Europe

Spain defends pushback policy adopted on Thursday

The Spanish Interior Ministry has defended its pushback policy on display on Thursday morning, when over 700 African migrants stormed the fence separating Morocco from Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta. “The…

Read More Here

German Ministers welcome initiatives agreed during meeting between Trump and Juncker

Reuters: German ministers welcomed an initiative agreed between U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to ease the threat of a trade war, with one describing it as…

Read More Here

European Court of Justice decides that KitKat iconic design is not entitled for intellectual property protection

The European Court of Justice has decided that the iconic four-fingered design of Nestlé’s KitKat chocolate bar is not entitled to protection under the EU’s intellectual property protection scheme. In…

Read More Here

EU businesses are losing millions, and will be losing even more due to skills mismatches

The European economy loses over 2% of productivity per year due to a mismatch of skills, according to a recent study commissioned by the European Economic and Social Committee. This…

Read More Here

EU expected to publish migration proposals policy changes today

The Financial Times reports that Brussels will offer EU governments €6,000 for every migrant they take in from boats stranded in the Mediterranean, in plans designed to help ease pressure on…

Read More Here

Britain will pay EU if bloc agrees with framework for future trade deal

AFP: Britain will only pay its £39 billion EU divorce bill if the bloc agrees the framework for a future trade deal, the new Brexit Secretary warned in an interview published…

Read More Here

It’s legitimate for Europe to find a role of its own in the world – Angela Merkel

DW: In her yearly meet-the-press session before her summer vacation, Angela Merkel put forward the European Union as an example of cooperation and multilateralism. While reaffirming the centrality of Germany's trans-Atlantic…

Read More Here

Romania’s first decade of EU membership was mishandled – Romania’s EU accession chief negotiator

Euractiv: Since Romania joined the EU in 2007, successive governments have failed to make the best of bloc membership but there is strong pressure for change in the country, the man…

Read More Here

700,000 small and medium-sized companies are set to benefit from improved access to finance through European Investment Plan

The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) has mobilised €335 billion in additional investment across the EU since July 2015. The Juncker Plan has made a clear impact on the…

Read More Here

Inisght: Populism and the political landscape in Europe

PEW Research Centre : Populist movements have gained ground in many Western European countries, from the United Kingdom’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union to Italy’s formation of a populist government this spring. A new…

Read More Here

Trump says May wrecked Brexit, claims that her Brexit plan will ‘kill’ US trade deal in an exclusive interview with The Sun

AP/The Sun: Dishing up a fresh dose of chaos on his European tour, President Donald Trump left behind a contentious NATO gathering in Brussels and moved on to Britain, where a…

Read More Here

Ketchup, Cars and Trade Wars

Financial Times : Targeting iconic American products such as Harley-Davidson motorbikes and bourbon in the fight against US president Donald Trump’s first round of transatlantic tariffs was just a start —…

Read More Here

European Leaders warned about how Trump’s policies are pushing towards a NATO break-up

The Times: European Union leaders have discussed their fears that the “immense pressure” President Trump’s policies are putting on Nato could lead to its break-up. Donald Tusk, the president of…

Read More Here

Heatwave across Europe

Euronews: The continent is currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with May being the warmest in more than a century. It's turning out to be a summer to remember for most of the…

Read More Here

Europe’s migration problem doesn’t get any easier to solve

Migration is back at the top of the political agenda in Europe. The issue is threatening to bring down the government of the EU’s richest country and tear through the…

Read More Here

Macron to push for eurozone reform

Euronews: Emmanuel Macron is expected to push eurozone reform back on the European agenda when he meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. Reforming the management of Europe's single…

Read More Here

Opinion : How One Migrant Ship Became a Symptom of a Sick Europe (TIME)

Time : A 253-feet long, 2,000-ton boat makes for an ungainly political football, especially when it is carrying some 629 desperate migrants and is staffed by a crew of angry…

Read More Here

BREXIT – UK’s proposal for backstop doesn’t correspond to EU’s wishes

The U.K’s proposal for a “backstop” solution to Ireland “doesn’t correspond” to the EU’s wishes, Barnier said on Friday, adding that May had agreed on the need for it, and…

Read More Here

Broadband coverage across the EU improved. 2020 targets significantly distant.

Although broadband coverage has generally been improving across the EU, not all targets set for 2020 will be met, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors.…

Read More Here

VISA’s payment network crashed across UK and parts of Europe

The Guardian reported that VISA’s payment network has crashed across the UK and Europe, sparking chaos as transactions are failing or being denied. The company confirmed that it is suffering an outage and…

Read More Here

Morning Briefing – 1st June ’18

Good morning, Unfortunately today’s morning briefing starts on a sad note as all media portals in Malta report the news of a male cyclist who was killed after he was…

Read More Here

Former Chair of Vote Leave campaign applies for ‘carte de sejour’ in France

Nigel Lawson, has denied accusations of Brexit hypocrisy after it emerged he was in the process of applying for a French residency card. The Tory former chancellor who chaired the Vote…

Read More Here

I want to stop Romania from turning into another Hungary

Romania’s former Prime Minister Victor Ponta has told Euronews he wants to stop the country from turning into a new Hungary. He launched his political comeback bid this week after…

Read More Here

Libyan political rivals agree to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on December 10

Rival Libyan factions agreed on Tuesday on a declaration that would create a political framework to pave the way for U.N.-backed elections presidential and parliamentary elections on December 10, in…

Read More Here

First complaints against Social Media platforms following GDPR law changes

The Financial Times report that Facebook and Google became the first large tech groups to be accused of breaking the EU’s far-reaching new privacy rules that came into force on Friday…

Read More Here

Processing personal data with the new GDPR

While today, the 25 May 2018 is the day when rules on the processing of personal data will finally change, entering the 21st century, it is interesting to look at…

Read More Here

Thursday’s Morning Briefing – 24th May, 2018

Good morning The Maltese newspapers lead with the story related to a bomb which exploded yesterday in Gharghur. In this explosion a man Kevin Ellul (43), who happens to…

Read More Here

Emmanuel Macron, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Edyta Kocyk, Boyan Slat, Krisztian Imre and Florin Badita given European Leadership Awards

Emmanuel Macron, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Edyta Kocyk, Boyan Slat, Krisztian Imre and Florin Badita were all recognised for their outstanding contribution to their respective fields during the European Leadership Awards…

Read More Here

Tuesday’s Morning Briefing – 22nd May, 2018

Good morning Hazy morning in Malta. The overcast seems to stay throughout the day, even though temperatures should reach 21 degrees (C). Our morning round up follows. Today’s Malta's newspapers…

Read More Here

European Agenda on Migration: Still fragile situation gives no cause for complacency

While joint EU efforts have continued to show results, the situation remains fragile due to ongoing migratory pressure, as evidenced by newly increased arrivals along the Eastern and the Western…

Read More Here

Tajani announces that Zuckerberg is to be grilled at European Parliament

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will face MEPs’ questions following the Cambridge Analytica scandal in the European Parliament, its president said on Wednesday. "The founder and CEO of Facebook has accepted…

Read More Here

Corporate ID Group unveils its new corporate identity and web presence

Corporate ID Group has unveiled its new Corporate Identity. The logo is made up of two main components: a fluid element that features the four corporate colours and the underlying…

Read More Here

Scotland rejects EU withdrawal bill

The Scottish parliament has voted against backing Theresa May’s key piece of Brexit legislation, paving the way for a constitutional crisis. Politicians at Holyrood refused to grant consent to the EU…

Read More Here

Pasta is Italy’s best export product

According to research conducted by Aidepo, the Association of Italian sweet and pasta industries 56% of pasta produced in Italy ends up on the foreign markets. This means that Italian pasta factories…

Read More Here

At 32, Maltese are the last to leave their parental home

Young Maltese adults are the last to leave their parental home. According to recent Eurostat statistics, Maltese left home at an average age of 32.2 years. They're followed closely by…

Read More Here

Angela Merkel – “We need to look beyond our boundary to give Europe a soul”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received the "Lamp of Peace," a Catholic award for seeking the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Also visiting Assisi, Italy, was its last recipient, Colombian President…

Read More Here

Jurgen Klopp – European Leadership on and off the pitch (Jesmond Saliba)

I was brought up following football. I was fell in love with AC Milan. In the recent golden years of the club, I had the opportunity to work with and…

Read More Here

The Economist – Eurovision is an example how Europe is breaking up

Few countries do take the Eurovision's participation as serious as Malta. For a country which tends to have a divisive perspective on anything under the sun, the music festival provides…

Read More Here

There is no willingness from the US to take the position of its allies seriously

Transatlantic relations have "already been damaged for some time", and Germany, although ready for dialogue, is "ready for a fight" for its positions . German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told…

Read More Here

Eurovision – The Final Night

Tonight, almost exactly one year after Salvador Sobral's victory in Kyiv, a new Eurovision winner will be added to the history books during the Grand Final of the 63rd Eurovision…

Read More Here

“Europe and solidarity go together. Solidarity is part of Europe’s founding pact” – Juncker

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned against populism in his address at the State of the Union conference in Florence on Friday. "Populists and nationalist have had material to feed…

Read More Here

Macron awarded Charlemagne Prize; refers to Brexit and Italian elections as European traumas

The situation in the Middle East, relations with the United States, but above all the state of the European Union were the main themes that emerged during a meeting between Emmanuel…

Read More Here

Special edition of Europe Explained on the occasion of Europe Day

9th May is Europe Day. It involves all of the citizens of the EU because it celebrates the declaration delivered on 9th May 1950 by Robert Schuman. On that day…

Read More Here

Measles cases in Europe quadrupled in 2017

Measles, which had virtually disappeared in the UK and much of the developed world, is returning with a vengeance, despite the fact we’ve had a cheap and effective vaccine for…

Read More Here

European Credit Management Associations Federation to hold Congress in Malta

On 16th and 17th May, 2018, The Federation of European Credit Management Associations (FECMA) will be staging the 3rd Pan European Credit Management Congress in Malta. FECMA President, Josef Busuttil,…

Read More Here

Malta and Estonia register highest increase in CO2 emissions – Eurostat

Eurostat estimates that in 2017 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion increased by 1.8% in the European Union (EU), compared with the previous year. CO2 emissions are a…

Read More Here

Malta – New aircraft maintenance facility for commercial aircraft announced

Bravo Aircraft Technical Services Limited (BATS), is delighted to announce the launch of its new facility at Malta International Airport in addition to their administrative HQ in Gżira. Bravo Aircraft…

Read More Here

EU Spring 2018 Economic Forecast: Expansion to continue amid new risks

"The economic expansion in Europe is set to continue at a solid pace this year and next, supporting further job creation. However, we also see increased risks on the horizon.…

Read More Here

EU Commission to unveil budget plan

The European Commission is expected to unveil its seven year budget plan today. According to reports on the Financial Times, Brussels is seeking to increase the seven-year EU budget to approximately…

Read More Here

ESA releases the most detailed Space Atlas to date

The European Space Agency, thanks to GAIA, it spacecraft, whose mission is to produce a detailed three-dimensional map of the stars our galaxy, released the largest 3D star atlas ever…

Read More Here

ECB retains same interest rates

This week, the European Central Bank announced that it will keep its interest rates unchanged. This decision was based on the ECB's regular economic and monetary analyses. In a statement, the…

Read More Here

Macron’s evolution towards becoming a global leader

There was a lot of anticipation for the visit of the French President to the United States. A lot of column inches and words have been said on what was…

Read More Here

Decrease in European deficit and debt registered

In 2017, the government deficit and debt of both the euro area (EA19) and the EU28 decreased in relative terms compared with 2016. In the euro area the government deficit…

Read More Here

Spain overtakes Italy, and it’s not about football.

Italy and Spain, often end up 'fighting it out' on the football pitch. The past weeks saw Roma and Juventus facing Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. The matches were the…

Read More Here

Europe Explained – EU Enlargement Process Update

While it is generally known that the European Union is on a continuing path to further enlargement, few are those that know which process precedes a country becoming effectively a…

Read More Here

15 years ago – The EU Big Enlargement Signed and Delivered

The 16 of April 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the accession treaties of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia,…

Read More Here

First Citizens’ Dialogue in Gozo discussing the future of the Cohesion Policy for Malta and Gozo

In the first Citizens' Dialogue ever to be held on Gozo, the European Commission Representation in Malta will be discussing the future of the EU's Cohesion Policy with two EU…

Read More Here