Photo : Euronews
03 September 2024, Tuesday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #927
By Samruddhi Pathak
POLAND
Government announces new guidelines for abortion
On 01 September, the Polish government announced new guidelines for abortions in the country to provide safe access to women and reaffirmed the highly decisive procedure in place. Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, has promised to liberalise the abortion laws. He has introduced a bill to reduce the abortion allowance tenure to 12 weeks, but the bill could not be passed in the parliament itself. Earlier, abortions were permitted only for women who suffered pregnancy due to rape or incest. The new guidelines published by the Health Ministry said that recommendation by one specialist doctor, including a cardiologist, endocrinologist or psychiatrist, is enough for a woman to obtain a legal abortion in hospital, and the doctor performing the procedure should not be liable for prosecution. (“Polish government announces new guidelines reaffirming legality of abortion,” Euronews, 02 September 2024)
FRANCE
Macron under pressure to appoint a Prime Minister
On 02 September, Emmanuel Macron, the current President of France, held talks with former Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande and Bernard Cazeneuve, a former Prime Minister, who has also emerged a front-runner to become the head of the government. Cazeneuve’s team told the media that he will do it only out of sense of duty and not at any cost. The New Popular Front (NPF) party emerged as the largest party in snap elections. However, it failed to achieve an absolute majority. Since then, the national politics has come into a deadlock. Meanwhile, Macron has refused to install Lucie Castets as the Prime Minister. François Bayrou, the leader of the Macron-allied centrist Modem party, told the media that the situation asks for a rapid resolution. NFP has advocated raising taxes on the ultra-rich to finance public services. Thus, budget discussions in parliament are expected to have heated up debates. Yaël Braun Pivet, the Macron-backed president of the National Assembly, said that the delay is causing institutional instability. (“Macron sweats under growing pressure to appoint prime minister,” Politico, 02 September 2024)
Waste management faces difficulties due to lithium-ion batteries
On 01 September, Politico reported on the menace created by lithium-ion batteries being thrown away with other garbage and not disposed of separately. Later, when the waste is crushed at waste management plants, the batteries get flamed up. According to France's Environment Ministry’s Bureau for Industrial Pollution and Risk Analysis, such incidents have doubled from 2019 to 2023 in French waste management facilities. Municipalities in other EU countries like Belgium and the Netherlands are also facing similar trends. Due to frequent fires, waste management facilities also have to incur additional costs for protective gear, staff training, and rising insurance premiums. The heart of the problem lies in the use of lithium-ion batteries. There is a 20 per cent rise annually in usage of lithium-ion batteries. People do not realise that some products are battery-operated like e-cigarettes. Therefore, they dispose of it without removing the battery. When the waste is collected, it is crushed to make space for more garbage and it is then that fires are caused due to damaged lithium batteries. Thus, experts suggest that France needs to take initiatives to raise awareness among citizens to segregate waste. (“Electric toothbrushes and light-up sneakers are setting France on fire,” Politico, 02 September 2024)
GERMANY
Politico reports about eastern Germany’s elections
On 02 September, Politico wrote on the elections held in eastern Germany. According to Politico, victory of the Alternative for Germany party in Thuringia and becoming the second largest party in Saxony reflects the voters tilting towards the right in national elections. Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, said that AfD is damaging Germany and ruining the country’s reputation. In Thuringia, AfD has been classified as an extremist party. Nonetheless, it gained 33 per cent of the votes in the state. In Saxony, the Christian Democratic Union managed to get 32 per cent of votes while AfD emerged as the second largest party with a close margin. Mainstream leaders have even called AfD as Nazi party. Christian Social Democrat leaders have even demanded a ban on AfD. According to Politico, the winner of the election is the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). BSW emerged as the third biggest party in both states. BSW has repeatedly criticised Germany’s support for Ukraine. BSW has become the king-maker in these state-level elections. In both states, BSW will play a crucial role in government formation. The three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition, SPD, the Greens and Free Democratic Party suffered significant losses in the elections. It was SPD’s worst performance, as per Politico, since European Parliamentary elections in June. Polling is due next week in Brandenburg, another eastern Germany state, while AfD is polling first here as well with 24 per cent. Ultimately, Politico concludes that citizens of eastern Germany are embracing AfD as a party. (“5 takeaways from Germany’s eastern elections,” Politico, 02 September 2024)
Volkswagen considers layoffs and closure amid economic difficulties
On 02 September, German automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen, said that it cannot rule out the possibility of closure of industrial plants and job cuts. It has a new target of saving EUR 4 billion. The company announced termination of a job security program which has been in place since 1994. Volkswagen’s sales have fallen in comparison to Skoda, Seat and Audi which are its subsidiary companies. Daniela Cavallo, chair of the workers' union, has shunned this statement by Volkswagen and called it an attack on German employment, factories and contracts. IG Metall union called it an irresponsible decision from the largest industrial employer of Germany. (“Germany: Volkswagen considering plant closures and job cuts,” Deutsche Welle, 02 September 2024)
THE NETHERLANDS
Dutch primary and secondary schools ban phones and tablets for students
On 02 September, the Netherlands imposed a ban on smart devices in schools. The government has imposed a blanket ban on the country. The government said that increasing the use of smart devices has reduced students’ ability to concentrate and has a detrimental impact on their academic performance. The debate in the Netherlands has been going on since January 2024, children’s parents groups had lobbied for a total ban on smart devices. European countries like Greece and Italy have already imposed such bans. (“Netherlands: Nationwide ban on phones in schools underway,” Euronews, 02 September 2024)
INTERNATIONAL
Austria to deport Afghans with criminal records back to their home country
On 02 September, Karl Nehammer, Chancellor of Austria, announced that Austria and Germany are working out an agreement to deport Afghans and Syrians with criminal records back to their homeland. Nehammer said that one of the primary challenges is deporting them to Afghanistan and Syria. Germany deported 28 people to Afghanistan on 30 August which Austria commended. Nehammer has also called for EU-wide deportations. He said that they deport asylum seekers directly to Afghanistan or Syria as it would be against EU laws. Meanwhile, citizens of these countries make up two third of total asylum seeking applications. According to Austria’s Immigrations Department, a total of 9,000 applications were received from Afghan asylum seekers. Human rights groups, including Amnesty EU, have said that this decision would be a breach of international law. Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, it has been accused of oppressing women. (“Austria joins Germany in deporting Afghans with criminal records back home,” Euronews, 02 September 2024)