctions as the case may be. The packages sent by post have to be accompanied by a CN22 or CN23 Declaration, as required by the special rules of the universal postal service.

The Customs Authority in your country is entitled to open and examine any package if it considers this appropriate. Packages might even be seized by Customs and, when appropriate, destroyed.

The customs clearance is the documented permission to pass that the national customs authority grants to the imported goods.

The customs clearance is typically given to a shipping agent to prove that all applicable customs duties have been paid and the shipment has been approved.

The shipping provider may charge a customs clearance fee or customs handling fee for processing the import declaration, an advancement fee for paying the duty and VAT on behalf of the recipient, an airline handling fee for loading and unloading the goods, a security fee for screening or x-raying the goods and a fee for preparing the customs declaration.

These charges will vary from company to company.

When goods are brought into the European Union by postal operators such additional charges are limited to the costs of the customs clearance procedure.

Member States cannot impose charges related to customs clearance higher than the actual costs incurred.

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Buying goods online coming from a non-European Union country