Latest news with #FrenchNationalAssembly
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Rajasthan Assembly Speaker to visit France and Germany to observe parliamentary best practices
Jaipur, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani will embark on a seven-day visit to France and Germany to observe parliamentary systems and practices in both the countries. He is scheduled to depart from Jaipur on Tuesday morning for New Delhi and will fly to Paris later in the day. The visit is being organised under the aegis of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and will include interactions with lawmakers and officials from both France and Germany. During the visit, Devnani will observe the functioning of the French National Assembly , the Senate , the German Bundestag , and the Bundesrat . He will also share insights into legislative innovations introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly. Terming the tour significant in the context of parliamentary cooperation, Devnani said the visit aims to strengthen democratic engagement, encourage international collaboration, and provide a platform for sharing legislative best practices. The Speaker will also hold discussions on digital legislative processes and social inclusion with elected representatives and senior officials from the national parliaments, local legislative bodies, and cultural and academic institutions of both the countries. "This visit is a strong medium to present India's democratic traditions and the capabilities of state legislatures at a global level. It will certainly help enrich parliamentary functioning," Devnani stated. He is also scheduled to meet parliamentary leaders, senior lawmakers, Indian diaspora members and officials at Indian embassies in Paris and Berlin. The engagements also include interactions with officials from the Ramakrishna Vedantic Centre, science and technology experts and prominent members of the Indian community. Devnani will be accompanied by assembly principal secretary Bharat Bhushan Sharma on the tour. Apart from the official engagements, the Speaker will also visit historical, cultural and spiritual landmarks in both the countries to gain a deeper understanding of local traditions and heritage.
El Chorouk
5 days ago
- Politics
- El Chorouk
French Authorities Raise Sansal Case Again To Brussels
After a remarkable silence that lasted for a few weeks, what is known as the committee supporting the Franco-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, decided to act again, by pressuring the institutions of the European Union, in order to resolve this issue, which has seen a striking decline in discussion within political and media circles in France. In a statement by Arnaud Benedetti, a member of the committee supporting the writer imprisoned in Algeria on charges of involvement in targeting the territorial integrity of the country, he said that the committee had filed a complaint with the European Union's 'Ombudsman' due to what he described as the 'inaction' of EU institutions in defending Boualem Sansal's case. After Arnaud Benedetti pointed out that the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) adopted a draft resolution on May 6 calling for the release of Boualem Sansal, with no significant results, he stated in an interview with the French parliamentary channel that the committee had not received 'any response' from the High Representative of the European Union since that date, which prompted the committee to 'contact the Ombudsman' to move the file. The Franco-Algerian writer, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, entered his seventh month in Koléa prison near the capital, while the Algiers Judicial Council is expected to begin reviewing his case again in an appeal session on the 24th of this month, following the public prosecutor's decision at the Dar El Beida court in the capital to appeal the five-year prison sentence. Based on the statement issued by a member of the committee supporting the Franco-Algerian writer, the committee aims to incite European Union institutions against Algeria, based on the partnership agreement signed between the two parties in 2002, which came into force in 2005, and which includes clauses on human rights. The committee, composed of French nationals, sought the help of European Union institutions after all attempts at blackmail led by French politicians and media figures, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, and many ministers in François Bayrou's government, such as Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and many political figures belonging to the traditional right and the far-right, failed. However, those repeated French campaigns and provocations only complicated the case of the writer accused of espionage and working for foreign entities, which prompted the Paris authorities to review their tone and lean towards de-escalation, by using phrases dominated by entreaty and appeals, realizing that those methods would only complicate the file further. Despite the change in the tone of the French authorities and their political and media arms towards Algeria, this does not mean that Paris has learned its lesson, as many observers believe that the former colonizer has not yet gotten rid of old practices, which are often characterized by political hypocrisy in secret, and de-escalation in public. It can be noted here the role that Paris may have played in classifying Algeria on the European Union's 'blacklist' of high-risk countries regarding money laundering and terrorist financing, which was recently issued by what is known as the 'Financial Action Task Force,' headquartered in the French capital and affiliated with the European Commission. Decisions issued by the European Union, particularly those concerning the Maghreb countries and Algeria, are usually entrusted to France due to its history in the region, which gives Paris a hand, one way or another, in this classification, and the Algerian authorities are well aware of this.
Maroc
04-06-2025
- Business
- Maroc
UK Support for Moroccan Autonomy Plan, 'Major Diplomatic Turning Point'
The United Kingdom's support for the Moroccan autonomy plan in the Sahara constitutes "a major diplomatic turning point," noted Naïma Moutchou, Vice President of the French National Assembly, on her official X account. "The United Kingdom joins France and the United States in supporting Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara. This is a major diplomatic shift: facts are prevailing, support is expanding, and a consensual political solution is taking shape,' she stated. "As Vice President of the Friendship Group – and Co-Chair of the Study Group on the Sahara (in the National Assembly), I welcome the progress being made towards a sustainable and realistic solution,' added Moutchou, who also serves as spokesperson and National Secretary of the Horizons party. This position was set out in a joint communiqué signed in Rabat by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita. The UK also underlined that it intends to act in line with this position bilaterally, regionally, and internationally. (MAP: 04 June 2025)
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
France blames Brexit for Channel migrant crossings
A leading French MP has blamed Britain's decision to quit the EU for the surge in migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. Éléonore Caroit, a member of president Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party in the French National Assembly, said numbers had been increasing since Brexit, which meant Britain no longer had a returns agreement with the EU and a 'very weak asylum policy'. She also repeated long-held French claims that Britain represented an 'El Dorado' to migrants because of its 'attractive' benefits and asylum system. El Dorado is a mythical city of gold, supposedly located in South America. Her comments come amid increasing frustration in the UK across political parties at the failure of the French to stop migrants crossing the Channel, after Saturday saw a record daily total of 1,194 people reach the UK. The French stopped just 184 migrants from leaving on Saturday, fewer than 15 per cent of the total 1,378 who attempted the crossing. The 1,194 brought the total so far this year to 14,811, the highest ever recorded in the first five months of a year and up 42 per cent on this time last year. So far this year, the French have intercepted just 38 per cent of migrants, down from 45 per cent in 2024, 46.9 per cent in 2023 and 42.4 per cent in 2022 despite the UK putting up £480 million over three years to fund extra officers and surveillance equipment on the beaches to stop the migrants. The French have committed to changing their laws so police can stop the boats in shallow waters, but have yet to make good on this pledge. Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, has urged the Government to suspend its 12-year fishing deal with the French until they intercept migrants at sea and stop the Channel crossings. Ms Caroit, who is vice president of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee, said it was 'unfair' to say France had no political will to stop the boats. But she said: 'One thing is for sure, the numbers are increasing, but they have been increasing since Brexit, after the UK is no longer part of the Dublin Regulation and has a very weak asylum policy.' Credit: PA The Dublin agreement enabled the UK to return migrants to the EU if it was shown they had travelled through a European country and had failed to claim asylum there. However, no replacement was negotiated in the Brexit talks, although Sir Keir Starmer is seeking to agree a similar scheme. Challenged over the low stop rate of the French, Ms Caroit admitted that 'once the boats are in the water, it is impossible for the French policemen to actually intercept them.' She said the legal change – allowing police to intervene in shallow waters – would make a difference. 'It's a matter of legislation, but it's also a matter, again, of what happened after Brexit. Before it was easier to have the migrants return,' she said. 'We need increased co-operation between the UK and the French, the authorities and policemen, so that we can actually have a clear division of what can be done when the boats are in the water. 'And most importantly, it is important to deter these boats from actually wanting to go to the UK. Because unless we stop this, we can put more money into it, [but] there will be more boats.' Asked about the UK being an El Dorado, she said: 'It is. It's a complex situation, people want simple solutions, but you have to go to Calais and see what it looks like, and how many boats you have and how many people are waiting to go to the UK. 'So, of course, there is a part that can be improved in France, and we're working towards that. But I also think the UK needs to take responsibility, because it is so attractive to these migrant routes as of today, and we actually need to work together instead of blaming each other.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
French farmers protest as parliament clashes over agriculture bill
Hundreds of farmers descended on Paris on Monday, bringing their tractors - and their frustration - straight to the gates of the French National Assembly. Their goal was to support a divisive piece of legislation tabled by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb. The Duplomb agricultural bill promises to ease what many in the agricultural field see as suffocating administrative constraints. It would make it easier to obtain construction permits for livestock facilities and water reservoirs, and re-authorise the temporary use of certain pesticides such as acetamiprid; a neonicotinoid insecticide banned in France since 2018. While still allowed in other European Union countries, acetamiprid has raised alarms among environmentalists and beekeepers due to its impact on pollinators and potential health risks for humans. The bill was scheduled for debate, followed by a vote in the lower house of parliament on Monday. But opposition lawmakers, mostly from the green and left-wing parties, submitted around 3,500 amendments in an attempt to delay proceedings. With debate threatened by legislative gridlock, centrist, conservative, and far-right lawmakers passed a motion to dismiss debating the bill in parliament. The proposal now moves to a joint committee of seven senators and seven members of parliament (MPs) - most of them supportive of the farmers' demands. The committee will have to agree on a common version that will then be subjected to a final vote by MPs - this time, without the possibility of any amendments. The move has infuriated the left, which has announced plans to file a no-confidence motion against the government in response. For many of the farmers present at the protest, this bill represents a chance to ease mounting pressures, both economic and regulatory. Clément Patoir, a 19-year-old grain farmer, described how bureaucratic red tape is driving young people away from the craft. "There are fewer young people who want to become farmers nowadays. Many children of farmers have to constantly hear about their parents struggling with regulations. It is a complicated job, you work long hours, and you're not necessarily rewarded." "The majority of French farmers are trying to survive. What we all want is to live and not survive. So, fewer constraints and simplification would be much appreciated," Patoir told Euronews. Another young sugar beet farmer, Pierrick, said that the bill is about maintaining production levels. The acetamiprid pesticide is considered essential by many sugar beet and hazelnut producers. "Today, all the methods of production to produce as much as we can are gradually being taken away from us. In addition, we always have administrative constraints that add to our workload ... But to maintain the levels of production that we have, no, there is no alternative today that works," he explained. Supporters of the bill argue that easing restrictions will be critical to avoiding reliance on imports and keeping France's agricultural sector competitive. But environmentalists and left-wing lawmakers see the bill as dangerous. Among those gathered in Paris to oppose it was Gabriel Bertein, a left-wing mayor, who warned of long-term damage to biodiversity and soil health. "If this kind of bill does pass, this will be a sign we are going backwards. We open the doors to more use of pesticide products that we know are dangerous to life," he told Euronews while being heckled by a group of farmers. He added that state funding should shift toward more sustainable farming practices. "We must stop helping and subsidising a type of intensive agriculture that is not going in the right direction. There is an urgent need to change direction, to focus on these topics." Demonstrations are also planned in Brussels next week, targeting the EU's environmental rules and green policy agenda. Greece has said it has completed work on an undersea power cable connecting the mainland to the island of Crete, a key step in its ambitious plan for a wider expansion of the grid that will eventually include Cyprus and Israel. The €1 billion link spanning 330 kilometres was plugged in on Saturday and is expected to be fully operational this summer, Greece's grid operator said. The project, for which the European Union provided the bulk of funding through grants and loans, aims to bolster energy diversification after after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Athens hopes to extend the link, dubbed the Great Sea Interconnector, to Cyprus and Israel by the end of the decade. The project is also a move towards Crete being able to replace fossil fuel-based power generation with renewables, government officials said. "Crete is becoming a central pillar for the country's energy transition," Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said. "We're moving forward with the development of an integrated network of electrical interconnections, strengthening our country as a strategic energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean." However, the wider project has been complicated by financial disagreements and an ongoing maritime dispute with Turkey. Greece and Egypt also want to establish a separate undersea link on a similar timetable that would bypass the island of Crete and connect directly to the Greek mainland. The undersea cables to Crete have been laid at a depth of 1,200 metres and will support a capacity of 1,000 megawatts using high-voltage direct current transmission systems. Supervised by a subsidiary of Greece's Independent Power Transmission Operator, the project involved private contractors Siemens Energy of Germany, Greek construction firm TERNA and the Italy-based Prysmian Group cable company, among others.
