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Dili: Hivos, Forum Komunikasaun Ba Feto Timor Leste (Fokupers), and Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita (ACbit) held a national workshop and seminar at the Salo de So Jos Catedral on 28 July 2022 to increase public awareness of the needs and challenges faced by women survivors of violence. Titled Building Connection for the Social Inclusion and Economic Empowerment of Women Survivors of Violence, this event was coordinated by Hivos with the financial support from the European Union (EU) as part of the Reforsa Hamutuk project, implemented in seven districts: Ainaro, Baucau, Dili, Ermera, Liquica, Manufahi, and Oecusse.

Opening the event, Ms. Karla Leitzke, the Programme Officer for Civil Society, Democracy & Human Rights, and Gender of the European Union Delegation in Timor-Leste, stated that, For the European Union the connection between economic empowerment and the inclusion of women survivors of violence is crucial. This combination contributes to women having a livelihood to raise their family, have a decent life, and empower themselves financially. That is why we are so proud to support these amazing Timorese women, and celebrate their stories today.

This event provided an opportunity for two women survivors to share their stories, followed by presentations from Ms. Manuela Leong Pereira, the Executive Director of ACbit, on the initiatives done by civil society organisations to support women survivors, Mr. Rui Pacheco, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Timor-Leste (CCI-TL), on CCI-TL programmes accessible by women, and Ms. Natalina Maria Amaral da Costa, the National Director of Internal Commerce of the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, and Industry, on MTCI programmes to support women.

Ms. Luciana Martins dos Santos, one of the women survivors present, stated that she hopes, We, women survivors, have experienced various forms of violence in the past, and have not received the support that we need. The government must support us.

Ms. Manuela Leong Pereira from ACbit described the challenges faced by CSOs supporting women survivors social inclusion and economic empowerment as, The lack of family support for women, so that they can access opportunities to participate in trainings. It includes the domestic workload always considered the exclusive responsibility of women in the family, and limited access to capital due to lack of trust in women managing loaned funds.

Speaking about how people can support women survivors social inclusion and economic empowerment, Ms. Maria Fatima Pereira Guterres, the Executive Director of Fokupers, stated that, Every person, every institution has the responsibility to stop violence against women. Among the strategies are trainings for economic empowerment. We are hoping that all our CSO and development partners, as well as key ministries, would continue to collaborate in a long term, and put women survivors and victims needs at the center of action planning, and allocate adequate budget for the programmes.

The event was followed by a round table discussion in the afternoon, and closed with the awarding of an Accelerator Grant for three microbusinesses owned and managed by women micro entrepreneurs.

Reforsa Hamutuk Stronger Together is a 30-month project financed through a European Union contribution of 550,000 USD (500,000 EUR), and implemented by Hivos in collaboration with Fokupers and ACbit, to promote social inclusion and economic development of women survivors and victims of violence in Timor-Leste.

About the Reforsa Hamutuk Project implementing organisations:

Hivos is an international development organisation that seeks new solutions to persistent global issues. Founded in 1968 and inspired by humanist values, Hivos works in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East at a local, regional and global level, together with local civil society organisations in developing countries to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world. Through smart projects in the right places, Hivos opposes discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of resources. For more information, visit: https://sea.hivos.org/

Forum Komunikasaun ba Feto Timor-Leste (Fokupers) is a non-governmental organisation in Dili, Timor-Leste focusing on womens right. It was established in 1997 to address GBV and human rights violations against women and children, particularly those committed at the time of the Indonesian occupation. Their current works include victim services; non-gender based early childhood education, advocacy, and women empowermentboth in the community and in Timor-Leste as a nation. For more information, visit: https://fokupers.org/

Asosiasaun Chega! Ba Ita (ACbit) is a non-governmental organisation that aims to promote the values and principles underpinning the work of the CAVRhuman rights, justice and reconciliation. Established in 2010 in Dili, Timor-Leste, ACbit focuses on advocacy for victims rights. ACbit provides training, technical assistance, support groups, and trauma healing for women victims of past conflict and their families, and creating networks of past and current victims of GBV to break the chains of impunity. For more information, visit: https://chegabaita.org/

Link:
Hivos, Fokupers, and ACbit are building connections to support women survivors of violence through the European Union's Reforsa Hamutuk project | EEAS...

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in itsruling of 7 July 2022given on case C-24/21, confirmed that Member States (and their territorial entities with legislative powers) may restrict or prohibit by law the cultivation of approved crops of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), but recalled that specific conditions must be met, as set forth inDirective 2001/18/EC(on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms) andRegulation (EC) No. 1829/2003(on genetically modified food and feed). The Courts ruling is based on the text of Directive 2001/18/EC in force prior to the amendments introduced byDirective (EU) 2015/412, which added a new Article 26b (Transitional Measures), establishing a procedure through which Member States may request that the geographical scope of a GMO notification/application be submitted, or an authorization granted be adjusted to exclude all or part of their territory from cultivation.

The dispute arose from the action of a farmer, Mr. PH, who deliberately violated the lawNo. 5/2011of Friuli Venezia Giulia (an Italian autonomous region), prohibiting the cultivation of the authorized crop of MON810 GMO maize and was therefore fined by local authorities. The purpose of the regional law was to prevent and avoid cross-contamination between different types of crops: GMO, conventional, and organic.

PH filed an opposition against the sanction with the Territorial Court, which halted the proceedings to request a preliminary ruling from the Court of Justice on the correct interpretation of the EU regulatory framework on GMOs.

The Court recalled Article 26-bis(1) of Directive 2001/18/EC, which states,Member States may take appropriate measures to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs in other products.

Therefore, Member States may only adopt preventive measures to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs in other products, thus ensuring that farmers and consumers have a choice between organic, conventional, and GMO production, as pointed out in theCommission Recommendation of 13 July 2010. On the other hand, these measures cannot be justified by the need to protect human health or the environment, since their protection is already achieved by the risk assessment carried out according to Directive 2001/18/EC and Regulation No 1829/2003 (see paragraph 47 of the ruling).

Such measures must be proportionate insofar as they must minimize their restrictive effects to what is necessary to achieve their purpose.

It is therefore up to the national court of Friuli Venezia Giulia to determine whether the regional law complies with the above principles and to analyze the specific conditions of the area affected by such preventive measures, to assess whether they are necessary and proportionate to avoid cross-contamination between GMOs and conventional/biological crops. The local court should base its decision on the actual degree of contamination and the likelihood of further contamination, considering specific geographic factors and the economic consequences (in terms of losses) for producers if a higher degree of contamination occurs. The decision is expected in the coming months, but the tracks are laid and there is no room for prejudices about GMO cultivation: everything must have a reasonable and proven justification.

As already mentioned, Directive (EU) 2015/412 amended Directive 2001/18/EC by introducing a provision [Article 26(b)] facilitating how Member States may exclude all or part of their territory from the cultivation of GMOs, either by requiring such exclusion prior to the granting of authorization or by adopting measures after that moment and, in the latter case, only when special needs are demonstrated (e.g., environmental policy objectives, socio-economic impacts, etc.), provided that the measures are proportionate and reasonable. Thus, whereas the provision cited in the Court ruling under review, which is still in force, only concerns the need to avoid the unintended presence of GMOs, the new article offers a broader range of justifications.

Read the rest here:
European Union Court of Justice Weighs In on GMO Crop Ban - The National Law Review

Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA)

Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation is an agency brought into existence by European Union. The crypto assets which are currently not under the provision by MiFID are going to be brought under regulatory framework in MiCA. The framework at its basic scope doesnt apply to NFTs and other qualifying financial assets under MiFID.

Credits: The Parliament Magzine

The regulation will be implemented across the European Union and it is believed that the permission of national laws is not mandatory for the implementation. This strategy ensures efficient and standardized access to the cutting-edge crypto-asset markets across the single market while also maintaining consumer safety.

The Objectives of MiCA!

Essentially four objectives have been set up by the EU for MiCA to achieve.

European Unions Fears!

As MiCA came into existence, the scope of work for the regulatory body increased rapidly as it has to act as a regulatory body for all the 27 countries which have agreed to be part of European Unions agency.

The major fear that is persistent with the European Union is that, if they will be able to recruit enough employees and work force to efficiently regulate the market and help the crypto industry grow.

The European Banking authority Jose Manuel Campa went on to make the official statement that, the agency is lacking behind in the capacity to regulate the digital assets market, and if the agency fails to recruit the appropriate number of employees with accurate knowledge, then the entire agency will be labelled as a failure.

As 2025 approaches, Campa told the FT, the EBA is concerned about figuring out the mechanics of executing its new powers because it wont know which cryptocurrencies it would regulate.

Campa also acknowledged that there is high demand for crypto talent, but there is a scarcity in supply to satisfy that demand. Logistically speaking, the agency will soon exhaust most of its funds finding the right recruit to regulate the digital asset market.

Writers Analysis:

From a personal point of view, the MiCA is a great step by European Union towards regulating the digital asset industry. But the question to consider now is whether the agency will be able to recruit the right people at the right time or not. If the agency is successful, then the EUs decision will reap huge benefits in the long run. If the agency fails, then all the efforts towards making the agency will go down the drain.

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European Union fears that it wont be able to recruit staff to regulate the market - Techstory

Lithuania will continue to provide expert support to Ukraine on its road to membership of the European Union and will advocate the earliest possible beginning of accession negotiations.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said this in a speech in the Verkhovna Rada on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We will help Ukraine overcome this difficult path. We will continue to provide expert support and, together with you, we will strive for the earliest possible start of negotiations on membership in the European Union," he said.

According to Nauseda, the experience of his country shows that a fundamental condition for successful European integration is broad political consensus, and it is very important that such a provision is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine.

Nauseda visited Kyiv on the Day of Ukrainian Statehood.

On June 23, the heads of state and government of the European Union adopted a decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that despite the war unleashed by Russia, Ukraine will continue to implement the legislation, norms and rules of the European Union, and the Cabinet of Ministers will develop a respective road map to fulfill the requirements for joining the EU.

Photo: Ukrainian President's Office

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Lithuania to support speedy beginning of talks on Ukraine's EU membership - Nauseda - Ukrinform

European Union governments on Tuesday neared an agreement on rationing natural gas this winter to protect against any further supply cuts by Russia as Moscow pursues its invasion of Ukraine.

EU energy ministers deliberated over a draft European law that would require member states to cut demand for natural gas by 15 per cent from August through March.

This would entail voluntary steps to reduce gas consumption and, if they yield insufficient savings, a trigger to impose mandatory moves across the 27-nation bloc.

On Monday, Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would limit supplies to the EU through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 per cent of capacity, heightening concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use gas trade to challenge the bloc's opposition to the war in Ukraine.

The winter is coming and we don't know how cold it will be, said Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela, whose policy portfolio includes energy. But what we know for sure is that Putin will continue to play his dirty games in misusing and blackmailing by gas supplies.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is pressing the ministers to reach an agreement less than a week after rushing out the rationing proposal.

We have to be ready for the possible supply cuts from Russia at any moment, said European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. We have to act right now.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and the West protested with economic sanctions, 12 EU countries have faced halts to, or reductions in, Russian gas deliveries.

Although it has agreed to embargo oil and coal from Russia starting later this year, the EU has refrained from imposing sanctions on Russian natural gas because Germany, Italy and some other member states rely heavily on these imports.

The disruptions in Russian energy trade with the EU are stoking inflation that is already at record levels in Europe and threatening to trigger a recession in the bloc just as it was recovering from a pandemic-induced slump.

The energy squeeze is also reviving decades-old political challenges for Europe about policy coordination. While the EU has gained centralised authority over monetary, trade, antitrust and farm policies, national sovereignty over energy matters still largely prevails.

In a sign of this, the European Commission ruffled feathers by planning under the proposed rationing rules to give itself the power to decide on any move from voluntary to mandatory actions.

Any agreement among the ministers may strip away this provision and ensure that a decision on mandatory gas rationing would lie in the hands of EU governments.

The rest is here:
European Union Nears Deal To Ration Gas Amid Russian Cut-Off Fears - Outlook India