Brussels, 2 February 2017

  Brussels, 1 February 2017 The Second Report on the State of the Energy Union shows that the modernisation of the European Union economy and the transition to a low-carbon era are happening. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and renewable energy, Europe is on track to reach its 2020 targets. To further drive this process, the Commission today is announcing a new Energy Union tour. In line with its commitment to report annually on the state of the Energy Union, the European Commission is publishing today its Second State of the Energy Union Report. This report looks at the progress made since the publication of the first State of the Energy Union in November 2015. These reports are central elements to monitor the implementation of this key priority of the Juncker Commission. Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union, said: “The Energy Union is about more than energy and climate alone; it is about accelerating the fundamental modernisation of Europe’s entire economy, making it low-carbon, energy and resource efficient, in a socially fair manner.” “We should also strengthen the Energy Union’s external dimension, to enhance the EU’s global leadership role. Now that a large part of the relevant legislative proposals are on the table, 2017 should be the year of implementation. This is the message that I will bring to Member States during the new Energy Union tour, which I will launch on 3 February”. Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, said: “Europe is well on track to meet its 2020 climate and energy targets. Despite the current geopolitical uncertainties, Europe is forging ahead with the clean energy transition”. ” There is no alternative. And the facts speak for themselves: renewable energy is now cost-competitive and sometimes cheaper than fossil fuels, employs over one million people in Europe, attracts more investments than many other sectors, and has reduced our fossil fuels imports bill by €16 billion. Now, efforts will need to be sustained as Europe works with its partners to lead the global race to a more sustainable, competitive economy.” Since the publication of the first State of the Energy Union, several trends in the EU’s transition to a low-carbon economy were continued and strengthened. The Commission will carry out further in-depth analysis of Member States’ policies, using the new Energy Union Tour throughout 2017. For the Energy Union, 2016 was the year of delivery where the vision of the Energy Union Framework Strategy was further translated into concrete legislative and non-legislative initiatives, above all with the “Clean Energy for all Europeans” package presented on 30 November 2016. The EU as a whole has continued to make good progress on delivering the Energy Union objectives, in particular on the 2020 energy and climate targets (see MEMO/17/162 and MEMO/17/163). It has already achieved its 2020 final energy consumption target. The same is true for greenhouse gas emissions: in 2015, EU greenhouse gas emissions were 22% below the 1990 level. The EU is also on track in the renewable sector where – based on 2014 data – the share of renewables reached 16 % of the EU’s gross final energy consumption. Another important trend is that the EU continues to successfully decouple its economic growth from its greenhouse gas emissions. During the 1990-2015 period, the EU’s combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 50 %, while total emissions decreased by 22 %. Following the conclusion of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, it was the swift ratification by the EU that enabled the entry into force of the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate deal on 4 November 2016. In a fast-changing geopolitical environment, a successful Energy Union is crucial to protect the long term economic interests and well-being of Europe and of Europeans. That is why work on the Energy Union in the past months has included a reinforced focus on energy diplomacy, designed to strengthen security of energy supply, to expand exports of EU low carbon technology solutions and to boost Europe’s industrial competitiveness. In 2016, the Commission also presented a European low emission mobility strategy with a clear ambition: by mid-century, greenhouse gas emissions from transport should be at least 60 % lower than in 1990 and be firmly on the path towards zero, while ensuring the mobility needs of people and goods as well as global connectivity.

As part of the ICTY Legacy Dialogues series, the Tribunal’s Outreach Programme yesterday held a public discussion entitled From the Tribunal to the Classroom at the Museon in The Hague, in co-operation with the European Association of History Teachers (EUROCLIO). The aim of the event was to facilitate a discussion of the ways in which the Tribunal’s legacy could be used in educational settings. Its target audience was educational professionals who are faced with the challenges of teaching students about the recent violent history of the former Yugoslavia. The Tribunal Registrar John Hocking opened the event. Addressing the visiting teachers, he said: “When our doors are closed, yours will always be open, and will welcome hundreds, and hopefully thousands, more students year after year. You will be there to help them not to forget, not to re-write, and not to repeat. Where divisiveness grows, you will continue to sow inclusion, justice and tolerance.” The two panel discussions that followed revolved around the questions “Why should, and how can, the wars of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia be addressed in history education?” During the first discussion, a panel composed of curricula specialists, formal education experts and textbook developers from the Balkans discussed the challenges and lessons learned in teaching the recent history of the region. The second panel, co-organised by the Dutch NGO PAX for Peace, focused on how the events in Srebrenica in July 1995 and the role of the Dutchbat have been addressed within Dutch history education, and the possibilities teachers have to integrate such issues within their lessons. This public discussion was part of a comprehensive multi-day workshop, the first two sessions taking place at the Tribunal on 28 and 29 January 2017. The workshop provided 30 history teachers and educational professionals from the countries of the former Yugoslavia a unique opportunity to discuss best practices in teaching the history of the 1990s conflicts and using the wealth of material contained in the ICTY archives. The Tribunal considers this project to be especially important because of its potential impact on a high number of students in the region, and is committed to continuing to pass on its know-how and information resources to teachers and other educational professionals. The ICTY Legacy Dialogues consist of a series of public events in 2016 and 2017 aimed at ensuring that the Tribunal’s contribution to accountability for international crimes will endure after its doors have closed, in particular by enabling others to build on the work and achievements of the Tribunal. The Outreach Programme benefits from the continuous support of the European Union and its work with young people is generously supported by the Finnish government.    

Judge Theodor Meron. Picture by un-mict. Arusha, The Hague, 31 January 2017 – The United Nations Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals today ordered the Government of the Republic of Turkey to cease all legal proceedings against Judge Aydin Sefa Akay and to take all necessary measures to ensure his release from detention, no later than 14 February 2017, so that he can resume his judicial functions in the case of Prosecutor v. Augustin Ngirabatware. The order is binding on Turkey under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010), which requires that all States comply with orders issued by the Mechanism. Judge Akay, a member of the Appeals Chamber Bench in the Ngirabatware case, was detained in Turkey, on or around 21 September 2016, in relation to allegations connected with the events of July 2016 directed against the constitutional order of Turkey.

He has remained in detention since that time. In accordance with the Mechanism’s Statute – which was adopted by the United Nations Security Council with the support of the then Council member Turkey – the judges of the Mechanism enjoy privileges and immunities accorded to diplomatic envoys under international law when engaged on the business of the Mechanism, even while exercising their functions in their home country. The United Nations Secretary-General has formally asserted the diplomatic immunity of Judge Akay to the Turkish authorities and requested his immediate release and the cessation of all legal proceedings against him. The Order issued by Judge Theodor Meron, the Mechanism’s President and the Presiding Judge of the Ngirabatware case, underscored that “diplomatic immunity is a cornerstone of an independent international judiciary, as envisaged by the United Nations”. The Mechanism rejected the Prosecution’s proposal for the replacement of Judge Akay on the Ngirabatware case, stating that “to say Judge Akay can be replaced easily to facilitate the judicial process – at this initial stage and before other avenues have been exhausted – is to say we do not value judicial independence, value justice, value what is right.” According to the Order, replacing Judge Akay as a first rather than last measure “will have a chilling effect on the administration of justice” because it “would allow interference by a national authority in the conduct of a case and the exercise of judicial functions”. Augustin Ngirabatware, the former Rwandan Minister of Planning, was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment for committing direct and public incitement to commit genocide and instigating and aiding and abetting genocide. On 8 July 2016, Ngirabatware filed a request for review of his convictions on the basis of new facts that he claims exonerate him. With Judge Akay’s detention, the proceedings in the case have come to a standstill. On 10 November 2016, Ngirabatware requested that an order be issued to the Government of the Republic of Turkey to cease its prosecution of Judge Akay so that he can resume his judicial functions. Despite being given several opportunities to be heard, both in writing and in person, the Government of the Republic of Turkey did not respond. The Order also denied Ngirabatware’s request for “temporary provisional release” that he sought in view of the alleged undue delay in the review proceedings caused by Judge Akay’s arrest and detention because such a decision requires a full bench of the Appeals Chamber.