when in 2015 the US authorities initiated criminal prosecutions against some of the worst alleged offenders and a new top leadership took office with sweeping promises of reform the chairman and two independent members of the new governance committee were part of that reform effort We took seriously the task entrusted to us enforcing rules on candidates’ eligibility for Fifa positions supervising elections and the furthering of social responsibility and human rights in football We appear to have taken our task too seriously that changing an institutional culture would be a long process; two steps forward generally extremely resistant to independent scrutiny dominated by a small group of people resistant to public accountability in a context of huge economic stakes and endemic political interference There is a huge structural conflict of interest at the heart of Fifa: its leaders depend for their survival on those whom they ought to reform; power in Fifa is a political cartel This is why the leadership of football survived for so long despite the many scandals surrounding it whose two chairmen also had their tenures ended at the Bahrain congress in May it might be that some bad apples have finally been removed The leadership of football does not answer to the court of public opinion; it responds to its own constituency that would replace leadership which seriously tried to reform football united in our love for the game but with no ties to it and with considerable experience in law and governance accepted our appointment having received solemn promises regarding our independence Parliamentary inquiries are good starting points but it is necessary for them to produce concrete results No country on its own – including Switzerland which hosts many of the world governing bodies – has the effective power to regulate such transnational organisations in a privileged position: it brings together 28 member states – while the UK is still a member – which The European Commission is entitled to act under competition or internal market powers, and the European Parliament could seize the issue by demanding effective action from the commission and the council. One initiative, which we strongly support, is now in a draft resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following a report by the former Luxembourg sports minister It calls on the EU to create an independent agency but have the authority to review and supervise ethical issues and structures to guarantee that transnational sports organisations conform with good governance A second initiative would be to make the criminal investigation and prosecution of transnational sports-related criminal activity a priority for the forthcoming European Public Prosecutor Billions of people are passionate about sports yet they have no effective scrutiny of the organisations that control them Someone must act on the people’s behalf to protect the integrity of our sports We cannot let the beautiful game remain in the hands of an ugly organisation Miguel Poiares Maduro: the former chair of Fifa’s governance committee is the director of the School of Transnational Governance in Florence Navi Pillay is a former UN human rights high commissioner and judge at the International Criminal Court Joseph Weiler is professor at New York University School of Law and former president of the European University Institute Photo: Thomas Søndergaard/Play the Game The former chairman of FIFA’s Governance and Review Committee came with a stark warning in his presentation at Play the Game 2019 “A campaign costs at least £2 million to be president even if you don’t buy votes,” said Professor Miguel Polares Maduro who was at FIFA from June 2016 to May 2017 “It’s not possible to be president of FIFA without spending a few millions and we don’t know where that money comes from.” Lack of transparency and the ongoing governance crisis at world football’s governing body came under heavy fire from an experienced group of panellists at Play the Game insisting that FIFA cannot reform itself due to its culture “FIFA is dominated by two fundamental problems,” he said “It is dominated by a political cartel with a high concentration of power and there is no effective independent scrutiny These two reasons are why FIFA cannot reform itself.” Professor Maduro from the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute gave a number of examples such as elections involving single candidates He explained: “Even with a single candidate you still need a 50% majority but there could be 50% abstentions They don’t follow this because it allows them to install members of the political cartel “What explains this political cartel is that it’s a closed constituency What you need to change is the electoral body.” Maduro said that his committee did prevent some unsuitable people getting positions but he worried that what was achieved was being undone he said: “The rule that confederations must elect at least one woman was turned on its head so now confederations cannot elect any more than one woman.” Infantino was the “fruit from the same tree” as his two predecessors as FIFA president Infantino was also the “instrument of dubious interests” said Jan Jensen from Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet in a joint presentation with Norwegian freelance journalist Andreas Selliaas looked at the changes in FIFA’s culture and the shift from whitewashing to football washing Selliaas said: “The old FIFA was a ‘decentraliser’ with a president who knew about corruption but tolerated it as long as it was good for him The new FIFA is more centralised and hands on over who is going to be elected.” Selliaas gave FIFA’s installing Fatma Samoura to run the Confederation of African Football directly for the world body there are only white elephants and paper tigers.” The role of football’s political elite was also the subject of a passionate address by Australian activist and whistleblower Bonita Mersiades who asked what changes there really had been at FIFA another person simply takes over their role,” said Mersiades who illustrated this by pointing out the succession of indictments placed on senior figures and their replacements in countries and regions such as Brazil Any changes were “more about sizzle than substance and the process rather than the culture,” said Mersiades who added: “FIFA sets the standard at the lowest common denominator as its suits their business It’s truly a case of the more things change Balance to the assault on FIFA was provided by the world federation’s former chief compliance officer who explained how some reforms had been pushed through on a financial level The world body distributes $450m a year and the reforms were aimed at introducing compliance systems that tracked money in and out of FIFA “We began to audit every year and it was a shock to some of the member associations but we wanted the organisations to understand how they are spending their money,” said Hanover FIFA was a “highly political organisation” admitted Hanover but he added: “Not once in three years was I told don’t look into that I know people will be surprised by that but that was my experience.” While some candidates on the panel suggested replacing FIFA with a new world body might be preferable Hanover said: “If you are going to wait for something to completely start again changes to FIFA must come from outside concluded Maduro who said: “Any attempts to reform FIFA cannot come from within No cartel opens itself up to competition by definition.” “Change needs to come from outside and will not come from a state they can take their revenge by excluding their national teams.” “There needs to be a transnational effort led by the courts.” Whether this will materialise before the next Play the Game in 2021 or at all remains to be seen info@playthegame.org Find employee Read more about us Privacy policy Certificate of accessibility (Danish) Cookie declaration The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality which will come into force from 1 January 2025 Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students Deputy mayor of Vila Nova de Poiares in Portugal Artur Jorge Baptista dos Santos was born in 1981 in Coimbra He studied in Poiares until the 12th grade then went to Coimbra where he completed his PhD studies in Sport Sciences in 2015 He has also attended postgraduate programs in Positive Parenthood – Nordic Model and in Municipal Financial Management In 2009 Artur Santos was elected municipal councillor and from 2013 he is a deputy mayor of Poiares he is responsible for the areas of International Relations and Projects Poiares has abundant sceneries of great beauty Photo by Vila Nova de Poiares Municipality  I like saying that Poiares is an enchanted valley crossed by a water stream with the Mondego river and the Alva river defining part of its limits with the Carvalho mountain standing between us and the city of Coimbra and the beautiful sceneries of the Lousã and Estrela mountains The people of Poiares are warm and welcoming and Chanfana - the queen dish of our gastronomy Poiares got its name from ‘poia’ meaning ‘rest’ and ‘ares’ meaning ‘air’ because it was a place where travellers used to stop and rest We have been a territory crossed by travellers since ancient times Nowadays this is evident by the presence of the longest tourist route in Europe - the National Road N2 Nearby Fraga Valley counts with several outdoor swimming pools climbing walls and hiking trails that enchant us in the summertime with some of the companies considered national and international leaders with lots of facilities that provide quality of life and wellbeing Our municipality has a long tradition in migration which helped us to foster connections and develop strong national and international links Our source for drawing experience and practices was the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region due to its proximity and the need to articulate and standardize intervention among neighbouring municipalities this year marks 30 years of our first town twinning with the Municipality of Douchy-Les-Mines (France) we have also twinned with Miélec (Poland) and with some municipalities outside of Europe thanks to the Portuguese relations with Lusophone African Countries and East-Timor these are our closest international partners with which we share experiences and good practices the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee from where we can reach different municipalities and learn good practices by providing exercise videos for individuals we learned the importance of giving more information about European support and dynamics in times of crisis There is even the case of stronger articulation between Catalonian entities This sharing of experiences and good practices helps us define and improve local intervention The 2020 summer in Vila Nova de Poiares will certainly be different due to the pandemic constraints These raised new challenges on how to develop activities and use summer facilities in different ways The open-air swimming pools will have a limit to visitor numbers who will have to wear masks and disinfect their hands Our kids summer camps were adjusted to meet the guidelines from The General Health Coordination We had to cover a longer period to help parents balance the demands of work with their children's summer vacations Some events will have a limited number of participants or will be attended inside cars under a drive-in system We had to cancel our biggest event POIARTES Nevertheless, there are other opportunities on offer, such as our natural open spaces, so we are launching three hiking trails: “Serra do Carvalho”, “Ribeira de Poiares” and “Viver o Alva – the Great Route of Alva”, together with 40 rock climbing routes (ranging from easy to hard) Those are good reasons for people to stay active in places which are not densely populated we can say that we rapidly adapted to the new situation cafés and restaurants getting the ‘Clean and Safe’ Seal from Tourism Portugal which distinguishes tourist activities compliant with hygienic requirements for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and other possible infections the restaurants also provide outside tables and takeaway services to affront these challenges We are working to increase safety so that people can feel at ease and life would return as close to normal as possible the coronavirus pandemic has severely affected our annual agenda sports competitions and access to facilities Only at the beginning of June did we return back to ‘normality’ events that involve more than 10 people are not yet possible These include the popular marches of Saint John Poyares Rotações – automobile fair and car races Youth and Elderly Summer Camps at our Bathing Site Summer festivities and POIARTES...but we will see what will happen after the summer This has had a huge impact on the institutions and individuals we developed emergency measures to support the cultural and sports entities so that they can thrive through this phase Some of them adapted their activities and organized several events online we achieved higher participation in our annual event – Conference of Football Goalkeeper Coaches with more than 1.000 participants for three days Other activities were provided by our partners The pandemic obliged us to adapt and to take extraordinary measures our Municipality implemented the following exceptional measures: My first thought about TheMayour.EU was - "great platform to have regular information about other European municipalities" we can have access to other international initiatives know how other municipalities resolve their community problems it gives us an opportunity to disseminate our own ideas and actions In times of disinformation and misleading it is important to have platforms that help to inform our citizens and exchange experiences within the European Union Europe influences local policies but it can also be influenced by local citizens and politics through the different processes of European participation I think that citizens should have a better knowledge about European decision-making and it is great that people in different parts of Europe are working to provide better living conditions for all European citizens and citizens from different parts of the world We are planning a major renovation of the town centre there will be a large green park for our community based on the themes of family Investments will also be made to raise the capacity of the industrial area to provide more jobs Our development program is centred on local products with the motto “Poiares – Capriland” through which we promote the forests innovation and quality of life in our rural area facilitating a smart connection to the world To find out more about Vila Nova de Poiares, visit the profile of the municipality. The 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (ESCT) sets the stage for stronger cooperation between the EU national and local level to fast track Europe's transition to climate neutrality Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital Keio University held a ceremony in the Mita Public Speaking Hall (Mita Enzetsu-kan) to award an honorary doctoral degree to Miguel P Professor and Dean of the Católica Global School of Law at Universidade Católica Portuguesa Maduro is a leading legal scholar in Europe In his judicial capacity at the European Court of Justice he made extensive contributions to developing case law He has also been influential in governmental administration where his service in senior positions was instrumental to the economic revitalization of his native Portugal Maduro has played a crucial role in developing strong partnerships between Keio and universities in Europe primarily by laying the groundwork for exchange and collaborative agreements between European graduate schools and the Keio University Law School Keio University decided to confer the degree of Doctor honoris causa upon him in recognition of these achievements The Conferment Ceremony was moderated by Professor Emeritus Katsuhiro Shoji Keio University President Kohei Itoh then conferred the honorary degree upon Dr Maduro gave a brief speech expressing his gratitude Miguel Poiares Maduro is dean of Católica Global School of Law He is also an adjunct professor and the former director of the EUI School of Transnational Governance Alberto Alemanno is the Jean Monnet Professor in European Union Law at HEC Paris and founder of the Good Lobby Viola von Cramon-Taubadel is a member of the European Parliament and recently proposed a World Anti-Corruption Agency for Sports Joseph Weiler is the Jean Monnet Chair at NYU Jamil Chade is an investigative journalist and author from Brasil Everybody knows why this World Cup is taking place in Qatar — money It was the only reason the tournament was awarded to a tiny city-state that not only lacks a footballing tradition but also has the worst possible natural conditions to host it And throughout the many scandals that have plagued this event — from corruption to human rights violations — the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has staunchly stood by its 2010 decision to organize the World Cup in Qatar The tournament has made — and will continue to make — things better for the country and its people hosting big sports events like this has one primary aim: gaining political capital at home and abroad While autocrats hope they’ll gain popularity at home as they continue to stifle dissent they also hope to project their country on the international stage And though it’s true that the occasion may have also publicized Qatar’s human right violations only a minority of the world’s population — albeit a growing one — will really pay attention to that It is for all these reasons that autocratic regimes are so eager to host big sports events and are prepared to pay fortunes to do so — in other words such events only further entrench the regime FIFA correctly argues that as a global organization it needs to be able to deal with very different regimes and stakeholders coming from many different cultures it claims to be free from any political interference and to be democratically and consistently organized along a set of values and principles that protect human rights and prohibit any form of discrimination reasonably expect both the attribution of its events and their operation to be carried out in a way that’s consistent with those values even nondemocratic regimes may gain the right to host football events no state should gain the right to organize a World Cup in violation of these principles that FIFA proclaims to defend FIFA now has a human rights policy that any host country must commit to uphold — but that simply becomes another example of window dressing when the organization shows no real commitment to implement that policy Once it was clear that Qatar being awarded the World Cup might have been the product of corruption, FIFA should have followed through on the investigations of public prosecutors and its own ethics committee. Instead, what it did was bury the report to avoid facing a backlash Then, when Qatar began constructing stadiums and other World Cup infrastructure, FIFA should have insisted that the rights of workers were protected. Instead, it denied any responsibility toward those workers FIFA also has an obligation toward its fans While fans don’t enjoy the right to be treated as if they were in their home country while in Qatar they still shouldn’t — under FIFA’s own principles — be discriminated against based on their race most notably women and the LGBTQ+ community Of course, FIFA can’t affect regime change in any country that hosts a World Cup, but it must be required to make sure that its event takes place — from start to finish — in accordance with its own values and principles. FIFA requires hosting nations to introduce special tax provisions for the World Cup. Why can’t it do the same for workers or fans rights? The inconvenient truth here is that FIFA has sold its own rules and values for money. And there’s not much to be done at this point to save FIFA from itself. However, there’s still something that can be done to turn this event from sportswashing to “sportscalling.” For one, we need to demand our heads of state and government stay away. Though they may need to maintain state relations with Qatar, they shouldn’t turn a blind eye and contribute to the sportswashing that’s currently taking place. We should also demand football officials and athletes show that they care — for the workers that died during the preparations for the World Cup and for the women and LGBTQ+ individuals being discriminated against during it. During EURO2020, athletes were free to express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by kneeling at the start of matches. Now, in Qatar, they need to show that they’re willing to take a stance when its actually harder to do so. They should kneel in support of Women’s Lives Matter or in memory of the deceased workers, and captains (and their FAs) should defy the unlawful FIFA prohibition and wear the rainbow armband. Finally, as fans, we too should show we care — not only by demanding this from our athletes and officials, but also by taking our own initiatives and, above all, demanding genuine reform from sports organizations, so that they don’t continue to be instruments of sportswashing. Televised coverage demonstrates a larger problem regarding pluralism in the country’s media.  My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts A firefighter from the Spanish military emergency unit battles with flames in Vilamarin in Galicia, Spain on Oct. 14. The Portuguese minister in charge of emergency services resigned Wednesday after 106 people were killed in unprecedented wildfires this year in the Iberian nation. The European Union's Emergency Management Service, meanwhile, says the area burned by wildfires this year in Portugal is the largest on record for the nation, more than six times the annual average for the last eight years. A man attempts to subdue wildfire flames in Vigo, northwestern Spain on Oct. 15. Flames threaten a small chapel in Moinhos village, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15. Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Moinhos, Portugal on Oct. 15. Portuguese authorities reported that almost all major wildfires were out by Tuesday morning. Some 2,700 firefighters were deployed to prevent re-ignitions in the country's smoldering forests. A house burns in Moinhos village, Portugal on Oct. 15. A resident fights a wildfire in Vila Nova de Poiares, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15. Emergency services battle a forest fire in Chandebrito village, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 15. A wild horse grazes close to a forest fire in Cures parish, in Boiro, Galicia on Oct. 15. A firefighter kneels on the ground during a fire in Vila Nova de Poiares, Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 15. A villager checks a burnt area in Soutomaior in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16. A burnt sculpture is seen in As Neves, Galicia near the border with Portugal on Oct. 16. A man fights a wildfire in Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, central Portugal on Oct. 16. Investigations were underway to find the cause of the late-season wave of hundreds of forest fires, which Iberian officials blamed mostly on arsonists and freak weather conditions. Temperatures on the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 86 Fahrenheit over the weekend and the area was raked by high winds as Hurricane Ophelia churned past in the Atlantic. Residents hold their pets as a wildfire moves toward their houses in As Neves, Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16. A woman covers her face to protect herself from the smoke as fires burn in As Neves, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16. Smoke rises from a wildfire close to a house in Nigran, Galicia, Spain on Oct. 16. A firefighter stares out at flames from a forest fire in Cabanoes, near Lousa, Portugal on Oct. 16. Firefighters try to extinguish a fire in Cabanoes near Louzan in Portugal on Oct. 16. Men gather cattle during a forest fire in Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal on Oct. 16. Burnt vehicles sit in a garage in Miro, near Penacova, Portugal on Oct. 17. Farmers walk their livestock on a mountain road past burnt vegetation in San Martin de Cereixedo, Cervantes, Galicia, northern Spain on Oct. 17. A property is burnt in the village of Travanca do Mondego in the Coimbra region of Portugal on Oct. 17, 2017. A woman walks through the burnt forest in Vila Nova, near Vouzela, Portugal on Oct. 17. A tree burns near Vouzela in the Viseu region of Portugal on Oct. 17. Results for {phrase} ({results_count} of {results_count_total}) Displaying {results_count} results of {results_count_total} Head back to programme Next sessions (parallel): 16:00-17:30 CET/10-11:30 EST How do different actors navigate law’s multiplicity This panel will bring together perspectives from law critical theory and legal anthropology to discuss how actors’ engagements with legal norms shifts our understanding of law as a unitary order We welcome your comments but you do so as our guest Please note that we will exercise our property rights to make sure that Verfassungsblog remains a safe and attractive place for everyone Your comment will not appear immediately but will be moderated by us That means not all submitted comments will be published Comments under pseudonym are allowed but a valid email address is obligatory The use of more than one pseudonym is not allowed Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Verfassungsblog is a global forum of scholarly debate at the interface of academy and society We open up debates in public law – internationally Portugal – January 2024 - The 100th anniversary of the presence of the Sons of Don Bosco in Poiares da Régua was celebrated on January 19 Superior of the Salesian Province of Portugal (POR) concelebrated by numerous Salesians and with the participation of the Salesian Family It was a day to thank God for the centenary and fruitful presence of the Salesian charism in this land that saw the birth of many future Salesians and many Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and a large number of Salesian Past Pupils Salesian Cooperators and Friends of the work of Don Bosco Fr Morais invited those present to live this charism with a vision of the future and hope After lunch at the Dom Manuel Vieira de Matos Social and Parish Centre a house that welcomed the new presence of the Salesians 100 years ago the Salesian Youth Band of Poiares concluded the event with a performance ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements upgrade your browser Rui Manuel Moura Ramos & José Luis Da Cruz Vilaça To read it, please Log In or Subscribe to EU Law Live If you access throught an institutional IP range, you must accept technical and session cookies This is the second Op-Ed of a Symposium on "The Selection of EU Judges and the 255 Committee" A previous Op-Ed was authored by Joseph H.H More Op-Eds on this topic will be published soon on EU Law Live We use cookies to improve the user experience Check our privacy policy and cookies policy. These cookies enable the user to browse a website These cookies are necessary to log in users These cookies enable us to quantify the number of users and undertake measurements and statistical analysis of the activity of websites and to draw up user browsing profiles to improve services or prepare statistics Read more in our privacy and cookies policy Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations A return to nationalism and protectionism will not help in answering the challenges of globalisation has been widely considered one of the best players in Ligue 1 this season has prompted many to call for his inclusion in this summer’s World Cup squad The Brazilian-born Portuguese international spoke exclusively to PortuGOAL’s Marino Peixoto about his meteoric rise in Ligue 1 this season the Liga NOS and Portuguese domestic football and Portugal’s chances at the World Cup this summer The numbers suggest this is the best season in your career This has definitely been my most productive season in terms of appearances in the club as well as assists and goals I scored I have been called up for the Portuguese senior team for the first time so it can be said this is my best season so far combined with the work with Mister Leonardo Jardim and great team-mates have played decisive roles in improving my game I feel happy I’ve been able to take this opportunity to develop and grow while helping Monaco the best I can Have João Moutinho and Leonardo Jardim helped you get accustomed to life in France I was used to France as I played in Lille before But both Moutinho and Leonardo have played important roles on my development It’s great to be part of the same team with them Do you see yourself as a natural successor to Bernardo Silva Bernardo did extraordinary things at Monaco and my focus is on writing my own story here I have been good friends with Bernardo since the days we played together at Benfica and for Portugal’s youth national teams I actually think we can complement each other and play in the same team You had the opportunity to play for Brazil but opted for Portugal I arrived in Portugal when I was only four years old and my football career began there Meanwhile I was called up to Portugal’s U16 team and was part of all the youth teams until the U21s So my football connection with Portugal is very strong have family there and have great Brazilian influences in my daily life such as in the music I listen to and some food I like Portugal has tremendous competition for places in the midfield areas and you missed out on the recent friendlies Do you still hope to make the squad for the World Cup Portugal are the current European Champions; the quality of the squad is awesome It’s a dream to represent Portugal in a major competition but I am aware there are other players who have what it takes to be part of the squad I am only focused on helping Monaco at the moment we still have one objective to reach and I know that if I perform well I will have a better chance of being called up for Portugal It will be recognition and that possibility obviously motivates me to do my best every day Do you believe the Seleção can experience more glory in Russia this summer of Mister Fernando Santos and of our captain Cristiano We were drawn in a very difficult group and the first match could well be the final of the World Cup [Portugal-Spain] but also Morocco and Iran will be tough opponents so the mentality must be to win one match at a time it’s possible for Portugal to do something great in Russia One of the things that characterises your style on the pitch is that you always play with a smile on your face How important is it for you to enjoy your football I love playing football and I don’t see it as an obligation I know how lucky I am to be a professional footballer and to earn my life doing what I love most That is reflected on the pitch naturally and plays a big role on my type of game as well I’m a positive person and thank God every day for letting me live my childhood dream Would you like to play in the Portuguese League so I try to enjoy it as much as I can on my days there but I honestly can’t see myself playing there in the near future I think Portuguese football is being undermined by what happens off the pitch rather than the quality of the players and the football played by most teams but the focus is usually put on people and events that distract people and media from what really counts: the football on the pitch Do you regret leaving Benfica before having the chance to play in the Portuguese League I had great years at Benfica but when Manchester City agreed the terms of my transfer and were determined to sign me It was a good opportunity for Benfica and for myself to get to a big club in the best league of the world Benfica played a decisive role in my development and I still have great friends there Greece’s third economic programme has been relatively successful the country has been enacting most of the conditions attached to its loans It primary fiscal balance is back in surplus Both the government and its official creditors are hoping that this will allow Greece to return to private market financing after the programme ends in the second half of this year Greece will require more official debt relief The Eurogroup (2017) all but acknowledged this and suggested a number of potential debt relief measures These included early repayment of the IMF using cheaper ESM financing and maturity extensions and interest deferrals of €131 billion in loans that Greece owes to the EFSF The European Commission (2018) and IMF (2017) agree that Greece’s debt is not sustainable some of us reached the same conclusion (Zettelmeyer et al What remains controversial, however, is how much debt relief and how it should be delivered. These are the questions we address in a new report published in the CEPR Policy Insight series (Eichengreen et al Debt sustainability analysis requires assumptions regarding the path of four variables: the primary budget surplus we also need to take into account privatisation proceeds While we consider a variety of assumptions we follow the European Commission (2018) in assuming an interest rate rule based on Laubach (2009) in which private lenders charge a 3 basis-point risk premium (i.e this implies a 380 basis-point spread (Greece’s actual spread on the ten-year government bond in early March 2018 was about 355 basis points) We then run Monte Carlo simulations that take explicit account of uncertainty We consider that the debt is sustainable if the debt ratio is declining and if the gross financing needs never exceed 20% of GDP between 2019 and 2060 – the same criteria used by the Eurogroup debt is not sustainable under any of the four scenarios Part of the reason is that this requires extensive use of market finance at a time when debts and private lending spreads are still high We then analyse four options for debt relief The first is the package that the Eurogroup has put on the table while the next three explore additional ideas Even the full set of “medium-term” debt relief measures considered by the Eurogroup make the debt sustainable only under the scenarios which assume that Greece maintains a primary surplus of 2% or higher for more than 40 years Such large surpluses extended over such long periods are exceedingly rare (Eichengreen and Panizza 2016) Under somewhat less extreme but still ambitious assumptions While full application of the measures considered by the Eurogroup would not make Greece’s debt sustainable it could create a period of 15 years or more during which the country’s gross financing needs appear manageable that the decision on additional debt relief can be postponed official debts with very low interest rates would increasingly be replaced by private debts with shorter maturities and much higher interest rates increasing the cost of rollovers and gross financing needs over time Any future debt relief operation would have to either restructure these debts or accept much deeper official debt relief – in effect using public money to bail out private creditors – than would be required were action taken to make Greece’s debts sustainable today This option combines face-value debt reduction with incentives for the current and future Greek governments to achieve primary surpluses.[1] The incentives are a carrot (matching primary budget over performance with face value reduction) and a stick (a clawback rule in case of underperformance) For every euro that exceeds an agreed minimum primary surplus – for example the path that the IMF considers realistic – the creditors would provide a euro in debt relief If the maximum path is chosen realistically this would give Greece the incentives to aim for it leading to better fiscal performance than would otherwise be the case This type of conditional face-value debt relief would be consistent with EU law based on the European Court of Justice’s decision in the Pringle case the‘no bailout’clause of the Lisbon treaty should be read as allowing forms of financial assistance – regardless of the instrument used to deliver them – that are structured to improve fiscal discipline even if implemented for a limited period (for example can deliver debt sustainability under all scenarios The amount of face value relief that would be required is fairly modest partly because of the better fiscal performance it induces This option combines the full set of measures considered by the Eurogroup with continued ESM financing This improves the debt dynamics by avoiding borrowing from the private sector at a time when this is still very expensive But a very lengthy period of recourse to ESM financing would likely be required implying not just lending but also invasive conditionality over an extended period This option would also entail a large increase in total European official sector exposure to the country Our analysis suggests that even extending ESM programmes for an additional 20 years in combination with EFSF maturity extensions and interest deferrals If Greece’s creditors are unwilling or unable to commit to additional debt relief (beyond the measures already considered by the Eurogroup) in the near future Option II would offer a responsible approach to gambling for redemption It would be preferable to ending Greece’s access to official financing in 2018 it would maintain the option of additional debt relief measures in the future without the need to repay or restructure expensive private debts that would otherwise have accumulated in the meantime This option would apply the measures that the Eurogroup is considering for the EFSF – maturity extensions and interest deferrals – to a broader debt base not just EFSF loans but also the bilateral loans of the 2010 Greek Loan Facility (the bilateral loans from euro area countries extended just before the EFSF was created) Greek Loan Facility repayments are front-loaded and relatively expensive in terms of interest rates They could be restructured along four dimensions – later start and a reduction in the lending spread – without requiring face-value debt reductions be sufficient to restore the sustainability of Greece’s debt it would be necessary to combine it with either of the two other options (or both) a combination of Options II and III would suffice to restore debt sustainability But it would require a very large increase in the total exposure to Greece of the European official sector with repayments lasting until the end of this century and possibly beyond An adjustment and debt relief plan for Greece should be based on realistic assumptions It should provide Greece with clear incentives to adhere to the programme the plans sketched by the European official sector fall short of both aims We have therefore explored three ways of extending the package of medium-term debt relief that the Eurogroup has put on the table Option I is to add conditional face-value debt relief trading debt relief for long-lasting fiscal discipline Option II would substitute relatively economical ESM financing for expensive market financing Option III would apply the Eurogroup measures not just to EFSF loans but also to the bilateral loans of the 2010 Greek Loan Facility Our main result is that while all three options can contribute Options II and III together might deliver sufficient debt relief but this would come at the price of shifting the burden of repayment several generations into the future Any debt relief package for Greece that wishes to avoid this will need to include some degree of face-value debt relief Bulow, J and J Geanakoplos (2017), “Greece’s Sovereign Debt and Economic Realism” “A Surplus of Ambition: Can Europe Rely on Large Primary Surpluses to Solve its Debt Problem?” Eichengreen, B, E Avgouleas, M Poiares Maduro, U Panizza, R Portes, B Weder di Mauro, C Wyplosz and J Zettelmeyer (2018), “Independent report on the Greek official debt” ESM Stability Support Programme for Greece “New Evidence on the Interest Rate Effects of Budget Deficits and Debt” Journal of the European Economic Association 7(4): 858-885 “Does Greece Need More Official Debt Relief Peterson Institute for International Economics [1] An alternative incentive-compatible scheme has been proposed by Bulow and Geanakoplos (2017) your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt The roster of candidates bidding to join Ursula von der Leyen's next College of Commissioners is predominantly male with only five of the 17 countries that have so far nominated candidates putting forth a woman This means that only 29% of the nominees put forward so far are female - whereas in von der Leyen's previous term in office 48% were women had asked capitals to nominate two candidates — one male and one female — to give her leeway in appointing a gender-balanced College No member state has yet obeyed that demand It's an early challenge for the Commission president von der Leyen as she aims to ensure gender parity during her second term in office The College is the cabinet that steers the work of the EU's executive arm and is formed of one Commissioner representing each of the bloc's 27 member states “I want to pick the best-prepared candidates who share the European commitment I will aim for an equal share of men and women at the College table," she told the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg following her re-election in July EU governments have until 30th August to submit the names of their nominees to von der Leyen who is due to start interviewing them this week She is then expected to allocate policy portfolios to candidates in time for their appointment votes in the relevant committees of the European Parliament in September and October With von der Leyen herself elected as president and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on track to become the EU's foreign policy chief and one of the Commission's vice presidents the most prestigious roles in the executive are set to be occupied by women The four other women nominees come from Croatia The current Croatian Commissioner Dubravka Šuica has been nominated to stay on for another term Spain has put forth environment minister Teresa Ribera in a bid to secure a high-profile climate or energy portfolio while Sweden has also fielded a heavyweight in EU affairs minister Jessika Roswall Men are clearly dominating the race for the remaining Commissioner posts Of the nine member states yet to announce nominations rumoured female picks are few and far between The Danish minister for development cooperation and global climate policy is the frontrunner to be nominated by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is rumoured to be torn between two male candidates: current Commissioner Nicolas Schmit who belongs to the governing centre-right party In the remaining six countries that are undecided or keeping their choices under wraps — Belgium Lithuania and Romania — there are few female candidates tipped to be nominated Von der Leyen is the first woman to preside over the EU's executive arm and has vowed to develop a "Roadmap for Women's Rights" during her second term to close the gender pay and pensions gap tackle violence against women and reconcile care and career But her credibility as an advocate of women's rights is at stake unless she is able to strike a balance in her own team Her outgoing Commission was the most equal to date making up just a third of former President Jean-Claude Juncker's cabinet between 2014 and 2019 her demand for two nominations representing both genders is not enforceable by law meaning she relies on the goodwill of EU leaders Asked by Euronews what action von der Leyen could take a European Commission spokesperson said in a statement: "A couple of weeks ago the Commission sent the president’s letter to the member states asking them for the names of candidates for the post of Commissioner The deadline for the answer from member states is 30 August." "We will not be commenting on individual announcements by member states in this context," the spokesperson added Countries have aimed to justify flouting von der Leyen's demand for two names by saying they are selecting the best candidate for the job Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris said in July that he would only field former Finance Minister Michael McGrath despite taking gender parity "extremely seriously" Harris said Dublin "doesn’t lightly send their finance minister to Brussels," meaning the government could be reluctant to propose another female candidate to compete with heavyweight McGrath This article has been updated to include Henna Virkkunen of Finland as one of the female Commissioner nominees the only option for sanctioning an EU member that deviated from democratic norms has been the suspension of its voting rights in European institutions This process has been so slow-moving that it is rarely taken seriously A recent German proposal linking eligibility for EU funding to compliance with the rule of law provides a better way forward It would arm the bloc with a more effective tool to withstanding authoritarian assaults on democratic institutions and should be pursued European policymakers acknowledge that their response to democratic decline in Poland and Hungary has been slow. Still, they insist things are moving forward. After the European Commission called on Poland to stop undermining its judiciary, ministers from EU countries urged Poland to implement the recommendations It was the first time the state of the rule of law in an individual country was addressed by its peers. The European Parliament also recently threatened Hungary with initiating Article 7 sanctions a move toward suspending its voting rights only work if there is confidence that all members will respect the rule of law Few countries benefit from EU funding as much as Poland where EU cohesion funds represent almost 4 percent of GDP EU funds are paid out on the back of multiyear agreements There is no legal impediment to adding language in the next agreement that stipulates funds can be stopped following serious breaches of obligations on democracy Many officials believe the current funding agreement must be honored even if the government has clearly overstepped democratic red lines and argue that freezing funds can only happen with the help of Article 7 — which requires the unanimous support of all member countries The Polish and Hungarian governments have already indicated they would support each other But the argument that nothing can be done outside Article 7 is not convincing If tanks rolled out of a country’s barracks tomorrow and the military took over would the EU only act if all other 27 members agreed to do something The EU treaty can be interpreted differently. In obvious cases, such as the Polish government’s violation of its own constitution to paralyze the Constitutional Court the Commission can simply stop transferring funds by arguing that the member country is in breach of fundamental commitments made in Article 2 The Polish government would then be free to appeal the decision in the European Court of Justice to find out if its actions are consistent with its obligations on the rule of law This would not be undue interference in a member country’s domestic affairs It is in keeping with the logic of the treaty EU citizens accept being partly governed at the European level on the basis of its democratic legitimacy and that of other member countries The whole European project could crumble if the bloc is too polite to take action when one of its own starts to backslide on its democratic commitments This interpretation of the treaty is not fanciful. The EU’s existence is “predicated on respect for fundamental rights,” as former Advocate General at the European Court of Justice Miguel Poiares Maduro once argued in a case on freedom of expression A serious breach “would make it impossible for a member state to comply with many of its EU obligations.” Some EU officials try to wriggle out of commitments by saying that democracy and the rule of law are difficult to define. Yet the Commission’s directorate for enlargement is deeply involved with democracy and human rights. It assesses whether aspiring members fulfill the “Copenhagen Criteria” for accession — meaning it has made judgments on adherence to democracy rule of law and human rights for close to three decades Given that there is no lack of confidence in defining democratic standards for new members there is no excuse for there to be a blind spot when it comes to current members Michael Meyer-Resende is the executive director of Democracy Reporting International The Italian prime minister’s calculation isn’t hard to understand — her party has a comfortable lead in the polls but it’s far from an overwhelming majority Media giant needs human solutions to better detect hate speech in places such as Myanmar LISBON — When 50 masked men jogged into the training camp of Sporting Clube de Portugal throwing flares into changing rooms and beating star footballers with bars and belts the response from the club’s president was uncharacteristically restrained “This was annoying,” Bruno de Carvalho told the club’s TV channel The man often dubbed the Donald Trump of Portuguese football is renowned for more flamboyant verbiage Well I’ll tell them something … if you’re not with Sporting you’re all shitheads,” he told cheering club members in March last year That was after they’d reelected him with 86 percent support “This could be a cautionary tale … it shows Portugal that we are not a country immune to populism” — Miguel Poiares Maduro Now De Carvalho is fighting for his survival at a club mired in a crisis, which has dominated headlines in this football-obsessed land for weeks — and continues to soak up media coverage even as Portugal plays at the World Cup In a country that’s largely escaped the global surge of rabble-rousing politics De Carvalho’s rise — and possible fall — is seen as a cautionary tale on the dangers of populism Five years after he burst on the scene with a promise to make Sporting great again the club is bitterly divided and facing warnings of bankruptcy including four members of Portugal’s World Cup squad Sporting looks as far as ever from recapturing its mid-20th century glory days came through the ranks at Sporting | Tiago Petinga/EPA “This could be a cautionary tale, but it’s also a warning sign for Portugal … it shows Portugal that we are not a country immune to populism,” says Miguel Poiares Maduro a minister in the last Portuguese government and former advocate general of the European Court of Justice “Populists start out presenting themselves as representatives of the people against the elite. Then they make a claim for absolute power to fight the conspiracies of those elites. That’s exactly what we saw at Sporting,” adds Poiares Maduro, a prominent sportinguista on a mission to “restore legality” to the club after De Carvalho’s reign Critics say De Carvalho bears at least moral responsibility for last month’s attack on players by a radical group of Sporting supporters some of whom have been charged with terrorist offences He’s blamed for whipping fan fury with his criticism of underperforming players sulky kids” following a defeat to Spanish powerhouse Atlético Madrid in April Opponents hope they can oust the self-proclaimed “president-fan” at an emergency assembly open to the club’s over 160,000 members this Saturday De Carvalho shows no intention of going quietly “They provoked a violent attitude among the public toward the players” — Rodrigo Battaglia He claims he’s the victim of a plot by “traitors,” “rejects,” “rats” and “cowards” within the Sporting establishment After courts overturned his efforts to prevent the assembly taking place he’s appealing for a massive turnout of rank-and-file supporters to keep him in place he disputes the legitimacy of the vote planned against him There’s a familiar ring to De Carvalho’s rise to power for anybody following politics He fed on deep frustration among fans who for decades have watched Sporting’s arch-rivals Benfica and FC Porto establish a stranglehold on the Portuguese game Sporting won the Portuguese championship 16 times in the 42 years up to 1982 That’s despite a world-renowned youth program that has nurtured some of the game’s greatest recent talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo De Carvalho used the language of the terraces to blame ineptitude among the silver-haired grandees of Sporting’s old guard for the lack of success He mobilized his Facebook account to expound conspiracy theories that hinted at dark goings-on manipulated by the long-established leaders of Benfica and Porto Jorge Jesus failed to turn around Sporting’s fortunes | Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images De Carvalho won adulation from fans two years later when he poached coach Jorge Jesus from Lisbon rival Benfica the club Jesus had led to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles When a British newspaper highlighted the Trump comparisons last year De Carvalho replied: “I’m not blond and my wife’s better looking.” Rank-and-file support allowed De Carvalho to consolidate power altering club statutes to boost presidential control in what opponents decried as an unconstitutional power grab De Carvalho was greeted with chants of cabrão — a word meaning large male goat which is a serious insult in the Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking world — from the stadium during a game in April after he’d threatened to suspend the entire first team squad Sebastian Coates in despair after Sportling lost the Portuguese Cup final to CD Aves last month | Jose Manuel Ribeiro/AFP via Getty Images his standing has been further jolted by the departure of coach Jesus Jesus failed to turn around the team’s fortunes and this month decamped to Saudi Arabia to take up a job with Al-Hilal for a reported €7 million a year A player exodus has cost the club its star performers They claimed treatment by club leadership before during and after the physical attack gives them just cause for breaking their contracts “They provoked a violent attitude among the public toward the players,” wrote Argentine midfielder Rodrigo Battaglia one of nine players who have rescinded their contracts “We all feared for our lives,” said a resignation letter from Portugal’s goalkeeper Rui Patricio who on Monday joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League The player flight is estimated to cost Sporting well over €100 million in lost transfer fees Politicians called the violence against the players a national disgrace I’m very annoyed by the image of Portugal that’s being spread around the world,” said President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa after the attack on Sporting’s stars “We can’t have two Portugals — one with democracy and the state of law and another on the margins of legal The damage done to the image of the Portuguese game came just two years after its greatest moment: when Cristiano Ronaldo led the national team to victory at the European Championship triggering a wave of euphoria that symbolised a turnaround in the country’s mood following years of economic recession “Football is not capable of reforming itself … any real change to the system will need to be imposed from outside” — Miguel Poiares Maduro The level of outrage may mean that the De Carvalho era will soon be over “The overwhelming majority of the members of Sporting want him to go,” Poiares Maduro told POLITICO Yet De Carvalho is far from bearing sole responsibility for a deep malaise in Portuguese football Allegations swirl of financial irregularities match-fixing and other misdeeds involving all three big clubs with a number of police investigations underway De Carvalho was able to tap into frustration based on genuine concerns about establishment shenanigans Bruno de Carvalho reacts to a Sporting goal during a match against Braga | Miguel A “Political power likes football and believes it can win votes through complicity with malpractice,” Helena Garrido a leading economic commentator wrote last week in the newspaper Observador “If Benfica and Sporting are still able to carry on like this the political powers and even the judiciary.” Many are hoping the gravity of the Sporting crisis will bring a clean-up Poiares Maduro left a position as chairman of FIFA’s governance committee last year claiming football’s world body “is not prepared to accept independent supervision.” He said the problems in Portugal are symptomatic of deep-rooted problems with the global game “Portugal is just an example of the problem of the concentration of power within football,” he said Genuine improvements at a national or international level will need outside intervention “Football is not capable of reforming itself … any real change to the system will need to be imposed from outside.” How the Portuguese Socialist leader upset the odds to win a rare majority government Socialists’ poll lead narrows in runup to Sunday’s legislative vote after fifty-two years of missionary life in Timor-Leste SDB – one of the pillars of Salesian presence in Timor Leste – went to the Salesian garden For last 50 years he was 24/7 among the young people Son of Firmino Pires and Isabel Maria Lopes Municipality of Mirando do Douro and District of Bragança and Diocese of Bragança (Portugal) on February 24 He was baptized on March 2 of the same year Received the sacrament of confirmation on May 7 He went to the Terra Elementary School from 1948 to 1952 he entered the Salesian Seminary in Poiares da Régua on 3 September 1952 he moved to the Seminary of Mogofores ( 1955-1958) He attended Philosophy in Manique (1959-1963); did his apprenticeship in Macau being an assistant and teacher at Colégio Dom Bosco (1963-1966) the practical trainee Baltazar Pires made his perpetual profession in the Salesian Congregation He received diaconal ordination in Seville on June 20 He was placed in the Salesian House in Baucau (1970/1971) At the headquarters of the Mission in Baucau deacon Balthazar was a teacher in the Preparatory Cycle at the same time he was in charge of the Altar Servers and the Eucharistic Crusade he was transferred to Colégio de Fatumaca He held the position of counsellor and teacher he witnessed the events of the UDT coup and the Fretilin counter-coup he witnessed the advance of Indonesian troops towards Gariwai and Berecoli the superiors took the decision to send Deacon Baltazar Pires then counsellor and teacher at the Technical School of Fatumaca to learn the Indonesian language on the island of Java a city famous for being the seat of the Sultanate of Java After returning to “Timor Timur” he continued to work as a study counsellor and teacher at the Colegio de Fatumaca His Holiness Pope John Paul II (today is a saint) was visiting Timor Deacon Baltazar Pires was invited to serve the altar and during the Eucharistic celebration celebrated by the Pontiff During the time of the Indonesian occupation Baltazar Pires was always discreet in his words and attitudes towards the Indonesian authorities being concerned only with the education of the students He rejoiced with the Timorese people on May 20 when the independence of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste was restored In recent years he stayed at the Post-Novitiate house in Comoro Deacon Baltazar Pires was the Salesian missionary who worked in Timor during four periods of Timor-Leste's history: the period of Portuguese administration (1970-1975); the time of the Indonesian occupation (1976-1999); the period of the United Nations Transitional Administration (1999-2002); and the period of independent Timor-Leste (2002-2021) During his life he was a dedicated and self-sacrificing Salesian; a friendly counsellor and a competent teacher This faithful and prudent servant was called by his Lord to enter the Kingdom of Heaven on April 4 65 years to the day that ended Allied Forces occupation of West-Germany the German Constitutional Court declared the European Central Bank (ECB) public assets purchases program ultra vires (exceeding the competences of the ECB) This has been the cornerstone of the “whatever it takes” approach to preserve the euro set by the bank’s former president the German court took another extraordinary step It disregarded the judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that validated the ECB decisions by labelling such a decision as ultra vires too the ECJ manifestly went beyond the acceptable standards of legal interpretation The aggressive tone of the German court is unprecedented calling the ECJ reasoning incomprehensible and arbitrary two blows are being struck at the heart of European integration: its common currency and the primacy of EU law The German court does not have jurisdiction over the ECB It therefore targets its judgment at German authorities requiring them to take all possible measures to reverse the policy of the ECB and not to take any implementing acts this will mean no longer participating in the ECB program undermining its credibility and effectiveness while recognising that the new ECB Emergency Purchase Programme following the COVID-19 pandemic falls outside the scope of this judgment provided an interpretation of Article 123 in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (prohibition of monetary financing) that is incompatible with the new programme This reinforces the credibility of the challenge to the ECB policy As to the primacy of EU law and the authority of the ECJ this decision could set a precedent liable to undermine the foundations of EU law It is not the first time that constitutional courts have challenged the authority of the ECJ but never in such a way and with such potential consequences the German Constitutional Court could not have chosen a worst case to make the point that constitutional courts should play a role in overseeing the ECJ review of the boundaries of EU power The court recognises that the programme pursues monetary objectives within the competences of the ECB it claims that the ECB has not pursued them in a proportional way failing to take into account the negative economic effects of the programme But the effects mentioned are mostly those emphasised in Germany a natural consequence of the national character of national judicial proceedings The ECB or the ECJ are in a much better position to take the interests of all member states into account together with the technical expertise to which courts normally defer and the need to protect the independence of the ECB are strong arguments against a proportionality review of an ECB measure by a national court The German Constitutional Court has suspended the effect of its decision for three months giving German authorities time to obtain a new proportionality assessment by the ECB While replying to the German court directly would open the door to multiple national legal challenges the ECB can reply to requests for information from the German Federal Bank (Bundesbank) or Members of the European Parliament That may be enough for the Bundesbank to be able to claim that the ECB has met the proportionality burden demanded by the court so it can continue to participate in the ECB programme but it can lead to either disintegration or more integration the precedent of the German Constitutional Court spreads like a virus among national judiciaries Effectiveness and equality under EU law is undermined and conflicts among national interests will no longer be arbitrated by it but continue through national courts the ECB can’t reinstate its credibility on policy financial markets become fragmented and we then face an existential threat to the euro the Commission threatens Germany with an infringement action while not formally initiating it (to avoid an escalation) that they are reassured of the proportionality of the ECB actions and no actual infringement occurs only illiberal regimes such as Poland or Hungary attempt to follow up on the German’s court precedent They can relatively easily be brought “to submission” through ECJ imposed financial sanctions (as foreseen in the Treaty) and the German court’s isolation ends up reinforcing EU law and ECJ’s authority the limits set by the German Constitutional Court to Germany’s participation in debt mutualisation and fiscal transfers are used to push towards a genuine and independent fiscal and budgetary capacity for the EU something that this week’s Franco-German proposal for a €500 billion post-COVID-19 relief fund seems Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation Portugal - October 2023 - The pilgrim members of the Salesian Family who took part in the annual pilgrimage who were invited to welcome Mary as their "Teacher" just as Don Bosco did were warmly welcomed at the National Shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians of Mogofores on Saturday 21st October The event began with the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by Fr Tarcízio Morais the Provincial of the Salesian Province "St Anthony" of Portugal and Cape Verde (POR) asks us to fulfil the will of her Son in everything and that the mission of the Salesian Family consequently is to respond to the cry of young people in need before joining the procession in honour of Mary Help of Christians presided by the Provincial and joined-in by other Salesians the faithful carried not only the statue of Mary Help of Christians but also the statues of Don Bosco and Our Lady of Cana.  Arecent opinion delivered by Advocate General Poiares Maduro sheds some light on the legality or otherwise of rules which restrict the number of pharmacies that can be licensed in any one particular area Similar rules are applied locally by the authorities in the granting of licences for operating a pharmacy The issue that has been recently examined relates to whether such restrictions breach EU law and in particular the fundamental right of freedom of establishment The facts of this particular case revolved around a refusal by Spanish authorities to grant a licence to two Spanish fully qualified pharmacists to open a pharmacy Spanish law provides for a number of restrictions when it comes to the granting of licences for operating a pharmacy These restrictions refer to a limit on the number of pharmacies in an area by reference to the population of that area and a geographical restriction preventing the opening of a pharmacy within 250 metres of another pharmacy The rules also set out criteria for distinguishing between competing candidate pharmacists and award points based on the professional and teaching experience of the candidates When the matter was challenged before Spanish courts the latter made a reference to the European Court of Justice requesting guidance as to whether such rules are compatible with the principle of freedom of establishment as enshrined in the EC Treaty Advocate General Miguel Poiares Maduro opined that as a rule such restrictions are tant-amount to a restriction on the freedom of establishment and therefore as such breach Community law he also pointed out that such measures may be justified if they satisfy four conditions that they are applied in a non-discriminatory manner are justified by requirements in the general interest are suitable for attaining any objective which they pursue and are proportionate to such objective The Advocate General then proceeded to declare the Spanish rules discriminatory on the basis of the fact that the Spanish rules favoured and gave priority to those pharmacists who have practiced in a particular region of Spain the Advocate General considered that as a rule population and geographical restrictions are justified because they have the objective of protecting public health by ensuring that good pharmaceutical services are provided in all areas But since the Spanish rules were not being applied in a consistent and coherent manner Advocate General Poiares Maduro concluded that the Spanish laws were in breach of Community law because they were not suitable for attaining the objective of protecting public health Insofar as the requisite of maintaining a minimum distance between pharmacies is concerned Advocate General Poiares Maduro maintained that it is for the national court to determine whether the specific distance imposed is justified bearing in mind a number of factors such as the degree of interference with the right of establishment and the nature of the public interest invoked as well as the proportionality of the measures being applied The Advocate General's opinion is not binding and one has to await the outcome of the judgment of the European Court of Justice for a binding decision on the matter such an opinion is useful in gauging the extent to which member states can seek to impose restrictions in the granting of licences for operating a pharmacy Dr Vella Cardona is a practising lawyer and a freelance consultant in EU She is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta please register for free or log in to your account.