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A Butterfly project, co-funded by the European Union, is looking for three composers from countries participating in the Creative Europe programme (including Armenia, Georgia, and Ukraine).

The selected candidates are expected to write a three-act opera dedicated to the theme of environmental sustainability (water, earth, and air). The opera is to be commissioned by Teatro Comunale di Modena (Italy), Opera Batycka (Gdansk, Poland), and Opera Box (Helsinki, Finland).

The conception of this opera will begin with a co-creation phase implemented by high school students in three partners countries Italy, Poland and Finland. The selected authors will work hand-in-hand with the creative team and the artistic directors in two residencies in Italy and Poland.

The project will culminate in May 2025, after two years of work. The premiere of this new opera will take place both in the partner theatres and online. The final production will strongly rely on advanced digital technologies and will showcase the pathways for a more sustainable opera production.

Each composer will receive a 11,000 gross fee, including performing rights (both in person and online streaming), and printed scores free of rights.

The deadline for applications is 17 September.

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Creative Europe: call for three composers to write three-act opera on ... - euneighbourseast.eu

LONDON: European consumers may soon have to pay more for sweet treats as summer heatwaves push up the price of sugar.

Sugar buyers and producers are currently negotiating contracts for the 2023-2024 harvest season, which starts in October.

Prices being cited are over 1,000 (RM5,091) a tonne, said people with knowledge of the matter more than double what they were in the middle of last year. Thats set to raise costs in the snack aisle.

Last years drought-related drop in sugar output offers a glimpse into what might unfold if the same were to happen again.

Sugar production for the current 2022-23 season fell 12% relative to the previous one, and at 14.6 million tonnes, was one million tonnes below initial European Union (EU) estimates.

While large companies and in turn, consumers were shielded from big price hikes thanks to long-term contracts, prices in the spot market have surged 58% since last October, squeezing smaller and medium-sized confectioneries.

Warning signs are already flashing: rain delayed this years planting by roughly a month, and rising temperatures have since increased the risk of both drought and pests spreading faster and ravaging small sugar beet crops.

Producers have so far taken a cautious approach to pricing, said John Stansfield, a senior sugar analyst at DNEXT Intelligence.

Critically, its what happens in the next two or three months: do we get rain or do we get just drought conditions?

With supplies already tight and the threat of drought looming, Germanys Suedzucker AG and Frances Tereos are among those who expect prices to stay high. And this year, with new contracts being signed at record price levels, the extra costs wont be easy to avoid.

Kona Haque, head of commodities research at ED&F Man, said some companies will have to pass the burden along to consumers.

Its not the end of sugar price inflation for Europe, said Yury Sharanov, president of CIUS, a lobby group representing both sugar consumers and industrial-scale buyers in Europe.

The situation has been exacerbated by low levels of sugar stock, which shrank last year as companies dipped into their reserves.

Destocking will be the ultimate driver for EU sugar prices, which are incredibly sticky, said Julian Price, an independent sugar consultant and former president of the European Association of Sugar Traders.

Despite all this, some analysts are cautiously optimistic that production may increase.

The EU has forecast that output could reach 15.5 million tonnes this season, with a spike in Polands sugar beet acreage offsetting a decline in France.

Not everybody agrees. Analysts have also expressed concern about yellow virus, a disease that can wipe out sugar beet crops.

Following Frances restrictions on neonicotinoids a type of pesticide that protects against the yellow virus experts at Green Pool Commodity Specialists estimate that Europes sugar production could drop below the EU estimate to 14.8 million tonnes.

Whilst there have been few reports so far of virus yellow symptoms, it is still too early to say if 2023 beet crops have dodged the yellow virus bullet, Green Pool analysts noted.

It is possible that symptoms will appear this month.

Such instability isnt limited to Europe. The worlds sugar comes from cane grown in tropical climes and beets, which thrive in traditionally cooler areas further north.

Extreme weather is hurting both kinds, with El Nino threatening to curb cane harvests in South-East Asia and Africa, and rising temperatures making Europe less hospitable to beets. Bloomberg

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Not so sweet news in the European Union - The Star Online

New social media network Threads, which launched July 5, continues to break records and cause a global storm as the number of users continues to rise, standing at around one hundred million worldwide.

However, as numbers continue to rise, those living in the European Union have been left out in the cold as various regulatory circumstances have prevented it from being launched across EU countries.

Although it's still unclear if and when a solution to these issues will be found, the version that may eventually be made available in these countries could still be different from that launched in the US and elsewhere.

Although the app is unavailable, it isnt because the EU blocked it, but rather that the onus is on Meta itself, which hasn't yet prepared the service to operate in Europe according to the regulations of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which deals with maintaining user privacy.

A spokesperson for the Irish Data Protection Commission explained to the Irish Independent that although they've talked with Meta regarding the new service, at this point it's not expected to operate in the EU.

Sources close to Meta explained to the Independent that the company avoided operating the service in the EU because of what they believe is a lack of clarity of the laws and regulations on this issue.

In addition to GDPR, Meta is reportedly also concerned about the Digital Markets Law (DMA) which will enter into force in 2024 and affects the way huge companies can use users' information while defining Meta as a gatekeeper.

In the meantime, Twitter submitted during a cease-and-desist letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Meta. In the document, Twitter accused Meta of employing its former employees, which gives access to Twitter's trade secrets and other classified information.

It also states that Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and requires Meta to take immediate steps to stop using Twitter's trade secrets or other confidential information.

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People in the European Union can't use Threads, and this is why - The Jerusalem Post

ByBalzs Orbn, Hungarian Parliament member, Political director for PM Viktor OrbnUpdated:14/07/2023 -17:20

We cannot allow select countries to impose their will on others on critical issues of war and peace, such as the imposition of sanctions or the financing of weapons, Balzs Orbn writes.

In an open letter published in Politico on 12 June, seven EU foreign ministers proposed a shift towards the greater use of qualified majority voting, QMV, in the block's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Accepting such a proposal would not only endanger national sovereignty but also undermine the strength of the EU.

Primarily, a country's foreign policy is crucial in shaping its direction, and the pursuit of a sovereign foreign policy is necessary to protect its independence.

The European Union was established after World War II and gained new dynamism after the collapse of the Soviet Union, both times with the aim of overcoming imperialistic ambitions and fostering cooperation among equal, independent, and sovereign member states.

Abandoning independent foreign policy through the elimination of unanimous decision-making would fundamentally contradict the essence of the Union.

We must acknowledge that geopolitics matters, which highlights notable distinctions between smaller and larger nations, as well as between the North and South and the East and West.

We cannot allow select countries to impose their will on others on critical issues of war and peace, such as the imposition of sanctions or the financing of weapons.

Secondly, as evidenced by surveys such as the ECFRs recent opinion polls, the European public holds a range of diverse opinions when it comes to foreign policy.

In light of the EU's motto, "united in diversity," rather than marginalising these differences, the bloc should leverage the diverse perspectives of its member states.

Opting for unanimous decision-making fosters constructive discussions and ensures that diverse opinions, even those diverging from the mainstream, are duly considered as they reflect the will of the people.

As Konrad Adenauer stated, "we all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. The true strength of our community lies in its diversity of opinions.

Thirdly, the current challenges we confront clearly show that enlargement is not just an option but a geopolitical necessity.

There is a growing consensus that enlargement can provide the much-needed dynamism to the EU, leading to the possibility of having 35 member states in the near future.

While the specific framework is yet to be finalised, the idea that enlargement requires deeper integration and sacrificing sovereignty for member states is misleading.

Given their historical backgrounds, prospective member states have a strong desire to preserve their independence and sovereign foreign policy.

We must therefore foster an environment where candidate countries aspire to join the EU.

Proposing a shift to QMV in foreign policy decision-making may risk alienating these candidate countries and hindering the enlargement process.

A successful and competitive EU necessitates embracing a more flexible integration model that highlights the importance of open discussions, constructive debates, and compromises among its member states.

Lastly, the legal backbone of the seven ministers' proposal is the utilisation of Article 31 of the Treaty on the European Union which would introduce "constructive abstention", permit QMV for common positions as well as for certain operative actions, and establish a passerelle clause to make QMV the standard procedure in specific foreign policy areas.

Out of these three proposals, constructive abstention is the least controversial, something even Hungary used last October.

However, the other two options are not viable solutions as they would requiresurrendering state sovereignty without obtaining the necessary democratic mandate from the people.

Seeking consensus is and will always be at the core of our European identity." This statement, emphasised by the seven ministers in their letter, captures the essence of our European identity indeed: valuing as well as showing mutual respect, engaging in constructive discussions, and striving for compromise.

In this era of rapid geopolitical transformations, it becomes even more important for the EU to show a unified front, demonstrating our solidarity and coherence in decision-making.

We must collaborate and make collective foreign policy decisions, recognising that true unity can only be achieved through consensus.

Balzs Orbn is a member of the Hungarian Parliament and political director for Prime Minister Viktor Orbn.

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The true strength of the EU lies in its diversity of opinions - Euronews

ANKARA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans surprising push to revamp his countrys stalled European Union accession bid may lead to some progress, but European leaders will ultimately be deterred by Ankara's democratic backsliding, experts told Al-Monitor.

At the NATO summit in Vilnius on Monday, Erdogan reversed course by dropping his countrys objection to the Swedish bid to join the alliance. The move came after Stockholm pledged to actively support efforts to revive Turkeys accession negotiations to the EU, modernize the customs union treaty between Turkey and the bloc and allow visa free travel for Turkey to member countries. Sweden also made other promises to Turkey in a seven-point memo.

In line with its founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturks vision, Turkey had historically positioned itself as a part of the Europe. And it made its bid to join the European club in 1959 by applying to what was then the European Economic Community, merely two years after its inception

However, few observers are optimistic that Erdogan's efforts will alter the nature of the ties between Ankara and Brussels, which have deteriorated steadily over the past years over Turkeys democratic backsliding and human rights record.

Serhat Guvenc,professor of international relations at Istanbul's Kadir Has University, said Erdogan surprised everyone by jump-starting Turkeys EU bid.

Yet I don't think [the government] is ready to live up to the transformation this effort entails at home, Guvenc told Al-Monitor. He said to revive the membership talks, Ankara would have to implement several steps, including overhauling its counterterrorism laws. Guvenc said such a move would be seen as capitulating by Erdogan's government.

Erosion of rule of law, fundamental rights and independence of the judiciary as well as controversial foreign policies in Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean prompted the EU to announce that Turkey's full membership negotiations with the bloc had come to a standstill in 2018.

A renewed effort and economic woes

Although Turkish officials kept paying lip service to Erdogan's commitment to the EU bid in the lead up to the general elections in May, they have done little to assuage EU concerns.

So, why has Erdogan suddenly decided to give it another push?

With Turkey facing an acute financial crisis and foreign currency crunch, Erdogan's government is scrambling to draw international funds to the country. As part of his first regional tour since his reelection in May, Erdogan will travel to Gulf countries on Monday mainly to secure much-needed funds. The revitalized EU bid may have been driven by a similar motivation.

The governments priorityright now is to recover the economy. One of the ways to do that is to progress the modernization of the Customs Union, Guvenc said.

Accepting a long-held Turkish demand, the European Council in 2016 decided to initiate formal negotiations to modernize the Customs Union Treaty between the EU and Ankara. The negotiations have yielded no concrete outcome yet. The bloc halted the talks in 2018 over escalating tensions between Turkey andEU members Greece and Cyprus, but in 2020, the European Council the blocs decision-making body greenlighted the resumption of the talks on condition that Turkey restores good ties with its neighbors. But Ankaras exploration and drilling activities in contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean further escalated the tensions in the same year.

According to Guvenc, the resumption of confidence-building talks between Turkey and Greece, along with Ankaras suspension of its drilling activities in contested waters in the Eastern Mediterranean, could help the customs talks speed up.

Indeed, following Erdogans meetings with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the summit earlier this week, EU foreign ministers are set to discuss Turkey next Thursday. After his meeting with Erdogan, Michel announced that he instructed the European Commission to lay out a reportwith a view to proceed in a strategic and forward-looking manner.

The total trade volume between Turkey and the EU reached$196.4 billion last year, while Turkey exported more than $103 billion of goods to EU countries, according to the Turkish Ministry of Trade. As Turkeys top trading partner, modernization of the Customs Union Treaty with the EU could provide a major boost for Turkeys beleaguered economy.

Will the political cudgel work?

Negotiations over visa free travel for Turkish nationals and modernization of the Customs Union Treaty came to the forefront after a deal Turkey struck with the EU in 2016 that effectively prevented a mass influx of Syrian refugees to Europe, by providing funding to Ankara in the amount of 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) toward expenses for the more than 3.5 million Syrians living in the country.

Becoming a political cudgel, Erdogan has often threatened to scrap the 2016 deal whenever tensions between Ankara and Brussels spiked. At the peak of the tensions in March 2020, Erdogan had announced his country would no longer block migrants passage to Europe, prompting tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to amass in Turkeys land and sea borderswith Greece. The European Parliament approved nearly 500 million ($562 million) additional funding in July.

At a time when EU countries are rejecting visa applications of Turkish citizens citing increasing asylum-seeking applications from Turkey, visa free travel seems like a tall prospect. Yet Ankaras path to an updated Customs Unions is also not that smooth.

According to Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and senior fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, Ankara needs to restore the rule of law and other basicdemocratic criteria that earned Turkey formal candidate status in 2005, to achieve any progress in talks with the EU about visa liberalization, Customs Union or full membership negotiations.

"The first step should be Turkey's compliance with the ECHRs rulings, Ulgen said, using the acronym of Europes top human rights court, the European Court of Human Rights. Defying relevant court rulings, Turkish authorities are keeping several human rights activists and politicians in prison. The Council of Europe a Pan-European body separate from the European Union initiated rarely used infringement proceedings against Turkey in 2021 over Ankaras failure to release businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala despite the ECHRs judgment ordering his immediate release. Kavala, 65, has been behind bars since 2017 on charges that were widely criticized by international civic groups and Western capitals.Turkey now risks suspension of its membership at the council.

It is not realistic to expect any nontransactional progress in Turkeys ties with the EU without settling the ongoing process in the European Council, Ulgen said, adding that practices that target free speech should be abandoned. Thousands of people in Turkey, including hundreds of journalists, have faced trials and have been imprisoned for voicing dissent over the past decade.

Erdogan, in turn, doesnt believe his country has any shortcomings in terms of democracy. There is no problem in Turkey regarding democracy, rights and freedoms. Erdogan told reporters in a press conference at the end of the NATO summit on Wednesday. We have no shortcomings when it comes to democracy and rights and freedoms.

A journey of more than a half century

Turkeys tumultuous bid to join the European club harks back to 1959 when it had applied to what was then the European Economic Community. The country's bid faced several setbacks in the following years, including military coups that had shook the country in almost every decade and the Turkish 1974 military incursion in Cyprus. The new push came in 1987 when Ankara formally applied forfull membership to the European Economic Community. Joint Parliamentary Committee talks began the following year and the European Council granted a formal candidate status to the Turkish nation in 1999.

Ironically, Turkey-EU ties were unprecedentedly robust during Erdogans first years in power thanks to successive political reforms that were passed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In 2005, the bloc started full membership negotiations with Turkey.

What slowed down the momentum was reciprocal: European powerhouses including France and Germany have never dropped their objections to Turkeys EU bid and the AKPs drift away from the political reform agenda. Greek Cyprus EU membership in 2004 has further complicated the efforts. After guaranteeing their accession to the bloc before a historical popular vote aiming to reunify ethnically divided island, Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly vetoed the referendum. While Greek Cyprus became an EU member in 2004, Turkish Cyprus is only recognized by Ankara.

The ties began to seriously deteriorate after the late 2010s. Embroiled in a row with a former ally, the US-based Sunni cleric Fethullah Gulens and his followers, Erdogan turned to nationalists to form a new political alliance that would keep him in power. Following the end of the peace process in 2015 with the Kurdish militants fighting for self-rule inside Turkey, the government launcheda heavy crackdown against the dissent.

The 2016 coup attempt sent relations to rock bottom. While EU capitals were lambasting Turkeys extension of post-coup attempt crackdown from putschiststo journalists, dissidents and intellectuals, Ankara was livid at Brussels over the tepid response that the EU gave in the face of an attempt aiming to overthrow the countrys democratically elected government.

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Is Turkey ready to join European Union as Erdogan jump-starts its bid? - Al-Monitor