Showing posts with label FACT SHEET. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FACT SHEET. Show all posts

Friday, 27 April 2018

FACT SHEET/ What the European Commission does


(click on picture to enlarge)


The European Commission's four leading-roles:

aaaaaaaaaaaaRight of initiative - to submit new legislative acts and policies; 
aaaaaaaaaaaaExecutive power - to manage EU policies and single budget;
aaaaaaaaaaaaGuardian of the Treaties - to make the EU law applied;
aaaaaaaaaaaaGlobal dimension - to guarantee the EU external representation

Monday, 7 November 2016

Friday, 1 July 2016

FACT SHEET/ Middle East Quartet recommendations

In its report on Middle East the Quartet has the following specific recommendations:

1. Both sides should work to de-escalate tensions by exercising restraint and refraining from provocative actions and rhetoric.
2. Both sides should take all necessary steps to prevent violence and protect the lives and property of all civilians, including through continuing security coordination and strengthening the capacity, capability and authority of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces.
3. The Palestinian Authority should act decisively and take all steps within its capacity to cease incitement to violence and strengthen ongoing efforts to combat terrorism, including by clearly condemning all acts of terrorism.
 4. Israel should cease the policy of settlement construction and expansion, designating land for exclusive Israeli use, and denying Palestinian development.
 5. Israel should implement positive and significant policy shifts, including transferring powers and responsibilities in Area C, consistent with the transition to greater Palestinian civil authority contemplated by prior agreements. Progress in the areas of housing, water, energy, communications, agriculture, and natural resources, along with significantly easing Palestinian movement restrictions, can be made while respecting Israel's legitimate security needs.
6. The Palestinian leadership should continue their efforts to strengthen institutions, improve governance, and develop a sustainable economy.  Israel should take all necessary steps to enable this process, in line with the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee recommendations.
7. All sides must continue to respect the ceasefire in Gaza, and the illicit arms buildup and militant activities must be terminated.
8. Israel should accelerate the lifting of movement and access restrictions to and from Gaza, with due consideration of its need to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks.
9. Gaza and the West Bank should be reunified under a single, legitimate and democratic Palestinian authority on the basis of the PLO platform and Quartet principles and the rule of law, including control over all armed personnel and weapons in accordance with existing agreements. 
10. Both parties should foster a climate of tolerance, including through increasing interaction and cooperation in a variety of fields – economic, professional, educational, cultural – that strengthen the foundations for peace and countering extremism

Saturday, 12 December 2015

Figures confirm EU relocation scheme doesn't work

click to enlarge


How is the relocation scheme working? It is not working, actually. Latest figures confirm the EU Member States don't deliver. Commitments remain just promises, migrants remains in Italy and in Greece, and the EU is marking and epic failure. As agreed in the previous months, governments were given time until the 31st of December in order to relocate all 120.000 migrants. At the beginning of December only 160 people have been relocated. The relocation mechanism doesn't work.

Thursday, 11 June 2015

FACT SHEET/ The carbon Cycle


Image source: The carbon cycle, NASA Earth observatory

The most important GHG is carbon dioxide (CO2), which persists in the atmosphere for thousands of years. Other important GHGs are methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases. CO2 has the largest impact on climate change. In 2014, the average atmospheric concentration of CO2 was almost 400 parts per million (ppm), up from 280 ppm in pre-industrial times.
   The carbon cycle is the flow of carbon through the earth's systems. Carbon is released by plants, soils and oceans, and taken up by plants and oceans, and over very long time periods (thousands of years) also by rocks. A CO2 molecule, made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, is created when carbon reacts with oxygen, for example in the burning of wood or when humans and animals breathe. CO2 is destroyed when the carbon is separated from the oxygen, for example by plants through photosynthesis.
   Human activities lead to additional releases of carbon, from the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and land use change, as well as cement production. About half of this additional carbon is taken up by plants and oceans, while the rest remains in the atmosphere as CO2. However, the take-up of CO2 in plants and oceans appears to be slowing down, as these carbon stores become saturated. Carbon dioxide removal would involve modifications of elements of the carbon cycle to enhance the uptake and storage of CO2 in biomass, soils, oceans and geological formations