European unemployment hits 'unacceptable high':
The 19th rise in a row for the eurozone, home to some 330 million people, represented an increase of more than two million on the dole compared with a year ago, according to data published by the EU statistics service Eurostat. Ref. Source 7
European Parliament Rejects Bill Declaring Abortion a Fundamental Human Right
The European Parliament today rejected a report that recommended that EU nations declare abortion to be a human right and to make abortion available within all public health systems of member countries. Adoption of the report would have placed more pressure on pro-life nations like Ireland, Poland and Malta to legalize abortion on demand.
"The report states that 20 member nations permit abortion on demand (Generally with a gestational limit). Of the seven remaining nations, three have very liberal restrictions regarding abortion while three nations will perform abortions only under more limited circumstances," says pro-life analyst Nora Sullivan. Ref. Source 7
EU corruption costs 120 bn euros a year:
A new report by the EU Commission says that the scale of corruption in the EU is massive. They say it costs the EU around £100 billion every year, but acknowledged the true levels were probably higher. Ref. Source 9
EU seeks billions of euros to revive economy:
The European Union sought ways on Saturday to marshal billions of euros into its sluggish economy without getting deeper into debt, casting the net wide to consider options from a pan-European capital market to a huge investment fund. Ref. Source 6
'No promises' on EU membership for Eastern states at Riga summit:
The EU is not ready to welcome its eastern non-member partners, including Ukraine, according to a leaked draft resolution ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned EU leaders not to make false promises. Ref. Source 4w