Author: Karen Melchior

How Red Tape Make Business Better: EU Rules Ensure Safe and Sustainable Products for Everyone

Written on 11. January 2025.

This week, SHEIN faced tough questions from UK lawmakers about forced labour claims and where they get their cotton. Their poor answers showed that fashion companies today need to know what’s happening in their supply chains.This serves as a warning to others in fashion and other consumer industries: You need to know your business inside and out. Companies must understand their impact on workers and the environment, follow the rules, and be ready to answer questions from customers who care more and more about how their clothes are made.But it shouldn’t be about picking...

It’s time to stop worrying and get prepared.

Written on 2. December 2024.

Photo by Amanda ThomsenOur alarm applications should be going off in all government offices across Europe. The security forecast says, “We’re entering stormy weather from multiple directions.” Sauli Niinistö is calling the alarm for Europe in his report Safer Together Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and ReadinessThe key message isn’t just “be worried” – it’s “be prepared.”Europe needs to get ready not just for individual crises one at a time but for multiple challenges hitting at once.At this...

Turisme er ikke kun konferencer, men også en kradser fra cafe fodkold

Written on 21. October 2024.

Hvornår ser vi de sidste pølsevogne i København? Hvornår når vi der hvor vi tænker, hvorfor gjorde vi ikke noget? Den gang vi stadig havde et fungerende netværk af pølsevogne.På Islands Brygge forsvandt den lokale pølsevogn først på året (Brygge Bladet 22. februar 2024, side 2). Det var ikke fordi, at der ikke var salg nok, men fordi hendes garageplads blev opsagt – og der var ikke noget alternativ. Flere og flere pølsvognene oplever at få opsagt deres pladser.Nu kan vi læse, at turismeminister Morten Dahlin og regeringen afsætter 10 millioner til at styrke erhvervs- og...

Resiliation de contrat chez Voo

Written on 4. October 2024.

Je souhaite donc résilier mon contrat internet avec Voo Belgique… Ils veulent seulement résilier mon contrat et puis m’envoyer des étiquettes d’emballage pour leur materiel dans 48 heures. Afin que je puisse renvoyer leur modem pour éviter de payer pour le modem. Mais ils refusent de m’envoyer les étiquettes d’emballage avant la date de fin de mon contrat, qui me laissant dans un vide internet pendant au moins 2–3 jours. Et ce n’est plus possible de rendre le materiel dans leur magasins.Si j’avais changé de fournisseur le problème était probablement résolu par un overlap des contrats,...

Albanske bjerge og landbrugsgastronomi

Written on 8. September 2024.

Albaniens bjergkæder gennem landet er enestående smukke og stadig forholdsvis uopdagede af turistindustrien, da Albaniens regeringer gennem tiden har valgt at satse på kystturismen. Albanien er Adriaterhavets perle, men det bliver en udfordring at forsøge at gøre Kroatien rangen stridig som regionens turistdestination.Når jeg i sommermånedernes travlhed besøgte Split, så tænker jeg, at det måske i virkeligheden ikke er en konkurrence, som Albanien ønsker at gå ind i. Måske er der håb for at man vil lære af de fejl som Barcelona og Spanien har gjort, men de økonomiske incitamenter og mekanismerne...

Togrevolutionen planlægges nu og ankommer om 10 år

Written on 23. July 2024.

Der er nemmere billetkøb til internationale togrejser på vej! Revolutionerne kommer langsomt… men de planlægges nu. Så vi har travlt. Der skal mere til end nyt billetsystem for at sikre gode togrejser. Det som gør en togrejse behagelig og nemt er ikke det samme som for en flyrejse. Der er nemmere billetkøb til internationale togrejser på vej! Kommissionen kommer til at foreslå en forordning, som kommer til at sikre dig, at du kan købe en billet hos en udbyder til hele din internationale togrejse – uden at du skal give køb på dine passagerrettigheder på hele rejsen. Det annoncerede Kommissionenspræsident...

Parlamentariske Aktiviteter 2019-2024: En Kvantitativ Gennemgang

Written on 22. July 2024.

I juli 2024 udgav dataanalysefirmaet Buhl & Rasmussen en rapport, der belyser de mest betydningsfulde parlamentariske aktiviteter udført af danske Europa-Parlamentsmedlemmer i perioden 2019-2024. Rapporten tilbyder et indgående perspektiv på vores arbejde i Europa-Parlamentet gennem de seneste fem år.ResuméDenne rapport foretager en dybdegående analyse af mine aktiviteter i Europa-Parlamentet, sammenlignet med både danske kolleger og de bredere partigrupper i Parlamentet. Rapporten bygger på kvantitative data om mine taler, stemmer, lovforslag, ændringsforslag og mundtlige forespørgsler,...

The future of a free and democratic Europe depends on Ukraine’s victory — now more than ever

Written on 23. April 2024.

Right now, as many of us peacefully go about our daily lives, many Ukrainians cannot afford the same luxury. Being constantly shelled by missiles and drones, they are bravely fighting the brutal Russian invasion at the EU’s borders. Putin thinks that he can kill and destroy with impunity. It is our responsibility to stop him.As an MEP and a proud supporter of Ukraine, I have been working hard to make sure Ukrainians have everything they need to win, pushing for more aid to Ukraine, meeting with Ukrainian civil society, and speaking at events dedicated to Ukraine’s cause....

Karen Melchior: Jeg bakker helt og holdent op om beslutningen om at sagsøge EU-Kommissionen

Written on 11. April 2024.

Ungarn får 7,5 mia. euro af EU-Kommissionen, selv om landet på ingen måde opfylder retsstatsprincipperne. Derfor sagsøger EU-Parlamentet nu Kommissionen for at have udbetalt pengene.Det kan jo lyde helt vanvittigt, at to demokratiske institutioner, der bor dør om dør, og som mange sikkert ikke på stående fod kan beskrive forskellene på, render rundt og sagsøger hinanden. Men ikke desto mindre har vi i Europa-Parlamentet truffet netop den beslutning. Det skete i parlamentets retsudvalg 11. marts – med overvældende flertal.Og det er en beslutning med stor betydning. Selve sagen...

Kvindernes Internationale Kampdag: Sexarbejdere er også kvinder

Written on 8. March 2024.

Berøringsangsten er monumental, når det kommer til at sikre rettigheder for prostituerede – også i EU. Det skal vi gøre bedre, skriver medlem af Europa-Parlamentet,I dag er det Kvindernes Internationale Kampdag. Og sandelig, der er meget at kæmpe for. Et af de områder, hvor kampen måske er mindre synlig – men ikke mindre vigtig – er, når det kommer til rettigheder for sexarbejdere.Sidste år i september stemte vi om EU-rapporten om regulering af prostitution. Jeg stemte imod, og det var og er der flere grunde til. Jeg var ikke alene; der er stor uenighed om at finde en europæisk...

Statement on Apple’s DMA compliance plan and their impact on Progressive Web Apps.

Written on 29. February 2024.

For years, Progressive Web Apps have been providing developers with an easy, open way of creating apps that work across platforms, and can be published and shared independently. They were at the heart of Steve Job’s vision for the iPhone, but now it looks like Apple is turning its back on them.If Apple goes ahead with this change, it would be in flagrant violation of the spirit, and likely the word of the DMA. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident: Apple’s DMA “compliance” plan is full of examples of malicious compliance that benefit neither consumers...

The impact of the DMA on businesses: Apple & Match meetings

Written on 28. February 2024.

Enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is just weeks away, with changes that will put the brakes on anticompetitive practices by big tech “gatekeepers”, and guarantee fair competition for developers and free choice for users. Unfortunately, some gatekeepers are dragging their feet. In the last two weeks, I spoke to Apple about their deeply flawed DMA compliance plans, and to Match, the makers of Tinder, about how the law will impact them.Big tech companies own many of the apps we use every day, as well as the devices and software they run on. From Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android,...

The Benefits of the Digital Markets Act

Written on 25. February 2024.

For years now, Big Tech companies have abused their power and market dominance to limit competition and force us into using their services, but it doesn’t have to be this way. On the 6th of March, a new EU law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will come into force, letting developers compete fairly, and giving citizens more choice, so what does it change for you? Why does Spotify cost more on iPhones? Why does Amazon hide cheaper options in favour of its own products? Why is it so hard to change my default browser on Windows? Why is YouTube slower on Firefox? Why do I need five...

Aid delivery to Gaza is lifesaving, and the EU must keep supporting it

Written on 22. February 2024.

As long as there are no viable alternatives to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the delivery of humanitarian aid within Gaza, EU support is critical for the 5.7 million Palestinian civilians who depend on it. However, despite UNRWA’s announcement that they lack sufficient funding to operate at the same scale after February, the European Commission has not yet ensured payment to UNRWA.No other organisation possesses such a substantial presence in Gaza as UNRWA, a point painfully reiterated by Secretary-General Guterres during...

Ukraine Media Guildhall interview – Ways to improve EU’s military aid to Ukraine and EU sanctions

Written on 4. November 2023.

Visiting Ukraine, Karen Melchior speaking with Kharkiv mayor in a white room sitting at a table next to Petras

Since the full-scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine, the Ukrainian media Guildhall has been interviewing European politicians about their views and on where the European legislators are heading in support of Ukraine. Guildhall has previously interviewed me in writing, but yesterday was my first video interview to provide my recommendations for improvement of the EU’s military aid to Ukraine strategy and EU sanctions policy. I will add the link when it’s public. Key messages from me are:The EU and the EU member states must quickly mobilise further military support for Ukraine to...

Victory! The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs committee takes first steps towards ending unjustified geo-blocking!

Written on 24. October 2023.

PRESS RELEASE, 24 October 2023, BrusselsBy 11 votes to 10, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs (JURI) committee approved MEP Karen Melchior’s report on the Geo-blocking Regulation. The report, which passed despite extensive lobbying by the audio-visual sector, calls for measures to ensure linguistic minorities and cross-border communities, as well as citizens who move permanently to another member-state, can still access culture in their native language. Its proposals should form the first steps in the proposed gradual abolishment of geo-blocking of audio-visual content, which is expected...

En frygtelig uge i Israel og Gaza

Written on 14. October 2023.

Hamas angreb, bortførte og dræbte civile. En terrororganisation angreb Israel. Angreb uskyldige mennesker på en musikfestival, familier i deres hjem. Hamas begår terror for at skabe så meget lidelse blandt sit eget folk, at befolkningen vil tage terroristens parti på ubestemt tid. Hamas hat udnyttet dette i årevis og følger en plan, der forudser en israelsk reaktion. Vi skal ikke belønne dem. Israel forsvarer sit land og er ved at finde bagmænd bag angrebene og de tilbageholdte gidsler. Uanset smerte eller vrede, skal Israel beskytte de civile i Gaza, hvor 1 million er børn under 14 år. Det...

European Parliament on Hamas attacks on Israel – for Renew Europe Group 10 oct 23

Written on 10. October 2023.

My speaking points for discussion in the Renew Europe Group meeting on the 10th of October 2023 We must condemn in the strongest terms the horrible terrorist attacks by Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians over the weekend. It should be acknowledged, and we must recognise the emotional weight of recent and past events and their impact on both sides. Not just now, this weekend, but from the past decades. The unresolved conflict between Israel, Palestine and the other Arab countries is one of the most highly emotive political issues in international relations. We must acknowledge the pain...

Nagorno-Karabakh og EU – Det er tid til handling nu!

Written on 30. September 2023.

Armenian refugees wait out side of a yellow bus with green lettering on a lawn with their suitcases and other belongings around them

Et område i det sydlige Kaukasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, er et territorium med historisk betydning og en overvejende etnisk armensk befolkning. Desværre er dette område for atter gang et midtpunkt for en vedvarende konflikt. På tragisk vis blev det ulovligt overtaget af Aserbajdsjan, og som har ført til fordrivelser og lidelser for befolkningen i området. Denne humanitære krise kan EU ikke tillade sig at være en passiv tilskuer på længere. Det armenske folk lider og det er på tide at EU omsætter ord til handling. Hvert liv der går tabt og hver familie der bliver revet fra hinanden kræver vores fulde...

Discussing digitalisation at DG GROW’s event on the Single Digital Gateway (19 September 2023)

Written on 29. September 2023.

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk about digitalisation of the EU administrative procedure at the DG GROW’s event “SME Relief Package: the Single Digital Gateway cuts red tape” that took place on 19 September 2023. I would like to express my gratitude to DG GROW and SMEUnited for organising this event, which is particularly salient now, especially for me as the Rapporteur on Parliament’s report on Digitalisation and Administrative Law. Now is not the easiest time for Europe’s SMEs, which is why it is key that we make understanding and complying with obligations...