Photo : kremlin.ru
30 July 2024, Tuesday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #897
By Samruddhi Pathak
FRANCE
Far-left suspect behind rail-line attack
On 29 July, the French police reported the involvement of far-left suspects in the disruption of the fast railway network. The attack had created havoc among passengers. An individual linked to a far-left movement was arrested the same day by the police and a probe was launched against left-associated individuals. The trains are running on a normal schedule. However, the security has been tightened. To make this happen, around 50 drones, 250 railway security agents and 1,000 maintenance workers have been deployed along the 28,000 kilometres long railway network. (“French police arrest far-left suspect after rail sabotage,” Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2024)
RUSSIA
Russia celebrates naval glory on the Day of the Navy
On 28 July, Vladimir Putin, the Russian Federation’s President, delivered his speech in St Petersburg to celebrate the Russian Navy. he extolled contemporary modernization in military technology and the development of cutting-edge state-of-the-art facilities in the Russian navy. The history of this day goes back to 1714 when Russia defeated Sweden at Gangut during the Great Northern War on July 27. This is the first big victory of the Russian naval forces. Russian Navy plays a significant role in the Black Sea and Baltic region. (“Covered With Glory, Modernizing Quickly: Russian Navy Celebrates Its Main Holiday,” Sputnik, 30 July 2024)
REGIONAL
European Court of Justice rules to protect wolves in Spain
On 29 July, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled against the plans of the Government of Spain to hunt wolves. It stated that the wolf shall not be categorised as species to be hunted at the EU level till the “conservation status” at the national remains “unfavourable.” The Association for the Conservation and Study of the Iberian Wolf (ASCEL) filed a case against the regional Government that had proposed a hunting plan in 2019 allowing 339 wolves to be hunted down. In a press release, the court said: “The Court answers that the regional Law is contrary to the Habitats Directive.” It countered the 2019 regional government hunting plan which permits 339 wolves to be hunted and does not consider the condition of “unfavourable condition status” of wolves in Spain. Following the ruling, the case will be redirected to Spain’s court to adhere to ECJs rule. (“Spain: EU court rules against regional wolf hunting plan,” Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2024)
Right-wing extremist author faces protests
On 29 July, a Vienna-born Austrian author, Martin Stellar, who is a proponent of right-wing ideology faced mass protest in the German city of Marburg. There were around 700 protesters gathered in the central market. The establishment did not oppose the protests as the Government too sees opposition of extremist views as its responsibility. Stellar is a figure of the “Identitarian movement” that opposes immigration. The controversy and the opposition started when Martin Stellar spoke at a far-right conference held in Potsdam in November 2023 and presented his “Remigration theory.” Under that theory, he demanded the deportation of “non-assimilated” citizens in Germany. (“Hundreds protest right-wing extremist author,” Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2024)
EU Parliament sees a big drop in female representatives
On 29 July, Euronews reported the biggest drop in female parliamentarians since 1979. The average age of the EU Parliament is 50 years, raising questions about the representation of the younger generation as well. This time, there are 277 female MEPs out of 720, making up 38.6 per cent. In the last elections, they contributed to 46 per cent of seats, reflecting a major drop. In France, Sweden and Finland female representation has crossed the mark of 50 per cent while in Cyprus, it barely touched 15 per cent. Meanwhile, the elected President of the Parliament is also a woman, Roberta Metsola. All committees of the Parliament held their meetings to elect the chairs and vice chairs of 20 committees and subcommittees that make up the institution out of which only seven went to female parliamentarians. (“More right wing with fewer women - a new Parliament compendium,” Euronews, 30 July 2024)