Latest news bulletin | March 31st – Midday
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00:00 The European Parliament proposes internal reforms to the EU before enlargement to strengthen
00:06 rule of law and democracy.
00:14 Ukraine's president is ramping up his leadership reshuffle.
00:18 On Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky fired long-serving aide Sierhiej Shafir from his post as first
00:24 assistant.
00:25 He also dismissed five others, including three advisers.
00:30 The move comes just hours after Ukraine's air force says it shot down several Russian
00:35 drones.
00:36 Russia's defence ministry says its forces have launched one-mass and 57 group strikes
00:42 against Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities in the past week.
00:47 Meanwhile, regional authorities are continuing to evacuate thousands of children from the
00:52 Russian border city of Belgorod.
00:55 They say the area has come under increasing Ukrainian shelling.
01:00 Around 5,000 children have been moved so far.
01:04 It's one of the biggest publicly announced evacuations since the war started more than
01:09 two years ago.
01:15 Fifteen years have passed since the last update of a treaty of the European Union.
01:20 Entering into force in 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon clarified the division of powers between
01:25 the EU and member states.
01:27 Since then, some have called for treaty changes in anticipation of the bloc's enlargement.
01:33 The EU needs to be made future-proof.
01:35 It has to become more agile.
01:37 It has to have more capacity to act, in particular if the EU is going to grow.
01:46 Institutional reforms would also aim to build on the EU's capacity to respond to contemporary
01:50 challenges.
01:51 We are dealing with a different international context and Europe needs to raise its capacity
01:59 to defend itself, to support Ukraine.
02:03 So the European Parliament, which gave the green light at the end of November to proposals
02:07 for reforming the treaties of the Union, proposed to create a defence union with military capabilities.
02:15 Proponents of reform argue the defence of the rule of law and democratic legitimacy
02:19 of the EU could also be strengthened.
02:23 One of the major weaknesses of the European Union has been over the past years that it
02:28 hasn't been able to protect the rule of law in all member states.
02:33 The expert recommends increasing budgetary conditions and improving Article 7 of the
02:37 Treaty of the European Union, which allows the suspension of a member state's voting
02:41 rights in the Council in the event of non-compliance with its fundamental values.
02:46 Triggered against Poland and Hungary, Article 7 never succeeded and has not yet achieved
02:50 its goal.
02:52 Digital and energy transitions, the fight against climate change and health crises are
02:56 all global challenges that require increased EU capacity for action, according to experts.
03:03 Europe needs to have a key role in improving global governance when dealing with climate
03:08 change.
03:10 When it comes to energy, experts and MEPs propose the creation of an integrated European
03:15 energy union to guarantee a stable, affordable and sustainable energy supply for Europeans.
03:22 And there are also calls for increased EU competence to ensure fair and impartial access
03:27 to healthcare within the EU or to conduct group procurement of vaccines.
03:32 However, opponents of these proposed reforms believe that these powers belong to member
03:36 states and many are calling for more national sovereignty.
03:39 Around the world, Easter is being celebrated in a variety of ways.
03:50 In the Vatican, Pope Francis presided over an Easter vigil, a day after pulling out of
03:55 services due to ongoing ill health.
03:59 In Italy, increased security measures mean more surveillance and checks in crowded places.
04:05 The country is following France in ramping up its security level, after a terrorist attack
04:09 in a concert hall in Moscow killed 144 people.
04:19 Jerusalem has scaled down celebrations, with fewer foreign visitors making celebrations
04:25 a mostly local affair for Christians.
04:27 The ongoing war between Israel and Gaza has meant travellers have been blocked from visiting
04:32 Jerusalem.
04:38 In Germany, over 70 peace marches kicked off the annual tradition across the country.
04:43 Participants drew attention to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and called for a pacifist
04:48 approach.
04:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]