From 4 to 6 July 2016, the Board of EUROMIL visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg, facilitated by Ivo Belet, Member of the European Parliament. The members of the Board had the occasion to visit the premises of the European Parliament in Strasburg, and learn about its policy and decision …
It is hard these days to address an issue without, at least briefly, coming back on the outcome of the UK referendum on the European Union, better known as Brexit. Although we will withhold us from writing one more Brexit analysis, we would like to add some reflections to the …
On 1 July 2016 Slovakia will take over the EU Council Presidency from the Netherlands. As the Presidency rotates every 6 months, Slovakia will hand it over to Malta on 1 January 2017. The three countries have closely worked together to establish the 18 months working programme. Within this common …
Abstract – After the French-British summit of Saint-Malo created new military structures of the European Union in December 1998, there were not many updates of European defence structures. At the summit, Mr. Jacques Chirac and Mr. Tony Blair marked the beginning of a policy of security and defence within the …
Abstract – What means comprehensive approach? It means that crises and conflicts can be managed with a mixture of military, diplomacy and development assistances. However, the German Armed Forces Association would appreciate a more comprehensiveness as from the process of drafting strategies. While the White Paper of the German Armed …
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 …
