MEPs from the Committee on International Trade suggested in a today’s vote the authorization by the European Parliament for EU countries to ratify the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty which establishes binding international rules on trade in conventional weapons, aiming to eradicate the illicit trade of weapons globally and put a stop to arms flows to conflict regions.
The European Union and the United Nations are looking to balance short-term security and "stabilisation" measures with immediate humanitarian aid, pledging along with other donors half a billion dollars to the conflict-stricken Central African Republic. The EU and the UN, as well as other donors such as the United States, World Bank and African Development Bank, pledged $496 million (€366 million) to the CAR after a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels on Monday (20 January).
Since the outbreak of new violence late 2012, the EU has intensified its outreach to partners. It is actively engaged in international and regional efforts to stabilize the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and to restore a more stable government in the country. On 19-20 December 2013, the European Council confirmed the EU’s willingness to use relevant instruments to contribute towards the efforts under way to stabilise the country, including under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), based on a proposal by High Representative Catherine Ashton.
Special EU envoy Alexander Rondos visited South Sudan in December as a violent power struggle has been raging in South Sudan for several week. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy insisted that an immediate ceasefire with effective monitoring established as quickly as possible is essential to spare the people of South Sudan any further suffering. She appealed to the parties to give full access to all people in the areas under their control to humanitarian workers and observers. She warned all parties that any perpetrators of systematic or targeted abuses of human rights would be held accountable for their actions.
On 12 January 2010, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake that took 222,750 people's lives, injured many thousands and made 1.7 million homeless. Since day one, the European Union has responded to the needs of the Haitian population; providing both immediate humanitarian relief on a massive scale, while boosting its development aid. The EU recently announced that it will provide €420m to Haiti, between 2014 and 2020 under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). This support will focus on a few key areas; education, reform of the state, modernisation of public administration, urban development and infrastructure, and food security and nutrition.
Reacting to the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the Central African Republic (CAR), Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, declared that: "the humanitarian tragedy in the Central African Republic continues to unravel in front of our eyes.” Together with UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos, Georgieva has called a high-level meeting in Brussels on 20 January 2014 to take stock of the humanitarian challenges in CAR and identify priorities for a sustained and effective humanitarian engagement.
The Italian navy said on Friday 3 January 2014 it had rescued over 1,000 migrants in 24 hours in the Mediterranean Sea from boats attempting to reach Europe, as an immigration crisis that killed hundreds in the last year showed no signs of easing.
Valuable information produced by researchers in many EU-funded projects will be shared freely as a result of a Pilot on Open Research Data in Horizon 2020. Researchers in projects participating in the pilot are asked to make the underlying data needed to validate the results presented in scientific publications and other scientific information available for use by other researchers, innovative industries and citizens.