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The EU welcomes the agreement reached on 10 October on a humanitarian ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The EU urges the sides to strictly abide by this agreement and calls on all actors, including external parties, to refrain from any actions that may lead to further casualties. In this respect, we note with extreme concern the reports of continued military activities, including against civilian targets, as well as civilian casualties and urge the sides to ensure full respect of the agreement on the ground.

The EU calls upon the sides to engage in substantive negotiations without delay under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, without preconditions and on the basis of the agreed upon principles.

The EU continues to support the work of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in seeking a negotiated political solution to the conflict and will remain engaged in efforts towards lasting peace in the region.

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Nagorno-Karabakh: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union - EU News

EU Commissioner of Competition Margrethe Vestager speaks during an interview to AFP at the European Commission in Brussels on May 3, 2019.

EMMANUEL DUNAND | AFP | Getty Images

The likes of Apple, Google and Facebook could soon find themselves on a new EU "hit list" that's designed to curb their market power and increase competition.

Regulators in the European Union are drawing up a list of around 20 large internet companies they want to comply with tougher rules than smaller firms, according to a report published in the Financial Times on Monday.

Companies on the list will reportedly have to share data with rivals and be more transparent on how they gather information.

Lawmakers in Brussels want to force big tech companies to change their business practices without a lengthy investigation or the need to provide proof that they have broken laws already in place.

Many of the tech giants that the EU is reportedly set to target contend that their platforms help small businesses to thrive and provide billions of people worldwide with useful tools and services.

The European Commission was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

Read the full story from the Financial Times here.

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Apple, Google and Facebook could reportedly be put on EU 'hit list' - CNBC

BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is announcing a major building renovation project this week seeking to cut down energy costs and polluting emissions while providing a big boost to the construction industry.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the 27-nation bloc must speed up the pace of renovations if it is to meet climate change targets and said most efforts will go to schools, hospitals and social housing.

The bloc is littered with buildings that fail to contain heat in winter and cannot keep people cool in summer, creating massive energy bills that sap local budgets but also pollute cities and the atmosphere.

Our buildings are responsible for 40% of our energy consumption, said von der Leyen. And even though many buildings have or are being renovated, at the current pace, it would take more than a century to bring emissions from our buildings to zero.

The public funding of such projects would also help offset the massive damage that the coronavirus pandemic has done to the blocs economy. Some of the financial aid involved is set to come from the 750 billion-euro recovery fund backed by EU leaders over the summer.

The European Union has set a target to renovate 3% of government buildings each year, but because of poor monitoring some studies suggest this target is far from being met.

Last month, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson stressed the need for renovations to meet the blocs target of climate neutrality and said the rate of renovations must now double. He stressed that more than a third of the blocs emissions come from buildings, through heating and air-conditioning.

The official announcement of the plans is set for Wednesday.

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Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https:/apnews.com/hub/Climate.

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EU plans big building renovation project to save energy - The Associated Press

12 October 2020

ELIG Grkaynak Attorneys-at-Law

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The Council of Europe has developed legal instruments forprotecting individuals who report or disclose information on actsand omissions in the workplace that represent a serious threat orharm to public interest. Several stories being emerged in theglobal media about whistleblowers being silenced against during theCOVID-19 pandemic, has brought special attention to RecommendationCM/Rec(2014)7 and EU Whistleblowing Directive on the Protection ofWhistleblowers both setting out the framework to facilitatingwhistleblowing protections.

Recommendation no. CM/Rec(2014)71("Recommendation") was adoptedby the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on April 30,2014. It stresses the vitality of whistleblowing and protection ofwhistleblowers in preventing wrongdoings in the workplace. Itaddresses key principles around whistleblowing to ensure thefollowing:

- diverse channels are available to report and discloseinformation that is potentially harming public interest,

- effective mechanisms are run to maintain an environmentwherein such disclosure and reports are processed promptly,

- whistleblowers are entitled to certain rights includingkeeping their identities confidential.

The EU Whistleblower Directive("Directive")2 entered into force on December 16,2019. Pursuant to this Directive, EU member countries are requiredto enact conforming national legislation on whistleblowers by 2021.Directive brings a high level protection to whistleblowers acrossmany sectors. As per the Directive, reports to the public areprotected when they concern imminent harm to public interest.

In some countries cases wherein several doctors and nurses havebeen fired and disciplined for expressing worries about their workconditions, also in relation to a lack of personal protectiveequipment, required certain responses to public accountability.Accordingly, as the current crisis highlights, every time awhistleblower is silenced, the risk to public health and safetyincreases proportionately.

Furthermore, the Council of Europe's Group of States againstCorruption (GRECO) acknowledges the crucial role of whistleblowersin managing the increased risk of corruption during the COVID-19outbreak. In this regard, the protection of whistleblowers in thehealth sector is explicitly listed as a key competency in the fightagainst corruption and gross mismanagement during the pandemic.

To conclude, importance of protecting access to information inthe context of a global emergency, when so many lives andlivelihoods are at risk should not be underestimated. Protectingwhistleblowers during pandemic is vital to keeping us all safer andinformed.

This article was first published in Legal Insights Quarterlyby ELIG Grkaynak Attorneys-at-Law in September 2020. A linkto the full Legal Insight Quarterly may be found here

Footnotes

POPULAR ARTICLES ON: Employment and HR from European Union

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EU Practices On The Protection Of Whistleblowers During The COVID-19 Outbreak - Employment and HR - European Union - Mondaq News Alerts

Myanmar can now export honey to the European Union (EU) according to an EU Commission Decision made on 29 July 2020.

Implemented by the International Trade Centre, the EU-funded ARISE Plus Myanmar project supports the private and public sectors in the country in boosting their exports of honey products within the economic space of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and to the EU and global markets.

The EU approved Myanmar's National Residue Monitoring Plan for the importation of honey produced in Myanmar. Myanmar honey producers receiving orders from European countries can now sell and export their products, provided they meet the EU safety and quality requirements as well as standards for honey production.

'It is a milestone for the country that the EU recognizes the National Residue Monitoring Plan as a reliable instrument to monitor chemical residues in honey,' says Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre. 'This is what creating added value is all about and I am pleased that we may now be able to sample this amazing product in Europe.'

Dr. Johann Hesse, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Myanmar, says, 'Ensuring EU food safety and quality requirements through every level of the food supply chain is challenging, but rewarding. Myanmar beekeepers now have access to a market of 450 million consumers looking for quality products. Welcome to the EU!'

The approval is significant because it stands for safety in line with stringent EU food production requirements. It also promotes market competitiveness: two years ago, buyers from the EU showed their interest in buying honey from Myanmar but the country was not officially listed for honey exports to the EU. Now, beekeepers, collectors and honey exporters can benefit.

Collaboration for stronger institutions

The Apiculture Development Division of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department of the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation submitted the report of the National Residue Monitoring Plan to the EU along with test samples.

'We will be continuously working to establish sustainable Myanmar honey trade to the EU market and to ensure its quality and safety of products for export,' says Deputy Director General of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department Dr. Than Naing Tun.

'Quality and safety measures are important to penetrate and maintain a new market like the EU. We have urged all stakeholders to keep going with concerted effort,' adds Aung Khaing Htwe, the Chairman of Myanmar Apiculture Association and Managing Director of Smile Happy Co., Ltd.

A silver lining in the face of COVID-19

Due to the current health crisis caused by COVID-19, super or healthy foods, such as honey and other bee products, have gained increasing interest from the public. This has resulted in higher international prices for honey - and Myanmar has the opportunity to grow its export linkages in the product if it ensures internal sanitary control mechanisms for its honey production.

This is where ARISE Plus steps in. In recent years, Myanmar's authorities have strengthened their capacity to implement the sanitary controls necessary to guarantee honey exports. ARISE Plus Myanmar works closely with these authorities, organizing training sessions and developing tools such as checklists and guidelines for Good Beekeeping Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices as well as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

So far, more than 100 stakeholders from the honey sector attended the capacity-building activities of the project where experts from the International Trade Centre assisted the Apiculture Development Division in their reporting and laboratory testing in Germany.

ARISE Plus also supports the Government of Myanmar in issuing the public health attestation (veterinary certificate) that must accompany each honey export.

About the project

The ARISE Plus Myanmar project contributes to the growth of inclusive and sustainable trade in Myanmar. It supports the honey sector in complying with sanitary and phytosanitary measures to access international markets, particularly the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. For this, the International Trade Centre takes a holistic approach by strengthening the Apiculture Development Division's official control and assisting the laboratories to test quality and safety parameters for honey.

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Myanmar: Now exporting honey to the European Union - Marketscreener.com