Comuniq.EU

EU built record new wind farms last year but lags green energy goal

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - European Union countries built 17 gigawatts of new wind power farms in 2023, the most for any year so far, but still not enough…

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Maneskin might be enlisted to encourage the young to vote in EP election

Euronews reported that world-beating Roman rockers Maneskin may be among the musical acts enlisted to encourage young people to vote in June's European Parliament elections. The idea is "taking shape"…

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ECB’s Lagarde: Re-election of Trump in US would mark threat for Europe

A re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. president would represent a "threat" for Europe, European Central Bank (ECB) head Christine Lagarde said. "If we draw lessons from history, by which…

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EU’s Breton aiming for 3 billion-euro scheme to ramp up defence production

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - EU industrial chief Thierry Breton is targeting 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in a new scheme to ramp up production of defence equipment,…

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Former ECB head Draghi consults business chiefs on EU competitiveness

Former ECB chief preparing report on EU competitiveness Draghi's name surfaces as potential candidate for EU role Meets business chiefs in Milan as part of work on report By Elvira…

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100 million Europeans set to benefit from Disability Card Directive, asserts MEP David Casa

The Disability Card Directive cleared an important hurdle as the Employment and Social Affairs Committee unanimously approved the European Parliament’s report on the new law. “Equality is a core value…

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Trump told EU that US would never help Europe under attack – EU Commissioner Breton

By Andrew Gray and Charlotte Van Campenhout BRUSSELS/ AMSTERDAM, (Reuters) - Donald Trump told top European officials while he was U.S. president that the United States would never help Europe…

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Scholz wants to discuss Ukraine arms at EU February summit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to put added pressure on EU partners to deliver more weapons to Ukraine by raising the issue at a special summit of EU leaders next…

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Legal migration to EU must increase as workforce ages, commissioner says

Legal migration to the European Union will have to increase by 1 million people a year to make up for losses in the bloc's ageing workforce, the EU's home affairs…

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Nasdaq Europe to lure derivatives clearing from post-Brexit London

Nasdaq Europe has said it will expand derivatives clearing to include euro interest rate swaps (IRS) in the coming months, in the latest move by European Union market operators to pull…

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Europe’s property boom lowered inequality, ECB says

Wealth inequality declined in the euro zone over the past five years, confounding some expectations, as a large middle class with widespread property ownership benefited from a house price boom,…

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EU’s Michel downplays criticism of his plan to resign early

By Julia Payne European Council President Charles Michel downplayed criticism of his plan to resign early to run for a seat in the European Parliament, saying there was plenty of…

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Italian foreign minister calls for formation of EU army

ROME, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The European Union should form its own combined army that could play a role in peacekeeping and preventing conflict, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.…

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EU’s Michel to run in election, will leave post mid-July

EU Council President Charles Michel will run in the election for European Parliament in June and will leave his post mid-July if he gets elected, he said in an interview…

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EU’s Borrell sees Argentina more open to EU-Mercosur trade deal

Argentina, whose new president Javier Milei has said the South American common market Mercosur serves no purpose, now appears to be more willing for the bloc to sign a free trade deal…

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EIB Group nearly reaches €1 Billion milestone in support of Malta’s economy

The EIB Group, comprising the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), stands as one of Europe's foremost catalysts for economic growth and climate action on the…

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EU’s Borrell says world must impose solution to Gaza conflict

By Catarina Demony The international community must impose a solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict as the warring sides are unable to come to terms, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell…

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EU adds Russia’s biggest diamond producer Alrosa to sanctions list

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union has added Russia's Alrosa, the world's biggest diamond producer, as well as its CEO Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev to its sanctions list, it…

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Belgium takes over over the EU presidency

From the 1st of January, Belgium , as President of the Council, will lead the European agenda and promote cooperation among the Member States. The Council of the European Union…

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Europe pays tribute to ex-EU chief Delors who died at 98

Tributes from across Europe poured in for Jacques Delors, a former EU Commission chief who played an instrumental role in European integration, following his death on Wednesday (27 December) at…

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EU readies 20 billion euros plan to fund Ukraine – FT

(Reuters) - The European Union is preparing a back-up plan worth up to 20 billion euros ($22.08 billion) for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. The debt-funded scheme would sidestep Hungary…

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EU foreign policy chief fears rightwing surge in June elections

European parliamentary elections in June could be as fateful as the US presidential race, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has warned, saying he believes voters’ fear of the…

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EU adopts 118 million euros aid plan for Palestinian Authority

Dec 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday said it had adopted a 118 million euros ($130 million) aid package to support the Palestinian Authority. The commission said the…

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EU to investigate Chinese biodiesel dumping allegation

PARIS/BEIJING, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Wednesday it would begin an anti-dumping investigation into biodiesel imports from China, which the bloc's industry says has slashed domestic…

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EU Commission proposes lowering wolf protection status in Europe

Wolves could lose their strict protection from hunting and capture if a European Commission proposal on Wednesday to downgrade their status due to their growing population and threat as a…

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EU governments clinch deal for more lenient fiscal rules

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers agreed on Wednesday the latest reform of the bloc's two-decade-old fiscal rules, allowing more time to cut public debt and…

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What’s in the new EU migration and asylum deal?

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Wednesday on new rules to handle irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as…

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EU targets Pornhub, XVideos, Stripchat under new content rules

Porn websites will face stricter rules, similar to Big Tech Pornhub says has 33 mln EU users, below regulation threshold XVideos has 160 mln users in EU Commission says four…

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Russian billionaire Abramovich loses legal challenge against EU sanctions

BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich on Wednesday lost a legal challenge to overturn sanctions imposed on him by the European Union in the wake of Russia's…

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UPDATED: EU reaches agreement on new set of rules to manage migration and asylum

The European Union reached agreement early on Wednesday on new rules designed to share out the cost and work of hosting migrants more evenly and to limit the numbers of…

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Nearly half of new passenger cars in EU electrified -ACEA

By Alessandro Parodi and Greta Rosen Fondahn Dec 20 (Reuters) - Sales of electric cars in the European Union were almost half of all new passenger car registrations in the…

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France, Germany reach deal on EU fiscal rules

PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany have reached a "100 percent" agreement on how to reform the European Union's fiscal rules, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said after talks…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says EU will ‘stall’ Ukraine, Moldova accession

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was on Tuesday cited as saying the European Union would stall Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU, adding that Ankara had long earned the right…

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EU sets critical mineral goals, but faces struggle to hit them

The European Union has set targets to dig up, recycle and refine lithium, cobalt and other metals it needs for its green transition, but a shortage of new money, crippling…

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ECB rate cut bets premature, markets have eased too much – Slovenia’s Governor

The European Central Bank will need at least until spring before it can reassess its policy outlook and market expectations for an interest rate cut in March or April are…

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EU risks losing ground in EVs without strong industry strategy – ACEA

BERLIN, (Reuters) - Europe's electric vehicle (EV) sector risks falling behind without a robust EU industrial strategy, autos group ACEA said this week citing new report findings, amid China's dominance…

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EU seeks satellite array offers in space race with AI

By Tim Hepher PARIS (Reuters) - Europe is seeking final offers for a 6 billion euro ($6.55 billion) EU satellite constellation which is designed to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink…

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Poland needs time to fix judiciary before EU money flows, says EU official

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Poland's new government needs "some time" to improve the independence of the judiciary so the European Union can disburse more funds, the…

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UPDATED: Hungary to veto Bulgaria’s Schengen entry unless it scraps gas transit tax

BUDAPEST, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Hungary will veto Bulgaria's entry into Europe's passport-free Schengen Zone unless it scraps a transit tax on Russian gas, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry said in…

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EU grants Ukraine membership talks but can’t agree financial aid

European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with Ukraine even as it continues to fight Russia's invasion, but they could not agree on a 50 billion euro package of financial aid for…

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EU agrees to ease capital rules for insurers to boost investment

By Huw Jones LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed a deal on Wednesday to ease its capital rules for insurers, a step the bloc's lawmakers said could…

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EU to find way to help Poland access frozen EU cash -Hahn

The European Commission will find a way for Poland to access some 111 billion euros in frozen EU funds as the new Polish government moves toward alleviating the bloc's concerns…

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EU says it will take in slightly more refugees from third countries

GENEVA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A senior European Union official said on Thursday the bloc will in 2024-25 allow in more than 60,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, a slight…

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EU executive warns Slovakia that criminal law changes may have consequences

The European Commission, which has frozen other countries' funding in similar cases, will take action against Slovakia if it enacts changes to criminal laws that violate European Union laws, EU…

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UPDATED: Ukraine’s Zelenskiy urges EU leaders to back membership talks

BRUSSELS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged a summit of European Union leaders on Thursday to open membership talks with his country, warning that Europe would not…

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EU parliament, member states agree on new corporate sustainability law

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The European Parliament Legal Committee and EU governments reached a deal on new due diligence rules for companies on Thursday, the committee said in a…

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Italy opposes new EU fishing opportunities regulation

Italy voted against a new European agreement on fishing opportunities in the Atlantic, the North Sea, and in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, sources told ANSA. The agreement on…

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Hungary publishes judicial reforms in attempt to get access to EU funds

BUDAPEST, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Hungary published further judicial reforms in its official journal on Wednesday which are seen as crucial for Budapest being able to unlock access to frozen…

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Spain’s PM wants EU enlargement talks with Ukraine before year-end

MADRID, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he hoped to open enlargement talks between the European Union and Ukraine before the end of his…

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EU lawmakers, countries agree on a bill on gig workers’ rights

BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers provisionally agreed on Wednesday on a bill aimed at giving workers at online companies such as Uber and Deliveroo employee benefits, which…

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UPDATED: Support Ukraine for “as long as it takes”, EU chief urges bloc

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The European Union's chief executive called on Wednesday for the bloc to support Ukraine as long as it takes, her remarks ahead…

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Georgia eyes EU candidate status but membership still a distant dream

While Ukraine's hopes of beginning membership talks will take centre-stage at this week's European Union summit, another potential member, Georgia, will also be seeking progress towards eventual entry to the…

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EU begin to hash out EU AI Act details starting Tuesday

Days after EU countries and lawmakers agreed on a provisional deal on artificial intelligence rules, experts from both sides are meeting on Tuesday to hammer out details, according to three…

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A look at Europe’s landmark AI regulations

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - European Union policymakers and lawmakers clinched a deal on Friday 8th December on the world's first comprehensive set of rules regulating the use…

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UPDATED: France, Germany, Italy back EU sanctions scheme to target Hamas

By Andrew Gray and Angelo Amante BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (Reuters) - France, Germany and Italy called for the European Union to set up a special sanctions scheme to target Hamas…

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Europe’s support for Ukraine teeters as Hungary plays hardball

High stakes for Ukraine exhausted after nearly two years of war EU aid decision comes as doubts mount over U.S. support EU executive to unlock funds for Hungary before summit…

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No quick EU path to give Ukraine profits on sanctioned Russian assets

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive is due to approve next week a legal proposal on using proceeds from Russian assets frozen under sanctions,…

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