eu

This week the OECD has a once-in-a-decade chance to stop funding oil and gas — it’s time to step up

This week the OECD has a once-in-a-decade chance to stop funding oil and gas — it’s time to step up

By Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of The Club of Rome and co-lead of the Earth4All initiative

07 November 2023 — This week, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is meeting in Paris for its annual forum. On the negotiating table is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to end the flow of public money into fossil fuels, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing about it.

The OECD is made up of a group of primarily wealthy countries, who collectively set their own standards around big global issues like tax, trade and the environment. Despite being one of the world’s most influential trade bodies, decisions at the OECD often happen behind closed doors. Members say that this allows them to get on with ‘building better policies for better lives‘ without distraction. The problem is that channelling billions of dollars of public money into fossil fuels each year doesn’t square with that aim.

https://www.clubofrome.org/blog-post/stop-funding-oil/

Should Israeli flags adorn EU Buildings?

Israeli flags adorn EU buildings after Hamas attacks. Is the bloc united? | Israel-Palestine conflict News

“I was shocked. Especially when I saw [the Israeli flag] on the EU Parliament building. It’s the house of democratically elected representatives of Europe, many of whom do not simply ‘stand with Israel’.

“I was also shocked at how quickly the EU institutions put up the flags, I think it was even faster than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Considering the incredibly complex situation of Israel and Palestine, I think this rapid step is incredibly irresponsible.”

(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/11/israeli-flags-adorn-eu-buildings-after-hamas-attacks-is-the-bloc-united)