en English
af Afrikaanssq Albanianar Arabichy Armenianaz Azerbaijanieu Basquebe Belarusianbg Bulgarianca Catalanzh-CN Chinese (Simplified)hr Croatiancs Czechda Danishnl Dutchen Englishet Estoniantl Filipinofi Finnishfr Frenchgl Galicianka Georgiande Germanel Greekht Haitian Creoleiw Hebrewhi Hindihu Hungarianis Icelandicid Indonesianga Irishit Italianja Japaneseko Koreanlv Latvianlt Lithuanianmk Macedonianms Malaymt Malteseno Norwegianfa Persianpl Polishpt Portuguesero Romanianru Russiansr Serbiansk Slovaksl Slovenianes Spanishsw Swahilisv Swedishth Thaitr Turkishuk Ukrainianur Urduvi Vietnamesecy Welshyi Yiddish
Connect with us

EU

Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan completes accreditation of observers of international organizations and foreign states

Published

3 weeks ago

on

On 4 January, a meeting of the Central Election Commission was held on the accreditation of observers of international organizations and foreign states for the regular elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of Parliament and Maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for 10 January.

The meeting was attended by representatives of political parties, OSCE / ODIHR Missions and the CIS, in virtual mode - territorial election commissions, online - representatives of the media.

Anastasia Schegortsova, member of the Central Election Commission, said that for the period from December 29, 2020 to January 4, 2021, 24 observers from 4 international organizations and 7 foreign states were additionally submitted to the Central Election Commission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for accreditation.

In this regard, the Central Election Commission adopted a resolution on the accreditation of observers from international organizations and foreign states.

Summing up the results of the meeting, Chairman of the CEC Berik Imashev noted that the issue of accreditation of observers of international organizations and foreign states was considered at 7 meetings of the CEC.

In accordance with the Constitutional Law ‘On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan’, the accreditation of observers of foreign states and international organizations ended at 18.00 local time five days before voting day, that is, today at 18.00.

Thus, according to the results of the accreditation of observers of foreign states and international organizations, 398 observers were accredited for the next elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of Parliament (lower chamber) and Maslikhats (house of local representatives) of the Republic of Kazakhstan, of which:

  • From 10 international organizations - 322 observers (CIS Interparliamentary Assembly - 48; CIS Executive Committee - 179; Organization of Islamic Cooperation - 4; OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights - 42; OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - 9; Shanghai Cooperation Organization - 15; Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States - 7; Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization - 7; Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking countries - 9; EU Delegation to Kazakhstan - 2), and;
  • from the 31st foreign state - 76 (Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Moldova, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Romania, India, Philippines, Hungary, Spain, Norway, France, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Estonia, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Palestine, Great Britain, Mongolia, Sweden, Canada, Finland).

 

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Continue Reading

EU

‘Right to disconnect’ should be an EU-wide fundamental right, MEPs say 

Published

1 hour ago

on

January 22, 2021

By

Always on’ culture poses serious risks, MEPs say ©Deagreez/Adobe Stock  

The European Parliament calls for an EU law that grants workers the right to digitally disconnect from work without facing negative repercussions. In their legislative initiative that passed with 472 votes in favour, 126 against and 83 abstentions, MEPs call on the Commission to propose a law that enables those who work digitally to disconnect outside their working hours. It should also establish minimum requirements for remote working and clarify working conditions, hours and rest periods.

The increase in digital resources being used for work purposes has resulted in an ‘always on’ culture, which has a negative impact on the work-life balance of employees, MEPs say. Although working from home has been instrumental in helping safeguard employment and business during the COVID-19 crisis, the combination of long working hours and higher demands also leads to more cases of anxiety, depression, burnout and other mental and physical health issues.

MEPs consider the right to disconnect a fundamental right that allows workers to refrain from engaging in work-related tasks – such as phone calls, emails and other digital communication – outside working hours. This includes holidays and other forms of leave. Member states are encouraged to take all necessary measures to allow workers to exercise this right, including via collective agreements between social partners. They should ensure that workers will not be subjected to discrimination, criticism, dismissal, or other adverse actions by employers.

“We cannot abandon millions of European workers who are exhausted by the pressure to be always 'on' and overly long working hours. Now is the moment to stand by their side and give them what they deserve: the right to disconnect. This is vital for our mental and physical health. It is time to update worker’s rights so that they correspond to the new realities of the digital age,” rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, MT) said after the vote.

Background

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has increased by almost 30%. This figure is expected to remain high or even increase. Research by Eurofound shows that people who work regularly from home are more than twice as likely to surpass the maximum of 48 working hours per week, compared to those working on their employer’s premises. Almost 30% of those working from home report working in their free time every day or several times a week, compared to less than 5% of office workers.

More information 

Continue Reading

Brexit

Scottish government comment on efforts to stay in Erasmus

Published

1 hour ago

on

January 22, 2021

By

Minsters have welcomed the support of around 150 MEPs who have asked the European Commission to explore how Scotland could continue to take part in the popular Erasmus exchange programme. The move comes a week after Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead held productive talks with Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to explore the idea. Until last year, over 2,000 Scottish students, staff and learners took part in the scheme annually, with Scotland attracting proportionally more Erasmus participants from across Europe - and sending more in the other direction - than any other country in the UK.

Lochhead said: “Losing Erasmus is huge blow for the thousands of Scottish students, community groups and adult learners - from all demographic backgrounds - who can no longer live, study or work in Europe.“It also closes the door for people to come to Scotland on Erasmus to experience our country and culture and it is heartening to see that loss of opportunity recognised by the 145 MEPs from across Europe who want Scotland’s place in Erasmus to continue. I am grateful to Terry Reintke and other MEPs for their efforts and thank them for extending the hand of friendship and solidarity to Scotland’s young people. I sincerely hope we can succeed.

“I have already had a virtual meeting with Commissioner Gabriel. We agreed that withdrawing from Erasmus is highly regrettable and we will continue to explore with the EU how to maximize Scotland’s continued engagement with the programme. I have also spoken with my Welsh Government counterpart and agreed to keep in close contact.”

Click here for more information.

Continue Reading

EU

Leaders agree on new ‘dark red’ zones for high-risk COVID areas

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 22, 2021

By

At a special meeting of European heads of government, to discuss the rise of infection rates across Europe and the emergence of new, more contagious variants, leaders agreed that the situation warranted the utmost caution and agreed on a new category of ‘dark red zone’ for high-risk areas.

The new category would indicate that the virus was circulating at a very high level. People traveling from dark red areas could be required to do a test before departure, as well as to undergo quarantine after arrival. Non-essential travel in or out of these areas would be strongly discouraged.

The EU has underlined that it is anxious to keep the single market functioning especially concerning the movement of essential workers and goods, von der Leyen described this as of the “utmost importance”. 

The approval of vaccinations and the start of roll-out is encouraging but it is understood that further vigilance is needed. Some states which are more dependent on tourism called for the use of vaccination certificates as a way to open up travel. The leaders debated the use a common approach and agreed that the vaccination document should be seen as a medical document, rather than a travel document - at this stage. Von der Leyen said: “We will discuss the suitability of a common approach to certification.”

Member states agreed to a Council recommendation setting a common framework for the use of rapid antigen tests and the mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results across the EU. The mutual recognition of test results for SARS-CoV2 infection carried by certified health bodies should help facilitate cross-border movement and cross-border contact tracing.

The common list of appropriate COVID-19 rapid antigen tests should be flexible enough for addition, or removal, of those tests whose efficacy is impacted by COVID-19 mutations.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Twitter

Facebook

Trending