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By AGGREY MUTAMBO

Kenya and the European Union on Friday launched vital talks to elevate their ties beyond aid and focus on issues of long-term peace and development.

At a meeting in Nairobi, Kenyas Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and visiting EU top diplomat Josep Borrell Fontelles signed a joint declaration to formally begin discussions on a Strategic Dialogue, a guiding document that could turn relations to common problems.

Mr Fontelles, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, arrived in Nairobi on Friday, just three weeks before the EU hosts African delegates in Brussels for the EU-AU Summit. But while the bloc wants to build ties with the entire continent, Mr Fontelles said the EU will first work with 'like-minded countries.'

We have been having, the European Union and Kenya, a long standing relationship. But we are no longer the donor of development aid. We are a strategic partner, Fontelles told a joint press conference in Nairobi.

There is no doubt that peace and security is at stake in this region and the whole world. And this requires that like-minded countries like the European Union and Kenya join their forces in order to work together in many fields.

The Strategic Dialogue, he said, will bring concrete results, because it will focus on delivering on commitments, actions, investments, and sharing objectives among our people.

Those commitments will target long-term peace and security in the region, fighting poverty through trade and investment, environmental conservation and fighting climate change, defending democracy and the rule of law, and human rights, as well as many sectors in Kenyas priority development agenda, Ms Omamo said.

The EU has traditionally been one of Kenyas biggest donors; supporting programmes for justice, humanitarian support for the displaced as well as in education. On Friday, Mr Fontelles launched the Kenya-European Union Cooperation programme.

Meant to last until 2027, the programme targets environmentally responsible investments in Kenya, human development and digital inclusion through computer literacy and internet service provision.

It will cost $361 million in the initial four years. It will deal with projects meant to preserve peace and stability with a special focus on women and youth, the dispatch said.

The final document from the Strategic Dialogue will guide the ties between the EU and Kenya for the next five years.

Ms Omamo said technical teams from both sides will draft agreements on peace and Security and Stability, Sustainable, Inclusive Development and SDGs and Economy, Trade and Investment, the three main pillars under discussion.

But while it is entirely bilateral, Ms Omamo said the pillars will be related to the goings-on in the region, including the humanitarian issues, security incidents and regional cooperation.

We need partnerships in all of our countries to tackle challenges of the day in a spirit of collaboration and in a spirit of partnership, she said.

We have a common spirit towards developmentand for countries that are able to deliver development goods to their people. that was the spirit of our conversation and they are in line with our conversation of the Strategic Dialogue.

The EU and Kenya have implemented a trade pact which was initially meant for the entire East African Community but which saw member states raise fears of a possible obstruction to nascent industries.

Mr Fontelles also met President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi.

Read this article:
Kenya, EU launch talks to elevate ties beyond aid - The East African

Last week, an important vote took place at the European Parliament to approve recommendations on the existing EU laws on live animal transport. Animal welfare has been a hot and sensitive topic for a while now, drawing attention across the board, yet Members of the EU Parliament (MEPs) showed nothing but a total lack of ambition when it came to improve the dreadful conditions in which millions of animals are transported. Even Stella Kyriakides opening speech, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, reminding her audience that animal welfare is a priority within the EU Farm to Fork strategy, did not have the desired effect.

Last December,the Committee ofInquiry of the European Parliament on the transport of live animals (ANIT) published its recommendations, demanding that rules on the duration and conditions of animal transport be tightened, due to the numerous breaches of existing regulations. Unfortunately, last weeks vote goes in the opposite direction, in fact watering down the already weak Committees text.

Overall, MEPs agreed for a ban on transport of very young calves, while calling for a shift to transport of meat and genetic material instead of live animals whenever possible. Unfortunately, they did not commit to limiting travel time to eight hours, leaving ample room for longer journeys for most animal species. They also suggested installing CCTV cameras in vehicles to ensure more effective control, and expressed their wish to have stricter transport requirements, i.e. limits on temperature, humidity and ammonia levels in vehicles. They did, however, reject all amendments to ban the transport of animals in a late state of pregnancy, and of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses born less than 35 days before departure (the 4-week age limit remains only for calves).

If eight hours seem too few sang the workers during the trade union struggles of the early 20th century, to assert their right to an eight-hour working day. It is now time to consider the right for animals to be treated as sentient beings, as enshrined in the 2007 Lisbon Treaty. If one thinks of the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes which clearly states the five freedoms for animal welfare, it is hard to understand how MEPs can fail to take more radical measures.

Every year, millions of live animals are transported within and outside European Union territory, for slaughter, for breeding purposes, from one farm to another, for fattening, etc.On most cases, it is due to the current high specialisation of production cycles: for example, a region is specialized in breeding, another one in fattening, and another one in slaughtering and processing. Another reason is trade: the market expects animals to be sold alive.

Inevitably, every journeyinvolvessuffering. Most often, live animal transport causesstress (animals are sentientbeings andare not used to be moved by vehicle), overcrowding (animals are usually crammed in small spaces during travel), exhaustion and dehydration (especially during the hottest summer months). Whats more, unexpected situations can cause travelling duration to last longer, incidents can occur in which animals lose their lives. Last but not least, live animal transport favors disease spreading.

Solutions do exist to improve the current situation, among which are the creation of small slaughterhouses in the proximity of farms, or mobile slaughterhouses; and the strengthening of local food systems to make them more efficient and resilient. This way, farmers would be more connected to their territories and consumers would be more aware of where their meat comes from.

[Originally published in Il Manifesto on 27/01/2022]

More:
Live-Animal Transport in the EU Will Remain Inhumane - Slow Food International

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) The European Union has asked Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to halt the execution of Matthew Reeves on the grounds of Mr. Reeves intellectual disability.

Reeves execution is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, but it is currently blocked by a federal court order. Lawyers for the State of Alabama have appealed that order to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not yet ruled on the matter.

In a letter released by the European Union on Monday, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis wrote that executing Reeves is contrary to widely accepted human rights norms and standards. Ivey should grant clemency or issue a temporary reprieve in Reeves case, Lambrinidis said.

Mr. Reeves IQ range is in the 60s, placing him in the borderline range of intelligence, the letter said. We also understand that Alabama law allows death row inmates to choose their method of execution and that Mr. Reeves intellectual disability prevented him from choosing his preferred method of nitrogen hypoxia. In the case of Mr. Reeves, capital punishment would constitute excessive punishment.

Reeves, who was convicted of the 1996 murder of Willie Johnson, is challenging his execution by lethal injection in federal court. In his lawsuit, Reeves argues that the state violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when they did not aid him in understanding a form that would have allowed him to opt into an execution via nitrogen suffocation.

An execution using nitrogen suffocation, which involves replacing oxygen needed to breathe with nitrogen gas, has never been carried out in the United States. Execution through the use of nitrogen suffocation was approved by the Alabama Legislature in 2018. Oklahoma and Mississippi are the only other states to allow the practice.

In its letter, the EU said it recognizes that the murder of Willie Johnson was a terrible crime deserving of strong punishment, but that executing Reeves can never mitigate for loss of life.

Asked for a response to the EUs letter and other requests for clemency in the case, Gina Maiola, Gov. Iveys director of communications, did not directly address whether the governor will heed calls to stop the execution.

As with any case, the governor takes these very seriously and will thoroughly review all of the facts and information, Maiola said via email.

This is not the first time the EU has weighed in on U.S. executions. On Monday, the union of 27 countries also asked that Oklahomas governor halt the execution of Donald Anthony Grant. In 2018, it asked Ivey to halt the execution of Vernon Madison.

You can read the EUs full letter to Ivey below.

See the rest here:
European Union asks Alabama governor to halt execution of Matthew Reeves - WIAT - CBS42.com

The summit of the European Union and the African Union leaders will take place on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 February 2022 in the Justus Lipsius and the Europa buildings in Brussels.

Due to the sanitary conditions related to the covid-19 pandemic, the availability of working spaces and to ensure safe working conditions, the General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) will establish a maximum number of media representatives that can be accredited. This number will depend on the evolution of the situation and the safety measures decided by the Institution.

The covid-19 regime for the meeting will be published closer to the meeting. The respect of the established rules is an essential condition to obtain the accreditation.

We will provide details on media facilities available and their opening hours in due course to accredited journalists.

Media representatives wishing to cover the meeting in person are required to register in advance, following thislink

For more information, please also consult theMedia accreditation page

Media representatives are strongly advised to apply as soon as possible to allow for sufficient time to process the requests.

Should the number of requests exceed the maximum capacity, a selection will be made by applying the following three criteria in sequence until maximum capacity is reached:

Media representatives that will be accredited will receive a confirmation email.

In order to make the best use of the capacity available, please inform the press centre immediately should you finally decide not to attend in person, via e-mail:[emailprotected]

A media accreditation desk will be set up at thethe LEX building (Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, 145)outside the security perimeter, to allow for collection ofbadges during the event.

Media attending the summit will be required to follow any public health regulations in place at the time, including Belgium entry requirements for those traveling into the country (please check on https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/travels/), as well as any additional measures decided by the institution to ensure a safe working environment.

Detailed information on the covid-19 related rules will be communicated in due course.

The joint press conference(s) in the JL Press Room will be run in hybrid mode with:

Connection information will be shared via instant messaging (Signal) or email.

A detailed programme will be published at a later stage. Depending on the sanitary conditions and the need to guarantee a safe working environment for everyone, please note that opportunities such as roundtables or doorsteps will be restricted to media pools.

In case of doorsteps, they will take place both in the Justus Lipsius (JL VIP entrance) and the Europa (EB Forum) buildings.

The doorstep areas will be accessible only to a limited media pool, due to the constraints imposed by the available space and the respect of the social distancing rules. To maximise opportunities for journalists, priority will be given to reporters (i.e. journalists asking questions). Host camera and sound services will be available in the area.

Videos and photos of the Summit will be available on:

Excerpt from:
Media advisory - European Union/African Union summit on 17 and 18 February 2022 - EU News

A European court announced Wednesday that it overturned a $1.2 billion fine on Intel, which the European Union had imposed on the semiconductor chip manufacturer in 2009 over alleged violations of antitrust laws.

The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, accused Intel of abusing its position as a global leader for x86 computer microprocessors and excluding competitors from the market, stretching from October 2002 to December 2007.

The EU alleged that Intel granted rebates to four equipment manufacturers, including Dell and Lenovo, which were conditional on the companies purchasing microprocessors from Intel.

But the General Court of the European Union found the EU's claims of anticompetitive behavior from Intel "incomplete," according to a press release.

"The commissions analysis is incomplete and does not make it possible to establish to the requisite legal standard that the rebates at issue were capable of having, or likely to have, anticompetitive effects," the court said in the release.

In 2014, following the EU's fine, the General Court dismissed action brought by Intel to contest the anticompetitive claims. But the EU's Court of Justice heard an appeal on the matter and referred the case back to the General Court.

Intel's general counsel, Steve Rodgers, said he welcomed the ruling because the company "always believed that our actions regarding rebates were lawful and did not harm competition."

"The semiconductor industry has never been more competitive than it is today and we look forward to continuing to invest and grow in Europe," he said in a statement to The Hill.

The Hill has reached out to the European Commission for comment.

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EU court sides with Intel in appeal of $1.2B antitrust fine | TheHill - The Hill