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European Commission calls on member states to modernise minimum income schemes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

The European Commission has called upon EU Member States to modernise their minimum income schemes as part of the ongoing pledge to reduce poverty and social exclusion in Europe. Minimum income is cash payments that help households who need it to bridge the gap to a certain income level to pay the bills and live a life in dignity. They are particularly important in times of economic downturns, helping to cushion drops in household income for people most in need, thereby contributing to sustainable and inclusive growth. They are generally complemented with in-kind benefits giving access to services and targeted incentives to access the labour market.The proposed Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion sets out how Member States can modernise their minimum income schemes to make them more effective, lifting people out of poverty, while promoting the labour market integration of those who can work. The social and economic advantages of adequate and t...

The EU’s revised sanctions policy hinders vital supplies of Russian fertilizers to the Third World

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

The European Commission on August 29 published an updated text of clarifications on the application of sanctions for fertilizers produced or exported from Russia, including potassium chloride, as well as complex fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.  Brussels' new position now makes it impossible to supply Russian fertilizers to third countries, including Africa, that use European operators and infrastructure, along with the EU's territory. This dec... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Ex-Magna CEO could take control of Volkswagen’s assets in Russia 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

The Russian media reported that Volkswagen AG could sell its Russian business – including an assembly plant and an internal combustion engine producer – to Austrian business conglomerate Steyr Automotive owned by ex-Magna CEO Siegfried Wolf.According to people familiar with the matter the company aims to resume the production of VW cars in Russia, suspended in March in a response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, under a different brand. VW will continue to supply components and sp... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Why the upcoming Samarkand SCO summit is important and what to expect from the outcome

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

On September 15-16, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) summit will be held in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand. At the upcoming event, the leaders of the SCO countries will come together for the first time in three years in a face-to-face format, one that will be a unique and effective opportunity to discuss the bilateral, regional and global issues that have accumulated since the start of the COVID pandemic.In the context of serious shifts both in international politics and e... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Alisher Usmanov: The billionaire-turned-philanthropist who is essential to Uzbekistan’s global future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

Uzbek tycoon Alisher Usmanov once quipped to a Western journalist that his life story would require more than a couple of vodka bottles to tell in full. A quick look at his biography, one that begins with his humble origins in Chust, a medium-sized city in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley, to being ranked among the 100 wealthiest people in the world.Usmanov is unique amongst those from the former Soviet Union who made their fortunes in the wild 1990s following the collapse of the Communist comman... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Tokayev’s national address launches a new political era for Kazakhstan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s most recent address to the nation is a new political milestone in the history of the country by setting qualitatively different standards for the system of power through the highest forms of transparency for the most important political decisions, and his sense of constant renewal and the need for open competition..Tokayev’s decision to make the entire electoral schedule public is an unprecedented step for Kazakhstan’s political culture.The launch of the entire election cycle is conditioned by the need for a radical reboot of our political system and is fully consistent with the rationale of the constitutional reform supported by the majority of citizens in the June referendum.The consecutive holding of presidential elections, followed by the election of deputies to the majilis (the lower chamber of the parliament) and maslikhats (local representative bodies) will focus on the solution of urgent and strategic tasks for the socio-economic...

Red Sea Film Festival honors in Venice women protagonists of Arab cinema

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

Venice, Italy – 3 September 2022: The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) and Vanity Fair have come together to celebrate visionary female talent both on and behind the camera who are shaping the film industry and creating extraordinary stories that resonate with audiences around the world.  At a gala event hosted alongside the 79th Venice International Film Festival at the Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù, the RSIFF and Vanity Fair honoured six remarkable women working at the heart of th... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Ukraine is independent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

As Ukraine greets its 31st year of independence, it finds itself fighting a war for its existential existence. It is not of war of its choice or of its making and it is not a result of its belligerence, but a consequence of the imperialistic ambition of its neighbor who cannot except the new historic reality that will soon redefine the region’s existence.However, Ukraine did make a choice of its own volition that confirms and defines its independence: It has chosen to resist Russia’s imperiali... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Switzerland’s Svizraa files protest against limiting its operations in Latvia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

The Swiss chartering and transportation company Svizraa S.A. has sent a letter to Latvia’s foreign affairs, economics and justice ministries in protest over their de facto prohibition on the company to conduct business in Latvia.Svizraa - which works in the movement of fertilizers, grain, coal and steel, with a cargo turnover of more than 10 million tons per year - called the authorities’ decision to stop the operation of two of the company's mineral fertilizers and ammonia trans-shipment te... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Critical mineral sourcing must also be sustainable for the EU’s clean energy transition

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:26 GMT

The European Union has become a global leader in the movement to a clean energy transition. A central part of this movement has been the result of transitioning from traditional fossil fuels, primarily oil, gas, and coal, towards more areas producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions, such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and electric energy. The Fit for 55 plan has served as the basis for the EU to transition to climate neutrality by 2050, and 55 percent reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 in relation to 2005 levels. More recently, the REPowerEU plan presented by the European Commission has served as a basis for future clean energy transitions within the bloc, hoping to reduce emissions, along with dependence in particular on fossil fuel imports from Russia. Such considerations can be taken in light of these recent events, including the Russian Federation’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has required many in the European Union to revert to burning more coal to meet energy deman...