Juncker plans big EU border guards boost
Strasbourg (France), Sep 12 : The EU plans to send 10,000 more border guards to tackle unlawful immigration by 2020, the European Commission's President Jean-Claude Juncker said in his annual state of the union address on Wednesday.
The Luxembourg politician, whose tenure as head of the European Union's executive arm is to end in 2019, called for more solidarity, rather than "ad-hoc solutions" for people on migrant ships, the BBC reported.
His speech also tackled the region's other burning issues like populism, terrorism and Brexit. He also proposed a new Africa-Europe alliance, based on co-operation rather than charity, leading to a continent-to-continent free trade agreement.
Juncker recommended that the euro be used more strategically as the biggest currency after the dollar.
"The euro must become the face and the instrument of a new, more sovereign Europe. It is now the second most used currency in the world with 60 countries linking their currencies to the euro in one way or another," he said.
On Brexit, he offered some support to British Prime Minister Theresa May's Chequers plan, agreeing that the starting point for future partnership should be a free trade area between the EU and the UK.
He also emphasised the union's support for Ireland. "We want to find a creative solution that prevents a hard border in Northern Ireland. But we will equally be very outspoken should the British government walk away from its responsibilities under the Good Friday Agreement."
During his address, Juncker appealed for a comprehensive rejection of divisive nationalism. He told members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Europe should instead embrace a positive form of patriotism.
"We should reject the kind of exaggerated nationalism that projects hate and destroys all in its path. The kind of nationalism that points the finger at others instead of searching for ways to better live together," the 63-year-old said.
In the speech that hammered home the need for a united and strong Europe, Juncker spurned what he termed "selfish unilateralist politics".
"I will always champion multilateralism," he said.
His address came at a time when far-right and eurosceptic parties were slowly entering gaining a foothold in mainstream European politics and trade spats clouded historically close relations between the EU and the US under President Donald Trump, the report said.
Talking about security, he said: "We will not militarise the EU. What we want is to become more autonomous and live up to our global responsibilities.
"Only a strong and united Europe can protect our citizens against threats internal and external - from terrorism to climate change."
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
