World
Period poverty still a problem within the EU despite tax breaks
In some countries, costs remain high for women despite tax breaks with many not being able to buy their product of choice.
Approximately half of the EU menstruates or will do it at some point of their lives. But that does not mean access to menstrual products is guaranteed.
There is no official EU data on how many women suffer menstrual poverty, but Belgian NGO Bruzelle believes that in Belgium one in fifteen people cannot buy their choice of product.
“At some point, you have to choose between a basic necessity and buying menstrual products. So at some point, you have to choose between eating or buying a menstrual product,” explains Verónica Martínez of Bruzelle.
“When you get to that point, you’re really in a situation of menstrual insecurity. And add two other factors that make the situation even worse, which are the lack of menstrual information and the lack of safe, well-adapted places to change in complete safety,” she adds.
Since 2022, the EU allows member states to sell menstrual products without VAT. For now, Ireland is the only one taking advantage of this.
Most states have reduced taxes between 5 to 10%. But in others taxes remain high, such as Hungary (27%) or Sweden and Denmark, both at 25%.
One of the options to alleviate the cost of menstrual products is using reusable ones.
Free menstrual cups in Catalonia
Catalonia recently started giving out a menstrual cup, a pad or a pair of period underwear to fight menstrual poverty.
“Menstruation still has lots of taboos and stigma in society. This is why this is a universal action. We need to change the way society has been dealing with menstruation as a private issue, as something that it’s not spoken about, because this means these stigmas have also implications on women’s health and well-being,” explains the Minister of Equality and Feminism of the Government of Catalonia, Tània verge.
According to the Catalan government, 23% of women in the region are reusing single use products and 44% can’t afford their first choice.
Luxembourg remains Europe’s top investor in space in a year when defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets for the first time since the 1990s.
Global public investment in space hit a record high of €106 billion in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022.
In Europe, the total funding was €11.9 billion, showing a modest 1% rise in its share of global space investment.
According to the European Space Agency, defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets last year for the first time since the 1990s. Defence expenditures in space are projected to grow faster than civil spending, making up 53% of the budget in 2024.
The US continues to dominate global space investment, accounting for 64% of the total budget, while China holds a strong second place, growing its share from an estimated 2% in 2000 to 12% in 2023 through long-term programmes in both civil and defence.
Europe ranks third, contributing 11% of the global space budget in 2023.
What share of their GDP do EU countries spend on public space budgets?
Luxembourg remains Europe’s leading investor in space, dedicating 0.135% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the sector.
Globally, the country ranks third behind the US (0.262%) and Russia (0.169%).
In Europe, Luxembourg is followed by France, which invests 0.167% of its GDP, Italy at 0.103%, and Belgium at 0.095%.
On the other hand, private investment in space has continued to decline in 2023, dropping by 32% compared to 2022.
Europe also saw a 14% decrease in 2023 compared to the year before, with private space ventures receiving just below €980 million.
Although the US accounts for most of the global decline in 2023, its space sector continues to attract the largest share of investments at 60%, followed by Europe with 16% and China with 9%.
What was the state of space activity in 2023?
There were 221 orbital launches in 2023, an 18% increase compared to 2022.
Yet, a total of 212 launches were successful.
The US carried out more than half of the launches, with 96 of them conducted by SpaceX.
China accounted for 30% with 67 launches, a 5% increase from 2022, and Russia completed 19 launches.
ADVERTISEMENTThe European launch service provider conducted three launches in 2023, including Europe’s first mission to Jupiter, which aimed to explore whether the planet’s three moons — Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede — could support life in their oceans.
Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz
A Russian-born U.S. citizen who was already behind bars in Russia on a bribery conviction has been handed a second sentence for espionage.
Eugene Spector was sentenced to a new 15-year term for his espionage conviction, according to Russian news agencies. Spector was born and raised in Leningrad, Russia, but later moved to the U.S. and became a citizen.
A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Spector in August of last year, although details surrounding the case were not made publicly available.
RUSSIA ARRESTS US CITIZEN ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES: REPORT
Eugene Spector, a Russian-born U.S. citizen already imprisoned in Russia on a bribery conviction, has been handed a second 15-year jail term for espionage. (AP)
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports of a U.S. citizen in Russia being sentenced and that it was monitoring the situation.
Spector, a former executive at a medical equipment company in Russia, was sentenced in September 2022 to three and a half years in prison for enabling bribes to an aide of former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
WALL STREET JOURNAL’S EVAN GERSHKOVICH REVEALS SHADOWY KREMLIN FIGURE BEHIND IMPRISONMENT IN RUSSIA
A Moscow court brought espionage charges against Spector in August of last year. (iStock)
The aide, Anastasia Alekseyeva, was sentenced to 12 years in April for accepting bribes of two expensive overseas vacation trips.
Dvorkovich was a deputy prime minister under former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2012 to 2018. Dvorkovich is currently head of the international chess federation FIDE.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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