Comuniq.EU

Start date of the new European Commission is likely to be delayed

The start date of the new Commission is likely to be delayed until the beginning of December, eight EU lawmakers, parliamentary officials and European diplomats told POLITICO. The complicated inner…

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Von der Leyen pressures EU countries to swap women in as commissioner picks

Ursula von der Leyen is piling pressure on EU countries to nominate women for the next European Commission as she seeks to stave off the potential humiliation of presenting a…

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Belgium appoints FM Hadja Lahbib as EU commissioner

Belgium is set to appoint Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib as its pick for the next European Commission, said the president of the Francophone center-right liberal Reformist Movement (MR) — dealing…

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Romania changes EU commissioner pick, puts forward a woman

Romania has nominated MEP Roxana Mînzatu as its next European commissioner, after originally putting forward a man for the role. Romanian media reported that Mînzatu, a Socialist, will be the…

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China will not impose anti-dumping measures on EU brandy for now

Beijing announced it would refrain from imposing provisional tariffs on brandy imported from the European Union, despite determining that it had been sold in China at prices below market value.…

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Turkey’s top diplomat attends EU meeting after 5 years in bid to boost ties

Turkey's foreign minister hopes to make progress on improving Ankara's rocky ties with the European Union on Thursday when he attends a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels for the…

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Borrell asks EU members about possible sanctions on some Israeli ministers

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday he has asked the bloc's members if they want to impose sanctions on some Israeli ministers for "hate messages" against…

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Portugal nominates ex-Finance Minister Albuquerque for European Commission

Portugal nominated former finance minister Maria Luís Albuquerque as its next European commissioner. "She has extraordinary qualities and skills that will certainly enrich the European Commission and give prestige to…

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Denmark nominates centre-left Jorgensen for EU commissioner post

Denmark on Wednesday nominated Dan Jorgensen, a centre-left minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, for a post on the new European Commission following EU parliamentary elections earlier this…

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EU mulls training soldiers inside Ukraine

The EU would consider training soldiers in Ukraine "should the necessary political and operational conditions be met," according to an EU External Action Service document seen by POLITICO. "A further…

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Von der Leyen set to miss gender-balance target for EU top jobs

Ursula von der Leyen is set to miss her target of a gender-balanced top team at the European Commission, after EU governments snubbed her request to propose male and female…

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EU rules out mpox border controls and common vaccination plan

European health authorities discard any further bloc-wide measure against the new mpox variant situation as risk it poses for wider population is still considered 'low'. There is no need to…

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Luxembourg picks Christophe Hansen for next EU Commission

Luxembourg's pick for the next European Commission is Christophe Hansen, Prime Minister Luc Frieden said Thursday. Frieden wrote on X that he had "an excellent discussion on the future EU…

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EU probes into Chinese subsidies and imports

The European Commission on Tuesday proposed final duties of up to 36.3% on imported electric vehicles made in China, as part of the highest profile EU probe of alleged Chinese…

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Lithuanian PM and president agree on MEP Kubilius as EC candidate

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė proposed to the ruling coalition that Andrius Kubilius, a former prime minister and now an MEP, be nominated as the country’s European commissioner candidate. Šimonytė…

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Cyprus picks scientist Costas Kadis for EU Commissioner post

Cyprus on Monday named Costas Kadis, a scientist who held several cabinet posts in previous administrations, as its nominee for a post in the European Commission. If the EU's parliament…

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West Nile virus season in full swing in Europe

The expected seasonal increase of locally acquired West Nile virus (WNV) infections in Europe was observed as of July this year, indicating that the transmission season is well under way.…

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European CDC raises mpox risk alert level

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) raised its risk alert level for mpox on Friday, and asked countries to maintain high levels of awareness among travellers visiting…

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Bavarian Nordic seeks EU approval to extend mpox vaccine to adolescents

- Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic said on Friday it had submitted data to the European Union's drug regulator for approval to extend the use of the company's mpox and smallpox…

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Tusk names ally Piotr Serafin as Poland’s next EU commissioner pick

Piotr Serafin, a senior Polish diplomat and close confidant to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, will be Warsaw's nominee for its next European commissioner. Polish public service broadcaster TVP suggested that…

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EU ice cream production fell by 1.4% in 2023

In 2023, the EU produced 3.2 billion litres of ice cream, marking a 1.4% decrease compared with 2022 (3.3 billion litres). Among the EU countries, Germany was the main producer…

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Second hottest July breaks 13-month record streak

Last month was the second hottest July for the planet on record, breaking a 13-month period when each month was warmest, which had been in part fuelled by the warming…

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EU governments give green light to 4.2 bln euros payout to Ukraine

European Union governments approved on Tuesday the first regular payment to Ukraine of 4.2 billion euros ($4.58 billion) of the 50 billion euros the EU has set aside as financial…

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EU announces new sanctions against Belarusians

The European Union has added 28 Belarusians to its sanctions list for their role in the "ongoing internal repression and human rights violations" in the country. The listings "include various…

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EU says it does not recognize Venezuela’s election result

The European Union said that it does not recognize the proclaimed result of Venezuela’s election as the government in Caracas has failed to release the supporting voting records from polling…

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Greece nominates Tzitzikostas as EU commissioner, Croatia’s Dubravka Šuica renominated

Greece wants Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the governor of Central Macedonia, as its next European commissioner, Greece announced Thursday. Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already informed European Commission President Ursula von…

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Austria nominates Finance Minister Brunner as European Commissioner

Austria's conservative-led coalition government is nominating conservative Finance Minister Magnus Brunner as its next European Commissioner, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media platform X on Wednesday. "Magnus Brunner is…

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Emmanuel Macron nominates Thierry Breton for another term at European Commission

French President Emmanuel Macron has officially nominated Thierry Breton for a second term as France's European commissioner, according to a letter to Ursula von der Leyen dated July 25. "Thierry…

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Hungary visa move stokes EU fears of Russian espionage

The European People's Party (EPP) has raised security concerns over a decision by Hungary to ease visa restrictions for Russian and Belarusian citizens, fearing it could fuel espionage in the…

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Wind and solar energy overtake fossil fuels to provide 30% of EU electricity

Wind turbines and solar panels have overtaken fossil fuels to generate 30% of the European Union’s electricity in the first half of the year, a report has found. Power generation…

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EU agency finds ‘widespread rights violations’ at borders

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) issued a scathing report on Tuesday decrying the situation on the bloc's borders. The report found that migrants and refugees were often subject…

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Hungary nominates Olivér Várhelyi for second term as EU commissioner

Viktor Orbán will surely have annoyed Ursula von der Leyen with his pick for the next European Commission. The Hungarian prime minister announced Monday that he wants Olivér Várhelyi to…

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Europeans see democracy and economic power as key strengths of the EU, Eurobarometer shows

A new Eurobarometer survey published today shows that Europeans identify respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law (38%) and economic, industrial, and trading power (34%) as the main strengths of the EU, followed…

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EU transfers 1.5 billion euros from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine

The European Union will transfer 1.5 billion euros in proceeds from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.Western countries blocked around $300…

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EU sues Germany, Italy for alleged discrimination against mobile workers

The European Commission said on Thursday it had decided to refer Germany and Italy to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over practices it said discriminated against mobile workers. In…

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Cypriot President Christodoulides Strives for EU Mediterranean Role

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides is interested in gaining control over a new role in the European Commission running EU policy on the Mediterranean. Cyprus has a lot to offer on…

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World breaks hottest day record for second day in a row

Monday, July 22 was again the hottest day on record, according to preliminary data from a European Union monitoring agency, inching past Sunday, July 21 which had just taken the…

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EU warns Slovakia against foreign agent law for NGOs

The European Commission has warned Slovakia that it will launch immediate legal action if the government pushes ahead with a proposed law requiring NGOs that receive funding from abroad to…

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Athens tells von der Leyen that Greece must play a significant role in new Commission

Greece’s prime minister is adamant that his country get a very important job when Ursula von der Leyen puts together her top team. Kyriakos Mitsotakis might get what he wants,…

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Hungary to block EU funds for member states over spat with Ukraine

Hungary will block European Union refunds for member states that gave munitions to Ukraine until Kyiv allows the transit of oil from Russia's Lukoil through a pipeline over its territory,…

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World registers hottest day ever recorded on July 21

Sunday, July 21 was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The global average surface air temperature on Sunday…

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EU says it will start talks with Armenia on visa-free travel

The European Union has decided to open dialogue on visa liberalisation with Armenia, the EU said on Monday, in what Yerevan's foreign minister described as a "milestone" for the traditional…

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UPDATED: EU drops Hungary meeting over Ukraine war stance

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, stripped Hungary on Monday of its role as host of an EU foreign ministers meeting in a sign of widespread anger in the…

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Italy’s Meloni put domestic concerns first in rejecting von der Leyen

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's decision not to back Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission chief was driven by fear of losing rightwing grassroots supporters, analysts say, but may…

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Von der Leyen gets second term as EU Commission boss. What happens now?

Ursula von der Leyen was approved by the European Parliament on Thursday for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive body. EU lawmakers…

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UPDATED: Von der Leyen re-elected Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected Commission President, with 401 votes. She needed 360 to secure a majority. Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as president of the…

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Europol reports on migrant smuggling, human trafficking challenges and digital adaptation.

The new report by Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC) looks into the latest developments and main threats in migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, based on the most…

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European Commission chief von der Leyen faces precarious vote on new term

Ursula von der Leyen has spent weeks trying to convince European Union lawmakers to back her for a second term as president of the European Commission. The European Parliament will…

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EU court criticises EU Commission’s handling of COVID-19 contracts

Europe's second-top court on Wednesday said the European Commission did not give the public sufficient access to the purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, upholding a challenge brought…

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Metsola calls for renewed enthuasism in European dream in acceptance speech

In her acceptance speech, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Europe must be accessible to all, one which "everyone feels ownership of". She addressed the issue of political violence, lamenting…

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Metsola re-elected President of the European Parliament

Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola was re-elected as President of the European Parliament for the next two years and a half. In the first plenary session of the tenth legislature, Metsola,…

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Eurogroup sees conditions for acceleration of economic activity

The conditions for a gradual acceleration of economic activity in 2024 and 2025 remain in place in the euro area, the Eurogroup said. Based on the Commission spring forecast, consumption…

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German Finance Minister calls for compliance with EU deficit rules

Every European Union member states should comply with fiscal rules, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in Brussels. "I expect every member state to be compliant with our fiscal rules,"…

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EP’s 10th legislature kicks off in Strasbourg

The European Parliament returns on Tuesday for its first plenary session for the 10th legislature, with the newly-elected 720 lawmakers convening in Strasbourg. This marks the beginning of a five-year…

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EU regulators say Musk’s X violated online rules

Elon Musk's social media company X has violated European Union online content regulations, and its blue checkmark misleads users, EU tech regulators have determined. This ruling could result in a…

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What’s Next In Terms Of EU Tobacco Legislation

The events following the results of the EU elections held this month and the various political appointments and allegiances in the European Parliament will present a crucial juncture for many…

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CSDDD – Whatever happened to Article 25?

The removal of article 25 of the original CSDDD proposal, which would have required directors to take sustainability factors into account when fulfilling their fiduciary duty would have been a…

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