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On 22 March, World Water Day was celebrated around the world.

To mark the occasion, the UN Water Conference was held in New York, highlighting commitments by countries to tackle water-related issues and setting a clear agenda for the second half of the Water Decade (2018-2028) and beyond. Delegates from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine were also present throughout the conference.

In addition, the following series of videos produced with the support of EU4Environments Water and Data programme were released in these countries, highlighting how important it is to protect rivers, lakes and all aquatic ecosystems:

The Ukrainian population suffering from the impacts of war has made all of us realise that safe access to drinking water is one of the most crucial human rights.

The example of Armenian farmers switching to more ecological practices shows that it is possible to grow food by respecting the soils and rivers.

The Khojasan Lake in Azerbaijan reminds us that there is only one health: that of humans, animals and ecosystems together.

The inhabitants of river basins in Georgia highlight the need to bring local stakeholders into the discussion and make them part of the water policy development, as well as part of its successful implementation.

The cooperation between the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine on the Prut river basin is necessary to tackle severe water quality problems, a decline in biodiversity and the impacts of climate change, such as increasingly frequent floods and droughts.

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Press release

Original post:
World Water Day: European Union and Eastern Partner countries ... - euneighbourseast.eu

This was announced on his Twitter account by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic, Yvn Gil, at the end of a dialogue with Enrique Mora, secretary of the EU Foreign Service.

We talked about proposals in different areas of cooperation and a new relationship dynamic between Venezuela and the community bloc, said the diplomat.

The meeting took place at the Antonio Jos de Sucre Yellow House, where the European representative presented cooperation proposals in various areas, such as economics and energy, for the benefit of the peoples, the Foreign Ministry noted.

Venezuela has always ratified its willingness to dialogue, through the Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy, with the EU, despite the hostility of some of the countries that make up this mechanism, aligned with the interests of the United States and its actions against the nation and the Bolivarian government, he affirmed.

Gil held a cordial meeting on February 17 with the heads of Missions of the European Union accredited in Caracas, an opportunity for frank dialogue in order to rebuild mutual relations within the framework of respect for international law, self-determination and cooperation, he noted in a tweet.

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Read more here:
Venezuela and European Union discussed issues of bilateral interest - Prensa Latina

Background Information:

EU and UNRWA: Together for Palestine Refugees

The EU has established itself as a key financial and operational partner of UNRWA in Lebanon, contributing more than EUR 13 million over the past decade to improve the quality of UNRWA educational and supportive services, and enhance the employment prospects of Palestine refugee youth in Lebanon.

The EU and UNRWA have a strategic partnership governed by the shared objective to support the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and promote stability in the Middle East. As one of the largest providers of international assistance to Palestinian refugees, EU funding has enabled UNRWA to provide daily quality education for close to half a million children and deliver primary health care to more than 3.5 million patients in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. Consequentially, millions of Palestine refugees are better educated, live healthier lives, access employment opportunities and improve their living conditions, contributing to the development of the entire region.

UNRWA

UNRWAis the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agencys area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.

UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

DONATE TO UNRWA

Continue reading here:
The European Union Contributes EUR 5 million in support of ... - UNRWA

The European Union will definitely react if Russia implements its stated plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, but the EU is currently waiting for a comment from the Belarusian side.

Source: Peter Stano, European Commission Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Stano was asked what EU sanctions might be implemented in response to Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, and whether the EU planned to apply pre-emptive sanctions.

"As the high representative of the EU said, if this happens, there will be consequences," the spokesman answered.

He noted that the issue of sanctions is within the competence of member states and European Commission officials usually cannot disclose details before they have been approved by the countries.

"We are ready for all scenarios and reviewing our readiness as events unfold First, it is essential to reject these statements and hear what the Belarusian side, the Lukashenko regime, which is already complicit in this barbaric illegal aggression, will say. But the fact is that this would be an escalation, creating a threat to the security of Europe, and [it] will not remain without a reaction from the member states," Peter Stano added.

Background:Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 27 March that Belarus would deploy tactical nuclear weapons by July, and compared his nuclear plans to the US deployment of its weapons in Europe. He insisted that Russia would not break its nuclear non-proliferation promises.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called these plans a threat to European security. NATO called Russia's nuclear rhetoric "dangerous and irresponsible".

The US saw no signs of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demanded an immediate convention of an emergency special session of the UN Security Council and expects the UK, China, the United States and France to take practical actions to counter nuclear blackmail coming from the Kremlin.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!

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European Commission comments on Putin's nuclear plans for Belarus: If this happens, there will be consequences - Yahoo News

Nearly half of the honey imported into the European Union is suspected of being fake, according to an EU probe.

The research, spearheaded by the European Commissions Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), revealed the massive fraud and that many may be buying counterfeit honey labelled as authentic.

According to European Commission investigations, 320 samples were tested and 147 (46%) of collected samples of honey imports are suspected of being adulterated with syrups and therefore in non-compliance with the requirements of the EU Honey Directive. The honey is suspected to have been cut with sugar syrups made from rice, wheat or sugar beet.

Most fake honey is brought from Turkey (93%) andChina (74%).

All the 10 honeys entered via the United Kingdom failed the tests and were marked non-compliant.

The report indicates that honey imported from the UK had a suspicion rate of 100%, with the JRC suggesting that the honey may have been produced in other countries before being processed in the UK and re-exported to the EU.

From the hives is the EU coordinated action led by the European Commissions Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), with the national authorities of 18 countries who are part of the EU Food Fraud Network, OLAF and the European Commissions Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The participating countries were: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, as well as Norway and Switzerland.

133 businesses (70 importers and 63 exporters) were found to be involved in consignments of honey suspected of being adulterated. A further 44 operators have been investigated to date, states OLAF.

Honey naturally contains sugars and, according to EU legislation, must remain pure meaning that it cannot have ingredients added to it. Adulteration occurs when ingredients such as water or inexpensive sugar syrups are artificially added to increase the volume of honey, reads a statement published by OLAF.

While the risk for human health is considered as low, such practices defraud consumers and put honest producers in jeopardy as they face unfair competition from operators who can slash prices thanks to illicit, cheap ingredients.

The report states that the EU average unit value for imported honey was 2.32 /kg in 2021, whereas sugar syrups made from rice were at around 0.40 0.60 /kg.

Ville Itl, Director-General of OLAF, said: The EU is an importer of honey as the internal demand is higher than our domestic production. It is important that we remain vigilant against any abuse. The most frequent type of fraud with honey happens via adulteration, meaning by adding cheap ingredients instead of keeping the honey pure. But we also found instances of origin fraud, with labels claiming false origins of the product. This action served to raise attention, call for order, and deter any fraudulent practices.

The main buyers of honey produced in the world are the United States and Europe.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that with 175,000 tons of honey imported per year, the Old Continent is the world's second-largest importer of honey after the United States.

Faced with this hum-dinger of a report, the UK government has said it is investigating the results, but officials are disputing claims that honey imports are adulterated on an industrial scale.

Government officials say more advanced testing technology is required, and that current enforcement is fit for purpose. For the UK, there is insufficient evidence to date to indicate fraud.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: The UK government takes any type of food fraud very seriously including honey adulteration. There is no place for adulterated honey which undermines consumer confidence and disadvantages responsible businesses.

We work closely with enforcement authorities to ensure honey sold in the UK is not subject to adulteration, meets our high standards and maintains a level playing field between honey producers.

See the article here:
Buzz off! Nearly half of honey in European markets is fake ... - Euronews