As world leaders prepare for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), Secretary-General António Guterres urged them to step up efforts to mitigate the negative effects of global warming. In this context, the EU is committed to ensuring that world leaders agree to phase out fossil fuels and rapidly increase the production of renewable energy.
Green movements are on the rise in the Western Balkans and the broader area. Do they have a chance of success and will they be able to play a role in the region’s environmental future?
On November 22, 2023, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov delivered a speech to an almost empty chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. But when he took the floor for his closing remarks, many MEPs took their seats. A photographer from the Bulgarian government’s press office captured the moment, and the image of Denkov and the full house was sent out as a press release. The image was later circulated on social media with a red “Fake” banner, with claims that the “neoliberal media” had altered the photo to make the chamber appear full. AFP consulted the EP’s stream of the session and spoke to MEPs present to confirm that the image showed the tail end of Denkov’s speech. Such dynamics are not unusual for the EP chamber, as AFP confirmed by reviewing videos of other heads of state.
The conservative German CSU elects current EPP leader Manfred Weber to lead the party in the 2024 European elections. Belgian and Spanish Prime Ministers Alexander de Croo and Pedro Sánchez travelled to Israel. The Austrian platform Eversports was one of the winners of the European Commission’s #BeActive Awards.
On 27 November, the European Newsroom (enr) hosted its final workshop of 2023. Facilitated by dpa, the one-day workshop revolved around the creation of video and photojournalistic pieces solely produced with smartphones. Seven journalists from enr member agencies participated.