EU

UPDATE – EU tops up Ukraine’s arms fund, discusses Russia, Iran sanctions

By Sabine Siebold and Ingrid Melander BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to put another 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) into a fund that has been…

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EU’s Borrell: Belgium’s European Parliament corruption probe is “very worrisome”

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's decision to charge four people over allegedly receiving money and gifts from a Gulf state to influence decisions in the European Parliament is "very worrisome," European…

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EU’s Gentiloni says Italy on track to meet reform timetable

ROME, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Italy is sticking to the reform timetable required to access almost 200 billion euros ($210.6 billion) of European Union funding, European Economics Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on…

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EU at odds over gas price cap as 12 countries criticise latest proposal

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A dozen countries including Belgium, Italy, Poland and Slovenia have made a push to "significantly" lower a planned European Union cap on gas prices,…

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Spain’s Sanchez says EUMED will push for dynamic gas price cap

ALICANTE, Spain, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of the nine Mediterranean countries in the EU agreed on Friday to push for a dynamic cap on gas prices rather than a fixed…

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EU agrees law to make airlines pay more to pollute

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The European Union reached a deal in the early hours of Wednesday on a law to increase the price that airlines have to pay…

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EU regulators raise concerns over Meta’s targeted ad model – WSJ

Dec 6 (Reuters) - European Union regulators have ruled Meta Platforms Inc META.O should not require users to agree to personalized ads based on their digital activity, the Wall Street journal reported on Tuesday,…

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EU countries’ stance on AI rules draws criticism from lawmaker, consumer group

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - EU countries on Tuesday agreed a common position on draft artificial intelligence rules ahead of negotiations with EU lawmakers to thrash out the…

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Italy to miss 2022 Recovery Plan spending goals, says business lobby chief

ROME, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Italy will probably not manage to spend its European Union pandemic recovery funds as scheduled this year, the head of business lobby Confindustria said on Tuesday. Italy…

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EU seeks to reassure Western Balkans on accession amid fears of Russia influence

By Fatos Bytyci and Sabine Siebold TIRANA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - A summit of European Union and Western Balkan leaders yielded few concrete steps on the region's future in the wealthy EU…

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EU’s Gentolini: We will have a recession this winter

Europe will fall into a recession this winter and growth will not return before spring, European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Monday. "We will have a recession this winter,"…

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Euro zone investor morale rises to highest since June

Investor morale in the euro zone rose this month to its highest level since June on hopes that mild winter weather and sufficient gas in storage may lessen the chances of a…

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All EU governments complete approval of Russian oil price cap

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - All European Union governments completed on Saturday the written approval of a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne oil, the European Commission…

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EU ‘very confident’ on N.Ireland agreement if UK shows political will

DUBLIN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - European Commision President Ursula von der Leyen said she is "very confident" a positive conclusion can be reached on a post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland if…

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EU states offer carve out for financial services from ‘due diligence’ rules

By Huw Jones LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - European Union member states on Thursday reached a deal on rules that would force large companies to check whether their suppliers use slave or…

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China’s Xi vows to strengthen communication, coordination with EU in meeting with Michel

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will continue to strengthen strategic communication, coordination with EU, China's president Xi Jinping told European Council president Charles Michel at a meeting in Beijing on Thursday. …

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European retailers downbeat despite Black Friday boost

Europeans snapped up smartphones, Christmas decorations, sweaters and jewellery during a surge in shopping over the Black Friday weekend, though prospects for the festive season remained gloomy, retailers said. A…

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Banks face tougher rules on using cloud computing giants

Financial firms in the European Union will have to show how quickly they could recover from a cyber attack as they rely more for key services on 'cloud computing' giants such…

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Italy cash payments plan breaks spirit of EU accord, expert says

ROME (Reuters) - A proposal in Italy's draft budget is not in line with its previous commitments to incentivise electronic payments as a way to boost tax compliance, according to…

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EU to approve Hungary’s recovery plan, hold payouts until conditions met

The European Commission is likely to approve next week Hungary's post-pandemic recovery plan to keep open the possibility of EU disbursements later, but hold back any payouts until Budapest fulfils all agreed conditions,…

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Malta dismisses EU proposal on gas price capping

Malta is one of four nations, together with Greece, Poland and Belgium who are reported to have dismissed a proposal to cap gas prices at 275 euros per megawatt hour…

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UK’s Hunt rules out ‘move away’ from Brexit trade deal with EU

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday ruled out a softening of Brexit by changing the trade deal with the European Union, following demands from companies to…

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Italy minister: EU Commission’s gas price cap plan “insufficient”

ROME (Reuters) - The European Commission's proposal to cap gas prices at 275 euros ($285) a megawatt hour (MWh) is insufficient and set too high, Italy's energy and environment minister…

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Europe to be hit hardest in global slowdown -OECD

The global economy should avoid a recession next year but the worst energy crisis since the 1970s will trigger a sharp slowdown with Europe hit hardest, the OECD said on…

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UPDATE UK eurosceptics warn British government against Swiss-style ties with EU

By Andrew MacAskill LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The British government said it has no plans to move to a Swiss-style relationship with the European Union after some of Prime Minister Rishi…

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UK set to join EU project helping swift military movements across Europe

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union defence ministers paved the way on Tuesday for Britain to join an EU project aimed at facilitating the swift movement of troops and military equipment across Europe, as war…

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Europe must avoid over-reliance on China, says EU leader

Europe will engage with China but needs to "rebalance" the relationship to avoid becoming too reliant on the country for areas like innovative technology, European Council President Charles Michel said on…

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Euro zone Q3 GDP confirmed at 0.2% q/q, employment up as well

Euro zone gross domestic product grew by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in the July-September period for a 2.1% year-on-year increase, Eurostat confirmed on Tuesday, while employment in the single currency area also…

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Persistent EU rifts seen delaying any approval of gas price cap

BRUSSELS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Belgium, Greece, Italy and Poland on Friday threatened to block a new set of European Union steps to alleviate an acute energy crunch because they are angry…

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U.N. talks not ready to agree climate compensation fund, EU says

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Talks about how to compensate vulnerable countries for the damage caused by climate change are not ready to agree on a funding mechanism, a European…

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EU eyes longer, negotiated debt reduction paths in rules review

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The European Commission will on Wednesday propose changes to the EU's debt rules that would allow each of the bloc's 27 countries to negotiate…

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EU Commission said gas price cap impossible as requested – sources

BRUSSELS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The European Union's executive told its 27 member countries at a seminar on Monday that it was not possible to create a gas price cap that would not affect long-term contracts…

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Telcos push EU to make Big Tech pay for network costs

PARIS/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Telecom operators are pushing the European Union to implement new laws that would make Big Tech pay for network costs, following Australia's example, according to four sources close…

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UK and EU are close to breakthrough in long-running Brexit spat – Bloomberg News

Bloomberg reports that the UK and European Union are close to a major breakthrough in their months-long spat over post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland, which has threatened at times…

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Blow for EU crackdown on tax deals as Fiat wins appeal

Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday won its fight against an EU order to pay 30 million euros ($30 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg, dealing a major setback to EU antitrust chief Margrethe…

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Euro zone grapples with coordinating energy support plans as recession looms

Measures to support the euro-zone economies against soaring energy prices could complicate 2023 budget plans if they need to be extended into the spring, the region's finance ministers said on Monday,…

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Vast majority of Ukrainians expect prosperous future in EU – poll

At least 88% of Ukrainians believe their country will be a prosperous member of the European Union in 10 years, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute…

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Germany tells Serbia: you have to choose between EU and Russia

Serbia must decide whether it wants to join the European Union or enter into a partnership with Russia, Germany told Belgrade on Tuesday, two days before six Western Balkan countries are…

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Euro area annual inflation up to 10.7%

Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 10.7% in October 2022, up from 9.9% in September according to aflash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.…

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France seeks to broker deal on retail share trading in EU

A European Union proposal to ban payment-for-order flow (PFOF) on stock markets could be ditched if the practice came under stricter conditions, an EU paper authored by France showed on Monday. PFOF…

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EU warns against unilateral actions that would endanger Ukraine grain deal

BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The European Union supports U.N.-led efforts to keep the Ukraine grain deal alive, a spokesperson said on Saturday, after Moscow announced it was pulling out of the…

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€17 billion in Russian assets frozen – EU Commissioner Reynder

The European Union has frozen more than €17 billion ($16.9 billion) in Russian assets in the course of the sanctions packages against Russia, according to EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. "So far, the assets…

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EU to propose banks offer mandatory ‘instant payments’ in euros

Banks in the euro zone would be required to provide 'instant payments' in the single currency 24/7 under draft European Union rules seen by Reuters. The EU wants to modernise payments so…

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EU countries agree to hike climate change target next year

European Union countries agreed on Monday to raise their target to curb greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate agreement next year, as the bloc attempts to rally ambition among…

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Zero Pollution: Europeans seriously worried about air quality and call for stronger action

Europeans are worried about the effect of air pollution on health and the environment, according to a special Eurobarometer survey published today. Most also think that industry, public authorities and…

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EU countries meet to agree stance for U.N. climate negotiations

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - European Union countries will attempt on Monday to agree their negotiating position for this year's U.N. climate talks, including on the contentious topic of…

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The destiny of Britain is Europe, Brexit was a “mirage” – EU Commissioner Breton

PARIS (Reuters) - Britain's destiny lies in Europe and the country had been sold "a sort of mirage" with Brexit, said European Union industry chief Thierry Breton on Sunday, as…

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EU to give 18 bln euros to Kyiv next year to help run Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The European Union will give Kyiv 1.5 billion euros a month in 2023 to help run Ukraine as it fights back Russia's invading troops, the head of…

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MEPs block Frontex budget after serious misconduct revealed

The European Parliament has refused to give its approval for the budget of Frontex, the border and coast guard agency. 345 MEPs voted in favour of the committee recommendation to…

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EU to propose extra energy measures, swerve immediate gas price cap

The European Commission is set to propose another set of emergency measures on Tuesday to tackle high energy prices, but draft proposals suggest they will not include an immediate cap on gas…

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EU should treat China more as a competitor, says diplomat chief

The European Union should recognise China even more as a competitor and reduce its economic dependency, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday, as the bloc looks to fine-tune relations with…

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Germany’s Scholz calls for bigger European Union

BERLIN, Oct 15 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called for an expanded European Union, telling a gathering of European social democrats that it would then be able to better…

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EU’s prosecutor office opens investigation on EU’s Covid-19 vaccine purchases

POLITICO reports that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the EU's coronavirus vaccine purchases. The EPPO's brief announcement said that "this exceptional confirmation comes after the…

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Decoupling from China not an option for EU firms – Dombrovskis

Decoupling from China is not an option for companies in the European Union, said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis according to prepared remarks of a speech in Berlin on Tuesday.…

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Austria seeks allies for legal challenge to EU green investment rules

Austria said it was seeking to enlist other European Union countries to support its legal action against Brussels for labelling investment in gas and nuclear power as "green". Vienna on Friday…

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EU eyes multi-year fiscal plans that include investment, reform -Gentiloni

he ongoing reform of EU fiscal rules could give governments more leeway in plans that combine debt cuts with investment and reforms, in exchange for greater accountability, the EU's Economic…

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EU highlights Malta’s efforts to ensure digital inclusion at height of pandemic

European countries took a proactive approach to addressing youth mental health challenges during the pandemic . One of the most common measures taken was the reinforcement of psychological support in…

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