Ireland: EU stands with Ireland in Brexit talks, Barnier assures Coveney - by Patrick Smyth

“Ireland’s concerns are the union’s concerns, and all member states and EU institutions are fully united in this regard,” Michel Barnier told Brussels journalists and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney on Monday.

It is by now a familiar refrain, but nonetheless reassuring to Mr Coveney who was in Brussels for the day for consultations with the EU’s chief negotiator, Mr Barnier, the European Parliament’s Brexit representative, Liberal MEP Mr Guy Verhofstadt, 

Irish MEPs Matt Carthy (SF), Brian Hayes (FG), and Luke Flanagan (Ind), and Danuta Hubner the parliament’s European People’s Party chair of its constitutional affairs committee.

The reassurance, it is expected, will be reflected in detail in the Commission negotiating paper on Ireland expected to be published in the next week, and whose content was certainly central to the Barnier-Coveney working lunch.

Read more: EU stands with Ireland in Brexit talks, Barnier assures Coveney

Germany election: Merkel holds ground in TV debate

This was supposed to be the highlight of a lacklustre election campaign. For months German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have enjoyed a significant lead over their nearest rival - and current coalition partner.

The TV stations prepared their viewers for an impassioned, furious debate.

But those hoping for rhetorical bloody noses were disappointed. As were the viewers hoping that Martin Schulz, who is unlikely to take Mrs Merkel's crown, might at least taste victory on national TV.

Angela Merkel has been in the job for 12 years, and it showed.

The chancellor is not known for her skilful oratory and she doesn't relish this kind of public debate.

Nevertheless, Mrs Merkel appeared relaxed, credible and experienced, effortlessly parrying her opponent's attacks. It was her best debate performance, according to the German news site Spiegel online. Which doesn't say much, given that she lost the first three.

Read more: Germany election: Merkel holds ground in TV debate - BBC

Christianity: Broad Coalition of US Evangelicals Release 'Nashville Statement' on Human Sexuality, Identity

A broad coalition of US Christian leaders, including J. I. Packer and Francis Chan, have released a statement articulating God's design for human identity as male and female. Such a statement is needed, they say, in order to resist the spirit of the age and for the church to maintain its counter-cultural witness in a world that seems "bent on ruin."

The Nashville Statement, which was sponsored by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission was published Tuesday. The document contains a preamble and 14 articles responding to the current realities in the Western world regarding the many messages swirling in society and even in some churches about sexuality, particularly homosexuality and transgenderism, which have come to the fore in both politics and church life in recent years.
 
Note EU-Digest:  in relation to the potential impact of the Nashville Statement also read:  "Take a deep breath: The Nashville statement won't change anything." by  Jonathan Merrit.

Read more: Broad Coalition of Evangelicals Releases 'Nashville Statement' on Human Sexuality, Identity

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