Strasbourg 17.09.2024 Today Olivér VÁRHELY has been named as Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare, and many considered it to be a diminishment of the incumbent influential position of Neighbourhood and Enlargement portofolio.
However, this assessment is wrong because contrary to opinion of political enemies of Varhely, his powers are at a rise, and this new appointment is far more political than the previous one, because this time his responsibility is not regional, but global. (Below: Voodoo ritual, full video on X platform)
With the American presidential elections the issue of animal welfare became a leading political theme, becoming a symbol of civilisation, a measurement of development level of individuals, and societies.
“Make cats safe again!” is more than a joke flooding social media, and more than a sarcastic metaphor, – it is a new benchmark of civility, of civilised life, distinguishing it from barbarism, and Cave Age. However even then, people worshiped animals, leaving to us the amazing masterpieces of this admiration depicted on frescos. (Image below: Voodoo ritual cat killing. Full video with sound at X platform)
‘They eat cats! They eat dogs!” accusations of Donald Trump transcended the borders of U.S. presidential race, and transformed the issue of animal well-being into a highly political issue, defining the essence of civilizations, and societies. Civility against barbarism, development against degradation, and progress against regress. What way to choose?
(Image below: Voodoo cat cat eating ritual. Full version of X platform) 
The article 13 of the EU Lisbon Treaty clearly states that the animal welfare is the European value. It is up to Varhely to use his newly assigned powers to defend, and develop the European civilisation, or to let it fall into decline, surrendering to barbarism, and narrowing animal welfare to health related issues. How the Commissioner will define his mission? Linear, or multidimensional? In the upcoming weeks at the hearing in the European parliament, he will have an opportunity to define his vision of his mission, contributing to benefits of our civilization, or to its downfall.
Brussels 05.09.2024 The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen intends to create the first gender-balanced team of the EU top executives.
Every member state was offered to nominate one woman and one man candidates for von der Leyen, distributing portfolios among her future team in various endeavors: competition, digital services, trade, development and other. However von der Leyen’s request has been largely ignored. The deadline she set for nominations has passed and, as of September 2, more than half of the states had put forward a male candidate. Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden have nominated a woman, while Bulgaria has nominated a man and a woman.
The European Women’s Lobby wrote in an open letter to von der Leyen last week, urging her to continue struggling: “Your leadership in achieving a gender-balanced Commission in the last term was a groundbreaking step that set a new standard for governance within the EU and beyond.”
“The continued pursuit of this balance is crucial, particularly now that women’s rights are under threat in various parts of the world.”
“We call on future EU decision-makers to take concrete measures to safeguard women’s rights and gender equality and go further to truly materialise equality between women and men.”
https://womenlobby.org/Call-to-safeguard-women-s-rights-and-gender-equality-in-the-2024-2029-EU?lang=en
Anna Van Densky blog 