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The European Union and the Council of Europes joint action on "Fostering Women's Access to Justice in Turkey" held its second multi-stakeholder meeting in Mula on 14 June.

The meeting aimed to identify the main challenges and solutions faced by women in accessing justice, but also to create local and sustainable support networks for the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged women. Strengthening inter-institutional dialogue and raising awareness about practices sensitive to gender equality were also among the aims of the meeting.

In his speech, Atty. Cumhur Uzun, President of Mula Bar Association, noted that In this action, we are very pleased to have been selected as one of the four pilot bar associations in Turkey and to set a valuable example to the other provinces with our practices. For women's access to justice; non-governmental organisations, bar associations, local government officials, public institutions constitute the links of the chain and everyone should act with a sense of responsibility. As Mula Bar Association, we will continue to support women's access to justice and be a model not only for women in Mula, but also for women in other regions. We are glad to be part of this action and contribute together to the realisation of this ultimate and worthwhile goal."

Pnar Bapnar, Head of Operations at the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara, underlined that the joint EU/Council of Europe action Fostering womens access to justice in Trkiye strives to increase the gender sensitivity of legal aid services and women's access to these services as well as to improve legal awareness and literacy among women so that they can exercise their rights as equal citizens in Trkiye.

The grant agreement signed between the Council of Europe and the Union of Turkish Bar Associations to support women's access to legal aid is one of the important aspects of the action, said Bapnar. Within the scope of this grant, legal aid services will be provided to women by legal aid lawyers participating in the training program in at least 360 cases," she added.

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations, local bar associations and legal aid centres, legal aid lawyers, universities, law faculties, women's studies and gender research and application centres, non-governmental organisations working in the fields of combating gender-based violence and gender equality, public institutions and organisations, violence prevention centres, women's shelters and experts working in the field of women's rights have joined forces to ensure better protection of womens rights and their improved access to justice.

In her presentation, Assistant Professor Asuman Aytekin nceolu shared her observations on legal, institutional, socio-economic and cultural barriers to women's access to justice in Turkey and explained how the key principles of access to justice, namely justiciability, availability, accessibility, provision of remedies, quality of services and accountability, can be operationalised in practice. Related to the quality of judicial services, she stressed that legal professionals should be aware of and avoid re-producing gender-based stereotypes and biases when interpreting and applying existing laws, which otherwise amount to discrimination and set barriers to womens access to justice.

The first multi-stakeholder meeting was held in Ordu in May 2022, the second was held in Mula and two further meetings will be held in Nevehir and Diyarbakr before the end of September. The meetings are taking place as a part of the action on Fostering women's access to justice in Trkiye, implemented within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europes joint programme entitled "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022".

Agenda

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European Union and Council of Europe to support improvement of women's access to justice - Council of Europe

BRUSSELS (AP) Drug trafficking and use across the European Union are returning to pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest report published by the blocs drug agency on Tuesday.

As COVID-19 restrictions and increased border controls have been relaxed on the continent, the EMCDDA said drugs are available in large quantities in the region, and in some cases above pre-pandemic levels.

Hundreds of drug production laboratories are being dismantled, and new psychoactive substances are appearing in the bloc every week. In 2021, 52 new drugs were reported for the first time, the agency said.

For me, the take-home message that stands out from our analysis of drug trends in 2022 can be summarized as Everywhere. Everything. Everyone, said the agency director, Alexis Goosdeel.

About 83.4 million people aged 15-64 in the EU, or 29% of that population, are estimated to have ever used an illicit drug, with more men than women reporting use.

The agency said cannabis remains the most popular substance, with over 22 million people reporting its use in 2021, ahead of cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines. Some 1 million Europeans used heroin or another illicit opioid. An estimated 5,800 overdose deaths occurred in the EU in 2020, the most recent year for which that figure was provided.

The report pointed to an increased use of social media applications and encrypted messaging services to get access to products during the pandemic, a model that is likely to persist.

The agency said last month that record amounts of cocaine are being seized in Europe while manufacturing of the drug is now taking place inside the the EU.

While the agency said its too early to assess the impact on heroin trafficking of the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the agency noted it could lead to an increase. According to the report, poppy cultivation continues in the country despite a ban on production and sale.

The countrys current financial problems might make drug revenues a more important source of income, the report said.

The report also looked at the war in Ukraine, noting that the conflict could have consequences for smuggling routes.

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'Everywhere. Everything. Everyone': Drugs are back in the EU - The Associated Press

The European Court of Human Rights stopped the first Rwanda flight from leaving the UK

Last night, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) launched a last-minute intervention to halt the flight carrying seven migrants to Rwanda.

There has been much dismay over how the Court has been able to override the rulings of the British High Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

The authority of the ECHR to intervene in this case is based on the UKs membership of the Council of Europe (CoE).

The CoE is an organisation which aims to uphold human rights throughout its member states. It is distinct from the European Union as it is solely based on protecting human rights.

For example, Turkey and Monaco are members of the CoE without being members of the European Union, as the UK is.

Membership of the CoE means the countries are subject to the authority of the ECHR. The ECHR rules on potential violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The plane that was scheduled to leave for Rwanda Andrew Matthews

Individuals can make applications to the ECHR which, if successful, would override the rulings of the state in which they are residing. In this case, an Iraqi national made an application to the ECHR for them to indicate an urgent interim measure.

Interim measures are an order from the ECHR to delay the implementation of a policy or decision in their member states. They are normally issued in cases of expulsion or deportation.

In the Rules of Court for the ECHR, it is written that "interim measures are only applied in exceptional cases.

"The court will only issue an interim measure against a Member State where, having reviewed all the relevant information, it considers that the applicant faces a real risk of serious, irreversible harm if the measure is not applied."

In this case, the ECHR has indicated to the UK government in a press release that the Iraqi national should not be removed to Rwanda until "three weeks after the delivery of the final domestic decision in his ongoing judicial review proceedings".

Demonstrators at a removal centre at Gatwick protest against plans to send migrants to Rwanda Victoria Jones

The press release also lays out their reasoning. They contend , in line with the view of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, "that asylum-seekers transferred from the United Kingdom to Rwanda will not have access to fair and efficient procedures for the determination of refugee status".

Additionally, they argue that "the finding by the High Court that the question whether the decision to treat Rwanda as a safe third country was irrational or based on insufficient enquiry gave rise to serious triable issues".

As such, the ECHR concluded that there was a "resulting risk of treatment contrary to the applicants Convention rights".

The court also highlighted that Rwanda is not a part of the European Convention on Human Rights, casting further uncertainty over the fate of the migrants once deported.

The European Convention on Human Rights is enshrined in the Human Rights Act of 1998. This means that the articles of the convention are enforceable in British courts.

Interim measures have been issued before in cases pertaining to deportation and removal. In September 2010, the ECHR indicated an interim measure to the French government in the case of Y.P. and L.P. v France.

The applicant was a former Belarusian resident who had applied to asylum in France following repeated persecution and targeted violence due to his opposition to the leading regime.

The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) rejected their request. Y.P. then applied to the ECHR arguing that returning to Belarus would lead to significant harm being inflicted on him and his family.

This led to an interim measure being issued which delayed the deportation until legal proceedings in the ECHR itself were completed.

Eventually the applicant was allowed to remain due to the judgement made by the court that the deportation would contravene article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

This article enshrines the protection of individuals from torture or degrading punishment.

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Key differences between the Council of Europe and the European Union explained after Rwanda mess - GB News

The European Union will sign an agreement with an undisclosed manufacturer on Tuesday for the supply of about 110,000 doses of vaccines against monkeypox to be delivered from the end of June, EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.

On the sidelines of a meeting of EU health ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, Ms Kyriakides said the vaccines will be bought with EU funds and delivered to EU states.

Commission officials said the name of the vaccine maker will be unveiled shortly.

The bloc's drug regulator said this month it was in talks with Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic over trial data that could underpin an extension of the approved use of the Imvanex shot, known as Jynneosin the United States, beyond smallpox to include monkeypox.

The US regulator has approved Bavarian's smallpox vaccine for use against monkeypox.

Some EU states, including Germany and Spain, have made their own orders for monkeypox vaccines.

Ms Kyriakides said the EU had recorded 900 cases of monkeypox.

There are confirmed cases in 24 different countries across Europe.

There have been 34 countries in which monkeypox is not endemic that have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with the total number of confirmed cases approaching1,500.

Monkeypox is making headlines because it is spreading in an unusual manner.

Australia has recorded eight case of monkeypox so far.

The WHO said the monkeypox outbreak outside Africa would not lead to a pandemic, but it was considering whether the outbreak should be assessed as a "potential public health emergency of international concern".

Reuters/ABC

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European Union to buy 110,000 monkeypox vaccines as number of cases in Europe passes 900 - ABC News

Ukraine has requested to become a member of the EU, but the process is likely to take some time and it is unclear if there is a broad support to accept several new nations in the bloc.

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

The European Union could be about to throw its support behind Ukraine becoming its newest member, but the process will not be easy: not only the country is still at war, but several other nations are keen to join and have been for some time.

Just days after Russia started its unprovoked invasion of the country, Ukraine sent a letter to the EU to formally start its application process.

Since then, several EU officials have come out in support of Ukraine joining the bloc, but they have also been clear this would be a long process, even if they try to speed things up given Ukraine's circumstances.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, is expected to issue an opinion on Ukraine joining the EU in the next few weeks but this will likely just mark the start of a long and difficult journey.

Even the European Parliament's President Roberta Metsola has admitted that accepting new members into the EU can be challenging.

"Enlargements are always complex you have different countries, different paths, different steps to take, different rules to abide by. But this is the moment we need to send the strongest of political message: Ukraine belongs in the European family," she told CNBC last month.

According to Daniel Gros, from the Brussels-based think tank CEPS, receiving political support to join the EU represents "a moral boost to Ukraine and a signal to Russia that the EU will not be deterred."

But for the EU, supporting Ukraine's membership bid is a delicate balancing act which affects many countires.

Nations in the Western Balkans have long been promised accession, for example including North Macedonia, which even changed its name in an effort to bolster its chances of joining the EU but negotiations have yet to begin.

Moldova, which borders Ukraine, and Georgia, which borders Russia, have also asked to join the bloc in the wake of the Russian invasion.

"Particularly against the background of the war in Ukraine, we have to remain vigilant and give the same priority to the Western Balkans as to Ukraine," Austrian ministers Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler said in a letter to the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell late last month.

"We cannot allow ourselves to create first and second-class candidates."

Western Balkans is a term used to refer to six countries in southern and eastern Europe: the Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Kosovo, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia.

The risk for the EU is that it is seen to be giving preferential treatment to Kyiv upsetting other parts of the continent and potentially pushing them closer to Russia.

"We want and need those countries firmly anchored in our camp, the one of the European model of life, we need to demonstrate to them that they are key partners and that we are serious about their European future," the Austrian ministers said in the letter.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC Tuesday.

Even after it publishes its opinion on Ukraine joining the bloc, it will likely be years before member states are given the opportunity to approve Kyiv's accession, to a large extent because Ukraine will have to implement several economic and political reforms to comply with European rules.

However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been vocal about Ukraine belonging in the EU. Last month, she advocated for financial aid for reconstruction as a way to also help Ukraine's accession to the bloc.

"It could set a system of milestones and targets to make sure that European money truly delivers for the people of Ukraine, and is spent in accordance with EU rules. It could help fight corruption, align the legal environment with European standards and radically upgrade Ukraine's productive capacity," she said in the European Parliament, adding that "eventually, it will pave the way for Ukraine's future inside the European Union."

But political experts think full membership for Ukraine is some way off.

"While Ukraine joining the EU anytime soon is unlikely, there is a clear shift in attitudes towards enlargement amongst EU leaders who have realized that keeping countries that want to become members on hold is very frustrating and opens the door to democratic backsliding and non-EU influence from Russia, from China," Anna Rosenberg, partner at advisory firm Signum Global, said via email.

"So, yes, EU leaders are now somewhat more open to enlargement than before the war, but it nevertheless remains very difficult problems with countries like Hungary are evidence for that. No EU leaders wants to allow a second Hungary into the bloc," she added.

Hungary, which joined the EU in 2004, has long been a thorn in the side of Europe's institutions.

This is most recently evident in the decision to impose an oil embargo on Russia. The European Commission made the proposal back in early May, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban led a coalition of a handful of countries in negotiating carve-outs. This dragged the process out for much longer than initially expected.

"The EU with 27 is often ungovernable and it is in my opinion hard to see new members being admitted to the club without Treaty revisions of the kind that [French President Emmanuel] Macron proposed, more qualified majority voting and more fiscal integration," Jacob Kirkegaard, from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said via email.

Currently and as demonstrated by the recent impasse over the Russian oil embargo key foreign policy decisions require unanimity.

This is already at times difficult, given that the EU is made up of 27 countries with often entirely different domestic priorities. And it could become even harder if the group is expanded.

Yet another complication is the fact that there is currently no clarity as to when Russia's war in Ukraine will end.

"A prerequisite for a meaningful accession process is not just that Ukraine wins the war in the sense that they need control over their own territory, but that an actual peace agreement is signed with Russia," Kirkegaard said, adding that "a frozen conflict situation will not give Ukraine EU membership."

"Question of course is how to achieve that, given that in a sense Moscow does have a veto over Ukraine's possible EU accession - no peace deal, no EU membership in the end."

Correction: A quote taken from a letter sent by Austrian ministers Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler has been updated to correct a spelling mistake.

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Ukraine wants to join the European Union. But it is not going to be easy - CNBC