Politics
Council appoints new EU Special Representative for Central Asia and extends the mandate of the EUSR for the Gulf region
Today the Council appointed Mr Eduards Stiprais as new EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia. He will take up his duties on 1 March 2025 with an initial mandate of 2 years, succeeding Terhi Hakala.
The task of the new EUSR will be to promote relations between the EU and the countries of Central Asia on the basis of common values, contribute to strengthening the stability of and cooperation between the countries in the region, and to strengthening democracy, the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In close cooperation with the High Representative, he will also enhance the EU’s effectiveness and visibility, including through closer coordination with other relevant partners and international organisations, such as the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations.
Mr. Stiprais is a Latvian diplomat with extensive experience. He served as Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU, and as Deputy State Secretary – Political Director of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 2016 and 2020, he was Head of EU Delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan, and he also served as Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom, and to France.
Today the Council also extended the mandate of Mr. Luigi Di Maio as EUSR for the Gulf region for further 2 years.
In line with the Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf, he will continue to develop a stronger, comprehensive and strategic EU partnership with the countries in the Gulf region, contributing to the stability and security of the area by engaging and supporting dialogue and long-term regional solutions with individual Gulf partners and relevant regional organisations.
EU Special Representatives promote the EU’s policies and interests in certain regions and countries as well as issues of particular concern or interest for the EU. They play an active role in efforts to consolidate reforms, stability and the rule of law. The first EU Special Representatives were appointed in 1996. Currently, eleven EUSRs support the work of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
Author
We’re celebrating here: on 25 February, our very own Europa website is turning 30. What started as a website small enough to fit on a CD-Rom is now a web domain that includes 800 websites, attracting around 300 million visitors a year. Throughout the last 30 years, the Europa website has remained true to its original mission: to bring the European Union closer to citizens and communicate what the EU does for them.
The European Commission launched the Europa website in 1995, just in time for a G7 conference that took place at the time. During that event, Klaus Hänsch, then President of the European Parliament, said: “Access to information on information must be available to all” – something which still rings true today. In this era of disinformation, people, of course, want reliable information from sources they can trust, and that is what the Europa domain stands for.
The original Europa website was operated by the Commission and published in three languages. With email not yet widely available, the website team used to receive information via fax from different services and retype it manually before publishing on the website. The site’s come a long a way since then. Content has multiplied, other EU institutions have got on board, and technology has continued to advance. Europa now publishes information in 24 languages and certain other non-EU languages, like Ukrainian, Chinese and Arabic.
We have archives that include video footage and photos of Europa, some of which mark big moments in our history. They are stored on the EU’s Audiovisual Service, which along with us, is also celebrating an anniversary of its own. We send them our best wishes!
For more information
From the archives: see the first Europa website
From the archives: see former versions of Europa
From the archives: press release announcing Europa’s launch
Source link
Author
Source: EFSA. EFSA has released an update of its Xylella species host plant database, which tracks plant species affected by the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa. The latest update, covering research published between January and June 2024, includes data from 27 scientific publications and recent outbreak notifications.
Key findings:
- A new host plant was identified: the Cantabrian mountain oak (Quercus orocantabrica) was naturally infected in Portugal.
- For the first time, natural infections of the Pierce’s disease strain – a strain of Xylella fastidiosa that causes disease in vineyards in North America – have been found in grapes, almonds and other plants in Italy’s Apulia region.
- The total number of confirmed host species has increased to 452 species (from 70 different botanical families) when using the most stringent detection methods.
- No new sequence types (STs) of Xylella were identified worldwide.
Background
Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial pathogen that causes severe diseases in a wide range of plants, including olive trees, citrus fruits, grapevines and various ornamental plants. EFSA developed the Xylella spp. host plant database following a request from the European Commission to support risk assessment and management efforts to control Xylella fastidiosa. The database, which has been continuously updated since 2016, serves as an important resource for policy makers, researchers, and plant health authorities.
Read the full report
Author
Politics
Israel: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas after the EU-Israel Association Council
DISCLAIMER OPINIONS: The opinions of the authors or reproduced in the articles are the ones of those stating them and it is their own responsibility. Should you find any incorrections you can always contact the newsdesk to seek a correction or right of replay.
DISCLAIMER TRANSLATIONS: All articles in this site are published in English. The translated versions are done through an automated process known as neural translations. If in doubt, always refer to the original article. Thank you for understanding.
DISCLAIMER PHOTOS: We mostly used photos images that are readily available online, from free sources, or from the people promoting the news. If by any chance it happens that we have used one of your copyrighted photos, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will take it down without question. We do not make profits as this is a not for profit project to give voice to the voiceless while giving them a platform to be informed also of general news, and it is completely free.
Author
Happy 30th birthday, Europa website!
EFSA updates Xylella host plant database
Council appoints new EU Special Representative for Central Asia and extends the mandate of the EUSR for the Gulf region
-
Politics6 days agoFuture of agriculture – European Commission
-
Sports6 days agoIn Doha Matteo Berrettini after Novak Djokovic also beats Tallon Griekspoor
-
EU & the World6 days ago
Cassie Ventura’s Kids: How Many Children Does She Have?
-
Sports6 days agoMilan, Theo Hernandez makes mea culpa
-
EU & the World6 days agoNYC Congestion Pricing Updates: Trump’s Plan & More
-
EU & the World6 days agoBlackpink Concert Ticket Prices 2025: How Much Will Tour Tickets Cost?
-
Sports6 days agoGenoa, one striker sits out for at least two weeks
-
Sports3 days agoMilan falls in Turin: an own goal and a missed penalty sink the Rossoneri