Europe Explained

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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ECB to supervise five Bulgarian, eight Croatian banks

The European Central Bank will take direct supervision of five banks in Bulgaria and eight in Croatia, countries that have both applied to join the euro zone, it said in…

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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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European Commission to propose more ambitious 2030 climate goal

The European Commission will propose that the European Union sets a 2030 target of cutting its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% against 1990 levels, according to an internal document…

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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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Borrell expresses concern on situation in Belarus

The EU's chief foreign minister expressed concerns about the situation in Belarus during a call with the United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The EU said the call was an opportunity…

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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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European companies fear ‘arbitrary punishment’ amid China-Europe tensions

European companies in China are increasingly afraid of "arbitrary punishment" amid a more politicized business environment, a European business industry group said on Thursday. The annual report of the European…

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EU Commission charters course towards a more resilient Europe

The European Commission has adopted its first-ever Strategic Foresight Report, aiming to identify emerging challenges and opportunities to better steer the European Union's strategic choices. Strategic foresight will inform major…

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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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ECB may set stage for more stimulus measures

The European Central Bank is all but certain to keep policy unchanged on Thursday but with the economic recovery losing momentum and a strong euro dampening already-anaemic inflation expectations, it…

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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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U.S., European COVID vaccine developers make pledge to uphold testing rigour

Nine leading U.S. and European vaccine developers pledged on Tuesday to uphold the scientific standards that their experimental immunisations will be held against, amid a hurried global race to contain…

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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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Mairead McGuinness set to be appointed Irish EU Commissioner

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will name Mairead McGuinness as the new Irish commissioner in charge of financial stability and capital markets, and hand over the prominent trade portfolio to…

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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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Energy market split as French supply tightens, German wind output seen up

European power prices diverged on Monday, with those in France rising due to a drop in nuclear supply while those in Germany fell on prospects of higher wind power volumes.…

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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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EU Commission prepares new initiatives to boost the organic farming sector

The European Commission has launched a consultation process on the future Action Plan on Organic Farming. In a statement, it said that this sector will play an important role in…

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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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Ireland nominates two contrasting candidates to replace former EU commissioner Hogan

Ireland’s government on Friday nominated two contrasting personalities to replace Phil Hogan, after the Irish politician resigned as EU trade chief last week. POLITICO reports that it is not certain that Ireland will retain…

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EU demanding potential veto on Britain’s post-Brexit laws, regulations

The European Union is demanding a potential veto on Britain's post-Brexit laws and regulations, The Times (UK) newspaper reported on Saturday, citing senior government officials. The British daily reported that…

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European Commission language events to go online this year

The Language Office at the European Commission Representation in Malta will be holding its annual flagship events online due to the COVID-19 health protocols related to public gatherings and the…

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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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EU: Bulgarian Greens leader ‘violently arrested’ during peaceful demonstration

Borislav Sandov, co-chair of Zeleno dvizhenie (Bulgarian Greens), was “violently arrested” while taking part in a peaceful demonstration in front of the Bulgarian parliament, the European Greens said. Three other members…

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European Commission announces plans to find new mining projects by 2025

The Commission presented an Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials. The Action Plan looks at the current and future challenges and proposes actions to reduce Europe's dependency on third countries, diversifying…

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Back to school: how European classrooms are coping with COVID

Schools across Europe are reopening as summer break ends and governments insist that students return to the classroom after months of online learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. Countries are…

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Dr Mario Sammut appointed EP Malta Office Head

Dr Mario Sammut is the new Head of the European Parliament Office in Malta as from September 1 2020. Dr Sammut is an EU official with 16 years of…

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Europe can live with COVID-19 with local lockdowns – WHO regional director

Europe can live with COVID-19 without a vaccine by managing outbreaks with localised lockdowns, the World Health Organization's director for the region said on Tuesday, adding he did not expect…

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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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EU welcomes Qatar legal reforms ‘removing excessive control’ over migrant workers

The EU welcomed legal reforms introduced by Qatar yesterday. In a statement, the EU said it welcomed changes that would see the end of the migrant workers being required to…

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EU delivers additional assistance following explosion in Lebanon

A second EU Humanitarian Air bridge flight landed in Beirut, Lebanon, yesterday. The aircraft delivered 12 tonnes of essential humanitarian supplies and medical equipment, including a mobile hospital and face…

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“It’s time to relaunch our economy,” PM Sanchez says as COVID cases surge

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was optimistic on Monday (August 31) that Spain could re-launch it's economy after "having stopped the most fierce wave of the COVID-19 pandemic" creating jobs and…

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Climate change bigger economic risk than pandemic, ECB’s Schnabel says

The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates in the clearest terms why central banks must take a bigger role in fighting climate change even if the issue at first appears unrelated to monetary…

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Borell calls for fresh elections in Belarus

The EU’s foreign policy chief has called for a new election in Belarus under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The “best solution would be…

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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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Second more deadly wave of coronavirus expected ‘to hit Europe this winter’

European countries should brace themselves for a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections because the pandemic is not over, the World Health Organisation’s top official in Europe has said. In…

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EU proposes €244m in assistance to Malta under SURE instrument to support jobs

The European Commission has presented proposals to the Council for decisions to grant financial support of €81.4 billion to 15 Member States under the SURE instrument. SURE is a central…

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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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Europe’s travel recovery stalls in August

Europe's travel recovery stalled at the start of August after a stronger performance in July, as quarantine rules and warnings over rising infection rates created uncertainty and deterred tourists from…

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Irish Taoiseach ask EU Commisioner Phil Hogan to consider his position for breaching coronavirus restrictions

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar have asked EU Commissioner Phil Hogan to consider his position, following his attendance at a golf dinner for 81 people in Clifden last…

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Irish EU Commissioner Hogan ‘regrets and apologises’ breaking rules only after pressure from PM

EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan is standing his ground in a spiraling Irish political scandal that centers on a packed golf society soirée attended by top politicians in an apparent…

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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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