News feed

The reserve around Mont Blanc, which will be created by the end of 2020, will have rules restricting the number of visitors, especially during the summer. Other new environmental measures, announced by France, include the creation of the French Office of Biodiversity and stopping the government’s purchase of single-use plastics from July.

Source: BBC

The ECHR has ruled that Spain did not violate the European convention on human rights six years ago when it deported two men who tried to climb the fence separating Morocco and Spain. Human rights groups now accuse the ECHR of “ignoring the reality” on the ground, and they worry that the ruling will set a dangerous precedent in the European Union.

Source: The Guardian

The German government does not plan to recognise the 'flight from climatic conditions and changes' as a reason for asylum and to make a corresponding change in the law.

Source: Euronews

The State Duma deputies and Federation Council senators included in the Russian government’s working group for constitutional amendments have proposed giving the country’s former presidents the right to join the Federation Council for life.

Source: Meduza

A lucrative citizenship for investment scheme run by Cyprus has been under scrutiny both in Cyprus and abroad after the disclosure that some of the beneficiaries were high-ranking officials from foreign countries. In recent years, more than 3,500 people have gained citizenship under this scheme.

Source: Euractiv

Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed into law divisive legislation that allows judges to be punished for questioning and criticising the national judicial system. Judges can now be made to pay fines, be demoted or fired if they go against the authority of other judges or courts. The European Commission is going to analyse whether the Polish law complies with EU law.

Source: Deutsche Welle

The new government in Finland has announced a reform of family benefits that aims to give all parents the same parental leave, in an attempt to get fathers to spend more time with their children. Paid allowance would be increased to a combined 14 months, meaning 164 days of parental leave for each parent, and pregnant women would receive an additional month’s allowance.

Source: BBC

In the city of Penza, seven Russian anarchists and anti-fascist activists have been sentenced to between six and 18 years in penal colonies for allegedly planning terrorist attacks. Human rights groups and lawyers argue that the charges have been fabricated and accuse authorities of torturing the seven men into confessing.

Source: BBC

A new law creating a special registry for non-governmental organisations, their employees and partners has been adopted in Greece. The bill is designed to help the government regulate and control actors involved in the migration crisis management, including the actors’ activities.

Source: Euractiv

Dutch court has ruled that an automated surveillance system for detecting welfare fraud should be immediately halted because it violates human rights. As governments around the world increasingly use artificial intelligence and risk modelling to administer welfare benefits and other essential services, the decision in the Netherlands could set a strong legal precedent and inspire the filing of similar cases and a reevaluation of digital welfare systems.

Source: The Guardian

Russia remains the runaway leader in the number of pending cases among the 47 member states that fall under the court’s jurisdiction, according to ECHR data. Russia last year accounted for 15,050 out of a total of 59,800 pending cases in the Strasbourg-based court, or one-quarter of all applications.

Source: The Moscow Times

The European Union will link any access to its market for British products directly to the access that EU boats will be given to U.K. waters, the bloc’s chief negotiator said.

Source: AP