The Council of the European Union welcomes the high level of preparedness and engagement demonstrated so far by the Serbian Government in the process of accession negotiations but urged Belgrade to maintain an active and constructive engagement in the normalisation process with Kosovo, a statement issued after the Council’s meeting said. EU has opened four new chapters in accession talks to Montenegro, bringing to 16 out of 35 number of sections open and confirming Podgorica’s leading position on the path towards EU membership.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed a renewed approach to Bosnia and tasked Commissioner Johannes Hahn to secure Bosnia’s leadership written commitment to EU-required reforms, vowing to put into effect the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, it said in a statement.

EU candidate countries’ progress in protection of fundamental rights, non-discrimination and the protection of vulnerable groups, including LGBTI will contribute to progress overall on the EU path, it was concluded at the conference recently held in Albania.

David Schwendiman from the United States has been nominated as the new Lead Prosecutor for the Special Investigative Task Force (SITF), the EU said in a statement. The SITF was established by the European Union in 2011 as an independent criminal investigation into the serious allegations contained in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly report of January 2011 by Senator Dick Marty entitled: “Inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo”.

EU will continue to support Malala and Kailash’s fight for the children and human rights, High Representative Federica Mogherini said in a statement released on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the two activists.

Governments have the responsibility to protect and promote the human rights of women and girls, and ensure their economic, legal, social and political empowerment, as a means to prevent violence against them. They should also ensure the reform of gender discriminatory laws and policies that prevent women from leaving abusive and violent relationships.

Today we celebrate Human Rights Day to mark the adoption, 66 years ago, by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The theme for this year’s International Human Rights Day – Human Rights 365 – reflects the aspiration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times, is entitled to the full range of human rights, said the Declaration by High Representative Federica Mogherini on behalf of the European Union on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2014.

Several EU Member States involved in South Stream project asked Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič to clarify the situation with Russia following its announcement to stop the project. The representatives of the Member States and the Vice-President agreed that the EU must remain strongly committed to integrating Central and South-Eastern European gas markets and diversifying gas suppliers, sources and routes.

Federica Mogherini, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement negotiations hailed the formation of a new government in Kosovo and the end of political deadlock after inconclusive June 8 elections. Mogherini called for an urgent resumption of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, as Hahn urged the new government to resume European agenda as soon as possible.

It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from female genital mutilation, and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide. Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.