3rd December 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
24th January 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Our First British High Commission Science Salon with Special Guest: Dr. David Strangway!
One week ago today we had our inaugural Science Salon event! What is a Science Salon you ask? Well imagine trying to channel Bohemian France, with it’s parlours and poets and artists, into a science themed event, and there you have it – A Science Salon! The goal of these events is to bring people […]
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21st January 2011
Why the Constitutional Court matters
In a recent blog on human rights in Ukraine I noted that the British embassy in Kyiv had supported projects to help a number of different constituent elements of the Ukrainian legal system including the Constitutional Court. So I was delighted to have a chance recently to visit the Constitutional Court, and to meet the […]
21st January 2011
New geothermal potential: from spas to energy
The British Government aims to be the “greenest ever”. So it is no surprise that in recent official meetings – and we have many more visitors to Budapest than usual as a result of Hungary’s EU Presidency – UK Ministers and officials have raised the subject of renewable energy and Hungary’s geothermal potential. Thermal waters […]
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20th January 2011
Swimming with icebergs
A guest blog from John Foreman, Defence Attache, British Embassy 19 January is Epiphany, an ancient Christian feast day which, in the Orthodox tradition, celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The people of Ukraine, as elsewhere in the region, celebrate this event by jumping into the cold waters […]
20th January 2011
Transferring Know How
In my previous posting, I mentioned the informal meeting of European Union EPSCO (Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs) Ministers here earlier this week at the newly renovated Grassalkovich Royal Palace in Gödöllő. Discussion revolved around the question of what can be done to create jobs at a time of economic downturn. Earlier meetings […]
19th January 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Project planning and Claire’s farewells as she moves over to the MPA team
It is with great sadness that we, in the Canadian Science & Innovation team, say goodbye to another of our teammates, Claire Hastings, at the British Consulate Toronto. Claire is leaving our team, but not the Consulate, so although we expect to have lots of dealings with her – she will no longer have a direct hand in the S&I plots. Claire […]
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19th January 2011
Promoting British business in Ukraine
Promoting British business in Ukraine is one of the top priorities of our embassy in Kyiv. We are regularly in contact with companies and government on every aspect of business activity, from advising companies who are considering starting up in Ukraine, through engaging with the government on specific issues, to lobbying on how to improve […]
18th January 2011 London, UK
Encouraging more Britons to apply for EU jobs
At the end of last week I was in Hungary for the first meeting of Europe Ministers under the Hungarian Presidency of the EU. Whilst there I discussed how to encourage more Britons to apply for the many interesting and challenging jobs available in EU institutions with Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič. You can hear […]
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18th January 2011
When exactly is dawn?
We are already well into the Hungarian Presidency, with Ministers and senior officials pouring in from other EU countries for Presidency meetings. In the last week we have had meetings of Europe Directors; Political Directors: and Europe Ministers for a GAC or General Affairs Council (all from Foreign Ministries); we are in the middle of […]
17th January 2011
A man and his tongue
In a week where The Social Network, the film about the creation of the Facebook website, has been dominating the Golden Globe awards in the US, it’s great to see politicians uniting to reinforce the freedom of information in Ukraine. On 13 January the Rada adopted two important laws on access to public information. The […]