Europe Explained

Photo Story: The Other Side of the G20

Partners and wives of the G20 leaders during the partners program at the Garden Oriental in Osaka, Japan, 28 June 2019. It is the first time that Japan hosts…

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Trump tells Putin not to meddle in the U.S. election

Under pressure to stand firm against Russian election meddling, President Donald Trump insisted he has "very, very good relationship" with President Vladimir Putin on Friday before telling Putin…

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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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The issues likely to dominate the G20 summit in Japan

World leaders are meeting in Osaka, Japan, for a summit on Friday and Saturday of the Group of 20 (G20) big economies. Here are the issues likely to dominate the…

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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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Photo Story: Record heatwave grips most of Europe

A child plays at a water fountain in Duisburg, Germany, 26 June 2019. According to metereologists, temperatures are expected to rise to over 35 degrees nationwide and close to 40…

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Denmark’s new prime minister wants Margrethe Vestager to stay on as the country’s European commissioner

Denmark's new prime minister wants Margrethe Vestager to stay on as the country's European commissioner. Mette Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Wednesday “we will propose that the commissioner that we have already…

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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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Arrests in the UK and Netherlands in €24 million cryptocurrency theft

The UK’s South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit (SW RCCU) in a joint operation with the Dutch police (Politie), Europol, Eurojust and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested…

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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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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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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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EU Member States agree to support Irish beef producers

EU Member States this week agreed to a proposal from the European Commission to make €50 million available to Irish beef farmers, which can be matched by national funds to…

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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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For Europe’s relevance, Merkel should be next EU council president – Sigmar Gabriel

Former German Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel is in favor of Chancellor Angela Merkel becoming the next European Council president, arguing she would be "the best for this task." "Europe…

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No one has the upper hand on who will lead European institutions

As the European Council convenes Thursday to try to select a new slate of EU leaders, one thing is clear: Nobody has the upper hand. POLITICO reports that while in…

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13 arrested for sexual exploitation of young women in French-Romanian operation

A large-scale joint investigation, led by the French Gendarmerie Nationale in cooperation with the Romanian DIICOT (Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism), and supported by Europol and…

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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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Americans urged to get MMR vaccine in wake of “record-breaking” European measles outbreak

The American Academy of Pediatrics medical journal on Monday recommended to all U.S. citizens " to take all the recommended vaccinations, including measles through the MMR vaccine, before traveling abroad."…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope – The Week Ahead – 17th till 21st June

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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Flooding and devastation in many parts of Europe after severe storms

Many parts of western Europe in the last days were hit by several severe storms that caused devastation and flooding. Weather conditions that even caused some fatalities. A storm on…

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Mediterranean European leaders seek common ground for EU priorities for the next 5 years

Key European Union leadership jobs, migration issues and climate change were at the top of the agenda in Valletta, where the meeting included the leaders of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal,…

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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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Cryptocurrency experts meet at Europol to strengthen ties between law enforcement and private sector

Over 300 cryptocurrency experts from both law enforcement and the private sector attended the sixth Cryptocurrency Conference hosted at Europol’s headquarters from 12 to 14 June 2019. The event, organised…

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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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EU-wide operation against counterfeit products, Law enforcement agencies in Malta involved in the operation

More than 4.7 million counterfeit products seized, over 16 400 social media accounts suspended and 3 300 websites closed in the EU-wide operation Aphrodite II against trafficking of counterfeit goods.…

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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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Conte in favour of Merkel as the next president of the European Commission

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be a good candidate to be the next president of the European Commission, while adding that he does…

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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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Macron ready to back Merkel for new European Commission President post

French President Emmanuel Macron told Swiss TV station RTS that he would back German Chancellor Angela Merkel for European Commission president. Politico reports that Macron, when asked about his…

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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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Malta supports Frans Timmermans for European Commission President

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Malta is supporting the nomination of the Socialists and Democrats, Frans Timmermans for the post of European Commission President. The Prime Minister revealed Malta’s…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope 10 to 16 June 2019

agendaEurope, gives you quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. agendaEurope is provided…

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Who will lead the EU? Will the Spitzenkandidat system work?

Six EU prime ministers gathered in Brussels for dinner to discuss how to fill all of the EU's top leadership jobs, and the fate of Weber — the German MEP…

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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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Big police operation in Portugal against human trafficking for sexual exploitation

The Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), supported by Europol, arrested eight suspected members of an international organised criminal group trafficking human beings for sexual…

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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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Puigdemont refused EU accredidation

The former Catalan president, Charles Puigdemont, has been denied his temporary accreditation as an elected member of the European Parliament at the request of three Spanish political parties. Puigdemont is…

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Facebook experiencing problems

Facebook users in Europe are reporting problems with Facebook including difficulty accessing the page and finding it impossible to update their status. The social media platform is reported to be…

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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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Global action against wildlife crime saves 4 400 reptiles from criminal hands

An international operation against the illegal trade in reptiles has seen hundreds of seizures and 12 arrests in the EU. Europol coordinated information sharing between EU members States which…

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Ireland in top rankings of large families

Ireland is the top country in the European Union for families with three or more children, according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency The top three are Belgium, 18% of…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope

agendaEurope, gives you quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. agendaEurope is provided…

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Meteorologists predict Europe heading to one long hot summer, unstable weather predicted for Italy

Summer has hardly started in Europe that countries like Great Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain are already experiencing temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. According to Accuweather's 2019 summer forecast, heat…

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New EC call for tenders for Translation services

A new call for tenders for translation services has been launched by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation (DG Translation) (One can see Prior Information Notice for more details here). DG…

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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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Arrests in France for looting the archives of libraries throughout Europe

With the support of Europol, the French National Police (OCBC - National Unit in charge of Cultural goods trafficking) and the Spanish Guardia Civil (UCO) have dismantled an organised…

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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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