Interview with Rudolf Schmelzer
Abstract – Deputy Chairman West, Rudolf Schmelzer, is a longtime member of the EUROMIL delegation of the DBwV. In the last weeks, he has arranged appointments with Members of the European Parliament. He exchanged views with inter alia Birgit Collin-Langen, Sabine Verheyen and Elmar Brok (all CDU) as well as …
Deployment-related Mental Health Support for the Belgian Military
Abstract – Mental health is just as important for serviceman and women as military readiness and physical fitness. The current mental health approach of the Belgian armed forces is suboptimal and needs to be improved. The in-theatre and the post-deployment care need profound adjustments. Among other things, the assistance for disorders …
A Step in the Right Direction for the Implementation of the Working Time Directive
On 21 February 2018 the Court of Justice of the European Union published a judgment (C-518/15) on the stand-by time of a worker who is obliged to respond to calls from the employer within a short time. The Court decided that this stand-by time must be regarded as working time. …
Diversity and Inclusion in Security
On 18 February 2018, the President of EUROMIL opened the “Diversity and Inclusion in Security” event which was organised by the association Deutscher.Soldat and partly sponsored by the DBwV, in the margins of the Munich Security Conference in Munich. President Jacob explained that EUROMIL continuously advocates human rights including equal …
New Agreement for Danish Defence
The Danish government has reached an agreement regarding the Danish Defence for the period 2018-2023. EUROMIL’s Danish members CS and HKKF commented on the deal: CS President: The new Defence Agreement is a positive read, however…. The long awaited Defence Agreement is (finally) published, and according to President of CS Jesper …
Situation of Spanish Military Woman Regarding Sexual and Workplace Harassment
Abstract – Woman joined the Spanish armed forces for the very first time at the beginning of the nineties, almost 30 years ago. Since then we have noticed how the military environment has changed, and how the laws have been developed together with our democracy. However, regarding the woman in …
Trade Union Rights Recognized for Military Personnel by the European Committee of Social Rights
The European Social Charter should be interpreted as recognizing trade unions for military personnel. This is an important step towards the full recognition of the right to freedom of association for members of the armed forces. In September 2017, the European Committee on Social Rights (ECSR) decided on the complaint …
Associations and Trade Unions of Gendarmerie Personnel in Europe Join Efforts
Following-up on their meeting on 13 July 2017, several associations and trade unions of gendarmerie personnel from three European countries met on 25 January 2018 in Amsterdam. On the invitation of the Dutch MARVER (Marechaussee Military Union), representatives of the Spanish AUGC (Asociación Unificada de Guardias Civiles), the Portuguese APG …
Shrinking Space for Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders: A Problem Within the EU
On 18 January 2018, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a report on “Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU”. The shrinking space for civil society and human rights defenders in Europe endangers democracy in the European Union. As emphasised at regional …
Social Dialogue in the Armed Forces of Montenegro
EUROMIL was informed on several occasions in the past year by its Montenegrin member association SOVCG about different problems regarding social dialogue and a worsened relationship between the Minister of Defence and SOVCG. On 17 January 2018, EUROMIL’s President Emmanuel Jacob met with the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Defence, …