EU-Motherhood: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? - by Chris Harris

Romania and Bulgaria have the highest proportion of teenage mothers in the European Union, new figures have revealed.

Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.

That is more than three times the EU average.

Read more: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? | Euronews

Medical Tourism: A Multifaceted Business

Europeans and Canadians have universal health coverage at home, and the US itself is a popular medical tourism stop, so why is medical tourism from the West becoming increasingly popular? Among the reasons are:

• Cost. In the US, universal health coverage is still a goal, not a reality, and health costs are among the highest in the world. For those without health insurance, lower prices – as much 80% less in some countries – can be a dominant concern.
• The excellence of care. Malaysia, Costa Rica and Mexico also have some of the best health care in the world – often in the top five – based not only on affordability but also the excellence of staff and facilities. Looking to Asia, a 2000 report by the World Health Organization rated Singapore the 6th highest in the world.
• Shorter waiting times. They may be able to obtain treatment sooner in another country.
• Privacy. Those who do not wish to disclose a serious illness to acquaintances (heart surgery or cancer treatment) for fear that it would affect their job prospects or cosmetic surgery for fear of embarrassment may find that a trip to Latin America, Europe or Asia can make a good cover.
• Travel. It’s not insignificant that these medical tourism destinations often have beautiful scenery and amenities, too. An exotic environment may help with recuperation. 

But there are risks as well. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns:

• The language barrier could be a problem which hampers clear communication.
• Other countries may not test and regulate medications for quality and counterfeits as rigorously as one’s native country.
• Antibiotic resistance is rising around the world, but not at the same rate everywhere. It may be higher in a chosen destination.
• After some surgeries, flying poses a greater risk for blood clots.
• Financial. Although costs are less, insurance probably doesn’t cover medical tourism. Even for Europeans travelling to other EU countries, the European Health Insurance Card doesn’t cover scheduled treatment, only urgent medical treatment that cannot be postponed until a return to the home country.

Medical Tourism: A Multifaceted Business - The Market Mogul

France Labor Laws: Macron government launches overhaul of France's labour laws - by Kim Willsher

Emmanuel Macron’s government has announced a “major and ambitious” transformation of France’s complex labour laws aimed at tackling mass unemployment and making the country more competitive in the global market.

Five decrees have been issued, containing what ministers said were “concrete and major measures” to overhaul and simplify the weighty Code du Travail, which covers every aspect of working life in France.

In an interview before the measures were unveiled on Thursday morning, the French president said the country was “turning the page on three decades of inefficiency”.

Read more: Macron government launches overhaul of France's labour laws | World news | The Guardian

EU Policy Renewable Energy: opening markets for corporate renewable energy buyers

RE100 is a global collaborative initiative bringing together 102 influential and multinational businesses that are committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity globally. Together, they represent demand for over 146 terawatt hours of renewable electricity annually – about enough to power Poland.

These companies have made this highest-level commitment because they know that renewable electricity makes long-term business sense. The technology is ready, unsubsidized costs are competitive, and companies are ready to invest at scale.

Corporate sourcing of renewables represents a major new flow of capital and finance into Europe’s renewable electricity infrastructure. Much of the electricity used by our members in Europe is already from renewable sources, and they are leading the way through a combination of power purchase agreements (PPAs), on-site generation, green contracts and certificates.

IKEA Group, a founding member of RE100, owns more wind turbines than stores and is aiming to produce as much energy as it consumes by the end of the decade. The company has also invested an impressive $1.78 billion (€1.5 billion) in purchasing its own wind and solar power generation equipment since 2009 and in FY15 committed a further $715 billion (€600 million).

Last year, Mars, Inc. signed a PPA for a wind farm in Scotland to power its entire UK operations. Meanwhile, RE100 members Royal DSM, Google, Royal Philips and AkzoNobel joined forces to sign an exciting joint PPA for 350 gigawatt hours per year in the Netherlands.

RE100’s 102 members are:

AB InBev	Equinix	Philips Lighting
Adobe	Facebook	Procter & Gamble
AkzoNobel	Formula-E	Proximus
Alstria	Gatwick Airport	Rackspace
Amalgamated Bank	General Motors	RELX Group
Apple	Givaudan	Ricoh
AstraZeneca	Goldman Sachs	Royal Philips
Autodesk	Google	Salesforce
Aviva	H&M	SAP
AXA	Heathrow Airport	SAVE S.p.A. Group
Bank of America	Helvetia	SGS
Bankia	HP Enterprise	Sky
Biogen	HP Inc.	Starbucks
Bloomberg	IFF	Steelcase
BMW Group	IHS Markit	Swiss Post
British Land	IKEA	Swiss Re
Broad Group	Infosys	Tata Motors
BT Group	ING	TD Bank
Burberry	Interface	Telefonica
Caixa Bank	J&J	Tesco
Carlsberg	J. Safra Sarasin AG	Tetra Pak
Coca-Cola European Partners	Kingspan	UBS
Colruyt Group	KPN	Unilever
Commerzbank AG	La Poste	Vail Resorts
Corbion	Landsec	Vaisala
Credit Agricole	LEGO	VF Corporation
Dalmia Bharat Cement	L’Occitane	VMWare
Danske Bank	Marks & Spencer	Voya Financial
Dentsu Aegis Network	Mars	Walmart
Diageo	Microsoft	Wells Fargo
DNB	Nestlé	Workday
DSM	Nike	YOOX
Ebay	Nordea
Elion	Novonordisk
Elopak	Pearson

For additional info – or to join the campaign – contact:

info@re100.org

Read more: EU policy: opening markets for corporate renewable energy buyers | The Climate Gr

Brexit: EU's Juncker Slams U.K. on Brexit as Fractious Talks Resume - by Ian Wishart and Nikos Chrysoloras

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker joined the bloc’s chief negotiator in lashing out at the U.K. for failing to prepare for Brexit talks, as the third round of negotiations looked set to produce little progress.

“I’ve read all the position papers produced by Her Majesty’s government and none of them is satisfactory,” Juncker said on Tuesday at a conference in Brussels, as talks between the U.K. and the EU resumed. “There is still an enormous amount of issues that remain to be settled.”

The stage had already been set for an intense round of negotiations after chief negotiator Michel Barnier and Brexit Secretary David Davis met on Monday for the first time since July and candidly aired their frustration at each other’s approaches. Barnier said time was running out, as the U.K. continued in its bid to change the order of topics discussed.

Read more: EU's Juncker Slams U.K. on Brexit as Fractious Talks Resume - Bloomberg

Poland tells EU its overhaul of judiciary in line with EU standards

Poland said on Monday that the legislative process overhauling its judiciary is in line with European standards and called the European Commission’s concerns about rule of law in the country groundless.

On July 26, the Commission said it would launch legal action against Poland over the reforms and gave Warsaw a month to respond to concerns that the process undermines the independence of judges and breaks EU rules.

Last month, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed into a law a bill giving the justice minister the power to replace heads of ordinary courts, but after mass street protests blocked two other bills.

Read more: Poland tells EU its overhaul of judiciary in line with EU standards

Hungary severs diplomatic ties with the Netherlands

Hungary is suspending high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands in a row over the relocation of asylum-seekers from Greece and Italy.

The country is recalling its ambassador to the nation following remarks made by the Dutch ambassador which criticised Hungary for its stance.

The Hungarian foreign minister said his country’s decision was "one of the most radical steps in diplomacy" and that it would ask the Dutch foreign ministry for its position on the statements of Ambassador Gajus Scheltema, published Thursday in Hungary by the 168 Ora magazine.

Peter Szijjarto said Scheltema - already scheduled to leave Hungary soon - was no longer welcome at any Hungarian ministry or state institution.

"We won't settle for an explanation behind closed doors," he added.

In the interview, Scheltema was critical of Hungary's unwillingness to participate in a European Union plan to relocate asylum-seekers from Greece and Italy.

He also criticized the Hungarian government's campaign against billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros and drew parallels between the government's efforts to "create enemies" and those of the Islamic State group.

Note EU-Digest: It seems the Hungarians are only interested in the benefits of being a member of the EU and not in living up to the obligations. Shame on them. 

 Read more: Hungary severs diplomatic ties with the Netherlands - The National