‘The Poland of 2020 is a hell for women’: MEPs slam Polish abortion ban
26 Nov Justice

‘The Poland of 2020 is a hell for women’: MEPs slam Polish abortion ban

Wednesday’s plenary session saw an emotionally-charged debate in which many deputies lambasted Poland’s recent decision to impose a near-total ban on abortion in the country.
by Lorna Hutchinson
The undeniable benefits of tolerance
17 Nov Justice
The undeniable benefits of tolerance
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Zero tolerance
25 Nov Justice
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Zero tolerance
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Time for men to take a stand
25 Nov Justice
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: Time for men to take a stand
Stop the ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women
25 Nov Justice
Stop the ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, buildings and landmarks are being bathed in orange light to raise awareness of and galvanise action for 16 Days of Activism.
Parliamentarians call Polish abortion ban ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’
24 Nov Justice
Parliamentarians call Polish abortion ban ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’
Over two hundred policymakers across Europe have joined forces to urge the European Commission to launch an infringement procedure over the Polish government’s violation of women’s rights, LGBTI rights and the rule of law.
Moderate Muslims must stand up and speak PM+
18 Nov Justice
Moderate Muslims must stand up and speak
Following the horrific events in France and Austria, Muslim communities around the world have engaged in debates surrounding freedom of speech and the challenges minorities face in multicultural societies, writes Dr. MJ Khan.
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana: Standing up for justice
13 Nov Justice
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana: Standing up for justice
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana is Germany’s only black MEP. She tells Rajnish Singh how she’s working to reform the police, enhance gender equality and get more people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities into the EU institutions.
European Commission presents first-ever LGBTIQ equality strategy
12 Nov Justice
European Commission presents first-ever LGBTIQ equality strategy
The strategy addresses the inequalities and challenges affecting LGBTIQ people, setting out a number of targeted actions for the next five years.
EU Equal Pay Day: Time to close the gender pay gap
10 Nov Justice
EU Equal Pay Day: Time to close the gender pay gap
Equal pay for work of equal value continues to elude women in the EU and the gender pay gap of 14.1 percent means that as of November 10, women will work for free until the end of the year.
Viktor Orbán threatens to veto EU budget and Coronavirus recovery plan
09 Nov Justice
Viktor Orbán threatens to veto EU budget and Coronavirus recovery plan
This comes after Member States and Parliament reached an agreement on a new mechanism allowing the EU to cut funding over rule of law concerns in Member States.
European Parliament political group presidents decry ‘barbaric’ Polish abortion ruling
02 Nov Justice
European Parliament political group presidents decry ‘barbaric’ Polish abortion ruling
The leaders of five of Parliament’s political groups have written to the Polish Prime Minister to denounce the ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal which imposes a near-total ban on abortion in the country.
A European response to disinformation
30 Oct Justice
A European response to disinformation
Technological advances are opening new fronts to those seeking to interfere in our democracies; the INGE Committee will play a vital role in minimising this risk in future, write Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz and Marcin Bylica.
Tackling racism in Europe's AI strategy
30 Oct Justice
Tackling racism in Europe's AI strategy
With the growing influence of artificial intelligence on daily life, MEPs are calling on the EU to look at how the technology may create structural racism, explains Rajnish Singh.
#EPGenderEqualityWeek: Still a long way to go until we achieve gender equality
30 Oct Justice
#EPGenderEqualityWeek: Still a long way to go until we achieve gender equality
Twenty-five years after the Beijing Declaration, new threats to women’s rights risk putting hard-won gains into reverse. Instead of going back to the 1950s, we need to make this the century of women, writes Evelyn Regner.
#EPGenderEqualityWeek: There is no gender equality without economic equality
29 Oct Justice
#EPGenderEqualityWeek: There is no gender equality without economic equality
Without a broader framework of economic empowerment for women, the global quest for true equality will continue to fall short. Economic empowerment is the silver bullet for ending gender inequality, writes Assita Kanko.
Poland abortion ban: Stripping women of their fundamental human rights
28 Oct Justice
Poland abortion ban: Stripping women of their fundamental human rights
The imposition of a near-total ban on abortion by the Polish Constitutional Court must elicit a strong reaction by the European Commission as Poland drifts ever further away from upholding EU values, writes Sylwia Spurek.
EU investigating whether Hungarian state aid spending is undermining media freedom
26 Oct Justice
EU investigating whether Hungarian state aid spending is undermining media freedom
Press freedom watchdog warns that Hungarian Foreign Affairs Ministry has written to embassies instructing them to monitor Hungarian journalists.
MEPs express outrage over Poland’s near-total ban on abortion
24 Oct Justice
MEPs express outrage over Poland’s near-total ban on abortion
The draconian move by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has sparked protests in cities across the country.
EU moves to end Cypriot and Maltese Golden Passport schemes
20 Oct Justice
EU moves to end Cypriot and Maltese Golden Passport schemes
So-called investor citizenship schemes ‘not compatible with EU principles’ says European Commission.
GUE/NGL awards its Journalists, Whistleblowers and Defenders of the Right to Information prize
15 Oct Justice
GUE/NGL awards its Journalists, Whistleblowers and Defenders of the Right to Information prize
Former US army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning, German investigative organisation Correctiv and Greece’s Novartis whistleblowers have been jointly awarded the prize.
Martin Schirdewan interview: A fighting chance
13 Oct Justice
Martin Schirdewan interview: A fighting chance
It’s been a devastating year for many Europeans. Martin Schirdewan tells Lorna Hutchinson why he believes EU leaders must step up and utilise the full firepower of the Union’s arsenal to combat the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
MEPs condemn LGBT conversion therapy in appeal to European Commission
12 Oct Justice
MEPs condemn LGBT conversion therapy in appeal to European Commission
In a letter to commissioners Věra Jourová, Helena Dalli and Stella Kyriakides, the deputies describe the practice as “torture” and emphasise the need for an EU-wide ban.
ECJ rules that Hungary breached EU law with reform of higher education rules
08 Oct Justice
ECJ rules that Hungary breached EU law with reform of higher education rules
The EU’s top court said that the conditions introduced by Hungary, which forced a university founded by George Soros to move most of its activities out of the country, are incompatible with EU law.
MEPs take aim at Council’s position on rule of law conditionality mechanism
06 Oct Justice
MEPs take aim at Council’s position on rule of law conditionality mechanism
In a plenary debate on Monday evening, deputies stressed that recent EU proposals did not go far enough in linking EU funds to the respect of rule of law, calling them “ill equipped and ineffective.”
Rule of law report: Corruption, attacks on media and judiciary amount to ‘undrinkable cocktail’
01 Oct Justice
Rule of law report: Corruption, attacks on media and judiciary amount to ‘undrinkable cocktail’
The report, the first of its kind by the Commission, aims to protect the rights of citizens and comes amid rising concern about rule of law breaches in some Member States, notably Hungary and Poland.
Sylwia Spurek takes aim at Poland and EU over handling of refugee crisis
30 Sep Justice
Sylwia Spurek takes aim at Poland and EU over handling of refugee crisis
Spurek was speaking on Wednesday at a news conference in Parliament after it was announced she was joining the Greens/EFA group.
European Commission says it has ‘full trust’ in Věra Jourová after Orbán demands resignation
30 Sep Justice
European Commission says it has ‘full trust’ in Věra Jourová after Orbán demands resignation
Viktor Orbán was angered by comments made in an interview by the Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency, in which she described Hungary as a “sick democracy.”