Search Results for: Belgium

The European University Association (EUA) has been preparing higher education institutions for increased sustainability requirements as governments implement new commitments made at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference, staged in December in Dubai.

It has been encouraging its 850 members, including 34 national rectors’ conferences, to follow its new EUA ‘Green Deal roadmap for universities’, which outlined policies and actions which can help universities follow a climate-neutral, environmentally sustainable, and socially equitable path.…

The European Union (EU) has banned imports of diamonds from Russia, which amounted to EUR1.3 billion in 2022, because of the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Most of these precious stones are sold to Belgium, a key diamond trader – under EUR500,000 go to other EU member states, according to the European Commission (1).…

Implementing international sanctions is never easy, but the sanctions regime on Iran is highly complex, buffeted by shifting diplomatic stances. With its Security Council ally Russia relying on Iranian military and technology supplies for it to pursue its invasion of Ukraine, time-limited UN restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme officially lapsed on October 18.…

European Union (EU) member states are failing to comply with the bloc’s 2019 whistleblower protection directive (1) and two – Estonia and Poland – have not implemented the legislation at all, according to a new report (2) from Transparency International. ‘How well do EU countries protect whistleblowers?…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU)’s proposed new intellectual property (IP) rules to safeguard inventions (https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/09/25/intellectual-property-council-adopts-two-positions-on-designs-protection-legislation/) will cut red tape and boost technology transfer, university research experts have told University World News (UWN). They praise the increased opportunity to protect new products.…

The European Union (EU) is struggling to tackle corruption in its own institutions with real and perceived cases of backdoor lobbying, undue influence, cash for questions, conflicts of interest and revolving doors (to jobs with industry). These are harming the reputation of the European Parliament, the executive European Commission, the Council of Ministers and several EU agencies.…

A global student body is encouraging universities and colleges to lead societal change that pushes behavioural norms towards more sustainable practices, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as this summer’s record heat https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-summer-2023-hottest-on-record/#:~:text=The%20summer%20of%202023%20was,(GISS)%20in%20New%20York. Underlines climate change.

Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) International was launched in Denmark during 2019 and has since grown to be an alliance of 27 national and international organisations, working together to promote sustainability on campus, at home and at work.…

Indonesia’s tobacco farmers are enjoying a good harvest this year, but they are also facing uncertainty over new health regulations that could affect their livelihoods.

The tobacco industry is a major contributor to the Indonesian economy, generating about 10% of the state revenue from excise taxes, according to the country’s finance ministry.…

Signatory universities of the Magna Charta Universitatum declaration are meeting in Poland to assess how research and teaching can help reconstruct cities harmed by war, environmental pressures and socio-economic change.

This conference chimes with the aims of the declaration, which highlights the value of academic freedom, institutional autonomy and community collaboration, and which has been signed by 960 universities from 94 countries worldwide.…

While energy price rises have started levelling off after 2022 steep inflation, the need to boost sustainable electricity capacity in Europe, carried by strengthened transmission networks, boosting security of supply against unreliable partners such as Russia and further reduce carbon emissions, is becoming ever more pressing.…