European Union

EU Summit postponed after President Michel goes into coronavirus quarantine

European Council President Charles Michel postponed a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday and Friday until the start of October after going into coronavirus quarantine due to contact with an infected security…

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Belarus opposition appeal to EU fails to unblock sanctions

European Union foreign ministers failed to agree sanctions against Belarusian officials on Monday, despite an appeal by the country's main opposition leader. After a sixth straight weekend of huge protests…

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EU seeks new powers to penalize tech giants

The European Union wants to arm itself with new powers to penalize big technology companies, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The proposed plan includes forcing tech giants to break…

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Brexit: Johnson not expecting tariff barriers between UK and EU

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday if Britain were to set an external tariff regime with the European Union, it would be "quite formidable" for some of the bloc's products. Johnson said…

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EasyJet CEO chides EU states over fragmented travel policies

European governments should focus on developing coherent air travel policies as airlines struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than shielding national carriers, easyJet Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said.…

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UPDATED: EU chief executive unveils blueprint to get Europe back on its feet

The European Union's chief executive on Wednesday painted a sober picture of the bloc grappling with a pandemic and the deepest recession in its history, but laid out ambitious goals…

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EU sources say Britain has moved to break fisheries deadlock in Brexit trade talks

Britain offered tentative concessions on fisheries in trade talks with the European Union last week, two diplomatic sources told Reuters, just as London was publicly threatening to breach the terms…

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EU and China sign landmark agreement protecting European Geographical Indications

The EU and China have signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against usurpation and imitation.…

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World’s largest carbon market faces revamp under draft EU plan

The world's biggest carbon trading market faces a major overhaul under European Union climate change plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions faster this decade, a draft seen by Reuters shows.…

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EU says ‘time is too short’ to send observers for Venezuela’s December vote

The European Union has received an invitation to observe parliamentary elections in Venezuela in December, but President Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian government so far has not met “minimum conditions” to allow…

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Big European states call for cryptocurrency curbs to protect consumers

Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands called on the European Commission to draw up strict regulation for asset-backed cryptocurrencies such as stablecoins to protect consumers and preserve state sovereignty…

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EU seeks urgent debate on Belarus at U.N. rights body

The European Union is requesting an urgent debate on Belarus at the top U.N. rights body next week, describing a “deterioration” in the situation there, a letter written by the…

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EU lawmakers to block EU-U.K. trade deal if Brexit divorce treaty not fully implemented

European Parliament lawmakers said on Friday they will not approve any new EU-UK trade deal unless Britain fully implements its earlier divorce deal. The chamber must approve any such trade…

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EU countries lost €140 billion in VAT revenues in 2018, with a potential increase in 2020 due to coronavirus

EU countries lost an estimated €140 billion in Value-Added Tax (VAT) revenues in 2018, according to a new report released by the European Commission today. Though still extremely high, the…

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EU finance ministers to discuss new EU revenues, digital tax

European Union finance ministers will discuss on Friday new revenues for the bloc from various taxes, including a levy on digital giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook or Microsoft, to repay…

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EU’s Mediterranean states tell Turkey: resume talks this month or risk sanctions

The European Union will draw up a list of new sanctions on Turkey at the end of September unless Ankara comes to the negotiating table to resolve a territorial dispute…

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EU enters final talks for BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine

The European Commission announced it had entered final stage talks with BioNTech-Pfizer to purchase up to 300 million doses of a potential vaccine against COVID-19. This is the sixth potential…

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Eurozone sees double-digit drop in GDP in Q2

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the eurozone shrank by 11.8 percent while the employment rate decreased by 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous quarter, Eurostat said…

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COVID-19 forces EU lawmakers to scrap Strasbourg meeting

European Union lawmakers have cancelled their session at the parliament’s headquarters in the French city of Strasbourg next week, despite a legal obligation to do so, because of the coronavirus,…

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Spain pushes for EU harmonisation of COVID travel measures, foreign minister says

Spain's Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Tuesday her government was pushing for a European Union harmonisation of COVID-19 travel measures to limit problems for tourists and tourism operators.…

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Alcohol prices in Malta considerably higher than EU average

In 2019, the price of alcoholic drinks in Malta was considerably higher than the EU average, although significant discrepancies were observered across the 27 Member States. When price levels in…

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UK ramps up no-deal preparations as EU trade talks stall

Britain began a fresh round of Brexit trade talks by warning the European Union that it was ramping up preparations to leave the bloc without an agreement as the two…

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Euro zone investor morale improves for fifth month in September – Sentix

Investor morale in the euro zone rose for a fifth consecutive month in September to reach its highest level since February, a survey showed on Monday, signalling hope that a…

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EU to blacklist 31 Belarus senior officials over election, diplomats say

The European Union aims to impose economic sanctions on 31 senior Belarus officials including the country’s interior minister by mid-September, three EU diplomats said, in response to an Aug. 9…

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Young translators at EU schools – Commission opens registration for 2020 translation contest

The European Commission announced the launch of its annual translation contest for secondary school students from across Europe, Juvenes Translatores. Schools from all EU countries will be able to register…

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European Council President Charles Michel says EU to hone “carrot and stick” line on Turkey at summit

European Union leaders will decide on a "carrot and stick" approach to Turkey when they meet on Sept. 24-25, their chairman said, proposing a multi-party conference to defuse tensions in…

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Lithuania says EU’s inaction over Belarus undermines foreign policy credibility

The European Union’s lack of action over Belarus is undermining the credibility of its foreign policy, Lithuanian foreign affairs minister Linas Linkevicius told the Financial Times newspaper in an interview…

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Hungary threatens EU’s COVID-19 recovery financing over rule of law

Hungary has refused to grant final approval of the European Union's planned 750 billion euros (669.5 billion pounds) borrowing to spur economic recovery in the bloc from the coronavirus pandemic without guarantees…

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EU hopeful first vaccine doses will come by end of year

The European Union hopes it will get 30 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year, the first batch in a deal struck with British…

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Let’s agree simple parts of Brexit deal first, Britain tells EU

Britain wants to agree simpler parts of its future relationship with the European Union in order to create momentum in the negotiations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Tuesday…

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Brexit: UK actively to push for no-deal if EU insists on alignment of state aid rules

The chief advisor on Brexit to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has indicated Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, that he will recommend Britain leaves without a trade deal unless Brussels…

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Turkey wants no pre-conditions, ‘honest’ EU mediation for talks with Greece

Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday Greece must abandon its "maximalist approach" and pre-conditions for dialogue to begin over disputed offshore Mediterranean resources, adding Ankara expects the EU to act as an…

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Insurers call for more proactive EU climate change policy

The European Union's strategy to adapt to the risks of climate change needs to be much more proactive and ambitious in order to reduce the risk of natural disasters such as flooding,…

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Coronavirus Global Response: EU Humanitarian Air Bridge supports Venezuela

As part of the EU's global coronavirus response, an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of two flights to Venezuela has concluded after delivering a total of 82.5 tonnes of…

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EU and US reach agreement on tariff reductions

The European Union and the United States have reached an agreement on a package of tariff reductions that will increase market access for hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S.…

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Tougher EU climate target technically, economically feasible, researchers say

A European Union plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 is technically and economically possible, researchers said on Monday. The European Commission will next month propose a tougher…

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Lukashenko steps up efforts to reassert control, EU announces sanctions

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has stepped up efforts to reassert his control after 10 days of street protests and strikes triggered by disputed elections. The official result gave him 80%…

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EU must support peaceful Belarus protesters, France’s Macron says

The European Union should support demonstrations in Belarus following the country's presidential election, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. "The European Union must continue to be mobilised in support of the…

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EU to investigate Chinese aluminium trade dumping

The European Commission on Friday began an investigation into whether China is dumping flat-rolled aluminium products in the 27-country European Union based on a complaint by a European group of producers. The EU move followed another anti-dumping…

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Asylum applications in the EU+ increase significantly, but remain at half pre-COVID-19 levels

Following the gradual relaxation of emergency measures in EU+ countries, in June about half as many applications for international protection were lodged compared to the months immediately prior to the…

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EU calls for intensified efforts to solve trade disputes with U.S.

The European Union on Wednesday called for intensified efforts to resolve trade disputes with the United States after Washington kept in place tariffs on European aircraft and other goods. "The Commission acknowledges…

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EU declares Belarus elections “neither free nor fair”

In a strongly-worded statement, the European Union, through its High Representative, has condemned developments in Belarus, saying that the people of Belarus had clearly demonstrated the desire for democratic change. However,…

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EU commission to support 23 new research projects on coronavirus pandemic

The Commission will support 23 new research projects with €128 million in response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. The funding under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation programme, is…

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EU health agency warns of “true resurgence” of Covid-19

The European Union’s health agency has called on member states that are seeing an increase in cases of coronavirus to reinstate control measures, while it warned of a “true resurgence”…

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EU pledges additional 30 million euros to Lebanon

At the international conference on assistance and support to Beirut and the Lebanese people, the European Commission has pledged a new funding worth €30 million to help address the immediate…

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Italy seeks 28 billion euro in EU funds to support economy

Italy has asked the European Union to tap its SURE unemployment scheme for 28.5 billion euros ($33.6 billion) after extending employment support to help the economy withstand the hit from the COVID-19 crisis.…

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Top EU, US female politicians push Facebook to protect women from threats on social media platform

Facebook must step up and protect women in politics from threats of violence and sexism and hate on its platform, said a letter to the company from female members of…

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Greening Aviation: Commission launches public consultation on sustainable aviation fuels

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector. The Commission is currently assessing different policy options to boost the development…

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EU eyes softening key state aid demand in Brexit talks: sources

The European Union is willing to compromise to rescue troubled Brexit talks by softening its demand that Britain heed EU rules on state aid in the future, diplomatic sources told Reuters. They…

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Euro zone retail sales return to pre-pandemic levels

The volume of retail sales in the euro zone rebounded in June to levels recorded in February before lockdowns, official estimates showed on Wednesday, completing a recovery that began in…

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EU to investigate Google’s proposed acquisition of Fitbit

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Fitbit by Google under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission is concerned that the proposed transaction…

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EU-Vietnam trade agreement enters into force

EU exports to Vietnam will be taxed less of this month. This is the immediate effect of the entry into force of the EU-Vietnam trade agreement that will ultimately scrap…

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France wants EU to withhold funding from states that undermine human rights

France will push for financial sanctions under the EU's 750 billion euro (675 billion pounds) coronavirus recovery fund against states that undermine fundamental human rights, its junior European affairs minister told the…

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EU banks’ stress test to be held in 2021

The European Union's next stress test of leading banks will take place in January next year, with the results published at the end of July 2021, the bloc's banking watchdog said on…

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EU sanctions Russian intelligence, North Korean, Chinese firms over alleged cyberattacks

The European Union on Thursday imposed travel and financial sanctions on a department of Russia's military intelligence service and on firms from North Korea and China over their suspected participation in major cyberattacks…

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EU approves five new cross-border projects for Erasmus+ funding to develop excellence in vocational training in Europe

The Commission has proposed today Erasmus+ funding for five new Platforms of Centres of Vocational Excellence, to meet the needs of an innovative, inclusive and sustainable economy. Funded through Erasmus+ for a…

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EU readies up to $53 million to boost collection of plasma to fight COVID-19

The European Union has made available up to 45 million euros ($53 million/£40 million) to increase the collection of plasma from COVID-19 survivors for the treatment of people who contract the disease, a…

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