1. Cuba, Bolivia, El Salvador and Nicaragua continue to support Maduro.
2. Mexico, has backed Maduro’s government after Guaidó’s announcement.
3. While the Maduro administration is under heightened pressure from the Western Hemisphere, it has retained the support of Russia and China, allies who have played a crucial role in keeping the Venezuelan regime afloat through loans and other contributions.

Author: Michel Barnier, former vice president of the European Commission and French Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU chief negotiator for Brexit

Source: Chatham House

Investor Citizenship Schemes (‘golden passports')

In the EU, three Member States (Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta) currently operate schemes that grant investors the nationality of these countries under conditions which are less strict than ordinary naturalisation regimes. In these three Member States, there is no obligation of physical residence for the individual, nor a requirement of other genuine connections with the country before obtaining citizenship.

Adopted on 28th February 2018

On 28 February 2018, the Greens/EFA Group adopted, for the first time, a comprehensive Position on the future of the EU in all constitutional matters. 

Short-term: Restoring confidence and strengthening democratic legitimacy

1) Protecting the public interest by controlling the influence of the private interests

The EU-Japan Economic Agreement became effective as of 1st February 2019. It removes the vast majority of the €1 billion of duties paid annually by EU companies exporting to Japan, as well as a number of long-standing regulatory barriers, for example on car exports. It also opens up the Japanese market of 127 million consumers to key EU agricultural products and increases EU export opportunities in many other sectors.

A revision of the European Parliament’s rules of procedure, was adopted on 31 January 2019, to increase transparency obligations for meetings between elected officials and lobbies. When MEPs act as rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs or committee chairs, they will be obliged to publish their scheduled meetings with interest representatives on Parliament’s website. Other MEPs are also encouraged to publish online information on such meetings. Agendas for meetings between MEPs and interest representatives will be made public.

Source : Reporters sans frontières (RSF)

Selon le Comité pour la Protection des Journalistes, 251 journalistes ou plus sont emprisonnés dans le monde entier. En 2018, la Chine, l'Égypte et l'Arabie Saoudite ont emprisonné plus de journalistes qu’en 2017 et la Turquie est restée le pire geôlier du monde. La Turquie, la Chine et l'Égypte sont responsables de plus de la moitié des personnes emprisonnées dans le monde.

Source : Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF)

Indicateurs

1. Pluralisme : Mesure le degré de représentation des opinions dans l’espace médiatique

2. Indépendance des médias : Mesure la capacité laissée aux médias de fonctionner en toute indépendance des pouvoirs politiques, gouvernementaux, économiques et religieux

3. Environnement et autocensure : Analyse les conditions d’exercice des activités d’information

Without a bilateral agreement, the UK would be reduced to third-country status on 29 March 2019

Agreements no longer valid for the UK

The UK would need to renegotiate at least 759 treaties