The Nation Newspaper

Tag: EU

  • EU, UK, US, 19 others demand free, fair process

    The West has demanded a credible election next year.

    United States, United Kingdom, the European Union and 19 others yesterday urged  free, fair and inclusive process.

    They advised the Federal Government and the legislators to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work on the improvement of the electoral process at least six months before the elections.

    They urged all political parties to maintain Nigerian and international norms and support a credible process.

    The position of the EU and 21 others were contained in a joint statement in Abuja to celebrate with the nation on its Democracy Day.

    They expressed concern over recent reports of violence, intimidation and corruption, both within parties and between parties, pleading with political actors to uphold the democratic ideal.

    The signatories to the statement are the European Union, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

    The statement said: “We join Nigerians today in celebrating the day on which democracy and civilian rule were restored.

    “In Nigeria, as in so many of our countries, the right for all citizens to enjoy equal participation in the democratic process was achieved after considerable struggle and suffering.  We remember and celebrate all those who sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today.

    “The struggle to achieve democracy gives it a special value and places responsibility on all of us to support the democratic process.

    “We congratulate Nigeria on its progress since 1999, including the first peaceful transition of power from a ruling party to an opposition party in 2015.

    “As we celebrate your progress, we encourage and support Nigeria and its people to consolidate and deepen democracy as the country heads towards important elections next year.

    “Who will win the general elections in 2019 is a decision for the Nigerian people. Our concern as partners of Nigeria is to see a process that is free, fair and inclusive.

    “We are particularly keen to see greater participation in politics from under-represented groups, including women, young people and people with disabilities.

    “We offer our strong support to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and welcome the technical improvements they have introduced to the electoral process.

    “We encourage the government and legislators to work with INEC to achieve further improvements at least six months before the elections, in line with the established ECOWAS protocol.

    “Democracy is not only about the voting process. It also requires a strong and ongoing commitment from political actors to uphold the democratic ideal.

    “We have noted with concern recent reports of violence, intimidation and corruption, both within parties and between parties.  We take advantage of this national celebration of democracy to urge all political parties to maintain Nigerian and international norms and support a credible process. “It is the fundamental right of the Nigerian people to freely express their will now and in the forthcoming elections.

  • Nigeria, EU trade volume hits €25.3bn

    The Head of European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, said on Wednesday that trade volume between Nigeria and EU reached €25.3 billion in 2017.

    He stated this in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists on the forthcoming Europe Day slated for May 9

    The envoy said the figure was an increase of 27 per cent over that of 2016, which was €19.9 billion.

    He said about 50 per cent of the 2017 trade value was in favour of Nigeria.

    “About €25.3 billion was traded in 2017. There is clear significant surplus in the benefit of Nigeria. Of the trade volume, around 50 per cent more is actually benefitting Nigeria,” he said.

    Karlsen said the EU remains the most significant trading partner for Nigeria, stressing that trade and investment was an integral part of Europe partnership with Nigeria.

    NAN

     

  • Nigeria, EU, UNODC renew commitments against terrorism

    • Unfold new project

    The European Union has unfolded a three-year funding plans for the ongoing fight against terrorism. This was the highpoint of a final Project Steering Committee meeting involving Nigerian, EU, and UNODC officials to reflect on the achievements made under the second phase of the EU-Nigeria-UNODC partnership to counter terrorism in Nigeria.

    The two-year project funded by the European Union came to a close at the end of March. While it lasted, the project focused on further strengthening the capacity of Nigerian criminal justice officials to effectively investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate terrorism cases, in accordance with the rule of law and human rights.  It built on the groundwork laid under the previous EU-Nigeria-UNODC project.

    Mr. Kurt Cornelis from the European Union noted that “The European Union is particularly pleased to have been able to support the Government of Nigeria to address the significant terrorist threat facing the Northeast by working with Nigeria to develop an Action Plan on the Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism in Northeast Nigeria which will support implementation of the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.  The EU looks forward to partnering with Nigeria on its implementation during the next phase of the project.”

    Ms. Catherine Udida, from the Office of the National Security Adviser, stated “Over the last two years, Nigeria has made important progress in its fight against terrorism.  We continue to be grateful for the partnership with the EU and UNODC in addressing this challenge and in particular for the support provided to the Nigerian Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.”

    Ms. Elisabeth Bayer from the UNODC Office in Nigeria thanked the European Union and Nigeria for their on-going close collaboration, noting that “This project has been tailored to the needs identified by the government.  As a result, it has built a significant cadre of trained Nigerian counter-terrorism practitioners who are armed with the skills and knowledge needed to respond to the terrorism-related criminal justice challenges that Nigeria is currently facing.”

     

  • Russia to retaliate as U.S., EU, Canada others expel envoys

    Moscow will retaliate against a series of expulsions of Russian diplomats from European countries and response with regard to each case, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Monday.

    “There will be a mirror-like response. We will work it out in the coming days and give our response with regard to each country,” the source said.

    The European Council President Donald Tusk announced that 14 EU member states decided to expel Russian diplomats over the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK.

    The U. S. also expelled 60 Russian diplomats in a coordinated response to the poisoning of former double agent.

    The U.S. also ordered the closure of Moscow’s consulate in Seattle.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has adamantly denied any Russian state involvement in the incident.

    The former spy, Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, are in hospital in critical condition after being found unconscious on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury.

    The elder Skripal was convicted of selling Russian state secrets to Britain in 2006 and was traded to Britain in a high-profile spy swap four years later.

    British authorities have said the Skripals were attacked with a Russian-developed nerve toxin identified as Novichok

    Canada is expelling four Russian diplomats over the poisoning of an ex-spy in Salisbury, U.K., prompting harsh condemnation and the threat of retaliation from Russia.

    Canada’s action will cover seven Russian personnel in all, including four members of Russia’s diplomatic staff posted at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ottawa or the consulate in Montreal.

    “The four have been identified as intelligence officers or individuals who have used their diplomatic status to undermine Canada’s security or interfere in our democracy,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.

    As well, three applications by the Russian government for additional diplomatic staff in Canada will now be denied.

    Freeland called the March 4 nerve agent attack on a close ally and partner of Canada “a despicable, heinous and reckless act” that potentially endangered the lives of hundreds.

    The steps have been taken pursuant to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, she said.

    The UK announced it was expelling 23 Russian diplomats earlier this month.

    Various countries announced they were making the same move in solidarity on Monday. These are:

    EU countries: France (4); Germany (4); Poland (4); Czech Republic (3); Lithuania (3); Denmark (2); Netherlands (2); Italy (2); Spain (2); Estonia (1); Croatia (1); Finland (1); Hungary (1); Latvia (1); Romania (1); Sweden (1)

    Ukraine: 13

    Albania: 2

    Norway: 1

    Macedonia: 1

    Iceland has also announced it is suspending high-level dialogue with Russian authorities, and its leaders will not attend the World Cup, which starts in Russia in June

  • EU applauds Buhari over school girls’ release

    The European Union (EU) yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for securing the release of abducted Dapchi schoolgirls.

    The EU in a statement by its spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ray, expressed relief over the release.

    The union therefore called for the liberation of other girls in the custody of Boko Haram.

    “With great relief that we learnt about the release of the majority of the abducted Dapchi girls in Nigeria.

    “They can now return to their families and have the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Yet we cannot forget that not all were so fortunate.

    “We express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the girls that lost their lives.

    “‘We renew our solidarity with all the girls still held captive and call for their liberation,” it stated.

    The EU called on the Federal Government to ensure that urgent measures are taken to avoid repeated abductions and violence.

    “All young people have a right to safe education and the EU will work with Nigeria in supporting efforts to secure this objective,” it stated.

  • Facebook under pressure as U.S., EU call for probes into data practices

    British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, following reports that the company may have improperly gained access to data on 50 million Facebook users.

    The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump’s election campaign, gained access to the data.

    In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook’s actions.

    Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.

    “Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytica’s London office this evening,” the company said in a statement late Monday.

    “At the request of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down.”

    Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 per cent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company’s advertising business.

    “The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty,” said Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley’s use of data.

    Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company’s policies on misinformation.

    He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections.

    His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment.

    In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: “Despite the rumors, I’m still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It’s true that my role did change.”

    The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook’s reputation, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.

    London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.

    However, further allegations about the firm’s tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.

    Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report “is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business.”

    Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London’s Observer over the weekend.

    Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties.

    Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers.

    Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled.

    Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies.

    The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry’s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking.

    The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law.

    Reuters/NAN

  • EU chief urges Trump to ‘make trade, not war’

    EU Council President Donald Tusk has urged the U.S. to resume trade talks amid a looming trade conflict between the two trading blocs.

    “Make trade, not war, Mr President,” Tusk said on Wednesday, addressing U.S. President Donald Trump following talks in the Finnish capital of Helsinki with Prime Minister, Juha Sipila.

    On March 8, Trump declared global tariffs of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminium with exemptions for Canada and Mexico and potential flexibility for others, triggering a wave of international condemnation and stoking fears of a trade war.

    The U.S. president defended the decision on Wednesday, tweeting: “We cannot keep a blind eye to the rampant unfair trade practices against our country!”

    Tusk said the U.S. president’s proposal “is a bad sign for transatlantic relations” and underlined the need to “go back to EU-U.S. trade talks now.”

    The EU has mentioned it could introduce counter-tariffs on U.S. products including bourbon, Harley Davidson motorcycles and Levi’s jeans.

    “When the president complains of too many tariffs between the EU and the U.S., I can understand him. We are not happy either,” Tusk said.

    Tusk reminded of historic ties between Europe and the U.S., and noted that Trump has said “real friends will be excluded from the proposed measures.’’

    “I would like to stress today that the free world has survived the most difficult decades only thanks to the fact that Europeans and Americans have been real friends, so let us cherish this friendship, not challenge it,” he added.

    dpa/NAN

  • EU seeks ways to bridge Nigeria’s gender gap

    The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Ketil Karlsen, said on Wednesday that the union was seeking ways to bridge gender gap in Nigeria, ahead of the country’s general elections next year.

    A statement by the press officer to the delegation, Mr Modestus Chukwulaka, in Abuja quoted Karlsen as saying that “the EU is committed to seeing more Nigerian women participate in politics”.

    Karlsen said the EU was putting measures in place to ensure active involvement of women in politics in the country.

    He said that to this end, the EU was organising a one-day seminar to mark the International Women’s Month, in Abuja, which he said would focus attention on women’s participation in politics in Nigeria.

    He said that the seminar, scheduled to take place on March 23 would discuss how Nigeria’s leadership selection process could be made more inclusive to accommodate women.

    Participants, according to him, will explore ways in which women can be empowered to succeed in party primaries and in elections.

    He said that they would also discuss how the playing field could be levelled and made less hostile to female candidates.

    Chukwulaka said that the seminar, with theme: “How Do Women Win Elections in 2019?’’, would draw participants from the National Assembly, civil society and female politicians.

    According to him, the EU has been working with governments, institutions and civil society actors to bridge the gender gaps in Nigeria.

    “The EU has been supporting programmes, aimed at empowering girls and women, protecting their rights, transforming their lives and strengthening their voice as drivers of sustainable development.

    “Less than five per cent of Nigeria’s 469-member National Assembly is women.

    “The event will allow us to reflect on and celebrate the progress made towards full attainment of women’s rights as well as to build momentum and support for further action,” Karlsen said.

    NAN

  • Fed Govt hails UNICEF, EU on water, sanitation  

    THE Federal Government has hailed the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and European Union (EU) for aiding the provision of potable water and ensuring sanitation.

    The Deputy Director, Child Right Information Bureau, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Abuja, Mr. Olumide Osanyinpeju, spoke in his opening remark at a media dialogue for select journalists on Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Project.

    The event was held in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    He said the roles of UNICEF and EU in advancing the cause of making life safe in Nigeria remained significant and commendable.

    According to him, “it is a fact that UNICEF and EU have been in the forefront of ensuring that we have access to drinkable water, sanitation and proper hygiene in our environment and communities.”

    Osanyinpeju, an engineer, said the objective of the project was to support the efforts of local and state governments to the achievement of water and sanitation related Sustainable Development Goals.

    Plateau State Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy David Wuyep, who declared the dialogue open, praised UNICEF for its intervention in provision of water.

    He said the government would ensure prompt payment of counterpart funds.

     

     

     

  • EU wants clarity in Trump’s tariff exemption

    EU wants clarity in Trump’s tariff exemption

    The European Union’s trade commissioner said on Saturday there is “no immediate clarity” from the United States on how the bloc can gain exemption from new tariffs on imported steel and aluminium imposed by President Donald Trump.

    Cecilia Malmstrom met with the U.S Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer and Japan’s Trade Minister, Hiroshige Seko, in Brussels, the BBC reports.

    She said discussions would continue next week.

    Mr. Seko called for calm-headed behaviour in the dispute.

    The EU said its exports should be excluded from the measures.

    Mr. Trump’s announcement of import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium has sparked fears of a trade war.

    The EU has threatened retaliatory tariffs on U.S goods, including iconic products like bourbon and blue jeans.