Comuniq.EU

Germany pushing for EU to relax sanctions on Syria

Germany is leading European Union discussions on easing sanctions imposed on the Syrian government of toppled President Bashar al-Assad and aiding the country's population, foreign ministry sources said. "We are…

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As Poland takes over EU presidency, focus is on security

Poland launched its presidency of the Council of the European Union mired in a diplomatic row with Hungary that underscored a deepening sense of political disunity across Europe just as…

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Poland says Hungarian envoy not welcome at event at start of EU presidency

Poland decided not to invite Hungary's ambassador to an event on Friday launching Warsaw's EU presidency after Budapest gave asylum to a former deputy minister who is under investigation over…

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Romania and Bulgaria become full members of EU’s Schengen zone

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union's Schengen free-travel area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel…

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EU, Switzerland agree deal to strengthen trade ties in ‘turbulent’ times

Switzerland and the European Union unveiled a deal to carry out the biggest overhaul of their trade ties in years, overcoming Swiss concerns about immigration and setting the scene for…

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EU companies top US and China counterparts in R&D investment growth, breaking decade-long trend

Europe's industry has increased its investment in research and development (R&D) by 9.8% in 2023, surpassing the growth of corporate R&D investment in the US (+5.9%) and China (+9.6%) for…

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Metsola to EU leaders “2025: Time to step up”

President Roberta Metsola urged European leaders to take decisive action to assert Europe’s global influence.Speaking at the European Council, she address covered critical topics, including the war in Ukraine and…

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EU leaders agree key principles on Syria but caution: ‘The jury is still out’

The European Union has signalled openness to easing sanctions on Syria following the fall of Assad’s regime, though no specific timeline has been provided. On Thursday, EU leaders agreed on…

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MEPs approve Bruna Szego as Chair of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority

In a plenary vote on Wednesday, MEPs supported Italian candidate Bruna Szego’s appointment as Chair of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority. Ms Szego, who currently leads the anti-money laundering supervision…

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Europeans grapple over security force for post-war Ukraine

European nations are discussing sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire or peace deal, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made clear he will not put American…

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EU to engage with Syrian leaders and reopen delegation

The European Union will establish contacts with Syria's new leadership and reopen its delegation in the country, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commission President Ursula von der…

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EU Council signs off on new rules for less waste and more re-use

The European Council has formally adopted a new regulation on packaging and packaging waste, which aims to significantly reduce waste generation while promoting sustainable packaging solutions. The regulation sets binding…

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EU sues UK for violating free movement in Brexit treaty

The European Commission is taking the U.K. to court for violating the terms of its Brexit deal, in the first major blowup between the two sides since Keir Starmer's government…

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EU adopts new Russia sanctions targeting China, shadow fleet

The European Union has adopted a 15th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including tougher measures against Chinese entities and more vessels from Moscow's so-called shadow…

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Romania and Bulgaria get the Schengen green light

Romania and Bulgaria will as of Jan. 1 become full members of the Schengen free-travel zone, EU interior ministers agreed Thursday. The green light follows Austria’s decision on Monday to…

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EU allows countries bordering Russia, Belarus to restrict migrants’ asylum rights

The European Union said that member states bordering Russia and Belarus could restrict migrants’ right to asylum in cases where Moscow and Minsk use them as instruments. Talking to reporters…

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EU slaps new sanctions on Russian shadow fleet, Chinese dronemakers

European Union ambassadors agreed a 15th package of sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine, targeting its shadow tanker fleet and Chinese firms making drones for Moscow, diplomats said.…

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Austria drops veto on Bulgaria, Romania fully joining Schengen travel zone

Austria is dropping its veto on Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of Europe's Schengen free-travel area, its interior ministry said, paving the way for European Union interior ministers to…

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EU eases rules for small amounts of state aid to farmers

Farmers in the European Union will be able to get more state aid without regulatory oversight under new rules approved on Tuesday, the European Commision said. The new rules amend…

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EU must find billions for arms within a year, defence chief says

Europe needs to find ways within the next year to fund hundreds of billions of euros in extra military spending to defend against any attack from Russia by the end…

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24 new fugitives added to the EU Most Wanted website

New profiles of murderers and criminals wanted for serious crimes have been added to the EU Most Wanted website. These individuals have blood on their hands – they have caused…

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2024 will be the hottest year on record, EU scientists say

This year will be the world's warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said…

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Hungarian reportedly spied on EU officials

Hungary’s intelligence agency spied on EU officials visiting the country, searching their hotel rooms and recording their phone conversations, according to a bombshell report. A joint investigation by Direkt36 and…

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UPDATED: Negotiations for the EU-Mercosur agreement concluded

The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc finalised a free trade agreement but it faces a tortuous battle for approval in Europe given firm French opposition. After negotiations spanning…

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Companies get one additional year to comply with deforestation law

Companies will have one more year to adapt to new EU rules to prevent deforestation, which will ban the sale of products sourced from deforested land in the EU. Negotiators…

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Trust in the EU is at its highest level in 17 years – study

51% of Europeans tend to trust the EU, the highest result since 2007, a new Eurobarometer study has found. Research shows that trust is highest among the young people aged…

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MEPs secure additional funds for key EU priorities in 2025 budget

MEPs have ensured stronger EU support for health, humanitarian aid, border management, and climate action in the 2025 budget. In a deal reached with Member States' governments, the European Parliament…

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European Commission plans to slash EU embassy staff around the world

The European Commission is pushing plans to dramatically cut the number of people working at many of its embassies to beef up staffing in countries where it feels the bloc…

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International Criminal Court’s decisions must be respected, EU’s Borrell says

Outgoing European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on all EU member states on Thursday to respect decisions by the International Criminal Court, including the arrest warrant against Israel's…

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EU lawmakers endorse Von der Leyen’s new European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday secured European Parliament backing for her new team at the European Commission, paving the way for her to take office at the start of…

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Italy’s Bruna Szego picked as chair of new EU dirty-money watchdog

The European Parliament has chosen Bruna Szego, head of anti-money laundering at the Bank of Italy since 2022, to lead AMLA, the new EU authority to combat money laundering and…

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EU proposing to sanction Chinese technology firms for supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine – draft documents

The European Union is proposing to sanction several Chinese technology firms for aiding Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to draft documents seen by the Guardian. The EU is targeting seven…

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26

Nov

Google proposes fresh tweaks to search results in Europe

Google has proposed more changes to its search results in Europe after some smaller rivals complained about lower traffic to their sites resulting from previous tweaks by the Alphabet unit…

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ICC warrants are binding, EU cannot pick and choose, EU’s Borrell says

European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy…

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António Costa: First Ethnic Minority Leader of the European Council Brings New Vision

On December 1, António Costa will make history as the first individual from an ethnic minority to lead the European Council, one of the European Union's key institutions. Costa, of…

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EU party chiefs reach deal on von der Leyen’s Commission nominees

European Parliament leaders have reached agreement on the members who will comprise the next European Commission, spokespeople from the three main political groups said, clearing the way for the new…

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Home rentals group takes Barcelona’s ban to EU Commission

The European Holiday Home Association, which represents short-term rentals on online platforms such as Airbnb, has filed a complaint with the European Commission against the Spanish region of Catalonia for…

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EU nations team up to develop air defence, other weapons

Groups of European countries agreed on Tuesday to work together to develop missile defence, electronic warfare and other military assets as part of a drive to foster closer defence cooperation…

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Zelenskiy addresses the European Parliament

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that even with Kim Jong-un by his side, Putin “remains smaller” than the combined states of Europe, and warned that the number of North…

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Romania, Bulgaria to fully join open-borders Schengen area from January

Romania and Bulgaria will fully join Europe's open-borders Schengen area from January 2025 after a crucial meeting in neighbouring Hungary on Friday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday.…

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EU ministers reject suspending dialogue with Israel

European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday but did not support pausing the bloc's diplomatic dialogue with Israel, as proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Ahead of the meeting, Borrell…

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EU targets Iranian shipping firms in new sanctions

The European Union has widened its sanctions against Iran over Tehran's support of Russia in its war with Ukraine, the European Commission said on Monday. The Commission said it had…

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UK must rebuild post-Brexit relations with EU, says Bank boss

The UK needs to "rebuild relations" with the EU while respecting the 2016 Brexit vote, according to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey. In a speech at the Mansion House…

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European Parliament calls on EU to strengthen green diplomacy

The European Parliament has outlined its priorities ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, urging global leaders to commit to new climate finance targets. MEPs called for a…

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Eurozone economy grows faster than expectations

Euro zone employment grew slightly more than expected last quarter, and the economy expanded at a solid pace, offering hope for a soft landing after over a year of near-stagnation.…

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EU, Mercosur eye early December trade deal – reports

The European Commission and Mercosur countries are targeting the completion of their long-standing trade negotiations at the Latin American bloc's summit in early December, according to international press reports. This…

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Europol warns of organised crime networks recruiting minors for criminal acts

Europol has today issued an intelligence notification on the recruitment of minors by criminal networks across Europe. Developed using information contributed to Europol from law enforcement authorities, the notification exposes…

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EU Parliament Targets Russia’s Shadow Fleet for Sanctioning

The European Parliament is preparing to pass a resolution calling for more “targeted” measures against Russia’s shadow fleet as evidence mounts that Moscow is dodging sanctions and risking an environmental…

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Draghi warns of ‘greater’ urgency to fix flagging EU economy after Trump election

Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi stressed to European leaders gathering in Hungary that it was more urgent than ever to overhaul the EU economy and act on the…

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Italy PM urges EU to focus on itself after Trump’s victory

The EU must focus on setting its own house in order, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday, citing tariffs, competitiveness and defence as the most pressing issues the…

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Hungary’s PM Orban says Trump will ‘quit’ Ukraine war, forcing EU rethink

The European Union needs to rethink its support for Ukraine following Donald Trump's U.S. election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said before a summit of EU leaders on Friday,…

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Europe urges Trump to support Ukraine, avoid trade wars

European leaders meeting in Budapest on Thursday urged Donald Trump from afar to avoid trade wars, maintain support for Ukraine and to refrain from unsettling the global order following his…

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EU climate chief holds firm on CO2 deadlines for cars

The European Union's climate commissioner on Thursday reaffirmed EU plans to end sales of CO2-emitting cars in 2035 and tighten CO2 limits next year, after pressure from some governments and…

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Trump, German coalition collapse to loom large as European leaders meet in Budapest

Donald Trump's return to power and the collapse of Germany's ruling coalition will be major talking points at a meeting of nearly 50 European leaders and an EU summit in…

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2024 will be world’s hottest on record, EU scientists say

This year is "virtually certain" to eclipse 2023 as the world's warmest since records began, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday. The data was released…

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What Trump’s victory means for Europe

European policymakers have spent months preparing for Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House, though they don’t reallyknow how this will all unfold. Trump’s victory will inevitably affect every area…

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EU must spend 39 billion euros a year for net zero transport targets

Europe needs to spend 39 billion euros ($42.46 billion) a year to reach its net zero targets in the transport sector by 2050, campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) said,…

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