Helena Dalli interview: Striving for a Union of Equality
21 Dec Justice

Helena Dalli interview: Striving for a Union of Equality

After the Coronavirus pandemic exposed many of the inequalities still besetting our world in the twenty-first century, European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli tells Lorna Hutchinson it’s time to double down on justice.
by Lorna Hutchinson
Navalny arrest an early test for Biden
22 Jan Justice
Navalny arrest an early test for Biden
Every day, hundreds of migrants embark on the perilous route from Africa to the Canary Islands, writes Juan Fernando López Aguilar
19 Jan Justice
Every day, hundreds of migrants embark on the perilous route from Africa to the Canary Islands, writes Juan Fernando López Aguilar
MEPs on potential collision course with European Commission and Member States over 'rule of law' clause
18 Dec Justice
MEPs on potential collision course with European Commission and Member States over 'rule of law' clause
#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.”
EU Commission Vice President at centre of Hungary rule of law spat
29 Sep Justice
EU Commission Vice President at centre of Hungary rule of law spat
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has demanded the resignation of Věra Jourová and has suspended all bilateral political contacts with her after she described the country as a “sick democracy” in a magazine interview.
Maria Walsh interview: A sense of community
29 Sep Justice
Maria Walsh interview: A sense of community
Like many of Maria Walsh’s class of 2019 colleagues, her route to becoming an MEP was unconventional. She tells Brian Johnson why she believes it’s important to bring other voices to the table.
EU's new Migration Pact draws mixed reactions from MEPs and NGOs
24 Sep Justice
EU's new Migration Pact draws mixed reactions from MEPs and NGOs
The Pact, unveiled on Wednesday, is the Commission’s flagship initiative to create a comprehensive plan for managing migration.
EU unveils long-awaited action plan to tackle racism
18 Sep Justice
EU unveils long-awaited action plan to tackle racism
Equality Commissioner Helena Dalli says EU needs to ‘turn the tide’ on racism and racial discrimination.
EU to appoint first ever Anti-Racism Coordinator
18 Sep Justice
EU to appoint first ever Anti-Racism Coordinator
European Commission president announces new measures including an Anti-Racism Action Plan.
MEPs stand in rainbow-hued solidarity with Polish LGBTI community
16 Sep Justice
MEPs stand in rainbow-hued solidarity with Polish LGBTI community
The solidarity action in front of the European Parliament on Tuesday comes against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the EU to trigger an unprecedented mechanism against Poland that would effectively suspend its EU membership.
Greens MEP calls for urgent action to help migrants made homeless after Moria fire
15 Sep Justice
Greens MEP calls for urgent action to help migrants made homeless after Moria fire
Speaking direct from Lesbos on Tuesday, Erik Marquardt said that many of the 13,000 migrants and refugees have been forced to sleep rough on the streets after a devastating fire tore through the Moria camp.
Sylwia Spurek: Putting the world to rights
14 Sep Justice
Sylwia Spurek: Putting the world to rights
A staunch defender of human and animal rights, Sylwia Spurek is on a quest to safeguard the dignity of the voiceless and disenfranchised. She tells Lorna Hutchinson that when it comes to upholding rights there is no room for compromise.
Commuting death sentences of Jamal Khashoggi’s killers a ‘travesty’, say MEPs and NGO
11 Sep Justice
Commuting death sentences of Jamal Khashoggi’s killers a ‘travesty’, say MEPs and NGO
Row flares in European Parliament over devastating Moria fire
10 Sep Justice
Row flares in European Parliament over devastating Moria fire
The blaze ripped through the Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Tuesday, with another fire wiping out any remaining tents on Wednesday.