European Union

01

Jul

Finland to takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union

Finland takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July 2019. As holder of the presidency, Finland will chair the Council’s meetings of…

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Switzerland-EU partnership deadline looms

The European Union is threatening that from Sunday midnight, to terminate its preferential treatment of Swiss stock exchanges. From July 1, the EU would no longer recognize Swiss stock-exchange regulations…

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EU and Vietnam sign free trade deal

The European Union signed a landmark free trade deal with Vietnam on Sunday, the first of its kind with a developing country in Asia, paving the way for tariff reductions…

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Special meeting of the European Council to choose the candidates for EU top jobs

The leaders of the European Union are meeting Sunday for talks on nominations for the EU's top jobs at the Special European Council in Brussels, Belgium. The discussions were set…

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EU TE-SAT Report: Terrorism in the EU became more complex in 2018

In 2018, terrorism continued to represent a major security threat in EU Member States. Horrific attacks killed thirteen people and injured many more. A stark increase in the number…

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TomTom Part Of EU Data Task Force’s Proof Of Concept To Make Roads In EU Safer

EU Data Task Force (DTF) and TomTom (TOM2), active in location technology services, will work together on a proof of concept to improve road safety by sharing vehicle and…

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Cutting edge EU translation technology now available to Maltese civil servants

Maltese civil servants now have the opportunity of using eTranslation, a cutting-edge machine translation tool developed and used by the European Commission (EC). The Commission, which has one of the…

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New report highlights greater diversity of cannabis products, increasing potency and the need for close monitoring of health effects

Cannabis products have become increasingly diverse in Europe and close monitoring of their potency and potential health effects is essential. These are among the conclusions of a new report published…

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Asylum applications in EU rise but are far below the crisis period levels

The number of people seeking political asylum in the European Union is rising again, driven up by Latin American refugees, but flows are expected to remain well below the…

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Photo Story: Presidents reunion

(L-R) The EU Commission President and Former President Jose Manuel Barroso, Jacques Santer, Jean-Claude Juncker, Romano Prodi and World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy, pose for a photo…

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Weber determined to become Commission President

The European People's Party (EPP) candidate for EU Commission President Manfred Weber isn't backing down from his bid and urged the European Parliament not to let the decision take place in…

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EU publishes strategic agenda for next 5 years

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, announced that the European Union (EU) now has "a new Strategic Agenda for the EU setting the priorities and direction for 2019-2024". Tusk…

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UPDATED: EU leaders fail to agree over top jobs at Brussels summit

A summit of 28 European Union leaders has ended without an agreement on who should take on the bloc's top jobs. The talks, held in Brussels, continued until the early…

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EU court rules that Adidas’s three stripes trademark is invalid

The European Union’s second highest court ruled on Wednesday that Adidas’s trademark consisting of three parallel stripes was invalid. The court called it "an ordinary figurative mark." The General Court…

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Bulgarian Cybercrime Department in action against IPTV criminal network

Under the supervision of the Bulgarian Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation, police officers from the Bulgarian Cybercrime Department from the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Interior…

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EU delays accession talks with N. Macedonia and Albania

EU ministers have decided to delay opening accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia. The European Commission last month recommended that accession talks should begin with the Balkan countries after…

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EU election was targeted by Russian disinformation

The Financial Times reports that according to an initial review by Brussels, Russian sources mounted a “continued and sustained” disinformation effort to “suppress turnout and influence voter preferences” at last…

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EU finance ministers fail to agree on euro zone budget

European Union finance ministers failed to agree in overnight talks on some of the key features of a future euro zone budget and decided to continue discussions in the coming…

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Slovak capital to host the new European Labour Authority

The Slovak capital Bratislava on Thursday won the right to host a new European Union agency to oversee the labour market that is due to start operating this autumn. A…

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New threat assessment confirms links between counterfeiting and organised crime in the EU

Most criminal activity involving counterfeiting is carried out by increasingly professionalised organised crime networks, which can reap large profits while running relatively few risks. That is according to the…

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Merkel calls for ‘comparable minimum wage’ across EU, appeal for equal working conditions within the EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the EU to look into ways to ensure countries have a "comparable" minimum wage. She also added that there should be equal working…

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EU wide rules on drones published

On 11 June 2019 common European rules on drones, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945 & Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, have been published to ensure drone operations across Europe are…

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EU reviewing past money-laundering cases at banks in the EU

The European Commission is reviewing past money-laundering cases at EU banks to assess what went wrong and decide possible tweaks to rules. Under the plan, the European Commission is assessing…

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Seizures of cocaine in Europe hit record amount

Europe is seeing signs of an increase in cocaine availability, with seizures of the drug at record levels. This is according to the European Drug Report 2019: Trends and Developments,…

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Most EU governments back another Brexit delay

The Times reported that most European Union governments are ready to back another Brexit delay regardless of who becomes the next British prime minister, citing a senior European source. According…

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Manfred Weber confirmed leader of the EPP in European Parliament

German MEP Manfred Weber has been reelected as leader of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) bloc in the European Parliament. The EPP said 156 of its 160 European…

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EU Commission says Italy is in breach of EU fiscal rules

The European Commission concluded on Wednesday that Italy is in breach of EU fiscal rules because of its growing debt, a situation that justifies the launch of a disciplinary…

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Italy set for infringement procedure by EU if figures confirmed

European Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Wednesday that Brussels may open an infringement procedure against Italy for excessive deficit. "If the (forecasted) figures are confirmed, we will not be…

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U.N. warns world risks a descent into lawlessness

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the European Union to take a lead role in fighting to preserve a rules-based global order. Speaking in the western German city…

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Brexit uncertainty hits business confidence in Europe

Uncertainty over Britain’s departure from the European Union has triggered a sharp drop in business confidence in Europe over the past six months, a survey showed on Thursday. Only 50%…

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Italy’s Lega close to deal with UK’s Farage in the European Parliament

Italian Lega MEP Marco Zanni said that the Italian party is close to reaching an agreement with Nigel Farage's Brexit party for an alliance at the European level. Zanni said…

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Hungary rejects Weber for EU’s top job

Hungary's foreign minister has shut down the idea of supporting German MEP Manfred Weber as the next EU commission president. In an interview with Euronews the day after the…

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Farage demands a seat at Brexit talks

Nigel Farage warned he that he would turn British politics upside down if denied a seat at Brexit negotiations. Farage made the statement on Monday after his new party swept…

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The trends that emerged in this weekend’s European elections

The BBC gives a look, amid the conflicting interpretations, at the trends that emerged in the European Union after the European Parliamentary elections. Katya Adler, the BBC Europe Editor,…

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Weber’s ambitions to encounter first post-election hurdle

The European Parliament's new liberal group indicated that it will declare that "no candidate has secured a majority in the European Parliament," dealing a blow to the Commission presidency chances…

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Europe Votes: Huge win for Salvini in Italy, M5S falls to 3rd place

Matteo Salvini, Lega Party, got a big boost in the European Parliamentary election to become the No. 1 party in Italy, after winning more than 30 percent of the vote,…

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Europe Votes: Germany, Heavy losses for the ruling parties in EU election

Both the CDU and SPD in Germany are heading towards a historic low in the votes they won, while the Greens recorded a surge Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union…

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Europe Votes: Spain, Big wins for the Socialists

Socialists won the European Parliament election in Spain. The Socialists were seen winning 20 of the country's 54 seats in the European Parliament, up from 14 in 2014, while…

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Europe Votes: Germany’s CDU says Weber should lead EU Commission

German Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany's Manfred Weber should be the next European Commission president if the European People's Party is confirmed as the largest group…

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Europe Votes: Belgium, Far-right makes huge gains

The far-right Vlaams Belang made a huge win in Belgium, offsetting losses by parties in Prime Minister Charles Michel's outgoing government coalition. In the northern, Dutch-speaking Flanders region, provisional…

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Europe Votes: Italy, the projections – Exit Polls (Updated)

Exit Polls Salvini's Lega Nord is expected to get between 31% and 27%. The PD anything between 21% and 25% while the M5s anything between 18.5% and 22.5%. This…

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Europe Votes: Poland, ExitPolls, the projections

Exit Polls indicate that Law and Justice are set to win 42.4% of the vote in Poland. This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Poland:…

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Europe Votes: France, the projections, the Exit Polls

First exit polls in France show Le Pen's far-right finishing top with around 24%. Macron's LREM second with around 22% via AFP New Europe reports that Marine Le Pen’s far-right…

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Europe Votes: Croatia, the projections

Exit Polls: The centre-left Socialists and Democrats group are expected to gain a seat while the centre-right European People's Party and liberals ALDE are each forecast to lose one, according…

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Europe Votes: Cyprus, the Exit Polls, the projections (Updated)

Exit Polls : National parties Percentage (%) DISY – Democratic Rally (EPP) 31.80% ΑΚΕL –Progressive Party of Working People (GUE) 26.00% DIKO –Democratic Party (S&D) 11.90% EDEK –Movement for Social Democrats EDEK (S&D) 9.80% ELAM –National…

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Europe Votes: Greece, the Exit Polls, the projections (Updated)

In Greece, the conservative opposition New Democracy party is the projected winner, according to exit polls. New Democracy is projected to win 32% to 36% of the vote, compared to 25%…

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Europe Votes: Germany, Exit Polls and Projections (Updated)

Initial official projections in Germany show that Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the CSU have come out ahead with 27.9% , but suffered a dip…

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Europe Votes: Sweden, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Sweden : Sweden – The Projections If turnout of 51.07% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts S…

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Europe Votes: Slovenia, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Slovenia: Slovenia – The Projections If turnout of 24.55% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts SDS-SLS will beat…

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Europe Votes: Romania, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Romania: Romania – The Projections If turnout of 33.67% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts PNL will…

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Europe Votes: Spain, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Spain: Spain – The Projections If the turnout of 43.81% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts PSOE…

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Europe Votes: Portugal, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections for the voting today in Portugal: Portugal – The Projections If turnout of 33.67% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts PS will…

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Europe Votes: Lithuania, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections of the voting today in Lithuania: Lithuania– The Projections If turnout of 47.35% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts TS-LKD will beat…

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Europe Votes: Luxembourg, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s and FT projections of the voting today in Luxembourg: Luxembourg – The Projections If turnout of 85.55% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts…

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Europe Votes: Hungary, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections of the voting today in Hungary: Hungary – The Projections If turnout of 28.97% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts Fidesz&KDNP will…

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Europe Votes: Finland, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s projections of the voting today in Finland: Finland – The Projections If the turnout of 39.14% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts KOK will…

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Europe Votes: Estonia, the projections

This is a summary of Politico’s and FT projections of the voting today in Estonia: Estonia – The Projections If the turnout of 36.52% is maintained in this vote, Politico…

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