European Commission

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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EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast as Germany in recession

The euro zone economy will grow slower than previously expected this year and next, the European Commission forecast on Monday as consumer demand suffers from high inflation and the biggest…

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Italy wins EU nod to clinch 18.5 billion euros in post-COVID funds

ROME, (Reuters) - The European Commission said it had provisionally approved the payment to Italy of a third tranche of 18.5 billion euros ($20.43 billion) in post-COVID recovery funds. The…

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European Commission announces deal with Pfizer, others to reserve vaccines for future pandemic

By Maggie Fick (Reuters) - The European Commission has contracted Pfizer and several European companies to reserve capacity to make up to 325 million vaccines per year in case of…

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European Commission calls for more cash from EU members

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission called for EU countries to contribute more cash to the bloc's shared coffers through a new dedicated revenue stream calculated on the profit base…

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EU exec proposes new withholding tax rules to attract investors

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, June 19 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Monday proposed changes to the way investors pay withholding tax in the European Union, to attract more cross-border…

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EU proposes new ethics body following cash-for-influence scandal

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, June 8 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Thursday a new ethics body to set standards of conduct across EU institutions whose image has been…

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Italy accuses European Commission of fanning domestic conflict

The Italian government accused the European Commission late Friday of intervening in a domestic political issue that has "no basis in reality," signaling a major escalation of a row over…

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EU to propose greater transparency for default swaps on eight banks – EU document

By Huw Jones LONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose greater transparency in the trading of credit default swaps of eight top banks to mirror rules in…

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EU seeks to simplify customs system, tighten up on e-commerce

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed a reform of customs rules for the surge of incoming packages ordered online and to cope with increased environmental and…

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EU countries should focus on net expenditure, cut debt over 4 years -EU executive

By Jan Strupczewski BRUSSELS, April 26 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday that, under a reform of the EU's fiscal rules, governments should make sure public debt falls…

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UPDATED: European Commission staff banned from using TikTok

The European Commission has banned staff from using the Chinese social media app TikTok over security concerns, in the latest example of growing strains between Beijing and the West. Western…

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EU asks member states for proposals on how to ease state aid rules

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday asked member states for input by Jan. 25 on proposals to ease state aid rules, as the bloc considers measures to prevent…

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EU draws up plans to stockpile scarce medicines

Brussels is seeking to end a Europe-wide medicine shortage by stockpiling drugs and obliging manufacturers to guarantee supplies. The EU will also try to reduce reliance on China and increase…

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European Commission plans EU business tax overhaul

A planned reform of EU corporate taxation would substitute national business tax rules, EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said Monday. The "Business in Europe Framework for Income Taxation," or BEFIT,…

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EU gas cap seen in place for one year, countries at odds over price level

The European Commission proposed introducing a gas price cap for one year from Jan.1, 2023, according to draft legislation seen by Reuters that has so far left the actual ceiling level…

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Photo Story: A floor of the European Commission is evacuated

Vehicles of the Belgian Civil Protection in front of the Berlaymont Building, the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 30 September 2022. A floor of the European Commission was evacuated…

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EU proposes emergency powers to avert supply crisis

BRUSSELS, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Europe-based companies could be made to prioritise production of key products and stockpile goods under draft EU rules that would give Brussels emergency powers to…

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EU Commission plans emergency powers to avoid crisis bottlenecks -FAZ

BERLIN, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The European Commission is seeking emergency powers to intervene in the production of certain goods in critical situations, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper reported,…

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EU agenda

Here are the latest events at the European Parliament, European Commission and European Council: 30 August: On 30 and 31 August, Prague will host a Gymnich meeting of EU foreign…

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EU chief plans overhaul of electricity market as prices skyrocket

"Skyrocketing" energy prices expose the limits of the European Union's electricity market design, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, announcing plans for a structural reform. The market "was developed under…

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EU approves Italy’s plan to shift some state-guaranteed loans to AMCO

The European Commission gave a green light on Friday to Italy's plan to transfer certain state-guaranteed loans from banks to a new platform managed by state-owned bad loan specialist AMCO, ruling the…

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