Jun292017
MAIB’s report on the investigation of the grounding and evacuation of the domestic passenger vessel Surprise at Western Rocks, Isles of Scilly on 15 May 2016 is now published.
The report contains details of what happened, the subsequent actions taken and recommendations made:
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Jun282017
28 June 2017 – On the opening day of the Conference on Cyprus, a senior United Nations official expressed hope that the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as well as the guarantors – Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom – have the determination to overcome the challenges and resolve the issues before them.
“This is an historic opportunity to solve a problem that has been there for decades,” Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told reporters after the opening of the Conference, which is being held in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana.
Mr. Feltman is representing Secretary-General António Guterres at the Conference, which the UN chief is expected to attend later in the week.
Speaking alongside Mr. Feltman, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, told the media that the Conference had gotten off to a constructive and good start.
“I am encouraged with what I heard so far,” he said, adding that the “hard work will remain” and that everyone was prepared to hold discussions in larger as well as smaller groups and to “do what is possible” to facilitate an outcome.
“But at the end of the day, of course, it is the responsibility of the Conference participants to go that final mile, to think outside the box, to try out some new ideas so that we finally [leave with] a plan.”
Earlier this month, the Secretary-General held a meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, at UN Headquarters in New York, after which he announced the reconvening of the Conference on Cyprus.
In addition to the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders and the guarantor powers, the European Union also participated, as an observer, in the Conference.
Jun282017
28 June 2017 – Education leaders from around the world convened today at the United Nations to discuss ways to advance action on Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to “ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.”
“Inclusive, equitable and quality education goes to the heart of the 2030 Agenda as a key enabler of sustainable development,” said Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly, in his opening remarks at the High-level SDG Action Event on Education.
General Assembly President Peter Thomson. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Mr. Thomson pointed out that education taps the Earth’s greatest asset, namely the inherent potential of the world’s people.
“Access to quality education is not only a goal in itself, but a fundamental building block to creating a better world of sustainable peace, prosperity and development,” he underscored.
He went on to explain that education holds the key to fuelling sustainable growth, building social cohesion and stability, and promoting human rights and equality – calling it “the golden thread that runs through all 17 SDGs.”
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed dubbed education as “the cornerstone of sustainable development.”
Ms. Mohammed maintained that the world can only be shaped by quality and relevant education, stressing the importance of investments to ensure a strong framework.
“We know when we deliver education to a young person, we’re not only delivering the knowledge and skills they will need to chart their own future — we’re preparing them to lend their hands, their mind, and their heart to shaping a more peaceful, prosperous future for their society, and indeed, for the world,” she said.
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed addresses the General Assembly High-level Action Event. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
The UN deputy chief focussed specifically on the five interrelated areas of finance, innovation, girls’ education, lifelong learning, and education in humanitarian contexts.
Noting that the wealthiest children enjoy up to 18 times more public education financing than the poorest, she exhorted, “This injustice must be reversed.”
“There is no better investment in the future peace and resilience of a society than in the education of its citizens,” she stated.
For her part, Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), emphasized education as a basic human right and the foundation for inclusive sustainable development.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), addresses the General Assembly High-level Action Event. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
“Education is a transformational force that cuts across all of the Sustainable Development Goals, making progress sustainable across the board,” said Ms. Bokova.
Citing UNESCO’s regular global monitoring reports, she noted that 264 million children, adolescents and youth were out of school – most of them girls.
“Girls and women face the steepest challenges. Two-thirds of the more than 750 million illiterate adults in the world are women,” stressed Ms. Bokova, adding that they are often discriminated against, prevented from enrolling or continuing their education, dropping out of secondary education and facing strong barriers.
“If we do not move these barriers away… we will not achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4,” she underscored.
“If all adults completed secondary education, 420 million people could be lifted from poverty, reducing the number of poor people by more than half globally, by almost two-thirds in Sub-Saharan Africa, in South Asia… and yet, aid to education has fallen for the sixth consecutive year,” Ms. Bokova indicated. “This can simply not go on.”
As experts discussed how to advance SDG 4, the event also highlighted innovations in education through a panel discussion and a “marketplace” that showcased solutions to delivering low-cost or free learning resources to students and educators.
Today’s event, which also featured musical performances, was the last in a series of SDG action events convened by the Office of the President of the General Assembly. Others focussed on sustainable peace, climate action, financing and innovation.
Jun282017
RHI and Magnesita are both manufacturers of refractory products. Theseare non-metallic materials that are able to withstand very high temperatures and corrosive or chemically aggressive environments. They are used, for instance, as heat buffers or linings in kilns, furnaces and ovens in the manufacturing processes for steel, cement, glass and other non-ferrous metals.
The Commission’s investigation focused on the market for basic refractory products such as dolomite-based and magnesite-based refractories, whose largest customers are steel manufacturers. The Commission found that refractory products have different properties and applications, and can be distinguished according to shape (shaped or unshaped), main component (dolomite- or magnesite-based) and thermal treatment (fired or unfired).
The Commission was concerned that the acquisition would reduce competition, with possible price increases for shaped and unshaped dolomite-based refractory products. The Commission also raised competition concerns for shaped unfired magnesite-based refractories
The proposed remedies
To address these competition concerns, RHI offered to divest the following activities:
These assets will have to be divested as a package to one purchaser to be approved by the Commission. The divestitures also include the main sources of raw materials necessary for the manufacturing of the final products. Specifically, the remedies provide for the divestiture of RHI’s dolomite mine in Italy, as well as a long-term agreement allowing the buyer of the divested businesses to access critical raw materials from a Magnesita-owned mine in Brazil.
These commitments fully remove the overlap between RHI and Magnesita in the markets where the Commission had identified competition concerns.
The Commission therefore concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns in the EEA. The decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments.
Companies and products
RHI, based in Austria, is a global supplier of refractory products, systems and services. It is active on all steps along the refractory value chain, from mining of raw materials to the removal and recycling of consumed refractory products.
Magnesita Refratários, based in Brazil, is active in mining, production and marketing of refractory materials and services. Magnesita operates in various locations around the world, including Europe.
Merger control rules and procedures
The transaction was notified to the Commission on 5 May 2017.
The Commission has the duty to assess mergers and acquisitions involving companies with a turnover above certain thresholds (see Article 1 of the Merger Regulation) and to prevent concentrations that would significantly impede effective competition in the EEA or any substantial part of it.
The vast majority of notified mergers do not pose competition problems and are cleared after a routine review. From the moment a transaction is notified, the Commission generally has a total of 25 working days to decide whether to grant approval (Phase I) or to start an in-depth investigation (Phase II). This deadline is extended to 35 working days in cases where remedies are submitted by the parties, such as in this case.
More information will be available on the Commission’s competition website, in the Commission’s public case register under the case number M.8286.
Jun282017
2nd European day of Social Economy Enterprises gathers social economy players and policy-makers to create synergies and explore needed measures
During the 2ndEuropean day of Social Economy Enterprises (SEEs) at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), over 130 social economy representatives called on policy-makers to scale-up their efforts to enable the development of the Social Economy.
In his opening speech, Michael Smyth, EESC Vice-President, said: “Social Economy Enterprises have become crucial, not only because they contribute to social integration, territorial cohesion and new economic models, but also because they play a role in shaping the future of Europe”.
He also called for a long-term roadmap for the Social Economy and to make it a real part of the Commission’s Work Programme for 2018.
“Europe has a chance to redefine itself, and we should promote the social economy in a very tangible way to address three key challenges: climate, the digital revolution and social issues”, said Nicolas Schmit, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidary Economy, Luxembourg.
The EESC has been working on the Social Economy for more than 10 years, and creating synergies with EU institutions to promote this agenda, explained Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC’s Permanent Study Group on SEEs. He invited all participants to actively contribute to “shaping the future of Europe together”.
The event introduced four case studies of innovative and successful European social start-ups:
These success stories inspired the workshops, in which participants discussed the potential of SEEs to develop new economic models, promote the integration of migrants and boost territorial cohesion. Participants highlighted the positive role of SEEs in putting people before profit, building a more cohesive society, bringing innovation and empowering citizens.
They agreed that policy-makers have an important role to play in creating a favourable environment for the social economy to flourish, and urged them to create a EU legal framework for SEEs, reinforce public-private partnerships and ensure increased and easier access to funding.
Each workshop also made specific requests for policy-makers:
In the closing session, Jens Nilsson, Member of the European Parliament, called on the Commission to show more will in developing an overall EU action plan for the Social Economy.
Slawomir Tokarski, Director of DG GROW, European Commission, collected the messages from civil society and expressed the commitment to continue working together for a more social Europe.
“The Social Economy is not just an economic model; it is the solution to recover from the crisis, create quality jobs and make Europe more resilient and competitive“, concluded Martin Siecker, president of the EESC’s Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption.
The EESC recently approved an opinion on the Start-Up and Scale-Up Initiative and will vote on an opinion on The external dimension of social economy at its July plenary.