European court

Greece is being referred to the European Court for the fourth time over "widespread failures" in urban wastewater management. 

The case brought by the European Commission pertains to 153 medium-sized towns and cities (from 2,000 to 15,000 residents), where Greece continues to flout directives for protecting public health and the environment.

The speaker of Georgia's parliament said on Monday he signed into law a controversial "foreign influence" bill adopted despite mass protests, Western condemnation and a presidential veto.

Georgia's parliament adopted the divisive law last week, overriding a presidential veto on the measure, which critics say is anti-democratic and mirrors Russian legislation used to silence dissent.

A European court on Thursday upheld Italy's right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, ruling that Italy was justified in trying to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage and rejecting the museum's appeal.

Last week I attended the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The parliamentarians from 46 European states, including former Tory ministers, voted to accept Kosovo into membership despite loud objections from Serbia. 

The European Commission has referred the Greek state to the European Court because of its long-standing practice of paying off its commitments to its citizens and suppliers whenever it wishes. The cause is a long-term delay in paying the hospitals' commitments, which total 1.3 billion euros.

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday issued a scathing decision against Greece, rapping authorities for breaches of privacy, medical procedure and judicial due process, over a Health Ministry campaign in the spring of 2012 to name and shame sex workers who were found to be HIV positive after being forcibly tested for the disease.

In a move that adds strain to European Union cohesion, Hungary has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission (EC), seeking criminal proceedings against Bulgaria over its imposition of a new transit fee on Russian gas.

A year after the agreement between Cyprus' Agriculture Ministry, halloumi producers, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it seems Cyprus' protected cheese is facing new challenges.

Two activists from Moldova's LGBT+ community, Angelica Frolov and Leo Zbanke, have filed an action in the country's courts demanding that the state recognise them as a couple.

Their action comes after the Public Services Agency, ASP, previously refused to register their union because they are of the same sex, and Moldovan legislation does not currently allow this.

A view of the court room at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, 26 January 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK

"Nonetheless, there has been an increase in the total number of judgments currently pending full execution (6,081 compared to 5,533 in December 2021)," the report wrote.