European Commission

Von der Leyen ‘hopes’ to announce top team on Tuesday

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen still hopes to present her new College of Commissioners in Strasbourg as planned, despite significant setbacks. According to her spokesperson, Arianna Podestà, von…

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Stéphane Séjourné replaces Thierry Breton as France’s nominee for European commissioner

Outgoing French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will replace Thierry Breton as France’s nominee for European Commissioner, according to a statement by the Elysée. Séjourné, a close ally of President Emmanuel…

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Thierry Breton resigns as EU Commissioner over rift with Ursula von der Leyen

French European Commissioner Thierry Breton on Monday said he would step down as a member of the EU executive body over a rift with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,…

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Hungary ready to sue EU executive over border protection costs, PM aide says

Hungary is ready to sue the European Commission to reimburse the costs of protecting the European Union's external border, which Budapest says has cost it some 2 billion euros ($2.20…

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Von der Leyen delays unveiling of new European Commission until next week

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has delayed her 26 commissioner nominees’ portfolios until next week, according to three officials with knowledge of the decision. Initially, von der Leyen’s…

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Google loses fight against $2.7 billion EU antitrust fine

Alphabet's Google on Tuesday lost its fight against a 2.42 billion euro ($2.7 billion) fine levied by EU antitrust regulators seven years ago, one of a trio of hefty fines…

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Slovenia chooses new commissioner nominee

Slovenia confirmed Marta Kos as its next European commissioner nominee after the previous candidate withdrew his candidacy amid Ursula von der Leyen’s search for more women on her top team,…

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EU outlines €1.3m initiative to make nursing more attractive

The EU executive has unveiled a new initiative aimed at making the nursing profession more attractive to counter an ongoing nurse shortage across Europe. The initiative is a joint effort…

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Start date of the new European Commission is likely to be delayed

The start date of the new Commission is likely to be delayed until the beginning of December, eight EU lawmakers, parliamentary officials and European diplomats told POLITICO. The complicated inner…

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Von der Leyen pressures EU countries to swap women in as commissioner picks

Ursula von der Leyen is piling pressure on EU countries to nominate women for the next European Commission as she seeks to stave off the potential humiliation of presenting a…

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Belgium appoints FM Hadja Lahbib as EU commissioner

Belgium is set to appoint Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib as its pick for the next European Commission, said the president of the Francophone center-right liberal Reformist Movement (MR) — dealing…

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Romania changes EU commissioner pick, puts forward a woman

Romania has nominated MEP Roxana Mînzatu as its next European commissioner, after originally putting forward a man for the role. Romanian media reported that Mînzatu, a Socialist, will be the…

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Portugal nominates ex-Finance Minister Albuquerque for European Commission

Portugal nominated former finance minister Maria Luís Albuquerque as its next European commissioner. "She has extraordinary qualities and skills that will certainly enrich the European Commission and give prestige to…

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Denmark nominates centre-left Jorgensen for EU commissioner post

Denmark on Wednesday nominated Dan Jorgensen, a centre-left minister for development cooperation and global climate policy, for a post on the new European Commission following EU parliamentary elections earlier this…

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Von der Leyen set to miss gender-balance target for EU top jobs

Ursula von der Leyen is set to miss her target of a gender-balanced top team at the European Commission, after EU governments snubbed her request to propose male and female…

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EU rules out mpox border controls and common vaccination plan

European health authorities discard any further bloc-wide measure against the new mpox variant situation as risk it poses for wider population is still considered 'low'. There is no need to…

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Luxembourg picks Christophe Hansen for next EU Commission

Luxembourg's pick for the next European Commission is Christophe Hansen, Prime Minister Luc Frieden said Thursday. Frieden wrote on X that he had "an excellent discussion on the future EU…

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EU probes into Chinese subsidies and imports

The European Commission on Tuesday proposed final duties of up to 36.3% on imported electric vehicles made in China, as part of the highest profile EU probe of alleged Chinese…

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Greece nominates Tzitzikostas as EU commissioner, Croatia’s Dubravka Šuica renominated

Greece wants Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the governor of Central Macedonia, as its next European commissioner, Greece announced Thursday. Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already informed European Commission President Ursula von…

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Austria nominates Finance Minister Brunner as European Commissioner

Austria's conservative-led coalition government is nominating conservative Finance Minister Magnus Brunner as its next European Commissioner, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media platform X on Wednesday. "Magnus Brunner is…

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Emmanuel Macron nominates Thierry Breton for another term at European Commission

French President Emmanuel Macron has officially nominated Thierry Breton for a second term as France's European commissioner, according to a letter to Ursula von der Leyen dated July 25. "Thierry…

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Hungary nominates Olivér Várhelyi for second term as EU commissioner

Viktor Orbán will surely have annoyed Ursula von der Leyen with his pick for the next European Commission. The Hungarian prime minister announced Monday that he wants Olivér Várhelyi to…

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EU sues Germany, Italy for alleged discrimination against mobile workers

The European Commission said on Thursday it had decided to refer Germany and Italy to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over practices it said discriminated against mobile workers. In…

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Cypriot President Christodoulides Strives for EU Mediterranean Role

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides is interested in gaining control over a new role in the European Commission running EU policy on the Mediterranean. Cyprus has a lot to offer on…

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Von der Leyen gets second term as EU Commission boss. What happens now?

Ursula von der Leyen was approved by the European Parliament on Thursday for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU's powerful executive body. EU lawmakers…

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EU court criticises EU Commission’s handling of COVID-19 contracts

Europe's second-top court on Wednesday said the European Commission did not give the public sufficient access to the purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, upholding a challenge brought…

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Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas bag EU top jobs: What happens next

EU leaders on Thursday endorsed a second five-year term for Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president. Now the German center-right politician faces a knife-edge vote in the European…

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Scholz confirms EU top jobs deal with von der Leyen as Commission chief

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed on Wednesday that the European Parliament's three main centrist groups would back Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as Commission president, in a…

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Italy’s Meloni says EU top jobs deal ignores voters’ wishes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised on Wednesday plans to share out the top jobs in EU institutions, saying they ignored the wishes voters had expressed during elections earlier this…

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Von der Leyen lined up for second term under EU top jobs deal

European political groups on Tuesday agreed to a deal on top European Union posts, selecting Germany's Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as head of the European Commission,…

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European Commission proposes disciplinary budget steps for Malta, others

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed disciplinary steps against France and six other EU countries over running excessive budget deficits, but will announce deadlines for their reduction only in November.…

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EU top jobs field narrows, von der Leyen set for second term

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appears on course for a second five-year term and Estonia's prime minister and Portugual's former premier are also in line for top jobs,…

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Euro-sceptic gains in EU election complicate von der Leyen’s Commission bid

The rise of euro-sceptic nationalist parties in the European election is likely to complicate Ursula von der Leyen's bid to get a second term as president of the powerful European…

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France’s Macron wants EU top job for Draghi

French President Emmanuel Macron wants a top job in Brussels for Italy's former Prime Minister Mario Draghi — it's just a matter of figuring out the right role. One of…

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European Commission Post: Politico’s Pick for Malta’s Candidate

Miriam Dalli has been named by the influential international news outlet Politico as Malta’s favoured candidate for a European Commission post when top European jobs will be up for grabs…

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EU allocates €125 million in humanitarian aid for most vulnerable in Yemen

The European Commission is providing €125 million in new EU humanitarian funding to address the most pressing needs of people in Yemen amidst the ongoing crisis and escalating tensions in…

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Politico reports MEPs doubt on Malta’s Commission nominee Fearne over criminal charges

Members of the European Parliament’s health committeehave questioned the nomination of Maltese Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne for the post of European commissioner after it emerged he will face criminal…

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Metsola seen as favourite to succeed Ursula von der Leyen as next Commission President

Roberta Metsola, the current President of the European Parliament, is regarded as one of the leading contenders to potentially succeed Ursula von der Leyen as the President of the European…

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The European Commission to take steps to address Russia’s shadow oil fleet

The European Commission will look into ways to deal with Russia's shadow oil fleet as part of the next package of sanctions, Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said in an…

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European Commission’s business envoy withdraws amid cronyism allegations and opposition

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday her pick for the EU's new business envoy had decided not to take up the post, after critics linked the…

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EU parliament to extend new medicine data protection to 7.5 years

EU lawmakers have gone part of the way to meeting pharmaceutical industry concerns about the exclusivity period for new medicines after reaching a compromise on the biggest overhaul of EU…

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European Commission to recommend EU membership talks with Bosnia, says EU’s Von der Leyen

The European Commission will recommend to the European Council to start accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU's Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday during a speech in the European Parliament.…

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UPDATED:EU’s von der Leyen wins conservatives’ backing to lead bloc for 5 more years

BUCHAREST, March 7 (Reuters) - European Union's leading political group, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), voted on Thursday to endorse European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as their…

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EU backs another year of access for Ukrainian food

BRUSSELS, March 7 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers approved on Thursday granting Ukrainian food producers tariff-free access to EU markets for another year, rejecting amendments that could have increased restrictions.…

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Nine European countries warn of subsidy race from easier state aid

Eight European Union countries and Iceland have written to the European Commission warning that a loosening of state aid rules could trigger a damaging subsidy race both globally and between…

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UPDATED: EU’s von der Leyen wins backing for second term from Germany

Germany's centre right CDU party nominates Ursula von der Leyen as EU election candidate Von der Leyen still needs pan-European centre-right umbrella group (EPP) backing EPP ahead in polls despite…

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European Commission outlines upcoming defence strategy proposal

By Julia Payne The European Commission will present a defence industrial strategy proposal in three weeks, commission president Ursula von der Leyen said, and will also open a defence innovation…

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EU pushes for higher uptake of two key cancer-preventing vaccines

BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The European Commission is recommending measures EU countries should adopt to increase the uptake of two vaccines that prevent viral infections that can cause cancer,…

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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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UPDATED: China’s Xi warns top EU officials not to engage in confrontation

BEIJING, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday warned top EU officials that China and Europe should not view each other as rivals or engage in confrontation…

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EU pledges to step up fight against hate crimes

BRUSSELS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday pledged to step up its fight against hate crimes throughout Europe, as ongoing military conflicts have been fuelling antisemitic and…

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EU keeps EastMed gas pipeline on new list of priority projects

By Francesca Landini The European Commission has maintained a proposed pipeline connecting the gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean to Greece via Cyprus and Crete on its new list of…

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EU plans boost for power grid investment

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The European Commission has drafted plans to scale up investment in Europe's power grids, including dozens of projects earmarked for priority access to permits…

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EU Commissioner Urpilainen to run for president in Finland

Jutta Urpilainen, the EU commissioner for international partnerships, on Sunday announced she would run for the presidency of her native Finland. “I want that we Finns can continue to commit…

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EU poised to propose extending energy crisis measures – official

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, (Reuters) - The European Commission wants to extend emergency energy measures passed last year to cope with Europe's gas crisis to guard against future price shocks…

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UPDATED: EU increases humanitarian aid to Gaza by €25 million

As part of the EU's continued support to people in Gaza, the Commission will provide a further €25 million in humanitarian aid. This quadruples EU humanitarian assistance to over €100…

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EU launches infringement against three member states over fair trial rights

BRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Thursday said it had opened an infringement procedure against Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia for failing to correctly adopt EU directives for…

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