Connect with us

ENGLISH

MEP Vasile Blaga: The most effective weapon against Russia’s blackmail to turn off the gas tap is EU solidarity

Published

on

© Vasile Blaga/Facebook

The cut-off of gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria should be the start of the EU finding solutions to disconnect Europe from the Russian Federation, said MEP Vasile Blaga (PNL, EPP).

The MEP stressed that the most effective weapon against Russia’s blackmail to turn off the “gas tap” is EU solidarity.

“A generalised and overnight disconnection of Europe from Russian resources is not realistic, but in the medium and long term it is the only solution. The dependence of large EU economies – such as Germany’s – is a major obstacle to this necessary disconnection, but a united reaction, comparable to that during the pandemic, can provide the solutions to get out of this situation, which is immoral to say the least”, said the liberal MEP for the CaleaEuropeana.ro.

According to the MEP, it is necessary, as a first step, even if only in principle, for all EU Member States to speak “with one voice” on eliminating energy dependence on Russia.

“It is obvious that the European democratic architecture is incompatible with the immoral paradox of financing Russia’s war machine in the context of military aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine. Then, without delay, we need to take concrete steps that will bring us within a reasonable timeframe closer to this priority objective”, added the EPP MEP.

Diana Zaim este foto jurnalist, câștigătoare a Premiul Publicului la European Youth Event 2020, cel mai mare eveniment pentru tineri organizat de Parlamentul European. Absolventă a secției germană-portugheză în cadrul Universității din București, Diana urmează în prezent programul de master ”Relații Internaționale și Integrare Europeană” în cadrul SNSPA. Pasionată de promovarea valorilor europene, Diana este parte a comunității Model European Union, cea mai amplă simulare la nivel european a procesului decizional din cadrul Uniunii Europene.

ENGLISH

Romanian Space Agency and University Politehnica of Bucharest, joint workshop dedicated to identifying innovative solutions and facilitating partnerships between public and private actors in the fields of cybersecurity and space

Published

on

© ROSA

The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) and the National University for Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, with the support of the EU Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), organised on Wednesday, 20 March, a workshop on “Cybersecurity and Advanced Space Technologies”, to explore innovative solutions and to stimulate strategic actions, as well as to facilitate the forging of partnerships between public and private actors in the fields of cybersecurity and space.

The workshop hosted by the National University for Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest was held in a hybrid format, with the participation of representatives from academia, ROSA and ECCC, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the National Cyber Security Directorate, but also from the private sector, with companies such as certSIGN, Thales, CS Group Romania, Eviden or AROBS, which are active in the digital transformation, big data, encryption, software solutions development, electronics and cybersecurity markets.

The discussions, open to stakeholders from the industry, research sphere, academia and students of the National University for Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, focused on current trends in advanced space technologies, in particular on redefining and strategically strengthening the cyber resilience of critical infrastructures and services in space taking into account lessons learned from large-scale incidents on Earth; the role of technological innovation in preventing and countering cyber risks and threats, as well as managing future challenges and exploiting opportunities to create robust defence mechanisms.

Also, Romanian companies with a tradition in the IT&C field highlighted tangible results achieved for the development and innovation of the field and for the extension of technological solutions to the space domain, as well as the partnerships established with public and private stakeholders, both at national and European level, aimed at researching and developing innovative technological solutions for civil and military applications.

Finally, discussions also focused on the collaboration between the cybersecurity and space domains, with an emphasis on identifying the most appropriate pathways for cooperation between the two industries to address common cyber risks and challenges, e.g. based on a risk assessment model or through a cyber security operations centre serving entities in a common administrative area.

Continue Reading

ENGLISH

Csaba Borboly, President of Harghita County Council and CoR rapporteur, supports the introduction of an infringement procedure against EU countries that do not seriously consider compensation for damage caused by large carnivores to livestock or crops

Published

on

© European Union / Fred Guerdin

Csaba Borboly, president of Harghita County Council and rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) for the draft opinion on ”Biodiversity protection and coexistence with large carnivores in Europe – challenges and opportunities for local and regional authorities”, supports, among other things, the introduction of an infringement procedure in European legislation against countries that do not take seriously the compensation of damage caused by large carnivores to livestock or crops.

At a local dialogue organised by Harghita County Council and the CoR on 8 March in Miercurea-Ciuc, Csaba Borboly discussed the need to strengthen EU action for a European policy on large carnivores, underlining the transnational nature of the issue of harmonious coexistence with these animals and calling for sustained efforts at European, national, regional and local level to find new ways for the sustainable and safe coexistence of farm animals, humans and large terrestrial, marine and flying carnivores.

Borboly stressed that dialogue with the European institutions is essential to promote these concerns at the European decision-making level. In addition to ongoing negotiations with the European Commission and the European Parliament, he said, regional and local authorities must be actively involved in the process of developing specific solutions. He also stressed the importance of supporting politicians who back these initiatives and underlined the desire to create a platform at the regional level in Harghita County to develop specific solutions.

“With the report, we are in permanent negotiations with the representatives of the European Commission, here I am referring first of all to the Directorate General for Environment where there is a department for biodiversity, and, besides, to the European Parliament where we try to support with arguments the work of the MEPs who support us, and at home we would like to achieve the creation of a regional platform for large carnivores in Harghita County in the framework of the new European platform for large carnivores, where we can elaborate specific solutions. We also hope that the Government and Parliament will consider these things, and in parallel, there are several analyses and studies on what is not working and how we could improve things, and we are trying to formulate amendments to the legislation. Then we go further to the European Union level, where we have the opportunity to present the report when there are preparatory discussions for the decision-making act, then we can regularly present it at the European big platform meetings and at several public policy debates. Now we have Hungary coming up for the EU Presidency in the summer and if the Hungarian Presidency finds the issue important enough to put it on the agenda, then we will most likely have better results. These are the directions we can take”, said the President of Harghita County Council, CoR rapporteur.

He also highlighted the need for a more coherent and coercive approach at the European level in terms of compliance with biodiversity conservation and habitat protection legislation. He stressed that the lack of enforcement levers in international legislation makes it difficult to implement and comply with these rules, insisting on the need to find effective ways to monitor and sanction Member States that do not fulfill their obligations.

“As I said, on many levels we are moving forward and so far we have been able to solve many things at home, for some we have also had political decisions and regulations, for others we have not. I don’t follow that path – what would happen if we didn’t do anything? – we are moving forward. What has changed from the previous report is that we have included a provision saying that it is not okay if a Member State does not take citizens’ problems seriously. There is a new element in this report, to see if we get support from Brussels to launch an infringement procedure against those states that are not serious about providing compensation and solving the whole problem. Because I have worked with many ministers here, all of whom were well-meaning, but somehow in Parliament, here and there, on the stairs of the Academy, some things got bogged down, not all of them, but some of them, and we see that if there is infringement for waste management and everyone takes the position of the righteous, the mayors are fined for things they did not do, or for waste dumps that were there for who knows when; if there is infringement for air, for water, then we need this infringement procedure on this subject too. I believe that the international legislative framework is not complete here, and there is no coercive leverage. We have levers, what species are protected, and how to protect them, but for Articles 14 and 16, for habitats, for ensuring they are respected, for ensuring that human life and health come first, we do not have any levers. This is why I am saying this, when we also have elections for the European Parliament and this is why I wanted to have this debate and I hope that the two representatives of the RMDSZ in the European Parliament will take up this issue”, explained Csaba Borboly.

Finally, Borboly expressed the hope that through sustained efforts at European level and the active involvement of local and regional stakeholders, it will be possible to find appropriate solutions to a complex problem such as the harmonious coexistence of humans, domestic animals, and large carnivores, thus contributing to the conservation of biodiversity and the protection of the interests of local communities.

“The mills are working slowly to solve this problem. Let’s hope that the Environment Ministry and Brussels will be more courageous on this issue. At the moment I don’t see a better solution for this, than just to work together, to collect data, because I see that things are getting simpler ‘to shoot or not to shoot’; if we stick to this it all gets bogged down. If we simplify things to protected-unprotected status again, things get stuck again. There are many facts that people don’t know because we don’t have data. We know how many birds there are at European level, but we don’t know how many bears, and we could list the rest of the things, the compensation, etc. In 2028 the new funding period starts at the EU level, there will be a lot of opportunities, but there is no point in going for separate money for large carnivores then because it is late. Now a solution is being prepared and at these events we attend I see that many geese beat a pig and somehow we have to put our opinion forward in the European Union”, concluded the President of the CJ Harghita and CoR rapporteur.

The event “Biodiversity protection and coexistence with large carnivores in Europe – Challenges and opportunities for local and regional authorities”, held in Miercurea-Ciuc, brought together numerous speakers and addressed various topics related to biodiversity conservation and the relationship with large carnivores.

During the first part of the dialogue, European perspectives were discussed, with presentations and debates given by key figures such as Csaba Borboly, President of Harghita County Council, László Csák, expert, and Robert Zeman from the European Committee of the Regions. Other notable participants were MEP Herbert Dorfmann and Dr Miklós Heltai, Director of the MATE Wildlife Management Institute.

The second part of the dialogue focused on the situation in Romania and Harghita County, with presentations by officials such as Gabriel Oltean, Ministerial Advisor, and specialists such as Dr. Róbert Szép from the Research and Development Institute for Wildlife Management and Mountain Resources. Also included were perspectives from civil society, represented by Levente Miklós and Hadnagy Lehel.

The dialogue also included video messages from Professor Dr. Ovidiu Ionescu and Dr. Valeria Salvatore, who made important contributions related to the presentation of the Harghita County Regional Platform.

Moderated by journalist Dan Cărbunaru, the event focused on bringing together local and regional authorities, scientific experts and other stakeholders to share experiences and ideas on biodiversity conservation and coexistence with large carnivores, taking into account the Romanian legislative context. Professional presentations and networking sessions resulted in a better understanding of current challenges and possible solutions, as well as the creation of new connections and exchange of ideas among participants.

 

Continue Reading

ENGLISH

Harghita County Council and the European Committee of the Regions organise a local dialogue on biodiversity protection and coexistence with large carnivores in Europe (LIVE, 8 March, 09.00)

Published

on

© Consiliul Județean Harghita

Harghita County Council, together with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), is organising a local dialogue in Miercurea-Ciuc on Friday, 8 March 2024 on the protection of biodiversity and the coexistence of large carnivores in Europe, based on the draft opinion of CoR on this issue, coordinated by the President of Harghita County Council, Csaba Borboly (EPP-RO), as rapporteur.

Entitled “Biodiversity protection and coexistence with large carnivores in Europe – Challenges and opportunities for local and regional authorities –“, the event will start at 09.00 and will be broadcast LIVE on CaleaEuropeană.ro and on the Calea Europeană Facebook page.

 

The event will address both the European, national, and local dimensions of the topic. The full agenda is available here.

The first part of the dialogue will address the European perspective and will start with a presentation by the rapporteur, President of CJ Harghita Csaba Borboly, followed by a debate with László Csák, who will present the expert’s point of view, and Robert Zeman (CZ/ECR), shadow rapporteur at the European Committee of the Regions.

The panel will also include MEP Herbert Dorfmann and Dr Miklós Heltai, Director of the MATE Wildlife Management Institute.

The second part of the dialogue will address “Protection of biological diversity and coexistence with large carnivores in Romania and Harghita County”. This panel will include:

– Gabriel Oltean, Ministerial Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests;

– Levente Miklós, Rural Development Association of Harghita County Council, on “Wildlife damage caused by brown bears in Harghita County. Aggregated data of the last ten years”;

– Director Dr. Róbert Szép, Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources Management, on “Practical research results of the Institute for Research and Development of Wildlife and Mountain Resources”;

– Hadnagy Lehel, Engineer, Silos Hunting Association, on “To shoot or not to shoot – the situation of bears through the eyes of a game manager in Harghita”;

During this panel, Professor Dr. Ovidiu Ionescu, ICAS, and Dr. Valeria Salvatore, ecologist, Institute of Applied Ecology, Italy, will deliver video messages on “Regional platform support in meeting the challenges posed by coexistence with large carnivores in 2024”.

The local dialogue is moderated by journalist Dan Cărbunaru, director of CaleaEuropeană.ro.

The aim of the event is to bring together local and regional authorities, scientific experts, and stakeholders, providing an opportunity to share experiences and ideas on biodiversity conservation and coexistence with large carnivores, considering Romanian legislation.

Professional presentations in various fields will contribute to a deeper understanding of current challenges and possible solutions, while networking sessions will provide an opportunity to make new connections and exchange ideas.

Continue Reading

Facebook

Concrete & Design Solutions

Concrete-Design-Solutions
U.E.10 hours ago

Premierul Poloniei a discutat cu omologul din Ucraina despre disputa legată de importurile de produse agricole ucrainene. Donald Tusk: ”Sunt aproape de o soluție”

ROMÂNIA11 hours ago

Ministrul Economiei, Ștefan-Radu Oprea, pregătește lansarea programelor Start-Up Nation, Femeia Antreprenor și româno-elvețian pentru o ”dezvoltare durabilă a României”

NATO12 hours ago

România și SUA au lansat campania “Born in NATO” pentru a marca 20 de ani de la aderarea României la Alianța Nord-Atlantică

Dan Motreanu12 hours ago

Eurodeputatul Dan Motreanu: Intrarea României în Schengen, rezultatul eforturilor președintelui Iohannis și miniștrilor PNL

EDUCAȚIE12 hours ago

Universitatea din București, singura universitate din România implicată strategic în proiectul Comisiei Europene de instituire a diplomelor europene în învățământul superior

ROMÂNIA12 hours ago

Ministrul Marcel Boloș anunță măsuri menite să protejeze investițiile implementate din bani europeni: Sunt măsuri pe care am promis că le vom adopta

INTERNAȚIONAL14 hours ago

Ultima convorbire telefonică cu Putin a fost în decembrie 2022, spune Olaf Scholz, reiterând mesajul de atunci: Germania va continua să sprijine Ucraina atât timp cât este necesar

RUSIA15 hours ago

Prieten cu Putin, fostul cancelar german Gerhard Schröder se oferă să ajute pentru o “soluție negociată” între Rusia și Ucraina

U.E.16 hours ago

Din Brazilia, Emmanuel Macron cere revizuirea propunerii acordului UE-Mercosur, pe care o consideră ”foarte proastă” pentru ambele părți: A fost negociată în urmă cu 20 de ani. Este învechită

REPUBLICA MOLDOVA17 hours ago

Marcel Boloș a discutat cu ministrul Finanțelor din R. Moldova despre aderarea acestei țări la UE: Vă vom fi alături cu orice aveți nevoie pentru implementarea eficientă a proiectelor finanțate din bani europeni

ROMÂNIA12 hours ago

Ministrul Marcel Boloș anunță măsuri menite să protejeze investițiile implementate din bani europeni: Sunt măsuri pe care am promis că le vom adopta

REPUBLICA MOLDOVA2 days ago

Premierul Dorin Recean: Cu sprijinul necondiționat al României, R. Moldova și-a consolidat capacitatea de asigurare a securității

REPUBLICA MOLDOVA2 days ago

Premierul Marcel Ciolacu subliniază că a venit vremea ”podurilor comerciale și de capital” între România și R. Moldova: Vrem să o ajutăm să facă pași mari și siguri către UE

INTERVIURI2 days ago

INTERVIU Siegfried Mureșan: Obiectivul grupului PPE este începerea negocierilor de aderare cu R. Moldova și Ucraina până la 30 iunie. Integrarea graduală în piața unică înseamnă că R. Moldova va avea beneficiile unui stat membru

CONSILIUL UE3 days ago

Ministrul Mediului, la Bruxelles: Tranziția către neutralitatea climatică trebuie să fie echitabilă și să țină cont de impactul socio-economic asupra comunităților, lucrătorilor și industriilor care pot fi afectate

REPUBLICA MOLDOVA7 days ago

Parlamentul R. Moldova a adoptat o Declarație cu privire la integrarea europeană: Doar aderarea la UE, partener de nădejde timp de decenii, va asigura viitorul țării

CONSILIUL EUROPEAN1 week ago

Klaus Iohannis le solicită omologilor din UE sprijin pentru R. Moldova: Trebuie să adoptăm cadrele de negociere pentru aderare. Siguranța Republicii Moldova înseamnă siguranța spațiului european

CONSILIUL EUROPEAN1 week ago

Klaus Iohannis: Decalogul pentru funcția de secretar general NATO a fost “foarte bine primit de aliați”. De Mark Rutte “ne deosebește istoria, geografia și viziuni ușor diferite despre viitorul NATO”

COMISIA EUROPEANA1 week ago

Șefa Comisiei Europene pledează pentru utilizarea energiei nucleare în cadrul tranziției către o energie curată

INTERNAȚIONAL1 week ago

Volodimir Zelenski cere lumii democratice să redea fiecărei națiuni certitudinea că securitatea sa este de nezdruncinat: Regulile trebuie să funcționeze din nou pentru a proteja ordinea mondială

Trending