EU

Romania’s former anti-corruption chief bid for EU public prosecutor dented

Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s former chief anti-corruption prosecutor, could see her bid to win the role of European Union public prosecutor damaged by a widely-criticised agency tasked with investigating magistrates,…

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Panama and Saudi Arabia included in 23-country list with serious money laundering and terrorism related risks

The European Commission concluded that 23 countries have strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing regimes. This includes 12 countries listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)…

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May expected to make statement to MPs on the latest developments on BREXIT

The PM is due to make a statement to MPs, ahead of a debate on Thursday on the next steps for Brexit. She visited Dublin and Brussels last week seeking…

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New EU rules to combat fake medicines enter into force

The falsification of medicines has remained a serious threat to public health in the EU for too long. As of tomorrow, the new rules on safety features for prescription medicines…

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Bulgaria’s minimum wage remains lowest in EU

Bulgaria might have increased its minimum wage in January to 286 euros per month, but it still remains the lowest miminum wage of all the 22 EU states that have…

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EU set to add Panama and Saudi Arabia to dirty money black list despite German, French and British resistance

The European Commission is planning to name Saudi Arabia and Panama in a list of high-risk countries that fail to fight money laundering, despite resistance from Germany, France and the…

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Corporate Dispatch End of Day Roundup – Wednesday

Good evening, These are the main news as reported by Malta's news portals. The Customs Department announced a huge haul of cocaine at the Malta Freeport. Newsbook says officers found…

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Hungary declares opposition to EU agreement with Arab League

The EU had high hopes for a cooperation agreement with the Arab League, however, those dreams were dashed when Hungary declared their opposition Monday. The Hungarian government said they were…

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Italy’s government coalition division blocked joint EU position on Guaido

Italy on Monday blocked a joint EU position to recognize Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, diplomatic sources said, with the government in Rome deeply divided over the…

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EU considering sanctions on individuals in Venezuela, but not an oil embargo – Malta’s foreign Minister

The European Union is considering imposing more sanctions on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but has not discussed an oil embargo, Malta’s foreign minister said on Monday. “Our…

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If there’s creativity and goodwill, Britain and EU can solve the Irish border issue – Merkel

With creativity and goodwill, Britain and the European Union can still perhaps resolve the issue of Irish border arrangements after Brexit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. Speaking at…

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Romania’s Prime Minister accuses Western European leaders of double standards in criticising her country over corruption, cites France as an example

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă accused Western European leaders of double standards in criticizing her country over corruption and a crackdown on anti-government protests. Dăncilă, whose government holds the EU's…

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The EU agrees to give British citizens visa-free travel to member states even in the event of No-Deal Brexit

EU ambassadors want to allow British citizens entering the Schengen travel area post-Brexit to stay for up to 90 days without a visa, the Council said Friday. The allotted 90 days can…

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EU institutions stand by agreement negotiated – Barnier

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier delivered a 13 second response to Theresa May's demand to renegotiate the Brexit deal agreed between the two sides last year. "The EU institutions…

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EU expected to rule out Brexit renegotiation

The EU is preparing to issue an immediate rebuff to Theresa May by publishing a statement rejecting any renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement in the event of the so-called Brady amendment being…

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EU and NATO are Ukraine’s President Poroshenko launches campaign for re-election

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has launched his campaign for re-election in March’s vote, which promises to be a bitter contest between him and a former prime minister. Addressing supporters in…

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Theresa May expected to request EU to reopen negotiations on Withdrawal Agreement

Theresa May has said she will talk to the EU later about reopening the withdrawal agreement. The EU has ruled out making changes to the legal text agreed with the…

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Britain needs to decide what it really wants – EU

The European Union has a message for Prime Minister Theresa May as she plots a path out of the Brexit impasse: Britain needs to decide what it really wants but…

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China’s ambassador to EU speaks of slander and discrimination being used against Huawei and Chinese companies in Europe

Beijing’s envoy to the EU has launched a blistering attack on the “slander” and “discrimination” faced by Huawei and other Chinese companies in Europe, warning that efforts to exclude China…

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Top US diplomat for EU affairs resigns

The top US diplomat for European affairs, Wess Mitchell, has resigned. The news come at a time of tension between the European Union and the Trump administration due to US…

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EU announces new sanctions against Russian and Syrian individuals with links to chemical weapons use and Skripal’s poisoning

The EU has targeted individuals in Syria and Russia with links to chemical weapons attacks. The bloc has been discussing the new sanctions regime since late last year, prompted by…

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Google fined €50 million by French data regulator for breach of EU data protection rules

Google has been fined 50 million euros by the French data regulator CNIL, for a breach of the EU's data protection rules. CNIL said it had levied the record fine…

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UK government to scrap £65 fee for EU citizens who want to remain in UK after Brexit

The UK government announced that it will scrap the £65 fee that EU citizens must pay if they want to remain in the UK after Brexit. The announce was made…

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EU’s support for Libya’s anti-migrant policies is fuelling extreme abuse – Human Rights Watch

The EU’s support for Libya’s anti-migrant policies is contributing to a cycle of “extreme abuse”, including arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, extortion and forced labour. According to a report by Human…

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EU Commission welcomes European Parliament vote on InvestEU

The European Commission welcomes today's vote by the European Parliament to agree its position on InvestEU, the proposed programme to boost private and public investment in Europe in the next…

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Is it the end of national vetoes on taxation?

The European Commission is preparing to present a potentially controversial proposal that would roll back the tax-levying powers of the EU’s individual national governments, a move that is meant to close…

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Europe risks collapsing unless common position on migrants is found – Giuseppe Conte

Premier Giuseppe Conte said Monday that the European Union risks collapsing unless if finds a common position on migrants. "If we continue to stall without a shared path, we risk…

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EU and UK exchange correspondence ahead of Brexit vote

The EU has sent a letter of reassurance to the prime minister Theresa May in a last ditch attempt to save their Brexit deal with the UK. The House of…

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EU preparing to delay Brexit until July as May doomed to fail in getting deal approved

The EU is preparing to delay Brexit until at least July after concluding that Theresa May is doomed to fail in getting her deal through parliament. The Guardian reports that…

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Poland calls for EU and NATO to exclude Huawei from their markets after spying charge

Poland’s internal affairs minister, Joachim Brudziński, called for the European Union and Nato to work on a joint position over whether to exclude Huawei from their markets following the arrest of…

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EU launches investigation into whether Nike benefitted from tax arrangements in Netherlands which breaks ‘state aid’ laws

The EU has launched a probe into whether Nike benefited from sweetheart tax arrangements in the Netherlands that breached EU curbs on state support, FT reports. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s…

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EU and Britain discussing possibility of extending Brexit formal withdrawal notice as EU reiterates ‘No Further Negotiation’ on deal

British and European officials are discussing the possibility of extending Britain’s formal notice to withdraw from the European Union amid fears a Brexit deal will not be approved by March…

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Diplomatique.Expert recommends “In U.S. and Europe, Conflict Over Migration Points to Political Problems” – NYT

A version of this article appears in print on June 30, 2018, on Page A6 of the New York edition with the headline: In U.S. and Europe, Conflict Over Migration Points to Political Problems Although dated,…

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New guidelines for European Parliament to ensure a gender-neutral language

The European Parliament has released new guidelines aimed at ensuring more gender-neutral language is used by the organisation. Words such as "mankind” will be replaced (with humanity), “manpower" (with staff),…

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European illegal migration falls to lowest level in five years

The number of people caught trying to enter the EU illegally has fallen to its lowest level in five years, the bloc's border agency says. An estimated 150,000 illegal crossings…

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Diplomatique.Expert recommends : The World in 2019 – Matthew Bugeja

The last few years have been nothing if not eventful on the global stage. Fortunately, there have been, no new major conflicts in the vein of those such as Syria and Ukraine,…

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Friday Morning Briefing and News Paper and Portal review

Good morning Your morning briefing for Friday with a roundup of the news from Malta and around the World news outlets. Lates News Headlines 13 Candian citizens have been detained…

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May to speak to EU leaders this week over Brexit – Financial Times

Prime minister Theresa May will on Thursday launch a round of EU diplomacy as she seeks “clarifications” to sell her Brexit deal to sceptical MPs, who return to Westminster next…

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As of 1st January, new Rules come into force to curb multinational companies corporate tax avoidance across EU

As of 1 January 2019, all Member States shall apply new legally binding anti-abuse measures that target the main forms of tax avoidance practiced by large multinationals. Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner…

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EU aims to create uniformity in anti money-laundering rules and enforcement

Brussels is seeking tougher European-level enforcement of anti-money laundering rules after a spate of scandals that have shaken faith in the bloc’s ability to keep dirty money out of its…

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In 1994, Britain believed Enlargement was at the heart of its European Strategy

"Enlargement lies at the heart of our European Strategy. If this were to fail because of us, we would have no credible European policy in the short or longer term."…

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New rules to strengthen Schengen Information System come into force

New rules to strengthen the Schengen Information System (SIS) – proposed by the Commission in December 2016 and adopted earlier this year – are entering into force today. The SIS…

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EU legal service proposes that tax avoidance and evasion leaks are excluded from Whistleblower protection

The Council of the EU’s legal service has advised EU countries to exclude tax avoidance and evasion leaks from the protections granted to whistleblowers, according to an internal document seen…

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Brexit – The other side of the ‘equation’

BREXIT isn't just about Britain. On the other side of the negotiating table there are 27 other European States which form the European Union. Some of them reacted as follows…

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Brexit – The Roundup

After months of negotiations, the Brexit deal was due to be voted upon on Tuesday, in order for the United Kingdom's Parliament to approve or reject Theresa May's controversial plan. Diplomatique.Expert goes…

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Former EU commission President Romano Prodi says that EU will renegotiate Brexit if deal is voted down

The EU will come back to the negotiating table if parliament votes down Theresa May’s deal with Brussels, according to Romano Prodi, a former European commission president. The Guardian/Observers reports…

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Germany and France seek revival of EU financial transaction tax

Germany and France will on Monday seek to revive the long-delayed EU financial transaction tax by proposing that member states be allowed to use the revenues to reduce their EU…

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Theresa May’s ‘D-Day’ as Brexit reaches a crucial stage (Continuously Updated)

The talks on Brexit between the EU and UK negotiators reached a stage where an agreement on the draft text of the withdrawal agreement, between the two parties has been…

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Ryanair pays the €525,000 to the French authorities for the impounded aircraft

The Financial Times reports that the Irish company, which has faced months of bad publicity over flight disruptions and strikes, made the payment. Earlier this week, 150 passengers were taken…

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How is France preparing for the eventuality of a ‘No-Deal Brexit’

This looks set to be yet another important week in the Brexit negotiations - but preparations are also being stepped up in case no deal emerges on a withdrawal agreement…

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Compromise deal on Irish border reached – The Sunday Times – Downing Street plays down claims (UPDATED)

Sky News reports that Downing Street played down claims the PM has reached an agreement with Brussels on the Irish border. Britain and the European Union have reportedly agreed to a compromise…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your daily morning briefing with a review of Malta's newspaper front-pages and news from around the world to start your day informed. In today's edition we read the…

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EU and UK reach post Brexit deal on Britain’s financial services firms – reports

The U.K. and EU struck a tentative deal that would give Britain’s financial services firms continued access to European markets after Brexit, the Times reported Thursday citing anonymous government sources. British and EU negotiators…

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A no-deal Brexit would have a price tag of £30 billion over the next five years – NIESR

The impact of Brexit on next week’s UK budget has been spelled out by one of Britain’s leading economic forecasters, with the difference between a soft and no-deal outcome worth £30bn over the next…

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Putin and Conte say EU sanctions against Russia must come to an end

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday that EU sanctions against Russia had to come to an end, but declined to say if his government was ready to veto…

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European Parliament votes for extensive ban on single-use plastics

The European Parliament has voted for to implement an extensive ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution entering the world’s oceans. Products including plastic plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds…

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Europe Explained – European Commission’s position on Italian budget

The Commission has issued an opinion on the Italian draft budgetary plan for 2019. It requests that Italy presents a revised draft budgetary plan as soon as possible, and in…

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