Temporary posting of employees: amended obligations for foreign EU employers

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Temporary posting of employees: amended obligations for foreign EU employers

By Jan Dop.

The Terms of Employment Posted Workers in the European Union Act (WagwEU) regulates a number of obligations for EU employers who temporarily post employees to the Netherlands as part of the transnational provision of services. What do these obligations from the WagwEU entail? And what are the changes as of 30 July 2020?
 

Transnational provision of services

The WagwEU is an implementation of the revised European Posting of Workers Directive and imposes obligations on foreign employers who temporarily post employees to the Netherlands as part of the transnational provision of services. There are three types of transnational provision of services:

  • Pure posting: the making available of an employee to the service recipient under the direction and supervision of the service provider to work in another Member State as part of the agreement between the service provider and service recipient.
  • Intra-group posting: the making available of an employee of the company to a branch of the company or a company of the same group in another Member State.
  • Temporary agency work: the making available of an employee, for remuneration, by the service provider to the service recipient to perform work in another Member State under the direction and supervision of the service recipient.
     

Obligations WagWeU

The obligations under the WagwEU for foreign employers are as follows:

1. Minimum terms of employment
The foreign employer must guarantee the employee he temporarily posts abroad at least the most significant terms of employment under Dutch law (the hard core of the terms). This regards, inter alia, the minimum wages, sufficient rest periods, safe work conditions, equal treatment of men and women, and the entitlement to a minimum number of days holiday.

The revised Posting of Workers Directive will be implemented by 30 July 2020, which means that:

  • The term “salary” will be replaced by the term “remuneration”, clarifying which allowances are covered by this term.
  • The hard core of the terms (the terms and conditions of employment which service providers must at least guarantee for their posted workers) will be extended to include housing conditions and certain allowances and compensation.
  • The extended hard core of the terms is applicable to a posting of 12 months maximum, which can be extended to 18 months under certain circumstances.
  • After a posting of 12 or 18 months in the Netherlands, even more terms of employment will be applicable. As a result, the rights of the posted temporary workers are almost fully aligned with those of national temporary workers (except for dismissal law and supplementary company pension schemes).
  • Temporary employment agencies remain responsible for the application of the mandatory terms of employment with regard to the posted worker, even if the service recipient forwards the posted worker to a subsequent service recipient.

2. The obligation to provide information
If requested, the foreign employer must provide the Inspectorate SZW with data and information so the Inspectorate SZW can establish whether the posting company actually performs substantial activities to post employees in the context of cross-border provision of services and whether the posting is indeed temporarily.

3.The obligation to designate a contact person
The foreign employer must designate a contact person in the Netherlands. This contact person must be available during the posting period and must stay in the Member State to which the employee is posted. The contact person is available for sending and receiving documents and notifications regarding the service provision and acts as the contact person for the service provider, who is the contact person for the Inspectorate SZW.

4. The obligation to report
The foreign employer must report the arrival of all posted employees to an online reporting counter, that sends the reported information to the Inspectorate SZW, the Social Insurance Bank and the Tax and Customs Administrations. In any case, the following information must be reported:

  • The identity of the person reporting, the customer/principal and of the employee(s) posted to the Netherlands
  • The designated contact person
  • The sector in which the activities in the Netherlands are carried out
  • The address of the workplace
  • The nature and expected duration of the activities
  • The identity of the person responsible for salary payment
  • information regarding the country where the social contributions are paid for the employee(s)

5. The obligation to keep records
Finally, the foreign employer must ensure that certain documents (written or digital) are available at the workplace. This regards the following documents:

  • A copy of the employment contract
  • The salary slip
  • Information the employer has to provide to the employee about the essential elements of the employment contract
  • Overview of the hours worked by the employee
  • Documents proving the contribution for the social security legislation, the identity of the service provider, the service recipient, the posted employee and the person responsible for paying the wages
  • Proof of payment of wages
     

Administrative fine

If the obligation to report, to keep records and/or to provide information is not met, an administrative fine can be imposed on the foreign employer. In the event of multiple violations, a fine will be imposed per violation. However, there is room for moderation of the administrative fine, depending on the nature and seriousness of the violation, the degree of culpability and the proportionality.
 

Conclusion

There are quite a few obligations, you, as a foreign employer, have to meet if you post employees to the Netherlands. If you fail to meet the obligations, you run the risk of incurring a substantial penalty. So make sure to be well informed about the obligations!
 

More information

Do you want to know whether your posting falls within the scope of the WagwEU? Are you looking for a contact person in the Netherlands to meet the obligation to designate a contact person and the duty to report? Or do you want more information about the obligations – and the sanctions/penalties imposed thereon – you, as an employer, have under the WagwEU? Please contact us. @: jan.dop@russell.nl / +31 20 301 55 55

About the author:

Jan Dop

Jan Dop assists national and international enterprises in all facets of their day-to-day business operations. He specializes in personnel, real estate and issues involving public authorities. Jan is Head of our Embassy Desk, that serves Embassies, Consulates, diplomats and expats. He has been a lawyer at Russell since 1995, and became a partner in 2011.
 


 

Colors and passion from Uzbekistan

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Colors and passion from Uzbekistan

Diplomat Magazine’s photographer Hester Dijkstra made several trips to explore Uzbekistan, a country with a magnificent historic architecture and a rich crafts tradition. 

Following the invitation from the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Brussels, Diplomat Magazine had the opportunity to visit Uzbekistan’s 1st Handcrafters Festival in Kokand where Hester fell in love with several provinces she visited accompanied by her husband Carl. She discovered with her camera the unknown for most of us. 

Hand crafter in Kokand, Uzbekistan, Photography by Hester Dijkstra.

Please take a look at Hester Dijkstra’s work full of professional images and unforgettable pics from Uzbekistan and buy the book at esterdijkstra.nl or the website of Blurb: https://nl.blurb.com/b/9435401-uzbekistan-masters

Uzbekistan mastes by Hester Dijkstra.

Don’t avoid what is easy – diplomacy meets art

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Don’t avoid what is easy – diplomacy meets art

Harbour for Cultures – Yerevan cards

Individuals should and need to feel like they have the right to want. That is the message that artist Anastasia Lemberg-Lvova is continuously expressing through her artwork. Exemplifying socially-engaged art, Lemberg-Lvova aims to be a part of a much broader political movement which discusses important historical and modern-day social processes through creative means. 

The second-wave feminist movements from the 1960s is one example of such a powerful movement. With their infamous quote, ‘The personal is political’, authored by millions of voices of women collectively rather than one feminist author, the message that every individual has the right to a voice was heavily stressed. 

As personal experiences took center stage and the individual became a political platform during the feminist movements, crowds of individuals also gained new meanings of courageous collectivity. Ultimately, the movement gave opportunity for previously ignored and taken-for-granted personal circumstances to be framed in a bigger picture – a picture that women as minorities were often left out of.

Anastasia avatud stuudios Kogo galeriis (foto Mariia Nedosekova).

Continuing to portray the central message that movements such as the feminist strikes and many other historical crusades have fought for, Lemberg-Lvova uses her own art to focus on the younger European generation, highlighting the vast diverseness of the voices that live in Europe and sending a bold message that evidences a heterogeneity which needs to be more thoroughly discussed amongst the European community.

With her projects, she is able to recognise the ways in which the systemic infrastructures that exist around the individual leave them feeling insecure or insignificant in relation to their voice and its right to exist in public. By initiating healthy conversation and focusing on this very elemental act of daring to express one’s desires towards public space, she has created a platform that encourages individuals to learn to voice their opinions more often, ultimately leading the person to be engaged as the multiplicities of voices are amplified to lead to more diverse discussion and perhaps outcomes. 

Her exhibition, ‘Don’t Avoid What is Easy’, on show from August 14th – September 9th at the Freedom Gallery in Tallinn, Estonia, is thus the result of 2 years of research conducted mainly through interviews of younger generation individuals during her own expenditures through Europe. Although seemingly humble in its outcome as portraits, there is a strong message behind Lemberg-Lvova’s work, depicting the notion that we should feel more confident to voice our opinions about our public surroundings, Lemberg-Lvova uses art and representations to give a voice to over 100 participants from 24 European countries. 

What to maintain_ – Lemberg-Lvova 2020

By painting vibrant oil portraits of a selected 7 individuals whom she interviewed, she touches on the concept of art and its political capacity by explaining “There will be portraits of participants with a visual interpretation of their wish as the background. The experience of, as we often say, “putting a face to a name” has a profound effect and is more intuitively understood than just going through text or trying to grasp abstract ideas. Painting as a form of expression is immensely malleable and useful when getting ideas across.” The desire to initiate discussion and give it a platform within the context of a gallery means Lemberg-Lvova’s art is inherently social and public. These qualities make for an intriguing space where the audience can identify small changes that resemble the tip of a much bigger iceberg– or at least the ignition of confidence and curiosity. 

This focus on the first and easiest step sometimes being the hardest is something of great importance for Lemberg-Lvova as she explains “An inhabitant of a city logically has the right to express ideas or wishes when it comes to their surroundings – it is, after all, their home. But they are often stuck in the belief of not being able to change anything. In this instance, I am not talking about taking action or creating a plan. This is about the simplest first step that does not require anything – feeling like one is entitled to express a wish. It doesn’t have to lead anywhere; just remember that you have the right to want something. What follows is a different matter, but it is clear that nothing will happen without this first step.”

An interactive wall installation where participant answers are projected for all to see will pay homage to the importance that Lemberg-Lvova holds for communities to listen to the expressions of their surrounding civilians. She explains “From an early age, our heads are flooded with subliminal messaging and that often diminishes internal self-worth. Let me explain this from the point of view of a woman – a frame of reference I am most familiar with. As a woman one feels that unless they have perfect dazzlingly white teeth, flawless hair, a tiny waist and the right kind of shoes they are not worthy of expressing an opinion. Because if you do not fulfill all of the criteria above, no one will listen to you or even consider you worthy of attention. This is a cliché, yet it exists because it is true. It describes the reality of many women, because we are surrounded by sources reaffirming it – adverts, friends, sometimes parents or spouses, fitness centers and the list goes on. At the exhibition, I am striving to fill the space with messaging that reiterates one’s right to express their wishes whoever they are.”

Her message is clear – we should not avoid formulating our wishes in matters that concern us. Her persistence to initiate discussion and to give it a platform within the context of a gallery means her art is inherently social and public. These qualities make for an intriguing meeting space for the artist as well as her audience amongst each other.

Open Studio at Kogo Gallery, Widget Factory (Aparaaditehas), Tartu, Estonia: 08.07-01.08

Exhibition “Don’t Avoid What is Easy – Diplomacy meets art” at Vabaduse Gallery: 14.08-09.09

About the author:

Tiiu Meiner is a writer and freelance curator based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She is currently working on а performative workshop “The fragility of Truth”, and on a film project about the geo-political narratives of sand quarries.”

Valeriya Billich also contributed to this article. Photos: Mariia Nedosekova

Where do we go from here? – revisiting words of Steve Clemons

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Where do we go from here? – revisiting words of Steve Clemons

By Anna Kassai.

On 1 July 2020, the first real-time conference in Europe past the early-spring lockdown took place at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna. This highly anticipated event, entitled From the Victory Day to Corona Disarray 75 years of Europe’s Collective Security and Human Rights System Legacy of antifascism for the common pan-European future, was organized by the International Institute for the Middle East and Balkan Studies, Media Platform Modern Diplomacy, Scientific Journal European Perspectives, and Action Platform Culture for Peace. (the entire conference proceedings are available: https://www.facebook.com/DiplomaticAcademyVienna )

After the end of World War II, the United Nations was founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, build relationships among nations, promote social progress, better living standards, and human rights. The Nurnberg and Tokyo trials (1945-1948) prosecuted war crimes and contributed to the development of international criminal law as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). These laid down the foundation for the liberal international system that is based on the shared interest in maintaining rule of law, the cooperation to resolve security issues, and to maintain an open, stable system, in which institutions reinforce cooperation and collective problem-solving. 

The first panel reflected on the legacy of World War II, collective security, Human Rights, and the importance of mutual trust within alliances. Discussions emphasized the testing times that we are living in, which unwittingly remind us of the set of challenges that the international system must overcome. Challenges that will commend other solutions, while testing the integrity of the current international system. During the first panel, discussions touched upon a crucial and complex issue, which came under the spotlight due to the severe worldwide effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of international institutions as well as the transatlantic relations. 

As the health crisis started to unfold rapidly, an unprecedented macroeconomic shock was triggered. To slow the spread of the virus, national governments-imposed sanctions, lockdowns, curfews, closed educational institutions, and non-essential businesses. National borders were shut down in a matter of hours, governments started to look for unilateral solutions to solve their lack of medical and food supply, and suddenly it seemed like the globalized world and the relevance of the international organizations are fading away, as the interest to act in concert would not exist anymore. 

National crisis management aimed at containing the spread of the virus and minimize the economic damages, at the same time sent an immediate warning that the collective problem-solving mechanisms are not functioning properly. It also demonstrated how interdependent the economic, social systems are and this magnitude of crisis cannot be dealt with unilaterally within national borders. As Mr. Steve Clemons, Editor-at-large, HILL pointed out in his intervention, the course that a nation should take is more in question than it has ever been before. ‘When you look at the Transatlantic experiment, it looked like it succeeded enormously until it stopped succeeding and working.’ 

As the C-19 crisis demonstrates, the scale of transnational threats cannot be dealt with on a national level. Combatting interstate terrorism, cybercrimes, climate change, the slow pace of clean energy transition, migration, global pandemics require transnational solutions. Meanwhile, countries are putting more emphasis on strengthening their positions as a nation in the international discourse and seeking a different role by redefining themselves and embracing other core values and institutions. 

Attempts to look for alternatives and transform the existing institutional structure put in place after World War II have surged in the last decade, especially after 9/11, the financial crisis in 2008, but with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world arrived at another tipping point. As Mr. Clemons phrased it: ‘A point of diminishing return that these institutions need to be rethought, reconsidered, and recalibrated, that the power players that now guide much of the world need to be reassorted. There is no doubt that countries like Brazil, India, etc. are not included in those power centers, and yet they have enormous stakes in the way global affairs occur.’

A global power transition has been taking place for years, the question is how the shift from unipolarity will accommodate rising powers, who will be able to take the lead and fill the power vacuum that the United States leaves behind. As opposed to the rules of the liberal value-based world order, a new set of rules is being written by rising powers. Some of the political leaders turned back to ideologies like nationalism and populism, as a potential alternative to liberalism. Conflicts in recent years reinforced this tendency, like disputes between Hong Kong and mainland China, the Ukraine crisis, and Turkey`s autocratic behavior. In addition to this, the United Kingdom left the European Union and Hungary changed its raison d’état by redefining itself as an illiberal democracy. 

Even the United States is less committed to the post-war world order. Demonstrating that by leaving institutions that it helped to build, such as the World Health Organization, the Paris Climate Accord, questioning the legitimacy of NATO and certain UN institutions. Mr. Clemons stated that the United States has become a serious competitor with its allies to a certain degree and the notion of shared interest has diminished. He emphasized the different stand that the United States took in the C-19 event as oppose to its position in World War II: ‘The United States has chosen not to be the kind of leader that it has been in the past. It did not step forward in the C-19 crisis to help become a broker of strength and benefits and help support nations around the world. We may have done something here and there, but nothing on the scale.’

The set of challenges put the resistance of decade long alliances to a test. At the same time, they create the opportunity to find comprehensive solutions and more efficient problem-solving mechanisms for the future, by revitalizing and reforming institutions that are the cornerstones of long-standing regional orders, cooperation, and collective problem-solving. To stand resilient against global challenges like C-19, the transatlantic relationship must come back to its core values and redefine itself. Therefore, as a first step, it must be acknowledged what led to this harsh world without much leadership. 

The strength lies within like-minded alliances and sharing the same core values as well as in the ability to come together despite the differences and finding a common ground again. That is what happened 75 years ago, after the end of World War II, when the United Nations was founded. Let us remember that. 

Vienna, 12 July 2020 

The future of Europe depends on its neighborhood – UfM’s Nasser Kamel says

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The future of Europe depends on its neighborhood – UfM’s Nasser Kamel says

Secretary-General, Dr. Kamel addressing the Vienna Conference while honoring the 25th anniversary of the Euro-MED process.

By Guido Lanfranchi.

On July 1st, 2020, the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Dr. Nasser Kamel, participated in an international conference discussing the future of Europe. The event under the name “From Victory Day to Corona Disarray: 75 Years of Europe’s Collective Security and Human Rights System”  was held at the historic setting of the eldest world’s Diplomatic Academy, that of Vienna, Austria.

This gathering was organised by four partners; the International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), Media Platform Modern Diplomacy, European Perspectives Scientific Journal, and Action Platform Culture for Peace, with the support of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

In his highly absorbing keynote, Secretary General Dr. Nasser Kamel, described the impact of the C-19 event as only amplifying the old issues and long-standing challenges within the Euro-Mediterranean theater.

To this end, His Excellency especially focused on the economic and environmental challenges faced by the Euro-MED. He recommended that sustainability and resilience should be at the core of the post-C-19 recovery, and gave an important piece of advice to European policymakers: if Europe is to become a global power, a positive engagement with its neighborhood – both east and south – will be of paramount importance.

Hostilities and confrontation should be replaced by a decisive cooperation on the common future project. And such a project should include all EU/Europe neighbors without prejudices.   

Reflecting on the global impact of C-19, Dr. Kamel stated that the pandemic has pushed the world to a new era, and that the repercussions of this crisis will be extremely far-reaching – not least in terms of economic activity, which is set to dramatically decrease at the global level.

As for the Euro-Mediterranean more specifically, the UfM’s Secretary General noted that the region’s existing elements of fragility – most notably the high levels of inequality and the pressing climate change emergency – are set to worsen as a result of the pandemic. To counter the ensuing negative effects, Dr. Kamel advised, resilience must be built through a holistic approach that promotes at the same time an environmental, social, and economic recovery throughout the whole Euro-Mediterranean region.

Secretary General Kamel also touched upon the economic impact of the C-19 in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This impact – he noted – has been markedly uneven, as countries that were more dependent on Asian supply chains, for instance, have been hit harder and faster than others. Starting from this observation, the UfM’s Secretary General delved into the debate about the current economic model and its typical long supply chains.

While refusing frontal attacks to globalization as an outdated concept, Dr. Kamel suggested that Euro-Mediterranean countries should increase their resilience and work better to ensure the solidity of their supply chains – for instance though what he called a “proximization”, or regionalization, of these chains. On this issue –he noted– the UfM Secretariat is currently working with relevant partners, including the OECD, as to explore the potential to create regional supply chains – hoping that this could lead to tangible development gains on both shores of the Mediterranean.

Besides the oft-discussed economic issues, the Secretary General’s contribution also sought to highlight the importance of environmental considerations, which risk slipping at the bottom of the agenda in times of economic crisis.

Dr. Kamel stressed that the climate crisis is a reality that the Euro-Mediterranean region must inevitably face.

A report developed by a large group of scientists from several different countries, supported by both the UfM and the United Nations Environment Programme, has highlighted that the impact of climate change in the Euro-Mediterranean is set to be particularly significant – just to quote one statistic, the region is warming 20% faster than the rest of the world. Hence, Secretary General Kamel stressed, the region’s post-pandemic recovery must be more sustainable – more green, blue, and circular – with a focus on enhancing the resilience of societies on both shores of the Mediterranean. 

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Kamel decided to stress the interconnectedness of the Euro-Mediterranean region. The European continent is tightly linked to its neighborhood, he noted, both to the east and to the south. Hence, the future of Europe as a relevant economic, political, and geopolitical power depends on how proactive and engaging it will be with its immediate neighborhood – Dr, Kamel said. As for Europe to be prosperous, its neighborhood should be resilient, mindful of the environment, and more economically integrated. At the UfM – Secretary-General assured audience – that is the aim that everyone is hoping, and working, for. 

In order to make the gathering more meaningful, the four implementing partners along with many participants have decided to turn this event – a July conference into a lasting process. Named – Vienna Process: Common Future – One Europe, this initiative was largely welcomed as the right foundational step towards a longer-term projection that seeks to establish a permanent forum of periodic gatherings as a space for reflection on the common future by guarding the fundamentals of our European past.

As stated in the closing statement: “past the Brexit the EU Europe becomes smaller and more fragile, while the non-EU Europe grows more detached and disenfranchised”. The prone wish of the organisers and participants is to reverse that trend.   

To this end, the partners are already announced preparing the follow up event in Geneva for early October (to honour the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco Conference). Similar call for a conference comes from Barcelona, Spain which was a birthplace of the EU’s Barcelona Process on detrimental; the strategic Euro-MED dialogue.

About the author:

Guido Lanfranchi

Guido Lanfranchi is an international affairs specialist based in Den Haag.

He studied at the Dutch Leiden University and Sciences Po Paris, and working with the Council of the European Union in Brussels. His research focuses on the EU, Euro-MED and Africa.

Ennio Morricone – The Maestro of Our Times

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Ennio Morricone – The Maestro of Our Times

By Dario Poli.

Ennio Morricone, Grande Ufficiale OMRI (born November 10, 1928) is an Italian composer and conductor who died on the 6th July 2020 aged 91.

The greatest, most original composer and creative musician of this century, by passing other talented musicians by miles in musical originally and innovation..We will never see his like again, as it’s impossible. I am so sad to feel his passing, but blessed to be living as his genius was flowing out to all of us…

Ennio Morricone is the musician of our times, who has inspired me emotionally and technically more than any other, (excluding the great established classical composers of the past) from the first time I heard his arrangement ( ahead of its time) of a simple love song “Sapore di Sale,” written and sung by Gino Paoli. I was sixteen years of age at that time and being overwhelmed by the musical arrangement I enquired who was the arranger. After I found out, and with my limited pocket money, I bought every single song I could find with the name E. Morricone on it. Even in those young years,I felt that this E. Morricone was more than special; I felt a genius not yet discovered.

I was often ridiculed by my peers, for my open endorsement of this unheard of Italian musician that the world hardly knew and unknown even in Hollywood. But I remained certain of his unique talents and years later, my instincts proved to be correct and I was vindicated!

Today, he is considered one of the most prolific and influential film composers of his era. Morricone has composed and arranged scores for countless film and TV productions. He is well-known for his long-term collaborations with international acclaimed directors such as Sergio Leone, Brian De Palma, Barry Levinson, and Giuseppe Tornatore.

He wrote the characteristic film scores of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West(1968). In the 80s, Morricone composed the scores for John Carpenter’s horror movie The Thing (1982), Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Roland Joffé’s The Mission(1986), Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables(1987) and Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (1988). His more recent compositions include the scores for Oliver Stone’s U Turn(1997), Tornatore’s The Legend of 1900 (1998) and Malèna(2000), De Palma’s Mission to Mars(2000), Lajos Koltai’s Fateless (2005), and Tornatore’s Baaria – La porta del Vento (2009).

Two of my personal favourites recordings of Ennio’s, remain his brilliant arrangements and recordings which he made with the French singing star Mireille Matthieu recorded in the 1970’s, and his musical score of Nove Cento (1900) for the film of that name; a truly inspirational work.

Morricone has won two Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, five Anthony Asquith Awards for Film Music by BAFTA in 1979–1992 and the Polar Music Prize in 2010. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score during 1979–2001. He received the Academy Honorary Award in 2007 “for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music”.

Ennio was born in Rome, the son Mario and Libera Morricone, a jazz trumpeter. Morricone wrote his first compositions when he was six years old and was encouraged to develop these natural talents. he was forced to take up the trumpet, he had first gone to the National Academy of Santa Ceciliato take lessons on the instrument at the age of nine.Morricone formally entered the conservatory in 1940 at the age of 12.

He studied the trumpet, composition, choral music, and choral direction under Goffredo Petrassi, who deeply influenced him and to whom Morricone has dedicated concert pieces. These were the difficult years of World War II in the heavily bombed “open city”; the suffering of the people and his feelings of constant hunger, was part of his wartime experiences that influenced many of his scores for films set in that period.

 Morricone has worked for television, from a single title piece to variety shows and documentaries to TV series, including the US TV Western The Virginian (1971), Moses (1974) and Marco Polo (1982). One notable composition, “Chi Mai” was used in the films, Maddalena (1971)[15] and Le Professionnel (1981) as well as the TV series The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981).  He wrote the score for the Mafia television series La piovra , including the themes “Droga e sangue” (“Drugs and Blood”), “La morale”, and “L’immorale.

Morricone worked as the conductor of seasons 3 to 5 of the series. He also worked as the music supervisor for the television project La bibbia (“The Bible”).

In the late 1990s, he collaborated with his son, Andrea, on the Ultimo crime dramas. Their collaboration yielded the BAFTA-winningNuovo cinema Paradiso. In 2003, Ennio Morricone scored another epic, for Japanese television, called Musashi and was the Taiga drama about Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s legendary warrior. A part of his “applied music” is now applied to Italian television films.

There is much more that can be written about this great composer and to this very day I remain his most fervent and devoted fan and I thank heaven, that we were able to live at this time to be fortunate to listen to his music and be part of this composers unequalled creative experience.

International Prizes and Awards for music accorded to Ennio Morricone!

  • 1965 — Nastro d’Argento for A Fistful of Dollars
    1967 — Diapason d’Or
    1969 — Premio Spoleto Cinema
    1970 — Nastro d’argento for Metti una sera a cena
    1971 — Nastro d’argento for Sacco e Vanzetti
    1972 — Cork Film International for La califfa
    1979 — Oscar Nomination for Days of Heaven
    1979 — Premio Vittorio de Sica
    1981 — Premio della critica discografica for Il prato
    1984 — Premio Zurlini
    1985 — Nastro d’argento and BAFTA for Once Upon A Time In America
    1986 — Oscar Nomination, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for The Mission
    1986 — Premio Vittorio de Sica
    1988 — Nastro d’argento, BAFTA, Grammy Award and Oscar Nomination for The Untouchables
    1988 — David di Donatello for Gli occhiali d’oro
    1989 — David di Donatello for Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
    1989 — Ninth Annual Ace Winner for Il giorno prima
    1989 — Pardo d’Oro alla carriera (Locarno Film Festival)
    1990 — BAFTA, Prix Fondation Sacem del XLIII Cannes Film Festival and David di Donatello for Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
    1991 — David di Donatello for Stanno tutti bene
    1992 — Oscar Nomination for Bugsy
    1992 — Pentagramma d’oro
    1992 — Premio Michelangelo
    1992 — Grolla d’oro alla carriera (Saint Vincent)
    1993 — David di Donatello and Efebo d’Argento for Jonas che visse nella balena
    1993 — Globo d’oro Stampa estera in Italia
    1993 — Gran Premio SACEM audiovisivi
    1994 — ASCAP Golden Soundtrack award (Los Angeles)
    1995 — Premio Rota
    1995 — Leone d’Oro Honorary award (Venice Film Festival)
    1996 — Premio Cappelli
    1996 — Premio Accademia di Santa Cecilia
    1997 — Premio Flaiano
    1998 — Columbus Prize
    1999 — Erich Wolfgang Korngold Internationaler Preis für Film
    1999 — Exsquibbidles Film Academy lifetime achievement award
    2000 — Golden Globe Award for The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    2000 — David di Donatello for Canone inverso
    2000 — Oscar nomination for Malèna
    2002 — Honorary Degree by the “Seconda Università” of Rome
    2003 — Golden Eagle Award for 72 Meters
    2003 — Honorary Senator of the Filmscoring Class of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
    2006 — Grand Officer award from President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
    2007 — Honorary Academy Award for career achievement
    2007 — The Film & TV Music Award for Lifetime Achievement
    2008 — Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental, performed by Bruce Springsteen
    2008 — Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor
    2009 — Medal of Merits for Macedonia[25]
    2009 — America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation
    2010 — Polar Music Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of the Arts

Sustainable Industrial Transformation for a healthier future in Indonesia

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Sustainable Industrial Transformation for a healthier future in Indonesia

By Dr. Wolfram Kalt.

Since early 2020, Covid19 has changed the world in a way we could never have imagined. 

With millions of people infected and hundreds of thousands of deaths, attention is focused on a way out of the current crisis that is still severely affecting private life and global economy. The focus is on finding a cure and better restoring the economy. 

Maybe more green and more human ..?

Long before WHO has informed us about the airborne spread of the virus (1), it became clear that people living in certain limited conditions could be significantly more susceptible to the disease (2,3), and as the COVID19 crisis continued, ‘fatal inequalities’ became increasingly apparent (4).

Poor communities, coloured or indigenous peoples not only suffer from inadequate health services and pre-existing diseases that increase their exposure to the virus, but often also live in places that are polluted by the environment.

Air pollution from various sources such as traffic, local burns and forest fires, but also from industry, affects the health of people living next to emission epicentres and more and more all of us. Globally it kills an estimated 7 million people a year and, according to WHO, 9 out of 10 people breathe air with high levels of pollutants (5), making us vulnerable to attackers like COVID19, which specifically target the weakened immune system and lungs (6).

The global fight against air pollution requires a special focus in low and middle income countries, where health systems are often underdeveloped and the catch up in economic growth is taking its toll.

While many of these countries have guidelines along with international commitments to reduce key sources of air pollution, they often lack implementation and necessary clean investment.

If we take the example of Indonesia, which today has the world’s fourth largest population with 273 million people, we can see a developed Asian nation, a G20 member with very respectable economic growth ahead of Covid19.

The success story of the resource-rich country is partly due to massive investments in the production industry. Many investments are foreign investments from China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Europe and other parts of the world. It is a traditional heavy industry or basic consumer goods industry that feeds the strong domestic growth engine.

The technologies used are not always state of the art. Some investors build industrial workbenches for their products with little investment based on old or specially “adapted technologies”.

While the government has difficulty in improving and regulating emissions from its huge industrial sectors, it is also considered part of its own industrial emissions problems because it emphasizes the role of fossil, and particularly of coal for power production. This type of emission-intensive generation is expected to grow disproportionately in their power capacity addition plans until 2025 while only part of the space is available for renewable energies that use the country’s hydro and geothermal resources, there are currently enormous opportunities for solar and wind power left far behind (7, 8).

A green recovery for Indonesia could change the situation. It will take industrial transformation expertise and collective will to develop a healthy “win-win” strategy to cut emissions, create green jobs, and further promote the young nation’s economic growth based on a  stepwise transition to a low carbon economy.

The benefits of such an industrial transformation are obvious, since a sustainable industrial strategy that focuses on clean technologies, circular economy and renewable energies will promote Indonesia’s long-term competitiveness. 

It will make Indonesia a solid partner in fulfilling international obligations such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, bring in new green investments and reduce the burden on its own Health care system by reducing diseases caused by air pollution.. 

and ..

it will give the weakest among us a better chance of a good and healthy life.

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About the author:

Dr. Wolfram Kalt, Expert for Industrial Transformation

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Literature:

 (1) https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations

(2) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/the-deadly-link-between-covid-19-and-air-pollution/

(3) https://e360.yale.edu/features/connecting-the-dots-between-environmental-injustice-and-the-coronavirus

(4) https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/04/10/covid-19-health-care-inequalities/

(5) https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution#tab=tab_1

(6) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health

(7) https://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin2/Partnerpublikationen/2019/2019-03-07-SPM_Roadmap_for_Indonesia_Power_Sector.pdf

(8) https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/20/ri-s-clean-energy-program-faces-setback.html

UAE – a thriving global trade hub and a land of opportunities

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UAE – a thriving global trade hub and a land of opportunities

By His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade

In just a few short months, the outbreak of COVID-19 and its disruption of the flow of trade between countries has hit world economies hard, bringing various sectors to a near standstill across the globe. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), estimated an 18.5% decline in merchandise trade in the second quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period last year 

At this time, preparedness, resilience, and adaptability have gained paramount importance in the global trade space. Countries must exhibit these qualities to recover, perhaps slowly but steadily, from the implications of the pandemic.

The UAE’s dynamic, robust business environment has served the country well during these trying times. As one of the most attractive global investment destinations and the third-largest re-export hub in the world, the UAE has taken prompt and effective measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on its trading sector. These include allocating a US$77 billion economic stimulus package by the government, in addition to a significant reduction in the cost of doing business, and the adoption of an extensive relief scheme by the banking sector to help borrowers facing cashflow shortage. 

As another notable step, the Ministry of Economy has set up an interactive online platform dedicated to assisting the business community in dealing with the impact of COVID-19. Apart from providing more clarity on the preventive and control measures that companies must follow to continue operating either from their offices or remotely, the platform presents a set of proposals and guidelines in accordance with best business practices.

We also recognized the utmost significance of a sustained trade flow in ensuring the availability of food and medical supplies and other essentials in the region. Despite movement restrictions, we maintained uninterrupted operations of logistical networks and air, land, and sea freight operations, in addition to capitalizing on the potential of the UAE’s leading logistics and port management companies that are located in more than 70 countries. 

It has now become abundantly clear that the global economy will require a major overhaul to meet the needs of the post-COVID-19 world. Therefore, our strategies to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic are not just limited to offering assistance to affected sectors. We have placed an equal emphasis on proactive efforts to enhance the ability of vital sectors to cope with similar circumstances in the future, thereby making them more resilient. We are also focusing on new approaches and exploring ways to turn current challenges into opportunities that can drive sustainable future economic growth. These include digital transformation of most activities, promotion of skills needed for future jobs, and the integration of technology at every stage of production, which we believe is necessary to ensure business continuity under any circumstances.

Most recently, our government has launched the Fifty Economic Plan. It consists of 33 initiatives that are currently being implemented, with an aim to drive the fastest economic recovery in the world, and establish the country’s economy as the most stable and diversified in the long term.

The UAE’s resilience comes as no surprise. The country has long demonstrated a steadfast commitment to creating a competitive, attractive investment environment, backed by enabling legislation, low taxes, and state-of-the art infrastructure. 

Last year witnessed a significant step forward in this regard with the issuance of the Foreign Direct Investment Law and the implementation of the first Positive List that enables to 100 per cent foreign ownership in 122 selected economic activities. In addition, the country is among the 54 economies that have introduced at least 107 measures to promote, facilitate, and attract FDI to their markets.

As a result, the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade increased to US$464.3 billion in 2019, recording a 4.8 per cent growth compared to 2018.

In terms of global competitiveness in attracting FDI, the country assumes 24th position globally and first in Western Asia in 2019, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD’s) World Investment Report 2020. In 2019, the FDI inflow to the UAE amounted to US$13.8 billion, while the cumulative inward FDI and outward FDI reached US$154.1 billion and US$155.4 billion respectively. On the other hand, the total Emirati direct flows investments in foreign markets amounted to US$15.9 billion last year.

These figures only testify to the country’s strong focus on making inroads into new markets and attracting foreign investments. 

In addition to effectively leveraging its G20 membership, the UAE, along with several other world countries, supported international endeavours to strengthen the multilateral trading system through its endorsement of the Joint Ministerial Statement, an initiative by New Zealand and Singapore that aims to ensure supply chain connectivity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Solid bilateral and multilateral trade partnerships are instrumental to revitalizing world economies. With its wealth of investment opportunities and a safe, stable, and – most importantly – resilient business environment that is conducive to growth, the UAE is uniquely and distinctly positioned to become a leading partner in global economic recovery.

For further information 
Ministry of Economy, UAE: https://www.economy.gov.ae/English/ministry/pages/minister-of-state-for-foreign-trade.aspx

Russia’s strategic news in the Arctic

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Russia’s strategic news in the Arctic

By Domenico Letizia.

Among Russia’s strategic choices in the formulation of its Arctic policies, there is a willingness to become a regional leader in the production and the storage of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), circumventing the sanctions imposed by the United States and controlling the tanks that sail from Asia to Rotterdam crossing through the Nordic route. With this in mind, it is worrying to observe Russia’s military expansion in the region, with its fleet of vessels and submarines allotted by the Kremlin to the Arctic region. This fleet is today at its peak since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Delving into this issue, it should be recalled that Novatek’s Yamal Lng is Russia’s biggest LNG producer and that in 2018 it has already carried over 7 million tons of LNG for the European and Norwegian markets. At the end of June 2017, in the waters of the Kola Bay, a Gazprom subsidiary started drilling operations, using a Chinese fabrication platform able to explore at a depth of up to 1400 meters. Moreover, still in the Kola waters, “ArcticToday” media reported that in 2019 the Russian federal government plans to spend 965 million euros to build a major arctic terminal for LNG storage and recharge.

The project has been approved in April 2019 from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedv. According to the documents, the project should be ready in 2023 and it entails the construction of two floating storage facilities and a dock with all necessary coastal infrastructure. It should be noted that the announcement by the Russian institutions comes a few weeks after the approval of a similar project on the country’s Pacific coast, in Bechevinka, in the Kamchatka peninsula. The facilities will be useful not only for Novatek, but also for the formulation of new LNG-linked projects in the Arctic region.

Moreover, a second project, the Arctic LNG 2, is currently in its development phase and it is set to supply 18.9 million tons of material per year. The government’s documents do not clearly state where the new terminal will be built in the Kora peninsula, but Novatek has stated that it will be close to Ura Guba. The area hosts one of the most important naval bases of Russia’s Northern Fleet. Ura Guba is about 50 kilometers north-west of Murmansk. It has a deep fjord and throughout the whole year there is no ice, a feature that makes it one of the most important areas for navigation and the port logistics of the Kola peninsula.

In the local naval base there are different nuclear-propelled submarines, including the “Sierra II” and the “Victor III”. The construction of the new terminals will allow Novatek to reduce the transport costs of LNG. The tankers “Arc7”, set up as icebreakers and currently operating between Sabetta and Yamal, are very costly and the aim is to allow access also to normal tankers. With the construction of transshipment hubs, the “Arc7” tankers will be used in other areas and common tankers will collect the natural gas, sailing to reach Europe and serve the customers there. 

Since the end of 2018, Novatek has been busy with supplying LNG in the Norwegian fjord of Sarnes. With the new projects, the transfer operations will happen in Russian waters and this idea has been confirmed by Novatek’s administration through the declarations of Leonid Mikhlson. As Russia looks for partners operating outside of the scope of the EU and US sanctions but still able to deploy the same technological capacities, a common interest has developed between Russia and China, resulting in the start of a specific cooperation with Beijing aimed at the utilization of the Polar areas. 

In 2016, Russia’s Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency and China Oilfield Services Limited signed a cooperation agreement, according to which they are set to collaborate in the long term in the field of seismic surveillance at sea, both in Russia and abroad. The Arctic is becoming increasingly interesting both for the Russian Federation and for the emerging Chinese power, with new alliances that might even change the geopolitical scenario in the immediate future. 

Published for Opinione.it: http://www.opinione.it/economia/2019/05/02/domenico-letizia_russia-artico-gas-liquido-sanzioni-usa-yamal-lng-novatek-gazprom-dmitry-medvedev/

About the author:

Domenico Letizia Journalist. Radio speaker of “RadioAtene”. Researcher, publicist and social media manager of the “Water Museum of Venice”, member of the UNESCO World Network of Water Museums. Public relations manager of the Mediterranean Academy of Culture, Technology and Trade of Malta. Expert in geopolitics, green, blue economy, digital and agri-food.

Throwback to a powerful and timely HR message addressed to the citizens of the world

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Throwback to a powerful and timely HR message addressed to the citizens of the world

In the picture Professor Manfred Nowak.

By Nora Wolf.

We are on the 1st of July 2020; post-first wave of coronavirus across the globe, and already Vienna is holding a 3-panelled diplomatic forum with over 20 guest speakers. In fact, neither reflections on human rights enhancement, nor those on the current trends in international diplomacy were ever in lockdown. On the contrary, it would appear that the COVID pandemic has allowed for some important realisations amongst scholars, thus rendering this period prolific in that respect – despite an overwhelming tendency to blend everything with our sterile economies.

What is more, Manfred Nowak, Human Rights Professor at the University of Vienna, illustrates perfectly this last point through the inspirational speech he delivered for the first panel of this July conference.

Kicking it off by a comprehensive historical overview of the political, economic, legal and social turns of the global order since the coming out of WWII, Nowak provides us with a valuable perspective as to what milestones were achieved over the years, but also as to how we got to today in terms of contemporary challenges.

The aftermath of WWII and its atrocities is marked by the birth of the UN and a deep desire on the part of the international community to eradicate fascism and condemn wars, enhance living condition standards and promote equality as well as human dignity. In this context, cooperation between States and transnational institutions flourish, human rights are consecrated through numerous texts, and the very first international criminal trials are taking place.

As the 90s come about, in parallel to the expanding radiance of human rights coupled with that of international justice and ground-breaking peacekeeping actions, it is also – and especially – the time for infectious neoliberal endorsement. And whilst the new economic orientation induced stupendous growth and precious prosperity opportunity for the BRICS countries typically, it also designed a new landscape for the international order. Driven by big transnational corporations, technological advancement, financial markets coupled with deregulation and privatization processes, other democratic aspirations such as the interdependence and indivisibility of human rights for all were soon somewhat pushed to the side-lines.

Yet, this transition is crucial since the first ‘victim’ sacrificed at the hands of a free-market economy – and its gatekeeper institutions – was none other than social welfare. We should also note that the consequent undermining of social, economic and cultural rights, as well as that of civil and political rights to an extent, is not without link to the proliferation of armed conflicts in the last decades. The weakening of States phenomenon forms an important nexus with the loss of legitimacy, trust from the people and an increased general climate of insecurity making those States prone to cycles of violence.

When bringing together those facts and the current threat our entire kind is facing, namely the collapse of our environment entailing climate migration, exhaustion of resources and endangering of our specie (to which neoliberal politics contributed to), the picture emerging is simply overwhelmingly frightening. And if the 2008 economic crash didn’t tip off and alert the public vividly enough, perhaps the on-going sanitary crisis will serve as a much needed wake-up call.

From this experience, what we have learnt so far is that in the face of a health threat, too many States – or rather their internal governance – are not equipped to respond adequately whilst the cult of consumption and the race to profit are off sided. What we have learnt so far, is that the countries who decided to cut down on public health and security have struggled the most. What we have learnt so far, is that free markets cannot do anything in such event, but State intervention and control through informed and swift decision-making can. What we have learnt so far, is that strengthened cooperation is crucial in a world where many nations depend on specific delocalized industries. But what we have also learnt so far, is that it is possible to live differently and individually adopt ethical responsible conducts, thereby adapting to new priorities to safeguard our planet as well as our future generations.

Nowark’s verdict is clear, and his proposal in line with what the experts are foreseeing: neoliberal policies are no longer adapted to our reality and therefore they should make way for social market economy models, reflecting matching and relevant values. Those would be solidarity, equality and responsibility above all. What is more, international institutions and organisations need to facilitate that transition and use their influence and resources to become key-players in the making of this new order built on mutual trust and empowered political organs. We – the world – need(s) them mobilised in this movement of uniting nations in the pursuance of a pan-European social welfare sustainable society.

I, for one, cannot help but feel hopeful that this message will resonate with all like it did with me.

About the Author:

Nora Wolf

Nora Wolf, of Kingston University and of University of Geneva is an International Politics & Economics specialist.

Her expertise includes Human Rights, Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law in an inter-disciplinary fashion for the EU and the UN-related thinktanks and FORAs.

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