Luxembourg is looking for urban farmers
A new pilot project in the capital will try out multi-faceted farming in a built-up setting as a source of food and environmental awareness
The recent banning of the large vessels from entering the historic core leaves many asking: What’s next?
Last week, on 31 March, the Italian government took the decision to finally ban large cruise ships from entering the canals of the historic centre of Venice – a move that had been long requested by UNESCO. This would certainly help decrease the water pollution caused by these vessels, as well as the environmental and structural degradation they potentially bring to the ancient foundations of the lagoon city.
Nevertheless, as a city highly reliant on tourism the regular inflow of visitors guarantees income and employment for many of the local residents, it goes without saying that no one has considered the idea of altogether prohibiting that type of tourism to Venice. The question, though, remains of where cruise ships can be docked in a way that preserves the environment without jeopardizing the economic benefits that are accrued from this activity.
As far as keeping large ships away from the Giudecca canal and San Marco Square goes, mostly everyone seems to be on board (pun unintended) with that decision. The incident from 2019 when a cruise ship crashed into a harbour in the city resulting in 5 injuries is still fresh on everyone’s minds. This is where agreement mostly ends, however.
The national government has decided that a call of ideas will be launched in order to allow for planners and engineers to propose plans for the construction of a new port terminal located somewhere outside of the lagoon, as has been requested by UNESCO. Meanwhile, it has been decided that the passenger ships will have to use the freight port of Marghera, which is also located in the lagoon but closer to the mainland.
Simone Venturini, deputy mayor of Venice with portfolios in Economic Development and Tourism, stated on his Facebook page that this temporary relocation was just an act of “buying time” which would only hamper the normal operations at the cargo port. He also explained that there had already been proposed plans from 6 years before to create two specialized terminals near Marghera: in Fincantieri (for large ships) and Marittima (for smaller boats) that had fallen on deaf ears.
NGO organization No Grandi Navi (No Large Ships) are also sceptical but they do urge finding a solution that will see getting the cruise ships out of the lagoon altogether. The common unifying scepticism on the local administration and the activist organizations is that since bureaucratic procedures in Italy move at a glacial pace, the proposed cargo port solution will turn from temporary to permanent.
Eurostat determined the way inflation has affected this now globally iconic fast food product
EUvsDisinfo, a branch of the European External Action Service, published a report outlining the tactics and origins of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)
The Quartier des Trèfles will be home to hundreds of people as a neighbourhood-sized three-building complex
The city plans to reintroduce a sound system in central public spaces, however, this time it should be more compatible with residents' concerns
A new facility in the city will produce biochar, trap CO2 and generate sustainable energy
The digital transformation has reached the geographical dimension
The money will be targeted to organisations who have seen a 50% rise in energy costs in 2022 compared to 2021
The initiative has already taken root in Aveiro, Braga and Lisbon, and soon in Matosinhos
The city plans to reintroduce a sound system in central public spaces, however, this time it should be more compatible with residents' concerns
The money will be targeted to organisations who have seen a 50% rise in energy costs in 2022 compared to 2021
The initiative has already taken root in Aveiro, Braga and Lisbon, and soon in Matosinhos
The only European country left where the anti-pandemic mandate still applies is Austria
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
The European Commission has published its first progress report charting the achievements of the socio-cultural movement that combines beauty, inclusion and sustainability
The 2023 edition of the creative initiative promises to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
A conversation with the mayor of Utrecht on the occasion of her mission to COP27
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy