Abstract – The German Bundestag adopted on 10 June 2016 an amendment to the Military Personnel Representation Act, in German the so-called Soldatenbeteiligungsgesetz. The approval of the parliamentary groups was surprisingly high. The coalition of the governing parties CDU/CSU (conservatives) and SPD (social democrats) is working towards the modernisation of …
On 21 June 2016, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted the Resolution “Women in the armed forces: promoting gender equality, putting an end to gender-based violence”. The Resolution was drafted by the French Senator Maryvonne Blondin, who also exchanged views with EUROMIL during her fact-finding …
Abstract – Military personnel and the Italian armed forces in general are overwhelmed by a tragedy caused by undue exposure to deadly asbestos fibres. The crisis is estimated to peak between 2020 and 2025. Nevertheless, the issue of compensation for the damage suffered is unsolved yet. The reasons for that …
On 7 June 2016 in Riga, EUROMIL together with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) hosted an event on international standards and good practices concerning the human rights of armed forces personnel, including what conditions enable military associations to be effective in safeguarding the rights of …
The European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), the EU agency dealing with the analysis of foreign, security and defence policy issues, has recently published an interesting research paper entitled “Envisioning European defence: five futures”. The paper, to which contributed several authors, assumes that European policy-makers have the power to …
On 2 and 3 June 2016, the German Chairmanship of the OSCE organised a conference on the “Code of Conduct: Parliamentary Control and Oversight of the Security Sector” in Berlin. The conference brought together over 100 representatives of more than 30 states and institutions. Parliamentarians, OSCE officials and ombuds-institutions were …
On 27 May 2016, the European Movement International (EMI) held its Federal Assembly in The Hague. The meeting brought together over 60 delegates from national councils as well as international member associations, amongst which EUROMIL, to discuss joint policy positions and vote on administrative procedures. During the morning session, the …
The 2016 spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) took place in Tirana, Albania, from 27 to 30 May 2016. The NATO PA brought together more than 300 parliamentarians from the 28 NATO member countries as well as delegates from partner countries and observers to discuss reports, recommendations …
From 23 to 25 May 2016 the International Society for Military Ethics in Europe (Euro-ISME) organised its 6th Annual Conference in the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. The event, entitled “Ethics in Counter-Terrorism”, was organised in cooperation with the Norwegian Military Staff College and the Norwegian Military Chaplaincy. In previous decades, …
On 4, 5 and 6 May EUROMIL’s Lithuanian member association “Soldier Rights Defence Center” (KTGC) organised three picket lines in front of the government building, the Ministry of Defence and the office of the President. At each occasion a delegation of KTGC, headed by Laimonas Jakas, was received by several …
Two issues dominated the international political agenda during the last months: The migration flow and its influence on the Schengen zone as well as the terrorist threats we are facing all over Europe these days. No ideal and hundred percent effective solutions! Looking back to the recent European Council decisions …
Abstract – Three Committees of the German Parliament held consultation with six renowned legal experts on the parliamentary approval, which is needed to deploy the German armed forces in armed missions abroad. Currently, a reform of the parliamentary approval is being discussed in Parliament and the consultations provided the parliamentarians …
