Room 30, Parliament Buildings

Room 21, Parliament Buildings

Room 21, Parliament Buildings

Room 21, Parliament Buildings

Room 21, Parliament Buildings

Room 30, Parliament Buildings

Legally invisible persons do not have citizenship, social and health protection, education or jobs. “It’s as if we don’t exist in this world,” says Rahman Rahmani a beneficiary of the “European Support to Roma Inclusion” project. Improving access to basic rights is among six areas in which the project provides support to the Roma community in Serbia. In two years, mobile legal teams identified 1,100 legally invisible persons in 97 municipalities and initiated 969 legal cases for Roma before courts. As a result of the free legal aid provided to the beneficiaries, they now have more opportunities in the field of education, health protection and employment.

After six years of efforts, Valjbona Saciri, one of the beneficiaries, who for the first time obtained personal documents thanks to the project, said: “This means the world to me - as if I was born again.” Support provided to members of Roma community through free legal aid is illustrated in the following video (Serbian-language only):

Another important area of the project’s activities is support for employment. The results of a mapping process, which identified best practices in Roma employment, showed that there are many successful Roma entrepreneurs, as well as companies employing Roma, contrary to a common belief.

“I have received strong support –  not only material, but human, too. Someone has actually thought of us, Roma,” says Milos Simic, the owner of a photo store, who received equipment to improve his work through the project. In order to create new employment opportunities for Roma, 18 selected companies that have the potential for employing Roma were granted support with equipment, as well as through mentoring and training.

Pava Cabrilovski, who employed six Roma women in her company, emphasises how important it is for women to achieve economic independence and to find their place in society. Melita Ibinci was unemployed for four years, and now is one of 62 Roma who were provided jobs through the project.

“I hope that these 18 companies will represent a beacon showing that integration is possible,” said Marta Garcia Fidalgo, European Commission Coordinator for Roma Policy. To learn about the impressions of the employed Roma, as well as supported entrepreneurs of the Program of Support for Roma Employment check out the video that follows:

Education represents a priority for the Roma community, as it is considered a prerequisite for prosperity. Within the dropout prevention programme, 1,000 scholarships were granted to Roma secondary school students. In addition to this, the students are assisted and motivated by 208 mentors trained within the project, and supported by their peers. Nenad Ismailovic says that the scholarship means a lot to him, as he can buy a transport pass, books and clothes. Teaching assistants, as part of the mobile teams for Roma inclusion established with the help of the project, provide support to primary school pupils to complete their education. They also assist teachers in improving their work with children. The training and certification of 191 teaching assistants whose job also includes working with Roma and non-Roma children and performing field visits, was organised through the project.

“Scholarships are only an incentive for further education. We need to try and make it, although we are Roma and there is plenty of prejudice,” says former scholarship recipient Djordjina Halilkovic, now a freshman at the Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics in Nis. Why is education important to the Roma community? What is the effect of scholarships and how are the pedagogical assistants and mentors supporting students? See in the next video.

The 4.8 million EUR project “We Are Here Together - European Support to Roma Inclusion” is financed by the European Union and implemented by the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

Related Stories

• Roma remain one of most vulnerable groups, continue to face difficult living conditions and discrimination in access to social protection, health, employment and adequate housing, as stated in reports by independent bodies
• EU Delegation, OSCE Mission, closely following situation in Serbia’s public service broadcasters
• OSCE Mission to Serbia issues public call for project proposals on security sector governance and reform

Legally invisible persons do not have citizenship, social and health protection, education or jobs. “It’s as if we don’t exist in this world,” says Rahman Rahmani a beneficiary of the “European Support to Roma Inclusion” project. Improving access to basic rights is among six areas in which the project provides support to the Roma community in Serbia. In two years, mobile legal teams identified 1,100 legally invisible persons in 97 municipalities and initiated 969 legal cases for Roma before courts. As a result of the free legal aid provided to the beneficiaries, they now have more opportunities in the field of education, health protection and employment.

After six years of efforts, Valjbona Saciri, one of the beneficiaries, who for the first time obtained personal documents thanks to the project, said: “This means the world to me - as if I was born again.” Support provided to members of Roma community through free legal aid is illustrated in the following video (Serbian-language only):

Another important area of the project’s activities is support for employment. The results of a mapping process, which identified best practices in Roma employment, showed that there are many successful Roma entrepreneurs, as well as companies employing Roma, contrary to a common belief.

“I have received strong support –  not only material, but human, too. Someone has actually thought of us, Roma,” says Milos Simic, the owner of a photo store, who received equipment to improve his work through the project. In order to create new employment opportunities for Roma, 18 selected companies that have the potential for employing Roma were granted support with equipment, as well as through mentoring and training.

Pava Cabrilovski, who employed six Roma women in her company, emphasises how important it is for women to achieve economic independence and to find their place in society. Melita Ibinci was unemployed for four years, and now is one of 62 Roma who were provided jobs through the project.

“I hope that these 18 companies will represent a beacon showing that integration is possible,” said Marta Garcia Fidalgo, European Commission Coordinator for Roma Policy. To learn about the impressions of the employed Roma, as well as supported entrepreneurs of the Program of Support for Roma Employment check out the video that follows:

Education represents a priority for the Roma community, as it is considered a prerequisite for prosperity. Within the dropout prevention programme, 1,000 scholarships were granted to Roma secondary school students. In addition to this, the students are assisted and motivated by 208 mentors trained within the project, and supported by their peers. Nenad Ismailovic says that the scholarship means a lot to him, as he can buy a transport pass, books and clothes. Teaching assistants, as part of the mobile teams for Roma inclusion established with the help of the project, provide support to primary school pupils to complete their education. They also assist teachers in improving their work with children. The training and certification of 191 teaching assistants whose job also includes working with Roma and non-Roma children and performing field visits, was organised through the project.

“Scholarships are only an incentive for further education. We need to try and make it, although we are Roma and there is plenty of prejudice,” says former scholarship recipient Djordjina Halilkovic, now a freshman at the Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics in Nis. Why is education important to the Roma community? What is the effect of scholarships and how are the pedagogical assistants and mentors supporting students? See in the next video.

The 4.8 million EUR project “We Are Here Together - European Support to Roma Inclusion” is financed by the European Union and implemented by the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

Related Stories

• More than 1,000 local inspectors in Serbia successfully complete OSCE-supported online training course
• OSCE Mission to Serbia supports public consultations on implementation of UN SCR 1325 – Women, Peace and Security (2016-2020) National Action Plan
• Regional Conference on Legal Remedies in Criminal Proceedings: Laws in the Region and Their Application

Challenges posed by the migration and refugee flows and their impact on European security was the focus of an event jointly organized by the OSCE and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in Athens on 10 May 2016. The security implications of mass movements of people for regional and sub-regional stability, the role of international organizations, and co-operation and co-ordination among relevant actors, were among the issues highlighted.

Alternate Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Xydakis opened the event, which brought together over 90 participants from the Greek Foreign Ministry and Athens’s diplomatic, academic and media communities.

In his keynote address, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier warned that migration had emerged as a new fault line cutting across Europe. “As the representative of an Organization that traces its roots to the successful attempt of over forty years ago to overcome the divides of the Cold War, I cannot but underline the need to build bridges – not walls – to protect our common prosperity and security,” he said. He underlined that beyond the humanitarian emergency and short-term responses, we needed also long-term approaches to address the root causes of migration. “On the strength of its comprehensive approach to security, the OSCE intends to play its part in avoiding the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe and in working towards effective solutions to migration-related challenges,” Zannier stressed.

Zannier’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion among Claude Wild, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OSCE and Chair of newly-created Informal Working Group on Migration and Refugee Flows; Nina Suomalainen, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje; Saban Kardas, Director of Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies in Ankara; and Monika Ekstrom, Head of Political Reporting and Policy Analysis of the Representation of the European Commission in Greece.

Panelists agreed that the phenomenon of migration will most likely be an issue for decades and emphasized a need for long-term solutions and enhanced co-operation among relevant national and international actors. “Today we are experiencing a migration governance crisis as we were not prepared for this challenge. What we need is a comprehensive ‘smart’ response that reconciles both human and state security,” Wild said.

Suomalainen added that the OSCE was already doing a lot in the field of migration but what was needed in many areas was refocusing or updating of available mechanisms and tools.

Turning to larger geopolitical implications of the current crisis, Kardas noted that the reactive manner in which the EU had handled the instability in the Middle East and the resulting refugee crisis had weakened not only the internal solidarity within the EU but also its external credibility. “As a result, the erosion of trust between the EU and Turkey hindered a more effective and constructive partnership between the two actors in addressing the refugee challenge,” Kardas said. He stressed the importance of strengthening the resilience of local communities and infrastructure which are struggling to manage such a large influx of people.

This event in Athens was organized on the initiative of H.E. Dora Bakoyannis, former OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and currently member of the Greek Parliament and of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security. The event contributed to an evolving dialogue on migration trends in and around the OSCE area launched at the OSCE Security Days in Rome on 4 March 2016.

Related Stories

• Hand in Hand with Montenegro – Stability and Co-operation for Success
• Strong multilateral institutions, confidence-building instruments key in addressing divisions, say participants of OSCE Security Days in Berlin
• No Security without human rights, say panellists at Security Days Night-Owl session in Berlin

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/germany-net-zero-policy-olaf-scholz-christian-lindner-europe-climate-energy-6c7fb13a By The Editorial Board The costs of net-zero climate policies continue to roil Western politics, and the latest evidence is the collapse last week of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition in Germany, paving the way for voting no later than March. Germany has been governed since late 2021 by an unwieldy condominium of Mr. Scholz’s […]

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/nov/11/light-horizon-american-energy-allies-europe/ By Linnea Lueken – Monday, November 11, 2024 President-elect Donald Trump’s resounding victory may spell doom for the anti-freedom, anti-prosperity international movement that is the push for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. It is difficult to put into words the bullet we dodged regarding a Kamala Harris presidency and the energy policy that would likely have come […]

Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will get the option to see less personalized ads if they don’t want to pay for an ad-free subscription, social media company Meta said Tuesday, bowing to pressure from Brussels over privacy and digital competition concerns.

Meta Platforms has been offering European Union an ad-free subscription option for about a year to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules, but regulators had accused the company of giving people a false choice.

The company said in a blog post that while people will still be able to choose between the subscription and existing free versions, it would also start giving free users an extra option over the coming weeks to see digital ads that are less personalized.

This means ads will be targeted at users based only on what they see during their current session on Facebook or Instagram going back no more than two hours, plus minimal personal information such as age, location, gender as well as how they engage with ads.

Data from all of a user’s previous time spent on Facebook or Instagram, which is typically combined to precisely target an individual with tailored ads, won’t be used.

“While this new choice is designed to give people an additional control over their data and ad experience, it may result in ads that are less relevant to a person’s interests,” Meta said in a blog post. “That means people will see ads that they don’t find as interesting. This drop in relevance is inevitable given that drastically reduced data is being used to show these less personalized ads to people.”

People who choose the new option will see ad breaks that can’t be skipped for a few seconds, Meta said.

European Union regulators had accused Meta of breaching the 27-nation bloc’s digital rules when it gave user the option to pay a monthly fee to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data.

The U.S. tech giant had rolled out the option after the European Union’s top court ruled Meta must first get consent before showing ads to users, in a decision that threatened its business model of tailoring ads based on individual users’ online interests and digital activity.

The company also said Tuesday it’s slashing monthly subscription prices for the ad-free option. Web users will pay 5.99 euros ($6.36), down from 9.99 euros previously, while iPhone and Android users will be charged 7.99 euros instead of 12.99 euros, which includes commissions charged by the Apple and Google mobile app stores.

Meta’s new subscription model could hit the company’s lucrative digital ad business in one of its biggest markets. The company said it has already factored the new offering into its most recent business outlook and financial guidance.

The options are available to users 18 and older in the EU’s 27 member countries, plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

—Kelvin Chan, Associated Press business writer

Victors in the race for emerging tech will determine future  POLITICO Europe

Prizewinner Develops Inclusive Neuroimaging Technology  AAAS

The network of more than 70 investors represent more than €90bn in assets.

Read more: EU partners with venture capital to scale European deep tech

The funds will also enable the development of next generation compounds, according to the company.

Read more: Axonis Therapeutics bags $115m for neuromedicine development

The aim of the project is to develop and test AI tools to boost the efficiency and sustainability of Europe's energy sector.

Read more: Dublin’s EPRI leads European project to advance AI use in the energy sector

‘For young people to thrive, they need strong ties to their community and easy access to mental health services,’ says NCI’s Dr April Hargreaves.

Read more: How this neuropsychologist is tackling the loneliness epidemic

The European Space Agency has given the go-ahead for initial work on a mission to visit an asteroid called (99942) Apophis. If approved at a key meeting next year, the robotic spacecraft, known as the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses), will rendezvous with the asteroid in February 2029. Apophis is 340 metres wide, about the same as the height of the Empire State Building. If it were to hit Earth, it would cause wholesale destruction hundreds of miles from its impact site. The energy released would equal that of tens or hundreds of nuclear weapons, depending on the…

This story continues at The Next Web

About one in every 10 European startups that have raised VC investment are also backed by an EU grant of equity financing, according to a research project conducted by Dealroom and Dealflow.eu. While the full report is expected to be published later this year, the authors presented a few preliminary numbers in Warsaw last week. In financial terms, the 10% share translates into EU-backed startups having raised €70bn in VC funding since 2010, or some 11% of total funding in Europe (which in this case includes the EU, Switzerland, Norway, UK, and Israel). With some €400bn in total enterprise value…

This story continues at The Next Web

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is often held as a model for driving technology advances. For decades, it has contributed to military and economic dominance by bridging the gap between military and civilian applications. European policymakers frequently reference DARPA in discussions, as outlined in the 2024 Draghi Report, but an EU equivalent has yet to materialise. To create such an agency, the governance and management of European innovation programmes would need drastic changes. DARPA supports disruptive innovation Founded in 1958, DARPA operates under the US Department of Defense (DoD) with a straightforward mission: to fund high-risk technological…

This story continues at The Next Web

In 1991, Sony brought the first rechargeable lithium-ion battery to market. The unique chemistry proved a game-changer in energy storage. Today everything from EVs to smartphones depends on it, with demand skyrocketing.  But lithium is rare, most of it comes from unstable markets outside Europe, and its extraction can cause extensive pollution. We need more lithium to enable the green transition and yet, currently, its use is unsustainable — both environmentally and economically. We’re stuck in a paradox. Munich-based startup Tozero believes that battery recycling offers a way out. Recycling batteries is far from a new concept, but the German venture…

This story continues at The Next Web

German manufacturer K2 unveiled its new GreenRoof Vento mounting system for green rooftops at Intersolar Europe 2023.

Resulta que somos el país con mayor gasto por preso de Europa. Gastamos  25.000 euros preso/año, según datos de la Asociación Profesional de Funcionarios de Prisiones. Así llegamos a la circunstancia de que el gasto en presos extranjeros asciende a 612.550.000 euros y el total a 1.761.800.000 euros.

El alojamiento se sitúa a 15 minutos en coche del centro histórico Leer

El municipio, situado en el interior de la provincia, tiene un precio medio por metro cuadrado de 493 euros Leer

La dinastía de los superdeportivos de la marca italiana, inaugurada en 1984 con el 288 GTO, añade este nuevo especimen de espectacular diseño y 1.200 CV de potencia. Es híbrido, pero no enchufable. Leer

El Gobierno y sus socios prevén elevar en casi 10 céntimos el precio por litro del gasóleo para igualarlo a la gasolina. Entraría en vigor en abril de 2025. Leer

Sanidad subasta más de 100 vehículos procedentes del narcotráfico y de otros delitos relacionados Leer

Un producto exclusivo procedente de una raza única de cerdo ibérico Leer

El líder del PP traslada a su partido en la UE sus críticas a la actuación de la vicepresidenta durante la DANA y en el grupo popular europeo toman nota: "Llama la atención su desaparición en la crisis" Leer

Podrán percibir 50.000 euros por la pérdida de sus viviendas y 15.000 euros por los coches Leer

Los diputados generales de Álava y de Gipuzkoa confían en cerrar acuerdos con algún partido de la oposición en negociaciones que incluirán tanto los ingresos como los presupuestos. EH Bildu reclama antes del Consejo Vasco más recursos para los ayuntamientos para resolver los "principales problemas y los más enquistados" Leer

La coalición 'abertzale' insiste en su propuesta de "acuerdo global" en las instituciones vascas pero con la mirada en los gobiernos en minoría de Gipuzkoa y Álava. Otxandiano anuncia dos reuniones con PNV y PSE-EE y se felicita por la respuesta a su iniciativa Leer

La gala se celebrará en Lausana y homenajeará a la actriz Isabella Rossellini con un premio al conjunto de su carrera Leer

 Leer

El director mexicano estrena 'La cocina', un exuberante retrato en clave musical de la parte de atrás de la emigración legal en Estados Unidos Leer

Este restaurante de Legazpi ya tiene un reconocimiento de la famosa guía. En otros lugares, peores y más pretenciosos, costaría más del doble. Leer

La mayoría de los incidentes están provocados por descuidos o ignorancia de los propietarios particulares de estos aparatos Leer

Alberto Velasco es agente del distrito de Barajas y ha conseguido alzarse con dos oros, una plata y un bronce en un campeonato donde participaban varios miembros de los Cuerpos y Fuerzas de Seguridad del Estado Leer

Los sospechosos se crearon 280 cuentas bancarias y en los registros se han intervenido siete TPV's, 1.800 euros en efectivo, material informático y elementos para la falsificación de documentos Leer

La Fiscalía imputa a Juan González Miramón un delito de estafa agravada por elaborar un "plan para el engaño" de un individuo, relativo a una mercantil de caballos Leer

El hombre, español de 34 años, pintó y reventó los cristales de varios coches y calcinó dos de ellos Leer

El descenso de Philae sobre el cometa 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko está en boca de todos. ¿Cuántas veces algo que tiene que ver con la ciencia accede a ese podio informativo? Pocas: lo tuvimos con el bosón de Higgs, lo consigue Stephen Hawking, la NASA lo intenta constantemente con Marte y ahora se ha colado un proyecto europeo realmente sorprendente: Rosetta.

La Sala de lo Penal debe resolver sobre la admisión de los escritos de Vox, Iustitia Europa y Manos Limpias contra la responsable de Transición Ecológica, candidata a comisaria de Competencia Leer

Los jóvenes en España, con acceso a un ordenador para hacer los deberes, obtienen 34 puntos más en capacidades tecnológicas que los que no lo tienen Leer

Un ex comisario de la Policía revela un informe que imputa a FAES el cobro de dicha cantidad, y la organización se defiende calificándolo de "bulo" ante la exigencia de explicaciones del PSOE Leer

Somete a un duro examen a la candidata a la Comisión, que no tiene su puesto asegurado. Durante el 'hearing', la vicepresidenta española admite que el "flujo del agua" es su competencia en el pero culpa a Mazón de la tragedia de la DANA Leer

El presidente de Aragón ha compartido, durante casi 3 horas, un discurso centrado en las familias y la prosperidad, en el que ha mostrado su firme rechazo a las políticas del Ejecutivo nacional Leer