Economy – eponews.net

EU: Protecting the High Seas, but not Africas Coastal Waters

2025-05-122025-05-12 by Klaus Boldt

Karte von Kaiwahine22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The European Commission on Monday presented a proposal to integrate the international Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction’ (BBNJ) Agreement, which aims to protect the ocean, tackle environmental degradation, fight climate change, and curb biodiversity loss, into EU law. This should help the Member States with the implementation in their national laws.

Signed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on behalf of the European Union in September 2023, this Agreement – also known as the Treaty of the High Seas – “will help reach the goals and targets set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework“, the EU Commission says. “This includes protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 and increasing benefit sharing from genetic resources and digital sequence information”.

The EU does not mention, that the agreement does not protect the coastal waters for example at the African west coast, where local fishermen are without work, because the European fishing industry is emptying the waters.

Map: Kaiwahine22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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ECOWAS: Meeting in Ghana over exit of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso

2025-04-23 by Klaus Boldt

Accra. – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meets in Ghana on Tuesday an Wednesday to discuss the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. In a statement issued on Tuesday, ECOWAS told the public member states will discuss the modalities of the countries’ withdrawal and its implications for ECOWAS agencies in the countries.

The three junta-led countries made their official exit from the bloc earlier in the year. ECOWAS had issued guidelines on its relationship with the three countries and transitional measures, which it said would be reviewed and finalised as the year progressed.

The bloc maintains its free trade policy, visa-free movement, residency, and other rights within ECOWAS states and with the three countries. It will “set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.”

“Key items on the agenda include the modalities of the withdrawal process and the implications for ECOWAS Institutions and Agencies operating in the three countries. The session will also address other related matters of regional importance,” ECOWAS said.

Three weeks ago, the junta-led states, under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), imposed a 0.5 per cent import duty on goods from ECOWAS. The levy applies to all goods from ECOWAS countries entering any of the three nations, except for humanitarian aid.

The policy countered ECOWAS’s intention of ensuring free movement of goods between its members and the AES countries despite their official exit from the bloc in January.

Glacier retreat is a question of survival for humanity

2025-03-20 by Klaus Boldt

According to experts, so much glacier ice is lost in one year that it corresponds to the water consumption of the world’s population within 30 years. The preservation of glacier meltwater is essential for the climate, nature and people.

Tackling Corporate Fraud: For more Transparency in Global Trade

2025-01-17 by Klaus Boldt

The motto of the World Economic Forum 2025 ‘Collaboration for the intelligent age’ makes it clear: the fight against money laundering and financial crime through transparency and secure company identification.

Davos. – In the shadows of the global economy, criminal activities continue to thrive. The scale, sophistication, and impact of corporate fraud have reached unprecedented levels worldwide. The global economy is determined to confront these challenges head-on.

Under the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” the World Economic Forum 2025 in Davos focuses on global cooperation and technological innovation. Among the key voices, Alexandre Kech, the newly appointed CEO of the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), demonstrates how the fight against financial crime can be revolutionized. GLEIF, a nonprofit organization founded by the Financial Stability Board of the G20, is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.