Latest news with #HunyadiJánosAward
Euronews
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Peter Pellegrini reshuffles Slovakia's cabinet to retain majority
Viktor Orbán, Hungary's rightist Prime minister awarded Italy's deputy PM Matteo Salvini with a medal of honor for what he called defending traditional Christian values and fighting migration. Orbán presented a bronze statue and a certificate to Salvini at the Hunyadi János Award ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday. The international award of the Hungarian Foundation for a Civic Hungary was founded in 2023, when it was awarded to former Member of the European Parliament Professor Ryszard Legutko. Orbán said the prize was awarded for Salvini's "unwavering defence of Europe," as he "fought courageously against the invasion of illegal migrants by sea." In his speech at the ceremony, the Hungarian prime minister also took the time to applaud the United States administrations' migration policy. "The Union cannot be a financial network designed to weaken national governments. The same cleaning that our American friends are doing in Washington is something we will need here in Brussels." Matteo Salvini is the leader of Italy's far-right, anti-migration Lega party. During his acceptance speech, he denounced the EU Commission's €800 billion defence plan and called on the EU to take concrete action to ensure peace. "In these offices in Brussels, there are some people, who are speaking about the war, who are preparing the war, they are talking about the armies. I dont think that the future of Europe is WW3. Here there are people who want peace. Peace, work, serenity, and wellbeing," Salvini said. Salvini has previously been accused of migrant kidnapping over his refusal to let a migrant rescue boat dock in Italy in 2019. The Italian court acquitted him last year. Slovakia's president has sworn in a new minister of investments and regional development, completing a reshuffle that keeps a parliamentary majority for the government. The appointment of Samuel Migaľ was a result of a deal agreed on by three parties in governing coalition to increase the power of the Smer (Direction) party of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Under the agreement, the coalition's two junior partners — the Hlas (Voice) party and the ultranationalist and pro-Russian Slovak National Party — gave up control of one ministry each to Smer. With the addition of the ministries overseeing investments, regional development and information, and tourism and sports, Smer now controls nine ministries, Hlas six and the Slovak National Party two. The deal was struck to solve a recent crisis in the coalition that risked its parliamentary majority. The coalition had 79 seats in the 150-seat parliament known as the National Council before four Hlas lawmakers, including Migaľ and three others, from the Slovak National Party parted with their parliamentary factions. The lawmakers did not join the opposition but have demanded posts in the government, parliament and state institutions in exchange for their loyalty. That has made it difficult for the government to advance its agenda. Another rebel from Hlas, Radomír Šalitroš, will become a state secretary at the ministry led by Migaľ. Pellegrini had already sworn in Rudolf Huliak, one of the rebels representing the Slovak National Party, as the minister of tourism and sports. Richard Raši, the predecessor of Migaľ at the ministry, has resigned and is expected to be elected the parliamentary speaker. That post is vacant since the previous speaker, Pellegrini, won last year's presidential election. Robert Fico is a divisive figure in Slovak politics with many people in the country opposed to what they see as his pro-Russia stance. When he came to power in 2023, he cut financial and military aid to Ukraine and said he would block the country from joining NATO. Those moves have proved highly unpopular with many ordinary Slovakians and sparked a wave of protests across the country. Madrid has adopted a measure to redistribute thousands of unaccompanied migrant minors currently sheltered on the Canary Islands to other parts of Spain. The reform ends a months-long political stalemate between Spain's regions and the central government and is aimed at easing pressure on overcrowded migrant reception centres, mainly in the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands is a popular destination for thousands of mostly north African migrants who arrive in the archipelago every year hoping to reach the European Union. For several months, local leaders in the Canaries have complained about a lack of resources to shelter the thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers who reach their shores. In Spain, which has a population of 49 million, the central government handles the treatment of adult migrants, while regional governments are responsible for unaccompanied minors. After the measure was approved on Tuesday, Ángel Victor Torres, the government minister in charge of Spain's relations with its regions, called it a "milestone in the defence of human rights" and the rights of children. "It would be good for anyone with doubts to visit a migrant centre," said Torres, who previously led the Canary Islands regional government. "And see that in spaces for 20 people, there are 300 people, and that they are kids of 15 years, 10 years and five years." For regions such as the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa who cannot host more unaccompanied minors, the measure would allow for some of them to be transferred to other regions in Spain, factoring in a region's population, per capita income, unemployment rate and other factors. The Canary Islands are sheltering more than 5,000 unaccompanied minors across the archipelago. Some 4,000 migrants will be transferred elsewhere within mainland Spain. While final numbers are still being worked out, the wealthy Catalonia region that includes Barcelona will only receive between 20 and 30 unaccompanied minors, a spokesperson for the Junts per Catalunya party said. The strip of Atlantic ocean between West Africa and the Canary Islands is one of the world's deadliest migration routed. Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, shattering previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania. Numbers so far this year are down, according to Spain's Interior Ministry. Almost 11,000 migrants have reached Spain this year by sea as of 15 March, a 21% decrease from the same period last year.
Euronews
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán awards Italy's Deputy PM with medal of honour
Viktor Orbán, Hungary's rightist Prime minister awarded Italy's deputy PM Matteo Salvini with a medal of honor for what he called defending traditional Christian values and fighting migration. Orbán presented a bronze statue and a certificate to Salvini at the Hunyadi János Award ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday. The international award of the Hungarian Foundation for a Civic Hungary was founded in 2023, when it was awarded to former Member of the European Parliament Professor Ryszard Legutko. Orbán said the prize was awarded for Salvini's "unwavering defence of Europe," as he "fought courageously against the invasion of illegal migrants by sea." In his speech at the ceremony, the Hungarian prime minister also took the time to applaud the United States administrations' migration policy. "The Union cannot be a financial network designed to weaken national governments. The same cleaning that our American friends are doing in Washington is something we will need here in Brussels." Matteo Salvini is the leader of Italy's far-right, anti-migration Lega party. During his acceptance speech, he denounced the EU Commission's €800 billion defence plan and called on the EU to take concrete action to ensure peace. "In these offices in Brussels, there are some people, who are speaking about the war, who are preparing the war, they are talking about the armies. I dont think that the future of Europe is WW3. Here there are people who want peace. Peace, work, serenity, and wellbeing," Salvini said. Salvini has previously been accused of migrant kidnapping over his refusal to let a migrant rescue boat dock in Italy in 2019. The Italian court acquitted him last year. Slovakia's president has sworn in a new minister of investments and regional development, completing a reshuffle that keeps a parliamentary majority for the government. The appointment of Samuel Migaľ was a result of a deal agreed on by three parties in governing coalition to increase the power of the Smer (Direction) party of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Under the agreement, the coalition's two junior partners — the Hlas (Voice) party and the ultranationalist and pro-Russian Slovak National Party — gave up control of one ministry each to Smer. With the addition of the ministries overseeing investments, regional development and information, and tourism and sports, Smer now controls nine ministries, Hlas six and the Slovak National Party two. The deal was struck to solve a recent crisis in the coalition that risked its parliamentary majority. The coalition had 79 seats in the 150-seat parliament known as the National Council before four Hlas lawmakers, including Migaľ and three others, from the Slovak National Party parted with their parliamentary factions. The lawmakers did not join the opposition but have demanded posts in the government, parliament and state institutions in exchange for their loyalty. That has made it difficult for the government to advance its agenda. Another rebel from Hlas, Radomír Šalitroš, will become a state secretary at the ministry led by Migaľ. Pellegrini had already sworn in Rudolf Huliak, one of the rebels representing the Slovak National Party, as the minister of tourism and sports. Richard Raši, the predecessor of Migaľ at the ministry, has resigned and is expected to be elected the parliamentary speaker. That post is vacant since the previous speaker, Pellegrini, won last year's presidential election. Robert Fico is a divisive figure in Slovak politics with many people in the country opposed to what they see as his pro-Russia stance. When he came to power in 2023, he cut financial and military aid to Ukraine and said he would block the country from joining NATO. Those moves have proved highly unpopular with many ordinary Slovakians and sparked a wave of protests across the country.
Euronews
19-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
WATCH NOW: EU reacts to Trump-Putin call on Euronews live show
'In fact, the system is training itself and you don't need 200 people anymore to send all the mails,' says Europol's Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, regarding the adoption of AI in organized criminal activities, 'The AI system is even more accurate than the human letter, so you do not really find the mistakes anymore.' Europol also noted a growing cooperation between organised crime groups and foreign actors aiming to destabilise the EU. As a result, monetary gains from the crimes are no longer their only incentive. 'Destabilisation is not only about getting money anymore. It's also about helping ideologically oriented states to reach their goals,' said De Bolle. Radio Schuman also features discussions on the European Union's response to growing security concerns at its eastern borders and the uncertain US involvement in European defence, as well as this year's recipient of the Hunyadi János Award. Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas. Defence, Ukraine, competitiveness and migration are hot themes under discussion this week in Brussels as EU leaders meet for a critical summit. We kick off our special EU summit show with Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, commenting on the Trump-Putin phone call. Today's show also features Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot and Barclays CEO Francesco Ceccato diagnoses the European business outlook. Catch all the action starting at 8 am each morning for the rest of the week. Don't miss out on the most significant summit of the year, as we bring you the latest updates, analysis, and a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on Europe's future. The EU's latest challenge in its dispute with Russia is trying to balance targetting Russian fertiliser imports while avoiding serious negative repercussions for European agriculture. At the end of last week, EU member states adopted a European Commission proposal to impose additional customs duties on imports of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus. The Commission argues that as things stand, member states would be in a vulnerable position if Moscow were to introduce coercive measures against them. In other words, European food security is at stake. But the measure is worrying the EU's farming community. Copa-Cogeca, the organisation which represents the interests of the sector in Brussels, points out that the industry is heavily dependent on Russian fertilisers. "Already today, we import from other third countries, but increased demand will generate more pressure in terms of logistics, and therefore higher costs. These cost increases will generate agricultural inflation, which will have repercussions in terms of lower incomes for agricultural producers and reduced competitiveness," insists Dominique Dejonckheere, energy policy adviser at Copa-Cogeca. Russian fertilisers account for around 25% of EU imports. According to the Commission, additional customs duties per tonne of fertiliser could gradually rise from €40 or €45 to €315 or €430 over three years. Copa-Cogeca points out that fertiliser purchases "account on average for 10% of a farm's variable costs. But for some sectors, notably field crops, cereals and oilseeds, fertiliser expenditure represents around 30% of variable costs," explained Dejonckheere. At the European Parliament, the text's rapporteur, MEP Inese Vaidere (EPP), acknowledges that all parties will have to take a step towards each other. "I would say that this is a balanced proposal. There are always a lot of interests at stake. And if you make a legislative proposal or even a legislative act, you can't say that everyone concerned will be 100% satisfied. That's not the case," says the Latvian MEP. But she believes that Europe needs to act and think strategically. "Russia has managed to produce fertilisers from cheap Russian gas and sell them on the European market at very low prices. This means that if we buy these Russian fertilisers, we continue to feed the Russian war machine. Is that acceptable? No, it's not acceptable." "So my personal opinion is that this proposal could or should have been put forward three years ago," she adds. The Commission believes that its proposal will increase domestic production of fertilisers and strengthen the industry through these additional taxes. The sector has suffered from the energy crisis and the sanctions against Russia, as the manufacturing of nitrogen fertilisers requires natural gas to produce ammonia for use in fertilisers. "Yes, there is still sufficient production capacity in Europe. But the issue for us is not so much availability as it is price. We need fertilisers at affordable prices, and on this issue we have no guarantees from the industry. The industry's problem is that energy costs are too high," says Dejonckheere. To provide greater visibility and ensure affordable prices, the Commission proposes diversifying supplies from various other countries. "In the event of a shortage, we have partners all over the world and this is also a means of supply. And I don't think this should seriously affect our production of agricultural products," says Inese Vaidere. EU member states are in agreement on principle, with the exception of Hungary, and are keen to move forward. However, they regret the absence of an impact study and will therefore want regular monitoring of the situation. The European Parliament will formally take up the issue at the beginning of next month. Once its position has been adopted, MEPs will have to reach agreement with the member states on a joint text.
