European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
Europe is divided and far from full legal equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, says ILGA-Europe

Posted on 16 May 2011 |

[ILGA-Europe, Brussels, 16 May 2011] Tomorrow, on 17 May, the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia is being marked. Every year on this day, ILGA-Europe looks at progress made by European countries towards respecting human rights and ensuring full legal equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people (LGBT) by publishing Rainbow Europe Map and Index.
The main trends observed this year are that: None of the countries in Europe can claim to provide for full legal equality (...) Read more
European & International News
Empowering women is central to unlocking the economic potential of rural communities, says Bachelet

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[UN Women, New York, 12 May 2011] At the opening session of the of the Fourth UN Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCIV), government representatives and high-level leaders, including UN Women Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director Ms. Michelle Bachelet, came together to analyze and discuss the challenges as well as progress made within least developed countries.
Ms. Bachelet was one of a number of speakers, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank Managing (...) Read more
European & International News
Turkey - Women left unprotected from violence, says Human Rights Watch

Gaps in law, police response, put urgently needed help out of reach

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[Human Rights Watch, Brussels, 10 May 2011] Turkey’s flawed family violence protection system leaves women and girls across the country unprotected against domestic abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Life-saving protections, including court-issued protection orders and emergency shelters, are not available for many abuse victims because of gaps in the law and enforcement failures.
The 58-page report, “‘He Loves You, He Beats You’: Family Violence in Turkey and Access to (...) Read more
European & International News
Hungary - Guilt tripping today, ban on abortions tomorrow?

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[Brussels, 10 May 2011] Hungarian NGOs, including the Hungarian Women’s Lobby, have been lobbying and demonstrating in opposition to moves by the government against abortion. Below is a press release from the Hungarian Women’s Lobby’s partner organisation, the Association of People Opposing Patriarchy (Patent).
Patent Press Release, 10 May 2011
The Association of People Opposing Patriarchy (Patent), a Hungarian NGO working in the field of women’s rights is outraged at the plan of the (...) Read more
European & International News
Female scriptwriters share 2011 MEDIA European Talent Prize

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[European Commission, Brussels, 10 May 2011] Scriptwriters Virág Zomborácz (Hungary) and Hanna Sköld (Sweden) will share this year’s MEDIA European Talent Prize for their film scripts for Afterlife and Granny’s Dancing on the Table. The annual prize is awarded to the best film project supported by the European Union’s MEDIA fund for cinema; experts rate the scripts on their potential to reach a pan-European audience. This year two projects received the same number of points so the prize is (...) Read more
European & International News
Pension discrimination between same-sex civil partnership and married couples illegal, says European Court of Justice

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[Brussels, 11 May 2011] The Court of Justice of the European Union stated that a supplementary retirement pension paid to a partner in a civil partnership, which is lower than that granted in a marriage, may constitute discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.
In its judgment in the case C-147/08, the Court of Justice of the European Union made a step further in the protection of social rights and non discrimination.
The Court ruled yesterday 10 May 2011 that paying a supplementary (...) Read more
European & International News
ILGA launches 2011 Homophobia Report and map of Gay and Lesbian rights in the world

Posted on 12 May 2011 |

[Brussels, 10 May 2011] The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is preparing the launch of its official Homophobia Report 2011. The report serves as an occasion to reflect on the state of homophobia in the world today. It elaborates on topics ranging from the number of same-sex couples in different countries, number of hate crimes based on gender or sexual orientation to prosecution, imprisonment or death penalty for same-sex acts. To illustrate its (...) Read more
European & International News
Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices

Posted on 5 May 2011 |

[Brussels, 05 May 2011] On 30 June 2011 Lithuania will host a high level women’s leadership conference "Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices". The conference is to be opened by President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Finland Tarja Halonen and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Among the panelists will be Myria Vassiliadou, EU Anti Trafficking Coordinator and a former Secretary General of EWL.
The event is organised by Lithuania’s Presidency of the Community of (...) Read more
European & International News
Save the Children releases State of the World’s Mothers report 2011

Posted on 5 May 2011 |

[Save the Children Press Release, 3 May 2011] This Mother’s Day, what mums have to celebrate varies dramatically depending on where they live, according to Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers report, which ranks 164 countries on women’s access to health care, education and opportunities.
Norway is the world’s best place to be a mother, and eight of the 10 top-ranked countries are in Western Europe. The remaining two are in the southern hemisphere, with Australia ranking second and (...) Read more
European & International News
Hungary - New Constitution accepted, poses grave threat to women’s sexual and reproductive rights

Posted on 28 April 2011 |

[Brussels, 28 April 2011] To the disappointment of local, European and international NGOs, activists, decision makers and the general public, on 25 April, 2011, Hungary’s President, Pál Schmitt, signed the country’s new Constitution into effect as adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 18 April 2011. The new text — and the process under which it was developed and accepted — has been widely criticised within Hungary and internationally as grossly curtailing human rights and democratic values. (...) Read more