Comuniq.EU

Airline, airport groups slam EU push for pre-flight COVID testing from China

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A coalition of airline and airport groups on Thursday criticized new recommendations asking for passengers flying from China to the European Union to show a negative COVID-19…

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Euro zone producer prices fall m/m as expected in Nov

BRUSSELS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Euro zone producer prices fell month-on-month as expected in November, the EU's statistics office said on Thursday, pulled down by falling costs of energy. The…

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EU recommends pre-flight testing of passengers from China, wastewater testing in airports

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union government officials recommended on Wednesday that passengers flying from China to the EU should have a negative COVID-19 test before they board, as Beijing plans…

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Germany says EU decisions should not be blocked by individual countries

LISBON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday that the European Union could no longer afford to have decisions blocked by individual member states. "Qualified…

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Euro zone recession may not be as deep as expected -PMI

LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Euro zone business activity contracted less than initially thought at the end of last year as price pressures eased, according to a survey which suggested…

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Most EU countries back COVID pre-departure testing for flights from China

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Most European Union countries favour introducing pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said, as Beijing plans to lift travel restrictions on its citizens…

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EU agrees coordinated approach in wake of changing COVID situation

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union Health Security Committee said on Tuesday EU member states agreed on a "coordinated approach" to the changing COVID-19 situation, adding that included implications for…

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European Parliament to waive immunity of two MEPs in corruption case

BRUSSELS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The European Parliament said on Monday it had begun a procedure to waive the immunity of two of its members after a request from Belgian judiciary investigating a European Union-Qatar corruption…

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EU to discuss coordinated response to China COVID situation on Wednesday

BRUSSELS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - European Union government health officials will hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response to the surge in COVID-19 infections in China, the Swedish EU…

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ECB’s Nagel sees no wage-price spiral but wants more tightening

FRANKFURT, Jan 2 (Reuters) - There is no sign of a "wage-price spiral" in the euro zone but the European Central Bank should continue tightening its monetary policy to curb…

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Darkest days likely over for euro zone factories, Dec PMIs show

LONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The downturn in euro zone manufacturing activity has likely passed its trough as supply chains begin to recover and inflationary pressures ease, a survey showed…

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Croatia readies for euro and Schengen zone

ZAGREB (Reuters) - Withdrawing cash to pay for wine at Zagreb's Christmas Market is no easy task as the country readies to introduce the euro on Jan. 1, including preparing…

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Sweden takes over the EU presidency

Sweden takes over the EU's rotating presidency from January 1 vowing to maintain unity on Ukraine and uphold free trade in the face of calls for a tougher response to…

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EU Commission President von der Leyen and EP President Metsola pay tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to Benedict. Von der Leyen said “he had set a strong signal through his resignation” in 2013. “He saw himself first…

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ECB must stop quick wage growth from fuelling inflation, Lagarde says

FRANKFURT, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Euro zone wages are growing quicker than earlier thought and the European Central Bank must prevent this from adding to already high inflation, ECB President…

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EU urges more checks for COVID variants given surge in China

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union should consider immediately scaling up genomic sequencing of COVID-19 infections and monitoring of waste water, including from airports, to detect any new variants given…

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Greece asks Panama to check possible money transfers from Qatar to MEP Kaili

POLITICO reports that Greek authorities have asked Panama for information regarding possible money transfers from Qatar to accounts belonging to MEP Eva Kaili, who’s currently detained in Brussels pending trial…

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EU urges more checks for COVID variants given surge in China

BRUSSELS, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The European Union should consider immediately scaling up genomic sequencing of COVID-19 infections and monitoring of waste water, including from airports, to detect any new variants given…

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UPDATE – Europe seeks joint stance on China travellers amid COVID worries

BRUSSELS/PARIS, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Top health officials from the European Union were holding talks on Thursday to try to coordinate very different views on how to respond to China's decision to…

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EIB lends €20 million to biotech company for development of cancer treatment

The European Investment Bank (EIB), backed by the InvestEU programme, has today announced it has provided a €20 million venture debt loan facility to Affibody. Affibody is a Swedish clinical…

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Russia denounces EU for granting Bosnia candidacy status

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Russia criticised the European Union for granting Bosnia a candidate status, saying on Friday it was part of a Western push to impose its policies on the…

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Dutch governor Knot signals ECB will keep raising rates in months ahead- FT

Dec 26 (Reuters) - Head of Dutch Central Bank Klaas Knot said with five policy meetings between now and July 2023, the ECB would achieve "quite a decent pace of…

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EU’s 2021 greenhouse emissions fell 22% from 2008 peak

European Union's greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) level in 2021 fell by 22% from a peak hit in 2008, the bloc's statistic Office said this week. Its latest annual analysis, which…

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EU graft scandal ‘worthy of Narcos’ TV series, says bloc’s commissioner

ROME (Reuters) - The corruption scandal rocking the European Parliament, in which suspects were found with suitcases full of cash, is like something out of crime drama television series "Narcos",…

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EU’s Gentiloni says expects Italy to ratify euro zone bailout fund

ROME, Dec 23 (Reuters) - European Economic Affairs Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday he expected Italy to ratify a reform of the euro zone's bailout fund, which the Rome…

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EU court rules Airbnb must provide rental info to tax authorities

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Short-term accommodation services company Airbnb must provide information in rental contracts to tax authorities and withhold tax under a national regime, the European Union's top court ruled.…

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EU holds back all of Hungary’s cohesion funds over rights concerns

BRUSSELS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all 22 billion euros of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions…

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EU says Europe plagued by ‘most devastating’ bird flu outbreak ever

Europe has been gripped by its "most devastating" ever outbreak of bird flu in the past year, European health authorities said as experts study the feasibility of vaccinations. Between October…

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EU-Ukraine summit set for Feb 3, location not decided

BRUSSELS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The chairman of the European Union's 27 leaders Charles Michel and the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will hold a summit…

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ECB’s might raise interest rates at current pace for a while – ECB’s de Guindos

BERLIN, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank may raise interest rates at its current pace for a "period of time" to curb inflation, said Vice-President Luis de Guindos.…

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UK’s post-Brexit settlement scheme for EU citizens unlawful, London court rules

(Reuters) -The British government's post-Brexit settlement scheme for EU citizens is unlawful, London's High Court ruled on Wednesday. The Independent Monitoring Authority, a body funded by the government to oversee…

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Cash loses top spot in euro zone as digital payments spread

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Cash is losing its top spot as the euro zone's dominant means of payment, a European Central Bank survey showed on Tuesday, in a historic shift for…

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EU tells Iran to halt repression, support for Russia

EU's Borrell: Iran should halt military aid to Russia Says he held necessary meeting amidst worsening ties Iran ready to engage with Ukraine -foreign ministry DEAD SEA, Jordan, Dec 20…

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Italy delays hearing on EU graft scandal suspect on Belgian jail claim

BRESCIA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian court on Tuesday postponed until January a hearing on whether to hand over to the Belgian authorities a second woman suspected of involvement in…

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EU and Iran to continue working on nuclear deal, Borrell says

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday condemned Iran's support for Russia in its war in Ukraine and the ongoing repression of opposition in the country, but said the EU would continue to…

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52% of EU citizens used the internet to seek health information in 2022

In 2022, 90% of people aged 16-74 in the EU reported they had used the internet during the previous 3 months, according to a report by Eurostat.. This share ranged…

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Food should not be treated as a financial asset – EESC

The global food price crisis has only been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. It is actually due to more structural and systemic problems in the commodities market, creating hunger…

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Italy agrees to transfer suspect in EU graft scandal to Belgium

An Italian court on Monday agreed to hand over to Belgian authorities a woman suspected of involvement in a Qatar graft scandal that has rocked the European Parliament. An appeals court in…

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Energy: Europeans show continued support for the EU’s response to the energy crisis

A new Eurobarometer survey released today shows that the large majority of EU citizens are positive about recent EU actions to tackle the energy crisis. In particular, More than 8…

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Malta requests €60.1 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

The European Commission has received a first payment request from Malta for €60.1 million in grants under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Malta’s first payment request relates to 19 milestones…

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EU countries agree gas price cap to contain energy crisis

European Union energy ministers on Monday agreed a gas price cap, after weeks of talks on the emergency measure that has split opinion across the bloc as it seeks to…

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EU Commission: Meta is likely breaching antitrust laws

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Monday said it had told Facebook parent company Meta META.O that it is likely breaching EU antitrust laws by distorting competition…

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Crypto assets need to be regulated at a global level, ECB’s De Guindos says

MADRID, Dec 19 (Reuters) - European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Monday that crypto assets need to be regulated at a global level to avoid loopholes in…

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Euro zone Q3 labour costs rise 2.9% yr/yr

Dec 19 (Reuters) - The EU statistics agency released the following data on Monday for hourly labour costs and wages in the euro zone and the European Union in the…

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UPDATED: EU countries consider 180eur/MWh trigger for gas price cap – draft

BRUSSELS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - European Union countries' energy ministers were discussing a draft compromise on Monday to cap gas prices if Europe's benchmark gas price spikes to 180 euros…

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EP, Council reach agreement on Social Fund spearheaded by David Casa

The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement to set up a new fund to help vulnerable citizens most affected by energy and transport poverty. Negotiators agreed to establish…

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EU considers lower gas price cap in hunt for Monday deal

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (Reuters) - European Union countries are considering a proposal to cap gas prices at lower levels than suggested to date, before the bloc's energy ministers meet…

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EU strikes deal to boost carbon market, Europe’s biggest climate policy

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (Reuters) - European Union negotiators reached a political deal on Sunday to overhaul the bloc's carbon market, cutting planet-heating emissions faster and imposing new CO2 costs on fuels used…

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Italian top official of NGO at centre of EU Qatar scandal is convicted terrorist

An influential member of the non-governmental organisation at the heart of the Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament is a convicted terrorist. Sergio Segio, 67, a “commander” of Italian far-Left…

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EU talks resume in hunt for pivotal carbon market deal

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Dec 17 (Reuters) - European Union negotiators were set on Saturday morning to resume efforts to reach a deal on overhauling the EU carbon market, the…

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UK’s Sunak hopeful of resolution to Northern Ireland trade row with EU

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday he was hopeful of reaching a resolution to a long-running dispute with the European Union on changing post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland. Technical…

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EU leaders agree more Russia sanctions, funds for Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - European Union leaders wrapped up their last summit of 2022 with an agreement to provide 18 billion euros in financing to Ukraine next year and slap more…

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European prosecutor requests immunity lifted from two Greek MEPs

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European chief prosecutor requested on Thursday that the European Parliament lift the immunity from prosecution of two Greek members over suspicions of fraud. The prosecutor's office…

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ECB slows rate hikes but pledges more to keep up inflation fight

By Francesco Canepa and Balazs Koranyi FRANKFURT, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank eased the pace of its interest rate hikes on Thursday but stressed significant tightening remained ahead and…

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EU Parliament suspends work on Qatar amid corruption allegations

All action on any work involving Qatar was suspended in the European Parliament on Thursday, as the chamber reels from the removal of Eva Kaili as vice president following her…

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Poland drops veto to EU summit deal, clears way for Ukraine funding package

By Gabriela Baczynska and Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Poland withdrew its objections to a minimum corporate tax at an EU summit on Thursday, unblocking a whole package of linked…

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UPDATED: Kosovo formally applies to join EU

PRAGUE, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti submitted a bid for Kosovo to join the European Union on Thursday, launching a process that could take years, if…

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