Europe Explained

Euro zone banks could take big hit from inflation income drain, ECB says

Euro zone banks may see a surge in soured loans as rapid inflation and rising interest rates hit household incomes, particularly among the bloc's poorest, the European Central Bank said…

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ECB will probably keep raising rates beyond 2% level – Villeroy

The European Central Bank (ECB) will probably continue to raise interest rates beyond 2%, but "jumbo" rate hikes will not become a new habit, France's central bank chief said in…

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Energy crisis: MEPs back plans to boost the deployment of renewables

MEPs in the Industry, Energy and Research Committee shortened the maximum period to approve new installations from twelve to nine months, if located in the so-called "renewables acceleration areas". These…

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EP Socialists call for Croatian integration into Schengen

During today’s plenary debate, the S&D Group in the European Parliament has expressed its support for full Schengen membership for Croatia. The European Parliament is consulted as part of the…

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EPP calls for stronger enforcement of fiscal rules

The centre-right EPP group said that a credible economic governance framework is based on sound rules and their compliance and enforcement. “Unfortunately, the latter has not been the case for…

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ECB must keep raising rates even if recession risks rise, Lagarde says

The European Central Bank must keep raising interest rates to fight off inflation, even if the probability of a euro zone recession has increased, ECB President Christine Lagarde said in an interview…

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Gozo ferries to be exempted from tougher environmental requirements after EP vote

The European Parliament has voted in favour of more ambitious EU rules aimed at improving the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, but Maltese MEP Josianne Cutajar…

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Український народ отримав премію Сахарова від Європарламенту-2022 / The Ukrainian people awarded EP 2022 Sakharov Prize

Український народ отримав премію Сахарова від Європарламенту-2022 Депутати Європарламенту нагородили хоробрий народ України в особі президента, обраних лідерів і громадянського суспільства премією Сахарова 2022-го року за свободу думки. Президентка Європейського…

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No true freedom without media freedom – Roberta Metsola

Freedom of speech cannot be taken for granted, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told a Media Freedom Seminar in Strasbourg. “The reality is that this cannot be further away from…

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EP urges Member States to allow Romania and Bulgaria in Schengen area

The European Parliament has urged member states to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen free-travel area without delay. In a resolution adopted earlier today, MEPs called on the…

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MEPs block Frontex budget after serious misconduct revealed

The European Parliament has refused to give its approval for the budget of Frontex, the border and coast guard agency. 345 MEPs voted in favour of the committee recommendation to…

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MEPs call on Maltese Government to take further action to address media freedom

MEPs across the political spectrum called on the Maltese Government to carry out reforms which enhance the rule of law and media freedom, as they paid tribute to assassinated journalist…

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MEPs call for “massive increase” of military assistance to Ukraine

(English, Maltese below) Депутати Європарламенту закликають суттєво збільшити військову допомогу Україні Євродепутати закликали всі країни та міжнародні організації однозначно засудити фіктивні референдуми в Україні та спробу Росії заволодіти територією насильно.…

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European parliament approves universal mobile devices chargers for 2024

The European Parliament approved new rules on Tuesday that will introduce in the European Union a single charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras by 2024, a world first…

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War in Ukraine, energy prices to dominate EP agenda in Strasbourg

The drafting of Russian reservists, sham referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine and Putin’s nuclear threats will be the focus of a debate in the Plenary session of the European…

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ECB boss pledges to MEPs to fight inflation and restore confidence

Members of the European Parliament voiced concerns about rising energy and food prices, and mortgage rates during a hearing with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. MEPs in the Economic…

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MEP Casa welcomes new proposal for a European Media Freedom Act

MEP and Co-Chair of the Media Working Group David Casa welcomed the proposal for a European Media Freedom Act, a legislative initiative by the European Commission that aims to improve…

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EU Commission President von der Leyen delivers State of the Union speech

LIVE BLOG Thank you for following us today. Below, you can find a round up of the key points raised by Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the…

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EP appoints Alessandro Chiocchetti as new Secretary General

Today the Bureau of the European Parliament appointed Mr Alessandro Chiocchetti as the institution’s new Secretary General. The newly appointed Secretary General will take up his functions on 1 January…

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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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European Parliament to tackle hundreds of amendments in key votes on climate policies

he European Parliament will vote this week on a raft of EU climate change policies designed to cut Europe's emissions over the next decade, with proposals facing multiple amendments and the outcome…

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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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EU elections: MEPs want transnational lists and all countries to vote on

The Constitutional Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has proposed a reform of the European Electoral Act defining common minimum electoral standards and a Union-wide constituency. With 19 votes to…

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EU regulators raid auto companies in several EU countries

EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday raided several companies and associations in the automotive industry in several EU countries, saying that they may have breached the bloc's cartel rules. The European…

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Tourism: Malta suffers third largest hit in EU during pandemic – Eurostat

Tourists in the European Union more than tripled the nights they spent in short-stay accommodation in December compared with a year earlier, the EU's statistics office said on Monday, though…

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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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EU democracy is under threat from foreign agents, MEPs say

European democracy is under threat from foreign agents, particularly through wide-ranging disinformation and fake news campaign. This was the key conclusion of an extensive report drawn up by a Special…

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EU lays out $6.8 billion satellite communication plan in space race

The European Commission on Tuesday set out a 6 billion-euro ($6.8 billion) satellite communications plan, part of a push to cut the European Union's dependence on foreign companies and protect key communications…

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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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EP committee agrees on new tech rules in landmark decision

A key European Parliament committee agreed on Tuesday to a ban on "dark patterns" that trick web users and advertising targeting minors as part of new rules aimed at U.S.…

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EU recovery fund idea could be used again, if it is a success now -Gentiloni

The European Union's idea of jointly borrowing for joint goals, such as for the post-pandemic recovery, could be used again by the EU if the implementation of the recovery scheme is a…

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GDP up by 2.2% and employment up by 0.9% in the euro area

In the third quarter of 2021, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 2.2% in the euro area and by 2.1% in the EU compared with the previous quarter, according to an…

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Common charger, migration and cyber-violence top busy EP agenda this week

Common charger, Covid-19, migration, cyber-violence are topping the European Parliament's busy agenda this week. MEPs from the internal market committee will start work on rules for a common charger for…

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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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ECB’s Schnabel sees risk of higher inflation: report

Euro zone inflation will be higher next year than previously thought and there is a risk that price growth could stay above the ECB's target in the medium term, European Central Bank board…

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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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Council of Europe highlights risk of Maltese MPs holding second jobs

Following a visit to Malta from 25 to 27 October, the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for a “periodic review”…

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10% of people in Malta live in dark dwellings – Eurostat

Just under 10% of people in Malta, the third highest rate in the European Union, reported not having enough daylight in their dwelling, meaning their dwelling seemed too dark and…

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Climate, COVID and the economy top G20 agenda at Rome summit

By Crispian Balmer and Jan Strupczewski ROME, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The heads of the world's 20 biggest economies kicked off two days of talks on Saturday where they were…

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Climate set to dominate G20 summit ahead of U.N. conference

ROME, Oct 28 (Reuters) - If high-stakes climate talks are to succeed next month in Glasgow, the initial signs of progress may emerge this weekend when leaders of the world's…

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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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G20 split over coal, 1.5 degree climate limit ahead of Rome summit – sources

ROME, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The Group of 20 rich countries are divided over phasing out coal and committing to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as they prepare…

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EU starts debate on budget rules amid high debt levels

The European Commission opened a debate on Tuesday on how to reform the European Union's fiscal rules to deal with a pandemic-induced surge in public debt and with the huge investment needed to fight climate change. "We are re-launching this…

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One in five people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion

In 2020, there were 96.5 million people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion, representing 21.9% of the population, according to Eurostat data.. In 2020, there were…

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UPDATED: War of words in Strasbourg as Polish PM rejects Council, Commission accusations

Updated 1015 - Polish PM accuses EU of overstepping competences Poland rejects European Union centralism, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday and accused the bloc of overstepping its competences,…

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Aftermath of Polish Constitutional judgement on EU law expected to dominate EP Plenary Session

The recent controversial judgement by Poland's Constitutional Court, which ruled that parts of EU law were incompatible with the country’s constitution, is expected to dominate proceedings today in Strasbourg as…

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Reforms needed to better protect journalists’ safety and the rights of migrants and women in Malta – CoE

“Implementing the recommendations of the public inquiry report which found that the state must bear responsibility for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination should be a top priority for the government”, said…

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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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VAT fraud with cash registers uncovered in Germany

More than 300 Italian restaurants in Germany allegedly used manipulated cash registers to avoid taxes The German Tax Office for Investigation and Criminal Matters (Finanzamt für Fahndung und Strafsachen) and…

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EP Report to call on EU and Member States to turn declarations on disability rights into practice

The European Parliament will be voting on Wednesday on a report calling on the European Commission and Member States to implement a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring that the…

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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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Russia’s Navalny nominated for EU rights prize

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was nominated on Monday for the European Parliament's annual human rights prize as European Union lawmakers sought to keep the public spotlight on his pro-democracy network, which…

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