Portuguese and Spanish judicial authorities, along with the Portuguese Judicial Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil, joined forces to dismantle an international criminal network specialised in trafficking in human beings (THB) in Spain. The criminal network, which was active in the Spanish province of Segovia, forced people into labour in agricultural fields. Eurojust contributed to the successful outcome by coordinating the actions of the national judicial and law enforcement authorities.
The Portuguese Criminal Investigation Department of Coimbra (Departamento de investigação e ação penal de Coimbra) initiated and organised the investigation. Eurojust facilitated the investigation by coordinating and supporting the Spanish and Portuguese national authorities.During the operation, the authorities performed nine searches of private residences in Spain and Portugal and seized a large amount of documents, including records of the trafficked people and of their current work situation, as well as material on the organisation of the criminal network. Two firearms were also confiscated.Following the searches, five people were detained and another three members of the criminal network were identified. Further, four people were arrested in Spain and one in Portugal.The operation resulted in the release of ten victims of the criminal network, four in Spain and six in Portugal.
For the first time Diplomat Magazine and the Diplomatic Council shall present the Global Public Diplomacy Award, in Frankfurt. The award constitute a recognition of the efforts of heads of diplomatic missions and other dignitaries to promote strategic diplomatic engagement vis-à-vis state as well as non-state actors.
The Public Diplomacy Award will recognise both top diplomats and other members of the international community; in charge of the selection of the laureates are a group of members of the diplomatic corps and academia.
The award consists of state-of-the-art hand-made prism with the crafted name of the recipient. He or she becomes an honourable member of the Diplomatic Council. The Diplomat Magazine and the Diplomatic Council will promote the accolade on the international stage.
The Global Public Diplomacy Award will be launched during a festive gala in Frankfurt on February first. It will presented by H.E. Buddhi Athauda, Ambassador of Sri Lanka, Founder of the Diplomatic Council and Dr. Heinrich Kreft, Ambassador of Germany, President of the Council, Hang Nguyen, Secretary General Diplomatic Council and Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Publisher Diplomat Magazine.
Created in The Hague, presented to the world
Diplomat Magazine (www.diplomatmagazine.eu) is Europe’s leading diplomatic magazine. The Public Diplomacy Award was created by the Diplomat Magazine and first launched in the presence of ambassadors and noted international relations researchers on 24 June 2016 in The Hague, The Netherlands. The inaugural award was bestowed upon H.E. Gabriel Edgardo Aguilera, Ambassador of Guatemala, in a ceremony at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel located in The Hague.
In February 2018, the Global Public Diplomacy Award was launched in Canada together with the University of Ottawa, it was presented to several ambassadors and academics who exceptionally promoted their country reaching the Canadian public.
REGISTRATION DIPLOMATIC COUNCIL GALA FRANKFURT 2019
Monday, 22 October 2018, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Austrian head of mission to Germany, Dr. Peter Huber, paid a courtesy visit to Hamburg’s First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher after his accreditation to Germany on 15 December 2017. Ambassador Dr. Peter Huber previously had served as Austria’s top envoy to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra(non-resident).
Dr. Huber is a jurist holding a PhD from the University of Innsbruck. The visitfocused on bilateral relations with Austria as well as the then Austrian presidency of the European Council.
For further information:
https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oeb-berlin/ueber-uns/der-botschafter/
Thursday, 13 December 2018, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: HE Ambassador Per Thöresson (Kingdom of Sweden to the Federal Republic of Germany) paid his first official courtesy visit to the First Mayor of Hamburg, the Social Democrat Dr. Peter Tschentscher after being accredited to Germany on 9 March 2017.
In addition to the outstanding economic relations between Sweden and Hamburg, the both states look back to a rich common history due to the fact that various Swedish cities once belonged to the Hanseatic Union.
President Macron and Chancellor Dr. Merkel – Picture by European Union
Paris/Berlin – French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel are due to sign a new cooperation treaty on 22 January to further strengthen Franco-German collaborations in the run-up to next year´s EU elections.
The two leaders, both of whom have been enfeebled in domestic politics, shall meet in the city of Aachen to ink an accord “which will strengthen the already close ties between Germany and France” according to a statement by the Élysée Palace.
Merkel´s spokesman Steffen Seibert said the eurozone´s two biggest economies “want to move ahead to ensure the security and wellbeing of citizens as well as a strong, sovereign and democratic Europe.”
The treaty will cover joint projects in the areas of defence, climate change and security as well as the sensitive issue of “economic and social convergence”, the French presidency statement said.
Most prominent in the treaty is the Franco-German stratagem to pursue a permanent seat for Germany at the UN Security Council, rather than sharing one as previously examined by both countries.
OPCW Statement on Allegation of Chemical Weapons Use in Aleppo, Syria on 24 November, 2018
The Hague, Netherlands — 8 January 2019 — On 24 November 2018, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) received information pertaining to an allegation of chemical weapons use in Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic, and began monitoring the situation. The Director-General of the OPCW, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, informed OPCW Member States of the allegation and invited all parties that may have information to share it with the OPCW Technical Secretariat.
In early December, an advanced team was deployed to Syria to collect further information. Since then, consultations with the Syrian authorities have been on-going. The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) deployed in early January to further establish facts regarding the allegation. The FFM continues to independently collect and analyse information and will report its findings to States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. All measures continue to be taken to ensure the safety and security of OPCW experts and personnel involved.
H.E. Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in Germany, is the laureate of the Global Public Diplomacy Award bestowed upon jointly by Diplomatic Council and Diplomat Magazine. The award shall be presented at the council’s Diplomatic Gala on 1st February in Frankfurt am Main
The Hague/Frankfurt am Main/Berlin, January 12, 2019 – The Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman, is the recipient of the Global Public Diplomacy Award presented by Diplomat Magazine and Diplomatic Council. The award constitutes a recognition of his outstanding efforts to promote strategic diplomatic engagement vis-à-vis state as well as non-state actors. It will be ceremoniously handed over to him at the festive Diplomatic Council Gala which takes place on 1st February in Frankfurt, Germany.
Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman was accredited as the ambassador of Croatia to Germany in 2017. Ever since he has been undertaking outstanding efforts in strengthening the German-Croatian economic, cultural and political relations. In his function as the ambassador he especially places emphasis on the role of Croatia within the European Union; Croatia became a EU member in July 2013. Croatia is a paradigm, and proves how a relatively new EU member state can contribute to a state community in a very positive way by sharing and strongly promoting the fundamental values of the EU.
Dr. Annette Tabbara, Hamburg’s State Secretary for the European Union and Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman – Picture by Hamburg Staatskanszlei..
Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman came to Germany after his graduation from the Institut für Kaderschule (lfKS) manager school in Bern, Switzerland. In the 1990s, he was pivotal in setting up the Croatian diplomatic and consular missions in Bern, Geneva and Zurich. He further gathered experience at the Croatian diplomatic missions in Sofia and Budapest before being appointed head of mission to Germany in October 2017. Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman is a true European as his language skills prove it: he masters, in addition to his native Croatian, German, English, Bulgarian and Hungarian.
Furthermore, ambassador Grlić Radman serves as President of the Danube Commission (http://www.danubecommission.org/dc/en/) ith a sit in Budapest. His mande began in June 2017 and shall expire in June 2020.
Ambassador Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman, Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Major General Damir Krstičević and Baron Henri Estramant, Diplomat Magazine’s Diplomatic Advisor.
The Global Public Diplomacy Award will be presented to H.E. Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman by the council’s Founder, H.E. Buddhi Athauda, Ambassador of Sri Lanka (currently in France), DC President Dr. Heinrich Kreft, Ambassador of Germany (currently in Luxembourg), as well as Hang Nguyen, DC Secretary General and Dr Mayelinne De Lara, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher. The award consists of a state-of-the-art hand-made prism with the crafted name of the recipient. The winner becomes an honourable member of the Diplomatic Council.
Diplomat Magazine (www.diplomatmagazine.eu) is Europe’s leading diplomatic magazine. The Diplomatic Council (www.diplomatic-council.org) is a global think tank that enjoys consultative status at the United Nations.
Diplomat Magazine has been the very first diplomatic magazine in The Netherlands’ history, launched by members of the diplomatic corps resident at The Hague in 2013. Since then it has grown to cover the entire Benelux region and Germany. Nowadays is the fastest growing publication of its kind in the European Union and a top international diplomatic event organiser. Diplomat Magazine is now going global following a strategic cooperation with the Diplomatic Council and an agreement with Dow Jones that will see more than one and a half million people have direct access to its content and archives. Members of the Diplomatic Council are invited to join the events regularly organised by the Diplomat Magazine.
The Diplomatic Council is a unique organisation with consultative status to the United Nations combining a global think tank, a world-leading business network and a charitable foundation. We link diplomacy, business leaders, science’s leading minds and society’s front-runners on resolving mankind’s biggest challenges. All our members firmly believe that a thriving economy bringing prosperity to mankind is one of the best guarantors of peace. Our members gain access to a global network of leaders from the highest levels of diplomacy, business and social change.
CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös – Picture by Rolls Royce Motor Cars Ltd.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recorded its highest sales in 2018, as opulent US clients buoyed by US tax cuts splashed out on the luxury brand.
The BMW-owned luxury nameplate posted annual sales of 4,107, a rise of 22 per cent, after the introduction of its flagship Phantom vehicle and the launch of its first sport utility vehicle, the Cullinan. Its highest-selling model was the Ghost. Ultra-wealthy buyers in the US, spurred by tax cuts, helped its North American sales to reach record levels, accounting for a third of sales.
The UK also had a record year in 2018, accounting for 10 per cent of sales, in spite of a decline in the overall car market, while every other region for Rolls-Royce experienced growth. Rolls-Royce sales in China rose by 40 per cent last year, in spite of a slowdown across the wider luxury sector. About 20 per cent of the company’s business is in China, with 20 per cent in Europe, with the rest split between the Middle East and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
Rolls-Royce hand-builds all of its cars at Goodwood on the English coast, and imports 92 per cent of its parts from overseas, leaving the company facing the potential for significant cost increases following Brexit if the UK is hit with tariffs with the rest of the world.
For further information:https://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/en-GB/home.html
Ambassador Anne-Marie Descôtes, PM Édouard Philippe and Premier Armin Laschet – Picture by Land NRW, Mark Hermenau.
Thursday, 10 January 2019, Bonn/Köln, NRW, Germany: Premier of NRW Armin Laschet received France’s head of government, Édouard Philippe at Bonn’s Palais La Redoute for a discussion on bilateral issues, and likewise cultural affairs as Premier Laschet is since 1 January 2019 serves as German Plenipotentiary for Cultural Affairs according to the treaty of Franco-German cooperation.
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe paid a visit to the École de Gaulle-Adenauer, whence Édouard Philippe received his baccalaureate. Later in the evening the French delegation travelled to Cologne wherein Prime Minister Philippe was guest of honour at the new year’s reception of Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Premier Laschet took up particularly the issue of a more intensive joint programmes for artificial intelligence. More precisely he spoke about a “Montaunion” in the spirit of the Coal and Steel Community that was born seventy years ago in the Rhein and Ruhr regions, nonetheless, focusing on artificial intelligence and placing data to the service of European citizens.
IHK New Year’s reception – Picture by Land NRW, Hermenau.
Another political topic of European relevance is the signing of the “Aachen Treaty” on 22 January between President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Dr. Merkel in the presence of Premier Armin Laschet. The former treaty shall not replace the Elysée Treaty of 1963 but rather clarify contemporary issues of more integration and cooperation between France and Germany. Both treaties are to be treated on equal footing concerning international law.
French Ambassador to Germany, Anne-Marie Descôtes, accompanied Prime Minister Philippe throughout his official visit.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague, 18 December 2018. On the occasion of 40 Year of cooperation between Yemen and the Netherlands, the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Yemen H.E. Ms. Irma van Dueren and the Ambassador of Yemen in the Netherlands H.E Ms. Sahar Ghanem organized a seminar on Integrated Water Resources Management in Yemen.
Adjacent to the seminar venue was a photo exhibition by photographer Thana Farouq and a reception. Taking the current state of Yemen into account, the event was kind of sober yet practicable. The attendance was a very mixed one with Diplomats, Dutch- and Yemeni personalities from past and present.
Sitting on the panel were:
Yemeni Deputy Minister for Water and Environment – Mr. Tawfiq Abdul Wahid Al – Sharjabi.
Dutch Foreign Affairs – Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Ms. Reina Buijs.
Yemeni water specialist Eng. Musaed Aklan.
Dutch Water Specialist Mr. JobKleijn.
Leading Panel Discussion – Ex Ambassador for Yemen Mr. Harry Buikema.
The main focus was on the water, rather the scarcity of water on the present water situation and options for the future.
Yemen 40 Anniversary of cooperation with the Netherlands.
After an introduction by Mrs Reina Buijs, Director General of International Cooperation, Deputy Minister of water and environment (Yemen) Tawfeq Al-Sharjabi, Water specialist Musaed Aklan and Mr Job Kleijn former first Secretary to the Dutch Mission in Yemen gave presentations. The session was followed by followed by a vivid panel discussion and Q&A.
Ambassador Sahar Ghanem expressed her gratitude to all who made the event happened and to those who attended. All panel members have presented flower bouquets.
Asked about how he feels after the seminar Deputy Minister Tawfeq Al-Sharjabi responded, “I am pleased and look forward to the talks I will be having with Dutch water experts”. Mr Job Kleijn beliefs the war will be over soon, “so let’s look ahead, at how we will solve problems”.
A jazz trio and an Oed/Ut playing duo added to the pleasant atmosphere at the seminar.
