Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer during a meeting with members of the National Council in the main committee on EU issues categorically opposed the “accelerated procedure” of Ukraine and Moldova’s accession to the European Union, the press service of the Austrian parliament reports.
“Nehammer told FPO MPs Petra Steger, Christian Hafeneker and Axel Kassegger that Austria would not agree to negotiate Ukraine’s accession under the current conditions. There should not be any preferential treatment for Ukraine, especially in relation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is also currently in accession negotiations,” the statement said.
He also noted that the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen did not hold consultations before announcing the prospect of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession.
Separately, Nehammer noted that in order for the EU to be “suitable” for enlargement, internal reforms must be carried out.
“In general, Austria continues to follow the EU line when it comes to solidarity with Ukraine, but without violating its neutrality,” Nehammer explained. “It is primarily about financial assistance to support Ukraine as a ‘state as a whole,'” the statement said.
The Verkhovna Rada has appealed to the European Union member states and EU institutions to support the opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The relevant resolution No. 10315 was voted for by 292 MPs at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Saturday, said Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the European Solidarity faction.
“The Verkhovna Rada appeals to the national parliaments and governments of the European Union member states, the EU institutions and calls… to support Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union by adopting a decision to open negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union during the European Council meeting on December 15, 2023,” the text of the appeal reads.
The MPs also called on EU members to increase military assistance to Ukraine both at the national level and within the framework of the European Peace Fund.
The European Commission is proposing to implement the biggest reform of EU animal welfare rules in 20 years, according to the European Commission’s website on Thursday, December 7.
“The Commission is proposing for the first time new EU rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats bred, kept and sold as pets for economic purposes,” the statement said.
The package includes a revision of the EU’s current rules on animals in transit, which will improve the welfare of the 1.6 billion animals transported to and from the EU each year.
The new rules will establish for the first time common EU standards for the breeding, keeping and treatment of dogs and cats in kennels, pet shops and shelters. The traceability of pets will also be strengthened through mandatory identification and registration in national databases.
Finally, the Commission proposes further steps to implement the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Europe without Fur”, which calls for an EU ban on fur farming and the sale of products containing such fur.
cats, dogs, EU, TRANSPORTATION
Envoys from the 27 EU member states will meet on Tuesday to begin discussions on starting membership talks with Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing officials and diplomats.
“The meeting marks the beginning of preparations by the 27 countries for a summit of European Union leaders on December 14-15, which is expected to decide on the integration prospects of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia,” the report said.
According to Reuters, the meeting on Tuesday is expected to discuss the draft agreement of the summit, which is also expected to decide on a related proposal to provide Kyiv with budget support in the amount of EUR50 billion ($54.10 billion) until 2027.
“No final decisions are expected on Tuesday, but the initial exchange of views between member states will give an indication of how likely it is that the summit will give the green light to Ukraine,” the agency emphasizes.
The European Union will allocate 50 million euros to Ukraine to restore port infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“Despite the war, Ukraine continues to feed the world. You can count on the European Union in these efforts. We are continuing to expand our Solidarity Lines and will provide €50 million to repair your port infrastructure,” von der Leyen wrote on Twitter (X).
“Together we will send Ukrainian grain to the world,” she added.
Her post on the social network was accompanied by the text of a letter addressed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The German and EU governments have financed the construction of six hospitals in Ukraine under the EU4ResilientRegions project, a Special Support Program for Ukraine co-financed by the European Union and the German government.
According to a press release from GIZ Ukraine, which is the general contractor for the projects funded by the German and EU governments, the clinics are located in Lviv, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv regions.
The first clinic, located in Lviv, started operating in September. By the end of the year, GIZ Ukraine will open five more.
The clinics will be opened on the basis of modular structures, which reduced the project implementation time to eight months.
The hospitals are equipped with modern medical and laboratory equipment, including functional diagnostics (ECG, EEG, ultrasound, etc.), laboratory tests, general practitioner’s office, ENT, ophthalmologist, gynecologist, surgeon, manipulation and consultation rooms, and physiotherapy.
The hospitals are equipped with autonomous 70 kW solar stations designed to ensure the uninterrupted operation of all available medical equipment in the modules (excluding heating needs), as well as 160 kW diesel generators with fuel reserve.
The first of the six facilities to be put into operation in September 2023 was the modular diagnostic center at St. Luke’s Hospital of the First Territorial Medical Association of Lviv. A Philips Ingenia Ambition S magnetic resonance imaging scanner was purchased for the center. Some of the equipment was placed in a modular structure, and some was installed in the existing hospital premises.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German government in achieving its goals in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Priority areas of cooperation between Germany and Ukraine include good governance, energy efficiency and climate, and sustainable economic development. Special attention is also paid to supporting Ukrainian communities that have hosted internally displaced persons.
