European Union

Von der Leyen is considering plans to revamp the European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen is considering plans to revamp the structure of the next European Commission. The biggest change in a draft plan being mulled by the incoming Commission president,…

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Michel Barnier ‘not optimistic’ about avoiding no-deal Brexit

The European Union's top Brexit negotiator has said he is not optimistic about avoiding a no-deal scenario as he cannot meet Britain's demands to scrap the Irish backstop. Michel Barnier…

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The US, the EU, Iceland, and Norway Sign Agreement To Remove Time Constraints on Air Carrier Leases of Aircraft with Crew

The United States, the European Union, Iceland, and Norway signed an agreement to remove one-sided time constraints on U.S. air carrier leases of aircraft with crew in the lucrative U.S.-EU…

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EU against Russia’s return to G7

The European Union is against making any unconditional invitation to Russia to let it rejoin talks among the G7 world leaders, a senior official with the bloc said. This week…

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EU plans sweeping regulation of facial recognition

The European Commission is exploring ways to impose strict limits on the use of facial recognition technology to stamp out creeping public surveillance of European citizens. The European Commission is…

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IMF recommends scrapping age limit for Georgieva

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said its executive board recommended the removal of the age limit for its managing director, a move needed for European nominee, the Bulgarian Kristalina…

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Facebook’s Libra faces EU antitrust scrutiny

Facebook’s proposed digital currency Libra faces anti-trust probe by European Union regulators, Bloomberg reported, citing a document seen by the organization. The European Commission is “currently investigating potential anti-competitive behaviour”…

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No sign of euro zone crisis due to political turmoil in Italy

Olaf Scholz , the German Finance Minister, said that there is no sign of a looming euro zone crisis due to political upheaval in Italy. Asked on Wednesday morning if…

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Boris Johnson to meet Angela Merkel today

Boris Johnson is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin later today, where he is expected to reiterate his call for the backstop plan to be scrapped. Johnson…

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Germany, Hungary to mark end of the Iron Curtain

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the city of Sopron Monday to commemorate a pivotal moment in the fall of the Iron Curtain in…

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Switzerland introduces higher fees for Schengen visas

Switzerland has moved into line with European Union changes to Schengen visa applications that will raise the costs for adults and children aged between six and 12. Although Switzerland is…

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Migrant arrivals in Europe in July up slightly from previous month

In July, the number of detections of illegal border crossings on Europe’s main migratory routes rose 4% from the previous month to around 10 500. Overall, the total for…

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Juncker tells Britain: no-deal Brexit will hurt you the most

A no-deal Brexit would hurt Britain more than the rest of Europe no matter how much Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government pretends otherwise, outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said…

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Leaving euro not an option – Salvini

The leader of Italy’s League Matteo Salvini, said on Saturday leaving the euro was not an option on the table. La Repubblica daily said on Saturday that Salvini was preparing…

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Pope Francis warns against nationalism, calls for Europe to be saved

Europe's historic and cultural unity must be saved, Pope Francis told Turin daily La Stampa in an interview published on Friday. In the interview, the pontiff spoke about the dangers…

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Powerful films explore European identity at Malta’s Summer Cinema

The Summer Cinema is showing two original films inspired by the European identity. Directed by established filmmakers, the new films present incisive and stirring interpretations of the worldviews adopted by…

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EU worried by spread of African swine fever in Bulgaria

The spread of African swine fever in Bulgaria, which threatens the Balkan country’s pig breeding industry is worrying, an EU Commission spokeswoman said on Thursday. Bulgaria has reported more than…

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Europeans upbeat about the state of the European Union, immigration remains the main concern

A new Eurobarometer survey released today shows a strong increase in citizens’ positive perception of the European Union across the board – from the economy to the state of democracy.…

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EU border force implicated in migrant abuse

German and British media published reports on Monday that place the European Union border agency Frontex at the scene of illegal activities by national border guards that may have constituted…

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Photo Story: Mogherini visits Vietnam

Vietnam's Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) shakes hands with Federica Mogherini (R), Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs…

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Warning on increasing possible terrorist drone use in attacks

EU Security Commissioner Julian King on Saturday warned about the potential use of drones to carry out terrorist attacks. In an interview with the German newspaper, Welt, which was published online…

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New EU – US deal to sell more American beef to Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal on Friday to sell more American beef to Europe. The European Commission has stressed that any beef deal will not increase overall beef…

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Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva selected by EU for IMF top job

Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian chief executive of the World Bank, has been picked as Europe's choice to lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after a divisive 14-hour round of voting…

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EU to strip five countries of some market access rights

The European Commission will deem that Canada, Brazil, Singapore, Argentina and Australia don't regulate credit ratings agencies with the same rigour as the EU, the Financial Times reported, citing a…

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Warning that UK and EU are not ready for no-deal Brexit

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned the government that neither the UK nor the EU is ready for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. "While the UK's preparations…

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Gloomy outlook for Euro zone business growth

Euro zone business growth was weaker than expected in July, hampered by a deepening contraction in manufacturing, and forward-looking indicators in surveys published on Wednesday suggest conditions will get worse…

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French parliament approves controversial EU-Canada trade deal CETA

France’s lower house of parliament approved a huge EU-Canada trade deal after a heated debate about its environmental impact and a rebellion by some ruling party members. In a vote…

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Luxembourg has the most cars per inhabitant in the EU

According to research by the European statistics office, Eurostat, Luxembourg has the most cars per inhabitant in the European Union. Among the EU Member States with the highest ’motorisation…

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Renewed commitment to Mediterranean rescues encouraging, but ‘overriding priority’ must be ‘lasting peace’, say UN officials

The heads of the two key UN agencies championing refugees and migrants have called for an end to their “arbitrary detention” across Libya, following an agreement on Tuesday by European…

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EU warns that Boris Johnson ‘faces challenging times’, Trump congratulates Johnson

Incoming UK PM Boris Johnson faces "challenging" times, the EU has warned, as it reacted to his election as new Conservative leader. The European Commission's newly elected President, Ursula von…

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Austria confirms Hahn as its European commissioner

Austria confirmed that it wants Johannes Hahn, the current European Commissioner for enlargement, to stay on as its member of the next commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen. The…

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Ursula von der Leyen warns hard Brexit would be massive blow for both sides

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian and four other European newspapers the European commission’s new president has said a hard Brexit would have “massively negative consequences” for both Britain…

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EU interior ministers fail to find compromise on Mediterranean refugee rescue

European Union interior ministers meeting in Finland on Thursday failed to strike a stopgap deal to address ongoing disagreements about the bloc's migration policies, particularly issues of who should take…

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Irish Cabinet opposes EU time change plan

The Irish government will oppose an EU proposal that would end seasonal clock changes because it could result in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland being in different time…

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EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson

The European Union is bracing for either a no-deal Brexit or another delay if Boris Johnson becomes Britain's prime minister next week with a pledge to renegotiate a deal the…

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EU foreign ministers meet to discuss Iran nuclear deal

EU foreign ministers are meeting on Monday to discuss the latest developments concerning the Iran nuclear deal. They will try to flesh out a plan to convince Iran and the…

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EU’s satellite navigation system Galileo suffers service outage

Europe's satellite-navigation system, Galileo, has suffered a major outage. The network has been offline since Friday due to what has been described as a "technical incident related to its ground…

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Romano Prodi urges Europe to stick together

In an interview with The South China Morning Post, former European Commission President and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said that if France, Italy fail to maintain unity, Europe will…

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Lisbon aims to have no people living on its streets by 2021

The Lisbon City Council approved the Municipal Plan for the Homeless Person 2021. It’s a continuation of the previous plan which ended in 2018. According to the city’s authorities,…

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EU Foreign Affairs Council to address topical issues, Iran, Iraq and the Central African Republic

The Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of the European Union will meet in Brussels on 15 July 2019. The meeting will be chaired by the High Representative of the Union for…

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Macron hails common European defence in Bastille Day address

President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the importance of common defence and security on Sunday as he marked Bastille Day celebrations in France. In his annual July 14 message, he said:…

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Golden visa investment scheme in Portugal falls 23%

Investment in so-called “golden” visas, the process whereby non-EU citizens can “buy” residence visas in Portugal, fell 23 percent in the first half of the year. A total of 7,583…

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Germany calls for EU migrant redistribution ‘coalition’

Germany's foreign minister says willing EU countries should redistribute migrants saved in the Mediterranean Sea. Some EU countries have vehemently opposed any form of redistribution in recent years. Foreign Minister…

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New EU Council Horizontal Working Party established to counter hybrid threats

The Permanent Representatives Committee, Coreper, decided on 11 July 2019 to establish a new dedicated working party on countering hybrid threats. The mission of the working party is to…

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EU signals sanctions on Turkey over Cyprus drilling

The European Union will put on hold high-level talks with Ankara and negotiations on an air transport agreement, as well as freezing funding for Turkey next year, over “illegal” drilling…

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World Population Day: EU registers more deaths than births

As the world commemorates World Population Day, an annual event, observed on July 11 every year, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues European Union statistic paint a…

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SPD insists German coalition Government won’t split over Ursula von der Leyen nomination

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition will not collapse over European Union leaders’ choice of Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen to head the European Commission, Katarina Barley, who led the German…

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CDU leader warns against blocking von der Leyen nomination

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, head of Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU), warned her junior coalition partners against blocking the appointment of a German, Ursula von der Leyen, to head the European Commission,…

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Eurojust helps reveal fake organic food fraud in Italy and Serbia

In close cooperation with Eurojust, Italian and Serbian national authorities unraveled a transnational large-scale fraud in the production and trade of allegedly organic food and beverages from rotten apples. In…

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Juncker complains about von der Leyen nomination

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the process to appoint his successor, Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, was not transparent and marked an unwelcome break with the practice of choosing…

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Opposition grows in Germany for Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination for EU President

Only one third of Germans believe their defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, is a good choice to lead the EU Commission, according to a Deutschlandtrend survey, organized by Germany's…

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