Europe

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3323782

Archived version

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The European Union is exploring a plan to work closely with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) countries to strengthen global trade governance

[The CPTPP is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and, since late last year, Britain].

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However, despite some calls for a more radical shift, including from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz who said the new grouping could eventually replace the WTO [World Trade Organization], EU officials clarified that the proposal does not aim to set up a rival organisation.

Instead, the European Commission said that cooperation with the CPTPP was intended to promote a modern and rules-based trading system at a time when the WTO urgently requires reform.

"We are working closely with like-minded partners, including CPTPP countries, to advance meaningful, rules-based reform that upholds fair and open global trade," the Commission said in a statement.

One focus could be developing a dispute settlement system to address the paralysis of the WTO’s Appellate Body, after the United States blocked new appointments, leaving the body unable to function.

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"We are working with other CPTPP members to help set up discussions with other major trading blocs, including the EU, on ways to further promote free and fair global trade," the spokesperson added.

While formal plans are still in early stages, EU officials emphasise that structured cooperation with the Pacific Rim partners could revitalise global trade governance without undermining the WTO’s central role in setting and enforcing global trade rules.

OVHcloud and Crayon have announced a strategic partnership that will provide organizations with access to cost-effective cloud services across more than 45 regions. The deal is designed to help businesses accelerate their digital transformation with sustainable and sovereign cloud solutions.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42582212

“If the WTO continues to be incapable of working,” German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, the EU has “to come up with something else.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42576324

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42569816

Japan's agriculture minister said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade in them.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42569633

Swiss company Meyer Burger has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief in the United States, the solar panel manufacturer said in a court filing on Wednesday.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42568990

Slovenia has announced that it will take joint action with like-minded countries if the European Union does not take concrete steps within the next two weeks to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has been under a deadly Israeli assault for the past 21 months.

Speaking to journalists on the side-lines of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob criticised some EU member states for prioritising their own interests over the protection of Palestinian human rights.

Golob stressed the importance of the EU taking meaningful action against Israel. He stated: “Unless the EU takes concrete action today or within two weeks, each member state, including Slovenia and some countries that share our views, will be forced to take the next steps on their own.”

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3310260

Archived version

Relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation are becoming increasingly strained. Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) issued a new travel alert for the Russian Federation following multiple incidents of harassment against Moldovan citizens. The latest reported case involves the Russian special services detaining two Moldovan citizens, who they claim are undercover agents of the Intelligence and Security Service. Chisinau described these allegations as "unfounded and speculative." Experts believe that the detention of these two citizens is part of a broader information war that the Kremlin is waging against Moldova.

The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Moscow requested access to several detained Moldovan citizens; however, the Russian authorities refused to cooperate.

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“The Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Moscow requested consular access to several detained Moldovan citizens, but the Russian side denied this request. We are taking all necessary diplomatic steps to provide the needed consular assistance to our citizens,” stated Tatiana Barac [spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MFA].

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WatchDog expert Andrei Curăraru highlights the coordinated nature of false narratives directed against the Republic of Moldova. He finds the video recording of two Moldovans "confessing everything" to be suspicious, especially since it was made without the presence of a lawyer or consular access.

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Mihai Avasiloaie, the editor-in-chief of the StopFals.md platform, warns that Moscow's large-scale disinformation campaign aims to destabilize the Republic of Moldova. He emphasizes that information transmitted through official Kremlin channels should be treated with caution. Fake news extends beyond the online environment and includes direct actions by political actors, manifesting in protests orchestrated by Moscow. Avasiloaie stresses that the best response to such information attacks is to seek reliable sources.

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https://archive.ph/DRLXG

In 2017, we did exactly what Palestine Action did last week: we broke into an airbase. Our actions were extremely similar to theirs, and so were our aims.

Most of the Royal Saudi Air Force is manufactured right here in the UK by Britain’s merchants of death, BAE Systems. Carrying flags bearing the words of Yemenis whose lives have been destroyed by UK-made weapons, we cut through fences at BAE Warton. We were caught by security just meters from Saudi-bound fighter jets.

In our case, these jets were being sent to Saudi Arabia to be used to create what the UN called “the world’s biggest humanitarian catastrophe” in Yemen. In Palestine Action’s case, British planes are being sent to Cyprus and then mysteriously disappearing over the Mediterranean sea – linked, many suspect, to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

There are a few key differences between our actions and theirs. Unlike Palestine Action, we were not attacked by the Israel lobby. We were not the victims of an obsessive Islamophobic police crackdown. We are both white. Woody is a Methodist reverend: shortly after security caught us, Woody loosened the scarf from his Cambridge theological college to reveal his dog collar. The security guards that had caught us literally went, “Oh shit!”

As a result of our social position and less politicised target, we have been treated completely differently to the members of Palestine Action. We were arrested carrying a list of the serial codes of fighter jets worth over £1bn and a prepared statement explaining our intent to disarm them. Our lawyers were worried it might be the highest-value case of intent to cause criminal damage in British legal history. Their fears were short-lived: the police couldn’t wait to rush Woody out of the station, and charged us with only low-level criminal damage. A court found us not guilty.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3306357

Donetsk, Kherson and Sumy regions sustained the most damage, with several civilians reportedly killed, and many displaced, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular news briefing on Thursday.

“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food insecurity remains a concern in front-line and border regions,” he added.

According to a recent assessment by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the conflict has devastated livelihoods and quadrupled poverty levels, leaving the most vulnerable – particularly displaced people – at greatest risk.

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But with hostilities becoming increasingly deadly, humanitarian access remains limited. Since the start of the year, there has been a 50 per cent increase in civilian deaths when compared to the same period last year.

Authorities continue to urge the 10,000 people who remain in the front-line region to evacuate for their own safety.

“For those who stayed or those who came back, there are no jobs, no income and no opportunity,” Ms. McCain said.

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This rule is weirdly incongruous with the others, given the anodyne dictionary definition of "Zionism". Does it serve rather as a kind of ideological litmus test to exclude certain viewpoints - and indeed certain people - from this community? How is that defensible?

I'm a European who believes in tolerance. Having just noticed this egregiously discriminatory statement of values, I'm now thinking that I will not feel at home in this community.

PS: I see without surprise that this is not going to generate worthwhile debate. As a liberal (not Jewish and I generally vote green), I did see the health warning about "left-anarchism" (whatever, there's overlap). I was pretty pleased to discover this community. But I don't think I can continue contributing when there's literally a rule condoning ethnic discrimination. That's something that fascists do. It's certainly not the European spirit. Bye.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42491625

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42491028

German politicians are fond of saying, "Work must be worth it." But ever more people who work full-time need state benefits. And the new minimum wage hike is seen as disappointing.

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.06.27-074251/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ecb-should-change-inflation-target-researchers-tell-policymakers-2025-06-27/