The EU in brief The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 28 European countries that together cover much of the continent. The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries that trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the European Economic Community (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, a huge single market has been created and continues to develop towards its full potential. From economic to political union What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organization spanning policy areas, from climate, environment and health to external relations and security, justice and migration. Mobility, growth, stability and a single currency Human rights and equality
geopolitics | political science Geopolitics, analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations. The word geopolitics was originally coined by the Swedish political scientist Rudolf Kjellén about the turn of the 20th century, and its use spread throughout Europe in the period between World Wars I and II (1918–39) and came into worldwide use during the latter. In contemporary discourse, geopolitics has been widely employed as a loose synonym for international politics. Arguments about the political effects of geography—particularly climate, topography, arable land, and access to the sea—have appeared in Western political thought since at least the ancient Greek era and were prominent in the writings of philosophers as diverse as Aristotle (384–322 bc) and Montesquieu (1689–1745). Mahan’s historical analysis of the rise of the British Empire was the starting point for the geopolitical debate. Daniel H.
UNHCR:Facts and Figures on Refugees Number of forcibly displaced worldwide: 59.5 million Number of Refugees There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of UNHCR, around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). During the year, conflict and persecution forced an average of 42,500 persons per day to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere, either within the borders of their countries or in other countries. Developing countries host over 86% of the world’s refugees, compared to 70% ten years ago. In 2014, the country hosting the largest number of refugees was Turkey, with 1.59 million refugees. Last year, 51% of refugees were under 18 years old. An estimated 13.9 million people were newly displaced due to conflict or persecution, including 2.9 million new refugees. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Asylum-Seekers Find out about asylum in the UK. Stateless People
How the EU works: a video guide BBC Europe correspondent Matthew Price has been exploring the corridors of power in Brussels, and here he explains what each EU institution does. Come on a video tour with him. European Commission There are 28 EU commissioners - one from each member state - and each one focuses on a policy area, for example justice and home affairs, or the EU internal market. The Commission's job is to draft EU laws and act as "guardian of the treaties". New EU laws, or revisions to existing ones, come about usually after requests from governments, Euro MPs or lobby groups. The Commission has a staff of about 33,000. Council of Ministers Usually this institution is simply called "the Council". EU laws become part of national legislation after detailed negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament. Voting in the Council is weighted according to a country's size and economic power, so for example Germany has a bigger weight than Luxembourg. European Parliament There are 751 MEPs.
Environment International - Journal - Elsevier Environment International is a multi-disciplinary journal publishing high quality information in a wide range of environmental disciplines. From January 2019 Environment International will become an open access journal. Authors who publish in Environment International will be able make their work immediately... Read more From January 2019 Environment International will become an open access journal. Environment International continues with the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. Environment International authors will pay an article publishing charge (APC), have a choice of license options, and retain copyright to their published work. Please note: Authors who have submitted papers before October 12th will have their accepted paper published in Environment International at no charge. Hide full Aims & Scope
FreedomInfo European Parliament The European Parliament is the EU's law-making body. It is directly elected by EU voters every 5 years. The last elections were in May 2014. What does the Parliament do? The Parliament has 3 main roles: Legislative Passing EU laws, together with the Council of the EU, based on European Commission proposals Deciding on international agreements Deciding on enlargements Reviewing the Commission's work programme and asking it to propose legislation Supervisory Democratic scrutiny of all EU institutions Electing the Commission President and approving the Commission as a body. Budgetary Establishing the EU budget, together with the Council Approving the EU's long-term budget, the "Multiannual Financial Framework" More infographics Composition The number of MEPs for each country is roughly proportionate to its population, but this is by degressive proportionality: no country can have fewer than 6 or more than 96 MEPs and the total number cannot exceed 751 (750 plus the President).
About The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. "This cause … is the cause of all humanity" Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan The Court is participating in a global fight to end impunity, and through international criminal justice, the Court aims to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes and to help prevent these crimes from happening again. The Court cannot reach these goals alone. Towards stability and lasting peace Key features Trials are fair ICC judges conduct judicial proceedings and ensure the fairness of proceedings. The Prosecution is independent The Office of the Prosecutor is an independent organ of the Court. Outreach creates two-way dialogue The fight against impunity continues Facts and Figures Today the Court has: 2 working languages: English and French.
Global Parliament of Mayors