Headlines

 Amsterdam, Mar.30.– After the municipal elections, the proportion of woman in the city councils of the Netherlands' 70 largest municipalities increased from 28 percent to 34 percent, newspaper Trouw reports based on its own research.

Some municipalities, like Amsterdam and Heerhugowaard, now have an equal number of male and female councilors. In Heerenveen and Waddinxveen the municipal councils now consist of more women than men. Utrecht, Hilversum and Nieuwegein are very close to having the same number of women as men on the council.

Switzerland has the strongest direct democracy in the world but it is not unique as the example of Uruguay in Latin America shows. In eastern Europe, on the other hand, this political system is under pressure, a recent international conference in Germany has heard.

 Zurich, Mar.24.– The Swiss are said to be proud of their democracy. Indeed, no other country in the world offers a similar number of options for political participation and these citizen’s rights are used frequently.

With its more than 720 nationwide votes over the past 150 years, Switzerland is way ahead of any other country.

Yet there is no reason for Switzerland to fall into the trap of complacency.

After Brexit, it will be a lot harder

Brussels, Mar.23.– One question confronting Britain and the European Union is how to maintain foreign-policy and security co-operation after Brexit. Theresa May, Britain’s prime minister, often notes that failure to find agreement would harm the security interests of both sides.

On March 22nd that observation found a pointed form of expression at an EU summit in Brussels, following the recent nerve-agent attack on a Russian émigré and his daughter in Salisbury. After some agile British diplomacy the EU’s 28 leaders issued a joint statement declaring that the only plausible explanation for the attack was that Russia was responsible for it.

 Mar.21 (IOPD).– On March 4, representatives of 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean approved the first binding agreement in the region on protection of rights of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters

This text remained in negotiation since 2014, and was approved by the representatives in this ninth Meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the Regional Agreement on Principle 10** in San José, Costa Rica. The agreement will be open for signature by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and will be available on September 27 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.