2019 in Review

As part of a series of articles on “2019 in Retrospect”, Agerpres ran a piece on IT and cybersecurity in Romania. In 2019, the nation drew headlines at the European level after a team of talented youths won first place in the European Cyber Security Challenge 2019. However, a paradox exists, writes Agerpres, due to the fact that Romanians tend to place last in terms of digital abilities – one in five Romanians have yet to ever use the internet, for example.

EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel spoke about the matter while visiting Cluj-Napoca earlier this year, stating that there were insufficient digital platforms and calling for greater investment in education and digital skills. This is part of a larger-scale problem – statistics show that every second European is inadequately informed about digital threats. Agerpres also points out economic deficiencies in Romania which may be the root cause of the lack of digital education. Despite boasting some of the fastest internet speeds and very high use of social media in contrast to the European average, Romania still requires great reform in digital opportunities to finally make use of its glowing potential.

According to a confidential EU report leaked to Die Welt, the number of migrants and refugees crossing from Turkey to Europe has nearly doubled in 2019 compared to 2018. While most of the migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe are not Syrians but Afghans, the numbers raise questions about the future of the EU-Turkey refugee deal under which the EU requires Turkey to take back asylum-seekers who passed through its territory and to prevent them from crossing to Europe. In return, Turkey has received 6 billion euros thus far.

Above all, the EU report highlights the worrying conditions in the overcrowded reception camps on the Greek islands, with a lack of food, clothing and healthcare and violent clashes between frustrated asylum-seekers. The Greek government is now moving more and more refugees from the islands to the mainland. A core element of the EU-Turkey deal is, however, that migrants remain on the islands so that they have no chance of moving to the EU. Meanwhile, the Turkish government is demanding more money from the EU to cover the costs of taking in refugees in the future.

The Belgian paper Le Soir writes about the latest report by the Paris-based organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) with stats for 2019 on the security situation of journalists worldwide. According to the report, 2019 has seen a drop in the number of deaths among journalists while exercising their profession. The balance sheet hides a darker reality, however. More than half – 29 – were killed in peace zones and were knowingly targeted. No journalist died during a report abroad; all were killed in their own country.

RSF highlights that for journalists, the border between countries at war and at peace seems to be disappearing. Overall, the number of deaths in so-called peaceful countries remains high, whereas the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan have been less lethal for journalists than in previous years. The report also points out that more and more journalists are being imprisoned for their work, with 389 journalists imprisoned in 2019; an increase of 12% from the previous year. Almost half of the imprisoned journalists are detained in only three countries: China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

We end the EU Headlines with an article in the Bulgarian Dnevnik that reports about the recently published ‘Global Gender Gap Report’. While the report shows that the economic gender gap has widened, it also claims that it will take around two and a half centuries for women to finally achieve equal pay at work. Adding the national perspective to the debate, Dnevnik notes that there has been a sharp rise in inequalities between the sexes in Bulgaria, with the country dropping from rank 37 to 49 since 2006, out of 153 countries.

On a more positive note, the article mentions that women's economic participation in Bulgaria has, in fact, increased. Other points, such as access to university education and life expectancy, have also improved. However, in terms of promoting women’s educational achievement, health and political representation, Bulgaria still needs to catch up substantially. The article quotes World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab who says urgent action is needed worldwide, warning that overall economic growth and development would not be achieved without women's participation.