World

EU Commission wants to harmonise rules to crack down on corruption

Published

2 years ago

May 3, 2023

EU Commission wants to harmonise rules to crack down on corruption

The package deal would allow the EU to introduce entry bans and asset freezes for people and entities from third international locations if they’ve dedicated critical corruption offenses.

The European Fee on Wednesday unveiled a proposed sequence of recent measures to fight corruption within the EU, but additionally worldwide.

With the brand new directive, the EU desires to harmonise the definition of legal offenses similar to affect peddling and abuse of workplace throughout the 27 member states and have these slap legal sanctions on corruption circumstances.

“The package deal will elevate the bar when it comes to EU-wide definitions and penalties for corruption offences and assist authorities catch and punish criminals, whether or not they come from the general public or personal sector, wherever they happen,” European Fee Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová mentioned after unveiling the proposal.

“The variations between nationwide definitions of corruption and the related penalties are too nice. This additionally complicates cross-border investigations and creates loopholes that criminals exploit. “

One ingredient of the proposal is to fight corruption exterior Europe. The package deal would allow the EU to introduce entry bans and asset freezes for people and entities from third international locations if they’ve dedicated critical corruption offenses.

Since December the EU bubble in Brussels has been rocked by its greatest corruption scandal but with 5 folks — together with sitting MEPs and former assistants — accused of collaborating in a legal organisation, corruption and cash laundering. For anti-corruption NGO Transparency Worldwide, that is proof, the EU ought to first put its personal home so as earlier than concentrating on overseas corruption suspects.

“The European Union has critical issues with corruption, now we have seen that with Qatargate and plenty of different examples. And likewise sure member states have very critical issues,” Roland Papp, Senior Coverage Officer at Transparency Worldwide, informed Euronews.

“So, in fact it is essential that we won’t do something overseas when EU residents go unpunished at dwelling. So it is essential that the EU intensifies its work on this domestically.”

To deal with the issue, the Greens/EFA Group within the European Parliament are calling for a strengthened authorized framework and investigative instruments, larger cooperation between competent authorities and an elevated position for the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace (EPPO).

“If the Fee is critical concerning the struggle towards corruption, they need to additionally make far larger use of the rule of regulation mechanism and higher equip the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace. The Fee should cease dragging its toes and convey about an impartial EU Ethics Physique to make sure that the EU establishments get their very own homes so as,” German MEP Daniel Freund, who sits on the Civil Liberties Committee and Constitutional Affairs Committee, mentioned in a press release.

In response to the Fee, corruption prices the EU economic system round €120 billion yearly and undermines confidence in democracy.

The proposed Directive on combating corruption should be negotiated and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council earlier than it may possibly grow to be EU regulation.

Related Topics:Corruption European Commission Featured Sanctions

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World

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.

World

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

CHRISTMAS TREES IN GERMANY WERE DECORATED WITH APPLES INSTEAD OF ORNAMENTS IN THE 1600S FOR ‘ADAM AND EVE DAY’

A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS REVEAL THE SURPRISING DAY TO TRAVEL AHEAD OF THE CHRISTMAS RUSH

After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.