Latest news with #MartaKos
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU enlargement commissioner says launching clusters with Ukraine and Moldova is "absolutely necessary"
The opening of the first cluster in the EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova is absolutely necessary; everything is ready for this, and the decision is in the hands of the EU Council. Source: Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, at a meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on 3 June, as reported by European Pravda Details: Kos stressed that Ukraine and Moldova are ready to open the first cluster, and the EU Council must find ways to do so. "We absolutely need to take the next step with Ukraine and Moldova. Now, both countries have done their homework. Everything is ready and in the hands of the Council to open the first cluster," she noted. Kos reiterated that "EU accession for Ukraine is a key security guarantee. We need to make it a reality". "We need to process the move forward, to keep up momentum for reform in Ukraine, to help our member states tackle their concerns and ultimately to respond to our biggest security challenges since the end of the Second World War," she said. Marta Kos also mentioned the progress in reforms that Ukraine was demonstrating. "Thirty-six reform indicators have been met with continued efforts in traditional reform, anti-corruption, energy market liberalisation, corporate governance and the business climate. These reforms achieved under the most difficult conditions are not abstract. They directly support Ukraine's EU accession and bring it closer to the Union in every sense, politically, legally and economically," Kos stated. Background: Brussels is developing a scenario for parallel negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU bypassing Hungary – the first steps in its implementation have already been taken, although they prefer not to announce this officially. On 27 May, János Bóka, Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs, stated that Hungary would continue to block Ukraine's accession to the EU due to espionage scandals. Read more: "Plan B" for Ukraine's EU accession: how Brussels is preparing to overcome Hungary's veto Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Serious setback' for democracy — EU condemns Russia-style foreign agents law in Georgia
The European Union has condemned Georgia's Foreign Agents Registration Act, characterizing it as a setback for the country's democratic development and calling on Georgian authorities to reverse democratic backsliding. In a joint statement published on May 31, top EU officials Kaja Kallas and Marta Kos criticized the Georgian foreign agents law, which requires civil society organizations that receive international funding to register as "foreign agents." The law officially came into effect on May 31. The EU called the law a "serious setback for the country's democracy" that "represents another aggressive action by the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent, restrict freedoms, and further shrink the space for activists, civil society, and independent media." The ruling Georgian Dream party, which currently holds a parliamentary majority, passed the contentious law earlier in April 2025, alongside other "repressive measures [that] threaten the very survival of Georgia's democratic foundations and the future of its citizens in a free and open society." The statement also noted that Georgia's "accession process has been de facto halted." Georgia first received EU candidate status in December 2023, but its accession process has been hampered by growing authoritarianism in the country. The EU reiterated its call for Georgian authorities to heeds their citizens' demands for democracy and a European future and urged the "release all unjustly detained journalists, activists, protesters, and political leaders." "The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding," the statement emphasized. "The responsibility lies solely with the Georgian authorities."Mass protests erupted in Georgia following the contentious parliamentary elections in October 2024, in which Georgian Dream maintained its majority amidst reports of ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral irregularities. Protestors have also cited the foreign agents law as a source of discontent. Georgia's foreign agents law closely mirrors a similar law that was passed in Russia and weaponized by the Kremlin to clamp down on civil society. First introduced in 2012 and significantly expanded in 2022, Russia's foreign agents law is yet another one of Moscow's primary tools for suppressing criticism. Read also: NATO officials reject Russian demand to halt expansion, media reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
EU condemns Georgia's foreign agents law as threat to democracy
The European Commission has severely criticised a draft law adopted in Georgia on the registration of "foreign agents" and stressed that this is incompatible with the European integration of the country, which has been de facto halted. Source: Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos in a joint statement, as reported by European Pravda Details: Kallas and Kos noted that Georgia's Foreign Agents Registration Act is another manifestation of democratic rollback in Georgia, in addition to the recent law on broadcasting and grant restrictions. "These repressive measures threaten the very survival of Georgia's democratic foundations and the future of its citizens in a free and open society", they said. "In its June and October 2024 conclusions, the European Council found that such course of action jeopardised Georgia's EU path. The accession process has been de facto halted." On behalf of the EU, Kallas and Kos urged the Georgian authorities to respect the aspirations of Georgian citizens for a democratic European future and also called for the release of unjustly detained journalists, activists and opposition leaders. "The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding. The responsibility lies solely with the Georgian authorities," the officials concluded. Background: On 31 May, Georgia's "foreign agents" law went into effect, which the authorities describe as an analogue to the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In addition, this week, another opposition leader was detained in Georgia for refusing to testify before the parliamentary commission investigating crimes supposedly committed by Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of Georgia. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Georgia's foreign-agents act ‘a serious setback': EU officials
BRUSSELS: A new law in Georgia that from Saturday requires NGOs and media outlets to register as 'foreign agents' if they receive funding from abroad is a 'serious setback,' for the country, two top EU officials said. Alongside other laws on broadcasting and grants, 'these repressive measures threaten the very survival of Georgia's democratic foundations and the future of its citizens in a free and open society,' EU diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas and EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement. They stressed that the law, which they dubbed a tool 'by the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent (and) restrict freedoms,' jeopardized the country's ambitions of one day joining the European Union. 'Georgia's Foreign Agents Registration Act marks a serious setback for the country's democracy,' they said. Georgia's law is inspired by US legislation which makes it mandatory for any person or organization representing a foreign country, group or party to declare its activities to authorities. But NGOs believe it will be used by Georgia's illiberal and Euroskeptic government to further repression of civil society and the opposition. The Black Sea nation has been rocked by daily demonstrations since late last year, with protesters decrying what they see as an increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russia government. Tensions escalated in November when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would postpone EU membership talks until 2028. 'The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding,' Kallas and Kos said in their statement.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine completes screening of three clusters for EU accession negotiations
Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, has announced that Ukraine has already completed the screening of three negotiation clusters for EU accession talks. Source: a statement by Kos before the start of a meeting of the EU Council on defence and foreign affairs on 20 May in Brussels Details: These are clusters 1 – Fundamentals, 2 – Internal Market and 6 – Foreign Relations. Quote from Kos: "Ukraine has done its homework, so it's ready for Cluster 1 Fundamentals to be open. And now the Council will have all the elements to make a decision. Last week, we sent two other screenings to the Council – Cluster 2 and Cluster 6 for both countries, Ukraine and Moldova." Details: Kos said that if the work were to advance with the same speed as it does now, all screenings could have been processed by autumn. She said that it would also be a message for Ukraine. Kos stressed that Ukraine's integration into the EU would be a key element of the security guarantees after peace talks started. She pointed out that it concerned not only the security of Ukraine but also the security of Europe and the European Union. Background: On 16 January 2025, the European Commission sent the EU Council its first screening report on Cluster 1, Fundamentals, for Ukraine. However, in February 2025, Hungary blocked the opening of the first negotiation cluster with Ukraine and promised to block the opening of clusters until consultations with the population on this issue were held. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán already voted in a poll against Ukraine's membership in the EU. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
