Europe Explained

Ketchup, Cars and Trade Wars

Financial Times : Targeting iconic American products such as Harley-Davidson motorbikes and bourbon in the fight against US president Donald Trump’s first round of transatlantic tariffs was just a start —…

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Post-Brexit customs arrangements to be debated on July 16 and 17

Reuters: British lawmakers will debate the government’s proposed legislation on post-Brexit customs arrangements and trade on July 16 and 17, creating another potential flashpoint between Prime Minister Theresa May and pro-European…

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EU has not fulfilled commitments to provide equipment to Libyan Coast Guards – Libyan Navy Spokesman

Euronews: The EU has not "fulfilled any commitments" to provide the Libyan Coast Guards with equipment to help stem the flow of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean, a spokesman for…

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Overwhelming majority of Tunisians say that country is on the wrong track

Middle East Monitor: Some 79.8 per cent of Tunisians said the country was on the wrong track, according to a poll conducted by the private company Sigma Conseil in June. According…

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Spain and Greece get additional €45.6 million in emergency funds support to respond the migratory challenges

The European Commission has awarded an additional €45.6 million in emergency assistance to support Spain and Greece respond to the migratory challenges they face. The European Commission has awarded an…

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EU opens fresh legal case against Poland on Rule of Law

European Commission / Reuters: The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure by sending a Letter of Formal Notice to Poland regarding the Polish law on the Supreme Court, which critics says…

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European Leaders warned about how Trump’s policies are pushing towards a NATO break-up

The Times: European Union leaders have discussed their fears that the “immense pressure” President Trump’s policies are putting on Nato could lead to its break-up. Donald Tusk, the president of…

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Trump suggests ‘France should leave the EU’ to Macron

The Independent (UK) Donald Trump suggested to Emmanuel Macron he should pull France out of the European Union to get a better trade deal with the US, according to reports. The outlandish proposal came in a private meeting during…

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Oil Prices push Eurozone inflation

Financial Times: The surge in the price of oil has pushed eurozone inflation above the European Central Bank’s target, but policymakers in Frankfurt are expected to ignore the rise as broader…

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Theresa May’s crucial role in last EU summit negotiations on migrations could make your forget that BREXIT was on the agenda

POLITICO: As a former U.K. home secretary, May was in her element in the marathon negotiation on migration policy. You could almost have forgotten that Brexit was on the agenda too.…

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EU Summit Reaction – Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli

The final agreement reached in the early hours of Friday morning falls short of an agreement on asylum rules. Once again, the EU has failed to agree to real solutions.…

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Eu Summit Maltese MEP reaction – Roberta Metsola

Roberta Metsola: The EU summit took a good step towards a better migration policy, but what we needed was a giant leap. We are still far away from where we need…

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Eu Summit – BREXIT

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Friday that EU leaders had made progress in Brexit talks but big differences remained and he hoped an upcoming British proposal would be…

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Italy wants relevant EU Commission portfolio linked with Economy

Reuters: Italy is looking to secure one of the economic commissioner positions when the European Union Commission expires next year, Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Friday. “I think the…

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Heatwave across Europe

Euronews: The continent is currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with May being the warmest in more than a century. It's turning out to be a summer to remember for most of the…

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EU Summit – Maltese Prime Minister Muscat comments to Corporate Dispatch

Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat who was one of the first to announce the agreement in the early hours of Friday expressed his views to Corporate Dispatch that the conclusions…

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EU Summit – Agreed Conclusions on Migration

. The European Council reconfirms that a precondition for a functioning EU policy relies on a comprehensive approach to migration which combines more effective control of the EU’s external borders,…

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EU Summit – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Comments

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is reported to be satisfied by the deal. "It was a long negotiation but from today Italy is no longer alone." He listed the elements…

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EU Summit – Angela Merkel Comments

In comments reported by Euronews, Angela Merkel said "Overall, after an intensive discussion on the most challenging theme for the European Union, namely migration, it is a good signal that…

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EU Summit : French President Macron’s comments

French President Emmanuel Macron told EuroNews that the deal showed "European cooperation" had prevailed over national interests: "Europe will have to live with migratory pressures for a long time. We must…

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EU Summit: Malta’s Prime Minister Muscat Comments

Malta's Prime Minister Muscat tweeted "In #EUCO conclusions, all #EU Member States agree that vessels operating in the #Mediterranean must respect the applicable laws and not obstruct operations of #Libya…

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Breaking News: EU leaders reach migration deal after night long discussions (Continuously Updated)

The 'Mother of All Summits' gave birth to an agreement on Immigration. The agreement reached before dawn included approval of the full set of Council conclusions, along with the migration…

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Italy stalls EU leaders’ summit

Financial Times: Italy has stalled an EU leaders’ summit until a deal is reached on migration — a dramatic escalation of tensions at a gathering that could decide German chancellor Angela Merkel’s fate.…

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Brexit negotiations cannot go on with divided British Cabinet – Juncker

The Guardian Brexit negotiations cannot go on with a divided British cabinet, Jean-Claude Juncker has said, as European leaders expressed concern that they do not know who is in charge. With major…

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EU Summit Agenda- External Relations and Brexit

External relations The European Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the downing of flight MH17, calling on the Russian Federation to accept responsibility and fully cooperate will all efforts to…

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EU Summit Agenda- Economy and Finance

EU leaders are expected to adopt conclusions on several issues recently debated under the Leaders' Agenda, such as digital taxation, tax avoidance and evasion. Trade will be discussed in light of…

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EU Summit Agenda- Migration & Security

Migration Leaders will discuss migration policy. They are expected to underline the need for a comprehensive approach to migration and the importance of effective control at the EU's external borders. The heads of…

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Opinion – EU Summit June 18

Politico: June is not supposed to be the rainy season in Brussels. Migration and asylum. Eurozone. Brexit. Poland and the rule of law. A trade war with Washington. The EU’s long-term…

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European Summit dubbed as ‘Mother of all Summits’ will start today

The European Council will start on Thursday at 15.00 with the traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. At the first working session the…

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Cautious green light given to open accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia

The door to EU membership for Albania and Macedonia remains closed at least until June 2019, but accession is on offer if the countries make progress on reforms, EU ministers decided Tuesday.…

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Macron and Conte meet to defuse tension between the two over immigration

A report on Financial Times says that Giuseppe Conte and Emmanuel Macron held an unscheduled dinner this week to defuse tension over immigration — the issue convulsing European politics and which threatens…

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EC to EU27 : Prepare airports and aviation sector for ‘no-deal’ Brexit

POLITICO: EU countries should prepare their airports and aviation sector for a “no-deal” Brexit, the European Commission told diplomats at a briefing earlier this month. The warning came during a June…

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Austrian’s EU Presidency to push hardline migration policy

Financial Times: Syrians, Afghans and African nationals seeking refuge in the EU would have to file their asylum applications before entering the bloc under radical migration proposals put forward by Austria’s government.…

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Eu Migration Summit

An emergency mini summit Sunday of EU leaders seeking a common solution on migration yielded a breakthrough, of sorts: a general agreement to stop seeking an overall, common solution. It…

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EU Migration Mini-Summit underway

Politico reports that Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he would put forward a “completely new proposal” for managing Europe’s most divisive political issue. Conte said the proposal, the “European Multilevel Strategy…

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Europe’s migration problem doesn’t get any easier to solve

Migration is back at the top of the political agenda in Europe. The issue is threatening to bring down the government of the EU’s richest country and tear through the…

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QuoVadis Europa on Migration? Political Views from Malta

Malta’s Prime Minister said that Europe is yet again facing uncertain times not because of too much Europe but because of too little of it. This is not simply…

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Macron in favour of sanctions against EU countries which refuse to accept migrants

France 24: French President Emmanuel Macron came out Saturday in support of financial sanctions against EU countries which refuse to accept migrants. "We can not have countries that benefit hugely from EU solidarity…

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France’s and Germany’s proposal for common eurozone budget faces resistance from other countries

The Financial Times reports that France and Germany are facing a growing backlash from other Eurozone governments against their plans for a common eurozone budget, dealing a blow to the two countries’…

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European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger calls for helping out southern EU states

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - All European Union countries need to help southern neighbors, where most migrants are arriving, European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told reporters ahead of a mini-summit on migration in…

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Europol : 68 innocent victims lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks in the EU in 2017

Europol: In 2017, 68 innocent victims lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks in the European Union (EU) – reason enough for Europol not to reduce its efforts in…

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Eurozone Deal on Greece

Financial Times: Eurozone governments have brokered a long-awaited debt relief deal for Greece, pushing back repayment deadlines on almost €100bn of bailout loans as the country prepares to exit its…

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EU Duties on US goods come into force

BBC The European Union (EU) has introduced retaliatory tariffs on US goods as a top official launched a fresh attack on President Donald Trump's trade policy. The duties on €2.8bn…

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EU Parliamentary President Antonio Tajani to visit Libya

The Libya Observer: The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, declared his intention to visit Libya and Niger in the coming period to discuss the illegal immigration file. Tajani said…

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Breaking News – Draft for Sunday’s Migration Summit conclusion shelved after Conte informs Merkel that it was unacceptable for him to attend for Migration summit with a ‘pre-packaged’ text

The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, through a Facebook post announced that he had a call from Chancellor Angela Merkel, where she expressed her concern about the possibility that he…

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Is it the end of ‘centre’ in Europe politics? (Long Read)

Paul Taylor, contributing editor at POLITICO writes: The second wheel is starting to fall off Europe’s political wagon. After the center left suffered a working-class revolt against globalization and austerity, the mainstream…

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Eurozone Ministers discussing Greece’s debt adjustment

AFP: Eurozone ministers will on Thursday try to resolve their differences over the terms of Greece's departure from its massive bailout programme with splits over the degree of debt relief needed…

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Juncker convenes informal working meeting on migration and asylum issues

The European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker announced that he will be convening an informal working meeting on migration and asylum issues in Brussels on Sunday, in order to…

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Merkel and Macron agree to open a new chapter in European Union relations

Germany and France have agreed to "open a new chapter" in European Union relations, after Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron met to finalise plans for sweeping reforms of…

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Macron to push for eurozone reform

Euronews: Emmanuel Macron is expected to push eurozone reform back on the European agenda when he meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. Reforming the management of Europe's single…

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Asylum seeking applications in Europe down by 44% compared to 2016. Approximately 15% of asylum seekers come from Syria – EASO

The total number of asylum applications throughout all of the EU, plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, last year, was 728,470, or some 44 percent less when compared to 2016,…

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Money laundering, the IIP scheme, Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder and other related issues under the EU lens during Commisioner Jourová’s visit to Malta

The following dispatch is based on reports from The Times, The Malta Independent, & MaltaToday and Politico. European Commissioner for Justice Vĕra Jourová said there were gaps in Malta's implementation…

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