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Bosnian authorities have reportedly delivered beds and mattresses to migrants stranded at the site of the destroyed Lipa camp. Pressure is mounting in Europe for urgent solutions to be found.

Tents erected a few days ago by the Bosnian military near the burnt-out Lipa migrant camp have now been fitted out with beds and mattresses, according to local media reports. Several hundred migrants and refugees who have been sleeping in the open in freezing cold weather are to be accommodated at the site. The beds and mattresses have come from the nearby camp on the outskirts of Bihac, which was shut in September following protests by local residents.

The Lipa camp near the Bosnian city of Bihac was closed by the UN migration agency IOM shortly before Christmas, because the Bosnian authorities had refused to make it fit for winter conditions. Reportedly, a few of the camp residents set fire to tents, making it uninhabitable.

An attempt by Bosnian authorities to transfer the migrants by bus to a former barracks in the country's south was abandoned because of opposition by residents, and the migrants were returned to the site of the camp.

They have been receiving food and non-food assistance, and some medical care, from the Red Cross, the Danish Refugee Council and the IOM. However, the migrants' physical and mental health has continued to deteriorate, according to Peter Van de Auweraert, the Bosnian Chief of Mission for IOM.

The German foreign ministry has called on Bosnia to provide better conditions for migrants. Bosnian authorities have agreed to take steps to improve conditions, German foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr said on Wednesday, adding that Germany would be keeping an eye on progress.

Adebahr said 700,000 in aid could be provided to Bosnia. The EU has already supported the Balkan country with an extra 3.5 million to cope with the current emergency situation. Since 2018 the EU has provided 88 million to Bosnia to deal with migrants in the country, according to the German government.

There are growing calls for the European Union to take action on the Bosnia situation. Germany's protestant church (EKD) representative for migration, Manfred Rekowski, said politicians should be doing more to help those in camps "on the edge of the EU."

Municipalities in Germany must finally be able to admit refugees, Rekowski said in a video message posted on Thursday, referring to offers by a number of German municipalities to take in migrants.

"The German Federal Government and the European Union have to ensure that refugees in Bosnia receive concrete help," he added. "We mustn't lose sight of the people, they have lost everything."

The rights organization Pro Asyl has again urged the European Union to come to the aid of migrants at Lipa. "The people must be evacuated, they have to be brought to the European Union," said the head of Pro Asyls Europe section, Karl Kopp, in an online interview with German newspaper taz on Wednesday.

Kopp demanded that Germany take the lead on the issue, saying Berlin should set rapid rescue measures in motion in cooperation with new EU Council President Portugal.

"The European Union and the member states that forcibly closed the Balkans route in 2016 and at the same time initiated the Turkey deal with (Turkish President) Erdogan are helping to ensure that there is misery on the Greek islands and in the Balkans today," Kopp said.

"The cynical attitude of the EU that says: 'we give some money and then the people should stay there', is wrong and unrealistic."

Kopp said the survival of around 1,700 people at Lipa is hanging in the balance. There are currently 8,000 to 10,000 people stranded in Bosnia, the least stable country in the Balkans, he said.

"They are stuck there because they are violently pushed back by Croatia at the EU's external borders, contrary to international law," said Kopp.

He accused the EU and Germany of remaining silent about the constant human rights violations by Croatia.

With KNA, dpa, epd

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Calls growing for EU action on migrant situation in Bosnia - InfoMigrants

The European Union is looking at ways to bypass patent protections and make it easier to make generic drugs in cases of emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic, a new document says.

Normally, under WTO regulations, the practice known as compulsory licensing is allowed in exceptional circumstances and could be applied as a waiver to bypass patent holders. Wednesdays document was published as part of the EUs plan to shore up the intellectual property rights of its member states.

The Commission sees the need to ensure that effective systems for issuing compulsory licences are in place, to be used as a means of last resort and a safety net, when all other efforts to make IP available have failed, the document said.

Reuters was the first to report on the plan, writing Wednesday that some legislators have urged the EU to use the WTO waiver to gain access to potential vaccines and drugs for Covid-19, but the bloc has resisted until this point. Instead, the European Commission and other governments on the continent have been purchasing prospective vaccines and therapies in bulk.

But Covid-19 is causing the EU to rethink its strategy, given the extraordinary nature of the pandemic and need for treatments.

The EU outlines how a procedure closely linked to patents, known as supplementary protection certificates, are also hampering European patent holders. The certificates provide an extended IP protection for products that undergo clinical trials and regulatory approvals, but due to inconsistent implementation across Europe, both generic and drug makers have had a difficult time implementing a cohesive Covid strategy.

Earlier this week, Reuters had previously reported that the bloc was considering making access to generics easier altogether. The goal of the plan is to make drugs more affordable while preventing the supply and manufacturing shortages seen during the early stages of the pandemic this spring.

A draft of the document reviewed by Reuters appeared to discuss a plan to apply antitrust policies more rigorously against pharmaceutical companies, though that does not appear in the final plan released Wednesday. The draft also mentioned the possibility of cracking down on drugmakers that delay the approval of generics, limiting patent protection for drugs that arent made available in all 27 EU countries, and aiming to prevent drug shortages across the continent.

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European Union aims to establish patent workaround in case of emergencies while trying to strengthen its own IP - Endpoints News

LONDON (Reuters) - Londons dominance of the multi-trillion dollar global derivatives market is at risk after a regulator said on Wednesday banks in the EU will have to use trading platforms within the bloc after the completion of Brexit on Dec. 31.

FILE PHOTO: The City of London financial district is seen amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, November 24, 2020. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

The City of Londons unfettered access to the European Union, its biggest customer, ends when the Brexit transition arrangements expire, and Brussels wants trading in euro-denominated derivatives to remain within its jurisdiction or in a country with equivalent standards to the bloc.

The Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on Wednesday confirmed that from Jan. 1 EU investors would have to use a swaps platform inside the bloc, or based in a non-EU country such as the United States that has already been granted equivalence or permission.

This means that branches of EU banks in London will face conflicting EU and British requirements on where to trade derivatives.

The City of London touts itself as the go-to location globally for trading derivatives - the life blood of financial markets, allowing investors to bet on a swathe of assets and hedge risk.

The decision is a starting gun for a fight between the UK and the EU for the location of international derivatives trading in Europe, said Michael McKee, a financial services lawyer at DLA Piper law firm, adding that France and Germany hoped to pick up the spoils.

Banks have already been moving some positions in derivatives from London to the new EU hubs ahead of Brexit.

While the rules would not create the sort of systemic disruption of areas such as clearing the contracts, which has already been smoothed over with temporary equivalence, it does signal that the EU is prepared to play hardball as Brexit injects a sense of urgency into reducing its reliance on the City of London for core financial services for its economy.

ESMA acknowledges that this approach creates challenges for some EU counterparties, particularly UK branches of EU investment firms, the watchdog said.

Britains Financial Conduct Authority said it would not be adjusting its approach to derivatives trading at this time.

Mutual equivalence would be the best way to avoid market disruption and meet international G20 commitments. We continue to monitor market developments, the FCA said.

The derivatives industry has urged Brussels to avoid a clash in rules through a quick fix legal workaround, but it now appears this was not possible.

The rules mean British counterparties will have to use a UK authorised platform, while EU counterparties have to use an EU authorised platform, making a trade between the two sides impossible. You cant tick both boxes, a derivatives sector official said.

Again, this is the EU telling the UK - this is your mess, you can sort it out, said Jake Green, a regulation lawyer at Ashurst law firm.

The ESMA said it did not see room for providing different guidance based on the current legal framework, and in the absence of an equivalence decision by the European Commission.

The ongoing trade talks between the EU and Britain do not cover financial services, though a deal could help the mood music towards financial services access.

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) said no equivalence would mean fragmenting liquidity, raising costs and probably a negative effect on pricing of contracts for end-users.

It means EU and UK firms would not be able to trade derivatives that are subject to both EU and UK trading obligations unless they trade on a U.S. swap execution facility, but that may not be practical or even possible for some, said Roger Cogan, ISDAs head of European public policy.

Given the rules on trading venues in the EU and UK are virtually identical, we think equivalence is justified and necessary, Cogan said.

Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Carmel Crimmins, Alison Williams and Gareth Jones

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EU derivatives decision leaves London in the lurch - Reuters

GENEVA (AP) The European Union, the United States and other donors on Tuesday pledged billions in new funds for Afghanistan, hoping to salvage years of work aimed to foster peace and stability in the country and coax along uncertain peace talks between the government and Taliban rebels at a time when Islamic State extremists have increasingly caused havoc and bloodshed.

A largely virtual pledging conference for Afghanistan, co-hosted by Finland and the United Nations in Geneva, drew representatives from nearly 100 countries and international groups in the first such event in four years. It comes as the COVID-19 crisis has commanded worldwide attention, and its outbreak in Afghanistan has compounded persistent ills like corruption and extremist violence.

Many countries set conditions for their future commitments, mostly on progress toward peace and demands for better governance to foster democracy and root out corruption.

Donors pledged more than $3 billion for the first year of the upcoming quadrennial, with annual commitments expected to stay at the same level year on year, said Ville Skinnari, Finlands minister for development, cooperation and foreign trade.

That $12 billion was a rough estimate extrapolated from the pledges for next year alone, officials said, adding that donors would review their commitments each year. Even at $12 billion, it marked a drop from the more than $15 billion drummed up at the last such conference in Brussels in 2016.

Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Afghanistans foreign minister, hailed an impressive figure tallied on Tuesday, adding: Its more important because it comes at a time when there is hardly any nation that has not been affected by COVID-19 in its economy and revenue.

That represents an enormous amount of generosity when every nation has had its own challenges, that on top of that, it did not forget about our shared responsibility to succeed in Afghanistan, he said.

Countries like Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, the U.S. and Canada offered hundreds of millions in pledges, which came after speeches from officials like Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who hailed the countrys ambitious agenda for development and reform.

The United Nations stands with the people of Afghanistan on the path toward peace, development and self-reliance, Guterres said, expressing hope that donor pledges will translate into real progress and concrete improvements for the people of Afghanistan.

That was a familiar refrain about Afghanistan, where progress has been underpinned by international support and remains fragile, amid perennial hopes that peace and stability can emerge.

Nearly 20 years after a U.S.-led international coalition toppled the Taliban government that supported al-Qaida, Afghanistans woes remain complex and its future uncertain. Violence has increased in recent months, Taliban rebels and the government are currently taking part in peace talks in Doha, Qatar; and the Trump administration recently announced a further drawdown of U.S. forces.

Even as the meeting took place, a roadside bomb exploded in the central Afghan city of Bamyan, killing at least 13 civilians and a traffic police officer, and wounding 45 others, an Afghan official said. No one immediately claimed responsibility. But the IS affiliate has claimed responsibility for the most recent attacks in Afghanistan, including two that killed at least 50 people mostly students.

While hoping to help along the peace talks, donors pointed to their own commitments both with forces and funds over the years, and warned that their continued help would be contingent on efforts by Afghans themselves and no backsliding on progress. Many of the commitments were for a four-year span from 2021 to 2024. others were for just one year.

The EU pledged 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion) in assistance to Afghanistan over the next four years but joined others by making its support conditional on the strife-torn countrys commitment to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality.

Afghanistans future trajectory must preserve the democratic and human rights gains since 2001, most notably as regards womens and childrens rights, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Any attempt to restore an Islamic emirate would have an impact on our political and financial engagement.

Germany pledged another 430 million euros (about $510 million) per year through 2024, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Doha talks offered a new and unprecedented opportunity set for peace and prosperity, but noted that Afghanistan faced challenges such as the pandemic from Wuhan, and unacceptably high levels of violence, alluding to the COVID-19 outbreak that began in China.

I want to be clear that the choices made in peace negotiations will affect the size and scope of future international support and assistance. The United States looks forward to reviewing progress in the areas I mentioned in one years time, Pompeo said.

U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale added that Washington would pledge $600 million for Afghanistan in 2021, but only half would come now with the remaining $300 million available as we review progress in the peace process.

Hale cited significant progress in negotiations in Doha on Tuesday including a tentative agreement on rules and procedures that should allow the negotiators to move ahead to start setting an agenda. But he also said the U.S. was monitoring disturbing reports about unspecified efforts to delay, disrupt and for the progress for which the negotiating teams have worked so hard.

Hales comments signaled the first sign of progress since the two sides in the Afghan talks sat down in Doha on Sept. 12. The government team was likely to demand the first item on an agenda be a cease-fire a prospect that the Taliban have until now refused to accept.

Atmar, the Afghan foreign minister, said the two sides had reached an agreement on 20 points but one on the legal basis for the negotiations remained unresolved. He expressed hopes that if the logjam is resolved in the coming days, it would mark a huge step in the peace process.

Deborah Lyons, the U.N. secretary-generals special envoy for Afghanistan, said the country was facing a time of unprecedented opportunity but also deep uncertainty and rising anxiety, and said Afghans were committed to preserving the gains of recent years but needed ongoing support from abroad.

Now is not the time to walk away, said Lyons. In the past, she has said that despite some progress, Afghanistan remains one of the worst places in the world to be a woman or a child. She has criticized a sharp rise in casualties in the fighting, both from Taliban assaults and U.S. and Afghan bombing raids.

Statistics in Afghanistan are still grim after decades of help. The poverty level during the COVID-19 pandemic has shot up to 70% up from 54% last year. Despite billions of dollars that have poured into the country in the last two decades, more than half the population lives on $1.14 a day. A U.S. watchdog has said over $19 billion of U.S. money alone had been lost to abuse, fraud and waste.

Ghani touted a strategic plan for Afghanistan, acknowledged lessons learned from abroad, pointed to the development of a robust civil society and free press, among other gains

A new Afghanistan has emerged over the past two decades, and with it, an entirely new set of expectations from our citizens, Ghani said by video. The main theme of our development agenda is to meet these new expectations by doing much more with much less in the face of daunting challenges.

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US, European Union, other donors step up with funds to help Afghanistan - FOX40

On 12 October 2020, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2020/1466[1].

The Council Decision renewed the existing restrictive measures until 16 October 2021, and updated one entry on the list of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures as set out in the Annex of Decision (CFSP) 2018/1544.

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania[2], the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and Georgia align themselves with this Council Decision.

They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision.

The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it.

[1] Published on 13.10.2020 in the Official Journal of the European Union no. L 335. p.16.

[2] The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain third countries concerning restrictive measures against the...