COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION news..

20/9/2016

Remarks by President Donald Tusk at the leaders’ summit on the global refugee crisis


First of all, allow me also to join others in expressing appreciation for President's Obama initiative to call this meeting.

In Europe, we are in no doubt, that today, one of the most urgent actions the international community must undertake, is the strengthening of the common response to the refugee crisis.

In comparison to other states who are present here today, the European Union stood out in 2015 as unable to effectively protect its external borders. This time of uncontrolled migration is coming to an end, and it won't repeat itself. The final goal we are aiming at, is that the refugees will get asylum in EU member states through resettlement, and not by embarking on a risky often tragic journey organised by smugglers.

Our determination to protect the EU's external border does not change the fact that Europe will remain the most open continent in the world. And the EU countries together with the United States will continue to make up the backbone of world humanitarian efforts.

Let me highlight the most significant actions the European Union is currently undertaking. Our humanitarian assistance to refugees worldwide has increased, from 1.35 billion euros in 2015 to 1.7 billion euros in 2016. And here I am only talking about the EU budget and not the national budgets of our 28 member states. Part of this funding is helping children to go to school in emergency settings. We provide significant financial and technical support to those countries who host most of the Syrian refugees, notably Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Our Compacts with those countries will help both refugees and people living in host communities to access education and to find a job. With regard to the Syrian crisis specifically, the EU has provided over 6.2 billion euros, which includes 3 billion euros pledged from the Union's budget at the "Supporting Syria" conference in London last February.

And finally, we are determined to strengthen the economic resilience of the countries affected by the refugee crisis, and the European Investment Bank will play its role in this respect.

Let me invite all international partners and stakeholders to step up their contributions. Only working hand in hand can we succeed in handling the crisis. Thank you.

20/9/2016 Declaration by the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on behalf of the European Union concerning South Sudan July's events in South Sudan continue to loom large. During the fighting in July, hundreds lost their lives and atrocious acts of sexual violence were committed. Those responsible must be brought to justice. The EU calls for investigations to be opened into all crimes committed during the most recent fighting with a view to the prosecution of those responsible. In this context, the EU reiterates its call for the rapid establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. The EU welcomes UN Security Council Resolution 2304 (2016) which extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 15 December 2016 and authorised the deployment of a regional protection force, as part of UNMISS, with the responsibility of providing a secure environment. Swift deployment of this force is an important step to help ensure peace and stability in South Sudan.  The EU welcomes the spirit of co-operation demonstrated by the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan in the joint communiqué issued after the visit of the UN Security Council to Juba on 2-4 September. The commitments made in the joint communiqué, including to work with UNMISS and with the regional protection force, must be fully implemented by the Transitional Government. The EU commends the continuous engagement on this issue by the African Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the responsible stance of neighbouring countries during recent events. The EU reiterates its call on all South Sudanese parties to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in good faith. The EU remains ready to impose sanctions against any individual responsible for undermining the peace process in South Sudan, and - noting that the EU has long maintained an arms embargo on South Sudan - supports the UN Security Council's willingness to consider additional measures, including an arms embargo, should obstruction of UNMISS continue. The EU recalls that humanitarian action is independent and neutral, and is provided solely on the basis of the immense needs of the most vulnerable South Sudanese. The EU urges the Transitional Government of National Unity to adhere to its obligations under International Humanitarian Law to facilitate rapid and unimpeded relief to all South Sudanese affected by the conflict, regardless of ethnic, tribal or political affiliations and to ensure full respect for all organisations providing humanitarian relief and their staff. Fight against terrorism: EU strengthens its legal arsenal against ISIL/Da'esh and Al-Qaida 20/09/2016  On 20 September 2016, the Council adopted a legal framework which, for the first time, will allow the EU to apply sanctions autonomously to ISIL/Da'esh and Al-Qaida and persons and entities associated or supporting them. Until now sanctions could only be applied to persons and entities listed by the United Nations or by EU member states acting individually. The EU will be able to impose a travel ban on individuals and an asset freeze on individuals and entities that are identified as being associated with ISIL (Da'esh)/ Al-Qaida. This means that all their assets in the EU will be frozen and that EU persons and entities will also be prohibited from making any funds available to listed persons or entities. The individuals and entities targeted include those who have participated in the planning or perpetrating of terrorist attacks or have provided ISIL (Da'esh)/ Al-Qaida with financing, oil or arms, or have received terrorist training from them. Persons or entities could also be listed for activities such as recruiting; inciting or publicly provoking acts and activities in support of these organisations, or being involved in serious abuses of human rights outside the EU, including abduction, rape, sexual violence, forced marriage and enslavement of persons. The EU will also be able to impose restrictive measures on individuals travelling or seeking to travel both outside the EU, and into the EU, with the aim of supporting, ISIL (Da'esh)/Al-Qaida or receiving training from them. Such measures will target particularly the so-called "foreign fighters". As a result the EU will be able to list any person who meets the criteria - including EU nationals who have supported these organisations outside the EU and who then return. Thetravel ban will prevent listed persons from entering any EU member state. In the case of a listed EU national, the travel ban will prevent the listed person from travelling to any EU member state other than the member state of which that person is a national.  Upon agreement on listing proposals from member states, persons and entities will be listed through a Council decision and a Council regulation adopted unanimously. Response to foreign terrorist fighters and recent terrorist attacks in Europe Why and when are EU restrictive measures - 'sanctions' - used? Adoption procedure of EU restrictive measures - 'sanctions' Council decision concerning restrictive measures against ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaeda and persons, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them and repealing Common Position 2002/402/CFSP Council regulutaion imposing additional restrictive measures directed against ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaeda and natural and legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them 21/9/2016  Address by President Donald Tusk at the 71st United Nations General Assembly Last year I stood here to assure you that isolationism will never be Europe's policy. And I haven't changed my mind even though the last twelve months have been difficult, not least for the European Union. Europe will always stand for a free and open world governed by the rule of law, where nations can trade and grow together, instead of living in conflict, mistrust and intrigue. We treat the values upon which the European Union is founded in all seriousness. And we have the determination to seek those values on the international arena. If we fail, the world will descend into greater disorder, whose first victims are always the weakest and the poorest. This body is in the process of choosing new leadership. This gives us an opportunity to reflect frankly on the kind of international system we have today, and the one we want for the future. As a historian, I know why the League of Nations failed in its mission to protect peace and international security. It was paralysed by inertia, fatalism and, finally, by cowardice. As a politician, I can see similar phenomena everywhere today. This is due to the rise of fear. Fear of war, fear of terrorism and the fear of strangers. Globalisation makes fear more contagious and more potent. It dangerously links together the anxieties of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. Take one example that can stand for others: the radical Islam of Da'esh that spreads terror from Jakarta to Nice; from Tunis to Brussels, from Sirte to Orlando. When fear takes over, nations increasingly turn away from each other. What we need to do here and now is to regain a sense of security, which is a fundamental need for every human being, as important as the need for freedom. No challenge shows this so clearly as the issue of refugee protection and the mass displacement of persons across borders. In the last months, Europe has been confronted by the refugee crisis to a particularly large degree. Nevertheless, in all our actions aimed at solving the problem of refugees, the European Union is driven by empathy and the readiness to offer help to those in need, even if the world turns its back and pretends not to see. And still today, when we restore order on our external borders and take back control from the smugglers, the readiness to assist refugees in their plight remains our top priority. This is why we have spent billions of euros to fund humanitarian assistance and are willing to spend much more in the months and years to come. It is our hope and expectation that global solidarity will now kick in to provide health, education and jobs for millions of people currently displaced, and to scale up resettlement. In light of this, we support the work that has now begun under the New York Declaration to find a sustainable and fair rulebook for global migration. This declaration gives us hope that the principles which have been at the heart of our response, will also form the foundation of the global response to the refugee crisis. Europe is, and will be active everywhere where war is imminent or is already raging. And our main goal will always be peace. This is as true for civil wars in the Middle East or Africa as it is for nuclear testing and territorial disputes in Asia. It is true also on our own borders, where Ukraine has been attacked by Russia. Further afield, what we are now concerned with are conflicts in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, where the very statehood of these countries is in danger. We fully support and stand ready to engage in the work of the United Nations, to bring parties to the negotiating table in Syria and in Libya. And in a few weeks, together with the Afghan government, the European Union will host an international conference in Brussels. This is a unique opportunity for the rest of the world to show that it cares about supporting a stable Afghanistan and the stability of the region as a whole. This year we have also witnessed a rising wave of terror worldwide, also against the people of Europe, carried out by many terrorist organisations, in particular by Daesh. Building a global strategy and network against terrorism is key, including in preventing radicalisation and confronting the issues of foreign fighters and terrorist financing. Europe is working with partners from Asia to the Gulf and the Sahel on building up global capacities against violent extremism. We are upgrading our borders to ensure that terrorists cannot pass, or re-enter, and are working with communities to prevent young people from becoming infected with hatred. This threat will touch all of us sooner or later, which is why we should make better use of the United Nations to fight it together. The European Union is the world's largest donor of development and humanitarian aid, and that will not change. The Sustainable Development Goals can drive reform of the international system by offering an opportunity to address many problems in one process: namely insecurity, poverty, under-development, climate change and uncontrolled migration. And, ultimately, we seek a system that ensures that everybody gets his or her fair share of the benefits of globalisation. Lastly, I would like to say a word about the fight against climate change, to which the EU is fully committed. Europe has had a comprehensive climate change policy in place for years. Right now we are developing the laws which will allow us to reach our ambitious target for 2030, and our ratification of the Paris agreement will be completed soon. The fact that the two biggest global emitters have ratified the agreement early, is a positive sign. It shows that the readiness to take responsibility for our common future is not limited only to Europe. I am hopeful that this trend becomes contagious. Let me say one more thing at the end: I feel that ordinary people sense a great change is coming. We should listen. We should understand. We should anticipate, not only react. Our job is to bring back a sense of direction, to bring back confidence, to bring back a sense of order. Globalisation needs credible rules to make it stable and fair, whether we talk about trade, migration or security. Thank you. National productivity boards backed by Council 20/09/2016  On 20 September 2016, the Council issued a recommendation calling on the eurozone member states to establish national productivity boards.  The boards will analyse developments and policies that can affect productivity and competitiveness. They will provide independent analyses and reinforce policy dialogue at the national level. This will help reforms aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth and convergence. Potential economic growth in the euro area and the EU as a whole has slowed considerably since the turn of the century. This trend is due in particular to a decline in total factor productivity. Since 2008, growth has been further weakened by a drop in investment.  Looking forward, economic growth will depend on increasing productivity. This requires well-balanced policies aimed at supporting innovation, increasing skills, reducing rigidities inlabour and product markets and allowing a better allocation of resources.  Research and analysis carried out by the productivity boards will encourage developments that should help the smooth functioning of the EU's economic and monetary union.  Five presidents' report The recommendation is part of the Commission's October 2015 package of measures giving substance to the so-called five presidents' report on the further development of the EU'seconomic and monetary union (EMU).  It was endorsed by the European Council on 28 June 2016.  The five presidents' report was prepared by the president of the Commission, in close cooperation with the presidents of the European Council, the Eurogroup, the European Central Bank and the European Parliament. It was submitted to the European Council in June 2015. Tasks The draft recommendation calls on each member state to set up a national board responsible for:  diagnosis and analysis of productivity and competitiveness developments;  independent analysis of policy challenges in this field.  Addressed to the eurozone countries, the recommendation encourages other member states to set up similar bodies. It calls for productivity boards to engage in dialogue and the exchange of best practices, and where appropriate produce joint analyses.  Communication and information The recommendation foresees that the boards will operate separately from public authorities as concerns public communication, procedures for nominating board members and access to information. As a rule, their analyses should be made public.  The independent expertise provided by the boards, including through the presentation of annual reports, will be used by the member states and the Commission in the context of the "European Semester" annual policy monitoring process.  The recommendation was adopted at a meeting of the General Affairs Council, without discussion. September 2016 Council recommendation on the establishment of national productivity boards September 2016 Commission statement on the establishment of national productivity boards 16/9/2016 Remarks by President Donald Tusk after the Bratislava summit First of all let me thank Prime Minister Fico for inviting us to Bratislava. My words of gratitude also go to the Slovak people for their hospitality and patience. I know that it is not always easy, especially with all the security measures in place, but you did a great job.  Bratislava is the first summit during which we discussed the common EU future of 27 States, without the UK. It was a sad moment for Europe when the British people decided to leave, and so it required an honest diagnosis. Today we had a frank discussion about the root causes of the current political situation in Europe. The fact that millions of Europeans feel insecure is real. People are concerned about, what they see, as lack of control, and express fears over migration, terrorism and last but not least, about their economic and social future.

ΕUFIC:"Television chefs could do more to teach viewers about safe food handling"

Researchers from Kansas State University (USA) and Tennessee State University (USA) have found that the majority of television cooking shows featuring celebrity chefs around the world demonstrate unsafe food handling practices that can lead to cross-contamination and food poisoning. Television cooking shows with professional chefs are followed by a large audience and are perceived as entertainment sources but could potentially also be used as a powerful mass-media educational tool for teaching large numbers of viewers about safe food handling at home.

Most of the 100 cooking show episodes reviewed in the study focused on one dish at a time but some chefs prepared several dishes simultaneously – increasing the chance of cross-contamination. Handwashing is a basic principle of food hygiene, but none of the chefs were shown washing their hands before cooking. One chef verbally mentioned handwashing before beginning food preparation and half of the observed chefs mentioned handwashing after handling meat. 21 chefs out of 24 handled uncooked meat without washing their hands. Other mistakes by chefs included adding food (79%) and sampling food (38%) with their hands during or after cooking - including when food would not be cooked further. Only one third of the chefs demonstrated safe chopping board or surfaces use – others failed to wash chopping board surfaces after cutting uncooked meat or prepared uncooked meat and ready-to-eat foods on the same chopping board. Most of the chefs (96%) used the colour of the meat to visually determine if it was cooked while only six chefs (25%) used a thermometer as recommended by food safety agencies. In addition, 88% of chefs gave recommended cooking times and 58% commented on which texture would indicate the meat was cooked.

Any of these improper behaviours demonstrated on television could lead to cross-contamination and food poisoning. The study recommend that TV cooking shows include basic communication and demonstration of safe food handling practices in order to promote good food safety habits at home.

The study reviewed 100 episodes of cooking TV shows hosted by 24 different chefs among 30 unique series of cooking TV shows (e.g. Jamie at Home, Nigellissima, Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking) available through a variety of online sources such as Netflix or Amazon. All episodes included the preparation of at least one meat dish (e.g. beef, seafood, chicken, pork). A questionnaire based on a list of food safety behaviours, both positive and negative, was developed to support the observations while reviewing the programmes.

Previous research similarly revealed that European TV cooking shows frequently demonstrate unsafe handling of food or lack of measures to prevent food poisoning. A study from 2014 proposed that cooking shows should stick to recognized food safety standards (e.g. the five keys to safer food developed by the World Health Organization) using the opportunity to introduce simple but important food safety messages to mass audiences. [2]

Food safety is a significant public health issue. Every year, more than 23 million fall ill from food poisoning in Europe, resulting in about 5000 deaths.[3] Mishandling of food or poor safety practices at home are common causes of food poisoning.

References
1. Maughan C, Chambers E & Godwin S. Food Safety Behaviors Observed in Celebrity Chefs across a Variety of Programs. Journal of Public Health. Published online April 2016 DOI:10.1093/pubmed/fdw026.
2. D. Borda MR, Thomas S, Langsrud K, et al. (2014) Food safety practices in European TV cooking shows. Br. Food J. 116(10):1652-1666.
3. World Health Organization. WHO estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases. 2015.

ΡΕΘΕΜΝΟΣ:Διανομή λαδιού απο τον Δήμο..

Η Κοινωνική Υπηρεσία του Δήμου Ρεθύμνης ενημερώνει τους συμπολίτες δικαιούχους του προγράμματος επισιτιστικής και βασικής υλικής συνδρομής (ΤΕΒΑ) του Δήμου Ρεθύμνης, της Ι. Μ. Ρεθύμνης και Αυλοποτάμου και των Πολυτέκνων, ότι θα πραγματοποιηθεί διανομή ελαιόλαδου (2 τεμάχια - λίτρα ανά ωφελούμενη οικογένεια), την Παρασκευή 23/9/2016 από τις 10:00 έως 14:00 στο χώρο του κτιρίου της Κοινωνικής Μέριμνας (οδός Μαρκέλλου - περιοχή Μασταμπά). Για πληροφορίες οι ενδιαφερόμενοι μπορούν να απευθύνονται στο τηλ:2831341260