European Union

Von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech expected to focus on energy, war in Ukraine

The European Parliament returns to Strasbourg with a packed plenary agenda next week, dominated by energy issues as Governments seek to find solutions to the spiraling costs which are heavily…

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EU closes loophole allowing multimillion-euro arms sales to Russia

The European Union has closed a loophole that allowed EU governments to export weapons worth tens of millions of euros to Russia last year alone despite an embargo which took effect in 2014…

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EP calls for embargo of Russian oil and gas

The European Parliament has called for an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas. In a resolution adopted this morning in Strasbourg, MEPs called…

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EU to propose new sweeping sanctions against Russia worth billions of euros

The European Commission is to propose on Tuesday to EU nations new sweeping sanctions against Russia, which include a ban on imports of coal, rubber, chemicals and other products from…

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EP agrees new rules of supervision of cryptocurrencies

MEPs agreed on draft rules on supervision, consumer protection and environmental sustainability of crypto-assets, including cryptocurrencies such as bitcoins. Tthe Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee adopted, with 31 votes to…

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MEPs call for a ban on ‘golden passports’ and EU rules for ‘golden visas’

The draft legislative initiative report sets out an array of measures to address problems linked to ‘citizenship and residence by investment schemes’. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home…

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Large majority of Maltese want stronger role for European Parliament

A large majority of Maltese would like to see the European Parliament taking a stronger role in the future. Data by the latest Eurobarometer survey published today, has shown that…

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Fossil fuel subsidies to face tighter EU scrutiny

The European Commission wants to increase scrutiny of whether countries are phasing out fossil fuel subsidies fast enough to meet climate goals, under EU rules due this year. EU countries spent 56 billion euros on fossil fuel subsidies in 2019, with 15 states spending more…

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EP Socialists want to question Metsola, say some of her view points are unacceptable

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament will organise a hearing in the second week of January to question Roberta Metsola MEP, a candidate to chair the European Parliament…

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Malta lags behind in R&D as only Romania fares worse in EU scoreboard

In 2020, the Member States of the EU spent around €311 billion on research & development (R&D). This is a decrease of €1 billion compared with 2019 (€312 billion). The…

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Metsola formally submits nomination as EPP Group candidate for EP Presidency

PN MEP and European Parliament Vice President Roberta Metsola has submitted her nomination to become the centre-right EPP's candidate for the European Parliament Presidency. The Nationalist MEP is one of…

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Maltese women’s take-up of mammograms falls short of EU average

Just over 60% of Maltese women aged between 50 and 69 years said they had received a mammogram (breast examination by X-ray) within the previous two years, according to the…

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EU ‘will start collapsing’ unless it takes on Polish challenge – official

The European Union "will start collapsing" unless it challenges a ruling by Poland's top court that national legislation trumps European laws, a senior official with the bloc said on Monday. Poland's constitutional tribunal…

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EU must do more on tax havens, says Von der Leyen, as MEPs pile pressure on blacklisting

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Pandora Papers revelations are embarrassing for leaders who have pushed austerity. Speaking in Helsinki, she insisted that the European Union…

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Europe next to suffer from CO2 shortage, industry chiefs warn

Carbon dioxide shortages could spread across Europe, business leaders have warned, striking a new blow to the Continent’s economic recovery from the pandemic. Soaring natural gas prices have forced fertiliser…

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Supply fears lead EU vaccine industry to seek home comforts

European companies playing key supporting roles in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing are working to move production and supply chains closer to their customers to guard against trade restrictions that have interrupted…

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SOTEU Speech: MEPs join Von der Leyen in calls for a stronger EU voice in trade, economy and defence

Thank you for following this live blog. The President put the focus of her speech on Europe’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis and on what the European Union needs to…

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12 EU countries to have recovery plans approved today

European finance ministers are set to adopt the recovery plans of 12 EU states on Tuesday, including those of Italy, Spain and France, paving the way for the first disbursements…

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Delta variant to represent 90% of infections in EU by September, says EU disease agency

The European centre for disease control her warned that by the end of August the Delta strain will represent 90% of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the EU, and that…

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Top EU lawyer says Poland is pressuring lawyers illegally

Polish government pressure on lawyers is incompatible with EU law, an adviser to the European Union’s top court said in an opinion that follows earlier condemnation of Warsaw by the…

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Google loosens its search engine grip on Android devices in Europe

Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU…

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Amazon wins court fight against $303 million EU tax order

Amazon on Thursday won its fight against an EU order to pay about 250 million euros ($303 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg as Europe's second highest court dealt a blow…

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EU countries want emissons target to remain linked to wealth

European Union countries will ask the European Commission to keep national emissions targets linked to their levels of wealth as it crafts plans to overhaul EU climate policies, according to a draft document. The…

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AstraZeneca reaches vaccine shipping milestone as EU sues again

AstraZeneca Plc has delivered 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to European Union countries, according to EU supply data, a milestone the company had originally been expected to hit in January. The…

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EU negotiator Barnier spills Brexit secrets in new book

The EU's pointman on Brexit, Michel Barnier, releases a book Thursday recounting the insider track on Britain's acrimonious departure and teasing his ambition to become France's next president. Written with…

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At least 12 EU countries confident of July vaccine target -EU’s Breton

At least 12 of the European Union's 27 member states have said they are confident of being able to vaccinate 70% of their adult population by mid-July, the EU executive's vaccine task…

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European countries may have to mix COVID-19 shots amid AstraZeneca crisis

Several European countries are considering mixing up COVID-19 vaccines for citizens who received a first dose of AstraZeneca’s shot, an unprecedented move that highlights challenges for governments struggling to tame…

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EU Council adopts new rules to strengthen administrative cooperation and include sales through digital platforms

The EU Council has adopted new rules to improve administrative cooperation in the field of taxation and address the challenges posed by the digital platform economy. A large and growing…

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EU sets research and innovation priorities for a sustainable future

The European Commission has adopted the first strategic plan for Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme worth €95.5 billion in current prices. The strategic plan is a novelty…

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AstraZeneca further cuts target for supply to EU in first quarter to 30 million vaccines: document

AstraZeneca cut its supply forecast of COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union in the first quarter to about 30 million doses, a third of its contractual obligations and a 25%…

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Malta has lowest share of female Ministers, MPs

Malta ranked last in the European Union with regard to the share of female participation in the country's decision-making institution, with the lowest shares for both Cabinet and House representation.…

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Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine developers question neutrality of EU regulator, want apology

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 on Tuesday questioned the neutrality of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after an EMA official urged EU members to refrain from approving the…

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16 EU countries, including Malta opt against ordering more Moderna vaccines

Malta has opted against topping up its orders for more Moderna vaccines, according to documents revealed by the Hungarian Government. The documents were released as the Hungarian Government sought to…

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Euro zone in double-dip recession but optimism soared in Feb -PMI

The euro zone economy is almost certainly in a double-dip recession as pandemic-linked lockdowns continue to hammer the services industry, a survey showed on Wednesday, but hopes for a wider…

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Gorbachev tells EU and Russia to ‘not be afraid of negotiations’

Moscow (dpa) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has expressed hope for an improvement in relations between Russia and the European Union, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Saturday. Ties between the powers…

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Four in five Oxford Covid jabs delivered to EU not yet used

Four out of five of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses delivered to EU countries are yet to be used, a Guardian investigation has found, as Angela Merkel admitted to an “acceptance…

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ECB wants veto power on stablecoins in the euro zone

The European Central Bank wants veto power on the launch of stablecoins such as Facebook's Diem in the euro zone and a greater role in their supervision, it has told European Union lawmakers. Central…

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EU to set up new European Partnerships and invest nearly €10 billion for the green and digital transition

The Commission proposed today to set up 10 new European Partnerships between the European Union, Member States and/or the industry. The goal is to speed up the transition towards a green, climate…

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EU may impose more sanctions on Belarus, says Polish foreign minister

The European Union may impose further sanctions on Belarus after Minsk jailed two journalists for filming protests, Poland's state news agency PAP quoted Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau as saying…

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Epic Games takes Apple fight to EU antitrust regulators

Fortnite creator Epic Games has taken its fight against Apple to European Union antitrust regulators after failing to make headway in a U.S. court in a dispute over the iPhone…

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EU Agenda

16 February - Frans Timmermans holds a videoconference call with Mr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Mr Josep Borrell participates via videoconference in the meeting…

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EU to launch study programme for COVID-19 variants: von der Leyen

The European Union will this week kick off a new programme to study mutations in the COVID-19 virus, in a bid to prepare for the next generation of vaccines that…

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MEPs call for tighter EU consumption and recycling rules

The European Parliament adopted comprehensive policy recommendations to achieve a carbon-neutral, sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy by 2050 at the latest. The report, adopted today with 574 votes in…

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EU awaits U.S. trade chief for real tariff talks to start

The European Union has had positive, early contact with the Biden administration on trade, but will need to wait for a new U.S. trade representative to be in place for…

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Four EU states urge EU to safeguard Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply

The leaders of Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic and Greece have urged the European Commission to act quickly to secure supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Johnson…

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EU’s von der Leyen defends vaccine strategy

EU chief executive Ursula von der Leyen vigorously defended the European Commission's record on vaccines on Tuesday and described a proposal that would have set up border checks on the island of Ireland as the…

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GDP down by 0.7% in the euro area and by 0.5% in the EU

In the fourth quarter 2020, seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 0.7% in the euro area and by 0.5% in the EU, compared with the previous quarter, according to a preliminary…

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EU Agenda: 2-5 February

Here is what’s on the EU agenda for the week (02 February- 05 February 2021): Tuesday 02 February: Mr Josep Borrell co-chairs via videoconference the meeting of the International Contact…

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EU agrees ‘dark red’ COVID-19 zones with stricter travel limits

Hotspots of COVID-19 infection in the European Union will be labelled "dark red" zones to discourage all but essential travel, EU governments agreed on Friday. The EU has already set up…

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German regulator expects EU approval of AstraZeneca with no age restrictions

The head of Germany's vaccine regulator expects that the European Union will approve AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine without any age restrictions, he told a news conference on Friday. The bloc's drugs regulator,…

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EU Cohesion funds support creation of a vital tool for special people

The digital age, an era which until a few decades ago was unimaginable, is now an integral part of our lives. The more we age, the more we must get…

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EU Council adopts conclusions on climate and energy diplomacy

EU Foreign Ministers have reached agreement on a numebr of Climate and Energy Diplomacy targets, with the intended objective of delivering on the external dimension of the European Green Deal. The Council recognised…

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Brussels targets vaccinating at least 70% of EU adults by summer

The European Commission recommended on Tuesday to vaccinate against COVID-19 at least 70% of the European Union's adult population by this summer, in an attempt to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Vaccination campaigns are conducted by the…

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EU Agenda: 19 January-22 January

Tuesday 19 January: European Parliament debate on the EU global strategy on Covid-19 vaccinations Wednesday 20 January: Commissioner Sinkevičius holds a virtual meeting with Mr Costel Alexe, Minister of Environment…

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Malta reiterates its continued support for EU-wide coordination on COVID19 matters

During a video conference meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union, Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi Government has reiterated Malta’s support for continued EU-wide…

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EU kicks off debate on vaccine travel certificates

European Union countries kicked off a debate on Monday on whether people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine should have greater freedom to travel in the summer than those not…

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EU Agenda

05 January- 09 January 05 January-07 January: European Parliament Committee meetings 06 January: meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control at the European Parliament 07 January: Public hearing on the…

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