Europe Explained

Farm to Fork policy changes should not be hurried at time of insecurity – EPP

The centre-right European grouping in Parliament expressed its concern that in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is pushing for deep changes to the EU's food production…

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EU coronavirus chief warns Europe should brace for second wave

The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection across Europe is no longer a distant theory, according to the director of the EU agency responsible for advising governments –…

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‘It’s up to us’: how Merkel and Macron revived EU solidarity

It took a courtroom of scarlet-robed judges to spur Angela Merkel to make one of her boldest moves in 15 years as German chancellor: propose huge cash handouts to the…

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EU calls on Malta to invest in green and digital transition in country-specific recommendations

The Commission has proposed today country-specific recommendations (CSRs) providing economic policy guidance to all EU Member States in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, focused on the most urgent challenges…

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European Parliament demands €2 trillion recovery chest

Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a €2 trillion ‘recovery and transformation’ fund to revive European economies. The document, which was approved by 505 votes…

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MEPs call for stronger financial outlay and quick action to avoid huge recession

European Members of Parliament welcomed the recent proposal for a €500 billion recovery fund brought forward earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling…

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Staycation or Vacation – Summer holidays loading: The situation in Europe

Not more than four weeks ago as new cases of coronavirus spiked and peaked across Europe, the prospect of catching a plan or a ferry to another European destination seemed…

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Coronavirus: Commission boosts urgently needed research and innovation with additional €122 million

The Commission has mobilised another €122 million from its research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, for urgently needed research into the coronavirus. The new call for expressions of interest contributes…

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EU Council condemns Turkey drilling operation

The European Council criticised decisions by Turkey to dispatch a drilling ship to within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone and accused Ankara of breaching international law. In a statement, the EU…

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France, Germany propose €500 bln Recovery Fund to be fully financed by the EU

France and Germany proposed on Monday a 500 billion euro ($543 billion) Recovery Fund that would offer grants to European Union regions and sectors hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, pushing…

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EU supports ArcelorMittal with EUR 75m EIB loan to scale up technology to reduce carbon emissions

The European Investment Bank (EIB), with the support of the European Commission, has granted a EUR 75m loan to ArcelorMittal for the construction of two ground-breaking projects at ArcelorMittal…

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Eurojust thwarts human trafficking ring operating from UK, Austria and Romania

With a rapid intervention supported by Eurojust, the EU's judicial arm, 10 suspects of human trafficking have been arrested and five others placed under judicial control by the Romanian authorities. Two…

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EIB promotes circular economy as part of efforts to boost European economies post-crisis

The circular economy concept is gaining attention as the consumption and use of resources increases to serve a fast-growing population with rising standards of living. Circularity refers to the circular…

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EU Task Force brings home more than 580,000 EU citizens

The President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that a specially-created European Union Consular Coordination Task Force has brought home more than 580,000 EU citizens. The Task Force was…

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EU Partner countries get €3bn in loans to prop up economies affected by pandemic

The European Parliament approved €3 billion in loans to help EU neighbours and partner countries deal with the fallout of COVID-19. The loans, which will be given on highly favourable…

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European Parliament urges EU Commission to set up €2 trillion investment package

The European Parliament on Friday urged the European Commission to set up a €2 trillion investment package to tackle the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic that would provide “mostly” grants…

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Commission approves €40 million Maltese support scheme to grant interest rate subsidies to companies

The European Commission has approved a €40 million Maltese interest rate subsidy scheme to support companies facing acute liquidity shortages due to the current coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, the…

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Economic activity in EU sees sharpest decline since 1995

Seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 3.8% in the euro area and by 3.3% in the EU during the first quarter of 2020, compared with the previous quarter, according to a…

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EU plans to cut pesticides by half in ten years in support of biodiversity

The European Commission is seeking to halve the use of chemical pesticides by 2030 to halt the decline of pollinators, in a plan likely to draw criticism both from those urging a…

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MEPs call for financial support to Hungary to be withheld if democratic infringements persist

In a debate with EC Vice-President Vera Jourová and the Croatian Presidency of the EU, a majority of Members of the European Parliament underlined that the emergency measures taken by…

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EU supports Horn of Africa region to the tune of €105m as pandemic worsens humanitarian situation

The EU is providing an additional €105.5 million to countries in the Horn of Africa as the coronavirus pandemic risks worsening the humanitarian situation across the region where many continue…

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Sanofi to accelerate European COVID-19 vaccine access after CEO prioritizes U.S. preorders

French drugmaker Sanofi SA said on Wednesday that it is working with European regulators to speed up access to a potential coronavirus vaccine in Europe after its chief executive…

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EP wants data protection guaranteed before allowing fingerprint exchange with UK

MEPs urge the Council not to take any decision on the topic until the UK gives guarantees on full reciprocity and data protection and to wait until the new legal…

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EU urges voluntary use of virus-tracing apps to speed recovery from pandemic

The European Commission has urged EU governments to use COVID-19 contact tracing apps on a voluntary basis as part of efforts to lift border restrictions and revive the European Union's tourism and travel industries.…

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EU seeks new revenue sources to finance economic recovery

The European Union executive will ask member states to allocate new sources of revenue to the EU's long-term budget to help finance an economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, its…

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A COVID-19 vaccination should be made available to everyone without discrimination – David Casa

Maltese MEP David Casa has called on the European Union to ensure that once available, the vaccination for the COVID-19 virus should be provided to every citizen, without discrimination. David…

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EP approves increased water reuse

To prevent water shortages in the European Union, the European Parliament has approved a resolution allowing increased levels of water re-use. The new law defines minimum requirements at European…

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EU calls for non-discriminatory opening of borders in coordinated effort to boost tourism

The European Commission has presented a package of guidelines and recommendations to help Member States gradually lift travel restrictions and allow tourism businesses to reopen, after months of lockdown, while…

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EU Commission approves €11.5m Maltese scheme to support coronavirus-related investments

The European Commission has approved a Maltese aid scheme of €11.5 million to support investments in the production of products that are relevant to the coronavirus outbreak, including vaccines, ventilators…

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Covid-19 recovery fund must be embedded in EU long-term budget – EP budget chair

MEPs are today discussing plans to reboot Europe’s economy in light of Covid-19 and will be voting on a resolution later in the week. Ahead of a vote on…

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European Commission urges Member States to prepare for second wave of infections

As countries are starting to ease the lockdown measures, experts have expressed fear of a new wave of infections in Summer. The concern is that lower infection rates combined with…

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EU grants €117 million for treatments and diagnostics through the Innovative Medicines Initiative

The Commission announced today that eight large-scale research projects, aimed at developing treatments and diagnostics for the coronavirus,were selected in a fast-track call for proposals, launched in March by the…

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EU supports job development in Egypt through EIB financing

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a financing agreement of $100 million with Banque du Caire (BDC) to finance the investments of Egyptian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing and services sectors…

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EPP urges strong action to save Europe’s Summer

The EPP Group in the European Parliament is calling for unified European health checks and sanitary protocols for travelling and tourism, the non-discriminatory re-opening of internal European borders and targeted…

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Malta with highest increase of nurses in employment – Eurostat

In 2019, there were 4.45 million nurses and midwives employed in the European Union (EU), counting both professional and assistant nurses and midwives. This corresponded to half a million more…

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EASO cautions that COVID-19 could result in increased asylum-related migration

A new EASO report found that while currently migratory trends have declined, with a 43% decline registered this year so far, the trend could change if the pandemic spreads further…

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Coronavirus may drive change in precarious employment – Eurostat

Precarious employment, which was largely kept in control by most EU countries in the previous years, may rise its head again in the next months and years as a direct…

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EU Commission delivers first batch of 1.5 million masks from 10 million purchased to support EU healthcare workers

Over the coming days, 1.5 million medical masks will be delivered to 17 Member States and the UK to protect healthcare workers against coronavirus. This latest EU mask delivery is…

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EU Commission launches Fit for Future Platform

The European Commission has today launched the Fit for Future Platform – a high-level expert group, which will help the Commission simplify existing EU laws and reduce administrative burden for…

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EU could open legal case against Germany over ECB bond-purchases ruling – Commission

Reuters reports that the European Commission could open a legal case against Germany over a ruling by the country's constitutional court that the European Central Bank had overstepped its mandate with bond purchases, the…

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Britain, EU start penultimate round of Brexit talks before key deadline

Britain and the European Union start their penultimate scheduled round of trade talks on Monday with little progress on major sticking points before a June deadline to agree on any…

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France and Netherlands call on EU to place environment and work standards as key components of trade deals

France and the Netherlands have joined forces to urge the European Union to enforce environmental and labour standards more forcefully with countries the bloc signs trade deals with. The countries called for higher…

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Coronavirus Response: EU sets up a Humanitarian Air Bridge

The European Commission has set up an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge to transport humanitarian workers and emergency supplies for the coronavirus response to some of most critical areas around the…

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European leaders invited by Pope Francis to remain inspired by Schuman Declaration

Pope Francis turned his thoughts to Europe “on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950", reports Vatican News. The Pope said that Declaration “inspired…

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European diplomatic feuds on Libya and migration, as clashes and bombing keep going on

Shelling of Tripoli's Mitiga airport early on Saturday, part of an intensified barrage of artillery fire on the capital in recent days, hit fuel tanks and damaged passenger planes, the…

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“Europe needs a break” – EU Commission’s post Covid-19 tourism strategy

Tourism normally brings some 150 billion euros every season form June through August with some 360 million international arrivals, according to the Commission. Tourism, that normally contributes almost a tenth…

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Ailing airline and automotive industry pose biggest hurdle for European Green Deal in post Covid-19 scenario

POLITICO reports that "Berlin and Paris are under enormous pressure to save their airlines and carmakers from the coronavirus pandemic, but they are struggling to make their support for national…

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EU to push for state guarantees for travel vouchers instead of cash refunds

The European Commission will tell countries in the European Union to provide state guarantees for travel vouchers during the coronavirus pandemic, if they prefer people to accept the vouchers instead…

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Germany sees increased risk of hard Brexit

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview on Saturday there was a growing risk of a hard Brexit in the midst of the coronavirus crisis as negotiations…

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Europe must emerge stronger from this crisis

By the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen In…

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European Parliament opens its doors online to mark Europe Day

Tomorrow 9 May, the European Parliament will mark the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, with a live programme broadcast directly from the Hemicycle in Brussels. Due to the current…

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Commission steps up fight against money laundering and terrorist financing

The European Commission has put forward a comprehensive approach to further strengthen the EU's fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. This ambitious action plan, targeting one of the biggest…

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75th anniversary of end of WWII in Europe

Several nations will today mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Commemorations that this year will be held among various coronavirus pandemic restrictions and with the main attention being on…

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EU survey highlights plummeting optimism, low trust levels, alongside rising fears of job loss and financial insecurity

The first results from Eurofound’s Living, working and COVID-19 online survey show a Europe grappling to respond to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with many respondents reporting high levels of…

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Sassoli to EU institutions: “Be brave on EU recovery plan”

EU President David Sassoli has called on the EU institutions to find consensus and back their commitment with a sizeable financial committment to help Europe emerge from the current health…

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EU greenhouse gas emissions significantly down in 2019

Emissions of greenhouse gases from all operators covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) fell by 8.7% in 2019, compared to 2018 levels. Under the EU ETS, all…

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EU confident of recovery in 2021 if effective assistance is given to business employment

In its COVID-dominated Spring forecast, the European Commission forecasts the 27-member-group’s economy to contract by 7.5% this year, far deeper than the haemorrhage experienced during the global financial crisis in…

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