European Union

EP President Metsola in DW interview says she saw courage and resilience in Zelenskiy

The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in an interview to DW soon after her return from Kyiv. She said this week could be decisive for Ukraine and the…

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EU’s full ban on Russian coal to be pushed back to mid-August -sources

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Reuters) - European Union envoys are set to approve on Thursday a ban on Russian coal that would take full effect from mid-August, a month later than initially planned,…

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Ukraine presses EU for full energy embargo on Russia

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Thursday reiterated a demand that the EU impose a full oil and gas embargo on Russia and called for weapons deliveries to be speeded up,…

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New EU sanctions on Russia could be agreed Thursday or Friday, Borrell says

BRUSSELS, April 7 (Reuters) - A fifth round of European Union sanctions on Russia, including a ban on coal imports, could be agreed by the bloc on Thursday or on…

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U.S. imposes sanctions on Russian banks, Putin’s daughters, EU fails to approve sanctions amid questions over coal ban

LVIV, Ukraine, April 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine wants sanctions that are economically destructive enough for Russia to end its war after accusing some countries of still prioritising money over punishment for civilian…

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EU launches stockpiling of gear, drugs against chemical, nuclear incidents

BRUSSELS, April 6 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it had begun a stockpiling operation to boost its defences against chemical, nuclear and biological incidents amid concerns over the conflict…

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WSJ reports EU plans sanctions to target Vladimir Putin’s daughters

The Wall Street Journal is carrying a report that a new tranche of European Union sanctions will target the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The articles stated that the…

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UPDATED: EU steps up legal action against Malta over passport scheme

Malta rebuffed EU calls to stop selling citizenship on Wednesday, telling the European Commission that the granting of citizenship falls within the national competence of a member state "and it…

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How war in Ukraine ends matters, says EU foreign policy chief

BRUSSELS, April 6 (Reuters) - The European Union wants the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible, but how that happens is important too, its chief diplomat said on Wednesday,…

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EU executive in new bid to cut funds to Hungary for weakening democracy

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union executive started a new disciplinary procedure against Hungary on Tuesday in a step that could lead to freezing funding for Prime Minister Viktor Orban for undercutting…

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Poland blocks EU compromise on global minimum corporate tax deal

Poland on Tuesday blocked a French-proposed compromise on how to implement a minimum corporate tax across the European Union in another blow to a global overhaul of international tax rules.…

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UPDATED: EU will put more sanctions on Russia – Commission head

BRUSSELS, April 6 (Reuters) - The European Union will put more sanctions against Russia on top of the latest package announced on Tuesday, likely including measures against imports of Russian oil, the…

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MEPs want EU to consider freezing Hungary funding after OSCE finds unfair playing field in elections

Two members of the European parliament called on the European Commission to launch the “rule of law conditionality mechanism” against Hungary, a legal process that would see Budapest deprived of…

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Orban’s victory puts Hungary on collision course with EU

Emboldened by a fourth consecutive landslide election victory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is expected to dig in against energy sanctions on Russia and toughen his stance in talks with…

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Russia maintains gas deliveries as Europe mulls tighter sanctions

Russia maintained gas flows through key pipeline routes into Europe on Monday, despite uncertainty over payment terms and as the EU said it would "significantly tighten" further sanctions against Moscow…

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EU proposes letting Ukraine refugees convert their money into euros

BRUSSELS, April 1 (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Friday allowing Ukraine refugees to convert their hryvnia currency into euros up to a maximum of around 300 euros ($331.7) person, as…

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Russia will not ask EU to end sanctions, Warns clash with Moscow not good for bloc

April 1 (Reuters) - Russia will respond to European Union sanctions and says the 27-nation bloc might realize that a confrontation with Moscow is not in its interests, RIA cited a senior…

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UPDATED: EU urges China at summit not to help Russia in Ukraine war

BRUSSELS/BEIJING, April 1 (Reuters) - EU and Chinese leaders met for their first summit in two years on Friday with Brussels pressing Beijing for assurances that it will neither supply Russia with…

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EU regulators look to streamline antitrust rules

BRUSSELS, March 31 (Reuters) - Regulators are looking to update rules, which target companies abusing their market power and those setting up illegal cartels, to make them more efficient, EU antitrust chief…

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White House and EU officials say Putin misled by ‘yes men’ in military afraid to tell him the truth

Russian President Vladimir Putin was misled by advisers who were too scared to tell him how poorly the war in Ukraine is going and how damaging Western sanctions have been,…

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EU readying new Russia sanctions, may retaliate over rouble payments for gas

The European Commission is readying new sanctions against the Kremlin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EU sources told Reuters, with the magnitude of the new measures depending on Moscow's stance…

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Ukraine war’s impact on EU banks ‘manageable’, says watchdog

LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - The impact of the Ukraine war on banks in the European Union is 'manageable' but the effects of commodity markets on lenders needs to be watched, the…

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China’s President Xi, Premier Li to meet EU leaders on April 1

BEIJING, March 30 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will meet with European Union leaders on April 1, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. It was China's first…

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Deal on rules forcing tech giants to police content possible in April, EU’s Vestager says

A deal between EU countries and EU lawmakers that would require tech giants to do more to police content on their platforms could be agreed next month, EU antitrust chief…

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Diesel shortage in Europe threatens to slow economic growth

European economies face the risk of a shortage of diesel, the preferred fuel for heavy industry, as sanctions on Russian energy threaten to disrupt imports while supply from elsewhere remains…

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Russia warns West: gas bills in roubles are just days away

Russia warned the West on Friday that billing in roubles for billions of dollars of natural gas exports to Europe could be just days away, Moscow's toughest response yet to…

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EU leaders struggle to find short-term fix for energy crunch

BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - EU leaders failed on Friday to agree a short-term solution to the energy market crunch made worse by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but did offer a compromise…

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Freeze and seize? EU struggles to target oligarchs’ assets

Oligarchs' wealth remains largely untouched in the European Union, weeks after Brussels approved measures to freeze the assets of dozens of billionaires and top officials linked to Russia following its…

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FACTBOX – U.S, EU strike LNG deal to help wean Europe off Russian gas

BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden announced a deal on Friday to supply the European Union with more liquefied natural gas to help wean it off Russian supplies and…

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EU, U.S. reach preliminary deal to avoid disruption in data flows

BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States reached a preliminary agreement to avoid major disruption in transatlantic data flows that had been jeopardised by a ruling of…

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UPDATED: Biden seals LNG deal to help EU face energy crunch amid ‘Russia’s brutal war’

BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - The United States will supply the European Union with more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to help curb its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday, as EU leaders met to deal with…

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UPDATED: Rules against U.S tech giants to come into force October, EU’s Vestager says

BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - Tough new rules targeting U.S. tech giants agreed late on Thursday evening are expected to come into force in October, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said on…

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UPDATED: NATO says concerned Russia may be preparing pretext for chemical attack

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - Russia may be trying to create a pretext for the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine by accusing the United States and its allies of preparing such…

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EP report says significant concentration of EU funds awarded by Malta end up “in the hands of few”

A report drawn up by the European Parliament has found that a significant concentration of EU funds awarded by Malta and Cyprus ends up in the hands of few recipients.…

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EU nations to exchange refugees’ hryvnias at Ukraine cenbank rate- draft document

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - European Union countries are likely to agree to allow millions of Ukrainian refugees to exchange their currency, the hryvnia, into currencies used in the EU over the…

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Bulgaria scraps ‘golden passports’ scheme

SOFIA, March 24 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament scrapped a 'golden passports' scheme on Thursday that allowed wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship in the European Union country if they invested as little as…

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EU seeks answers to energy supply crunch, U.S. LNG deal

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - EU leaders are expected to agree at a two-day summit starting on Thursday to jointly buy gas, as they seek to cut reliance on Russian fuels and…

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UPDATED: Unprecedented trio of NATO, G7 and EU summits in one day

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - Western nations will warn Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that his country will pay "ruinous" costs for invading Ukraine, during an unprecedented one-day trio of NATO,…

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First-time asylum seekers in EU jumped 28% in 2021 – Eurostat

The number of people making first-time applications for asylum in the European Union jumped by 28% to reach more than half a million last year, according to data released by…

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EU eyes joint gas buying to tackle energy crunch

BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) - The European Union recommended on Wednesday that EU countries jointly buy gas to shore up supply, but warned that seeking to cap wholesale prices would cause problems…

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EU must support Western Balkans membership to secure peace – Scholz

BERLIN, March 23 (Reuters) - The European Union must support the Western Balkan countries in their bid to join the bloc as soon as possible as part of its strategy to secure…

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EU to establish rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 troops

EU foreign and defence ministers agreed a security strategy meant to boost the bloc's military clout when war has returned to Europe, establishing a rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 of troops to be swiftly…

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Russian elements have infiltrated every element of European society, top French MEP claims

The Russian Government and its agencies have infiltrated every element of European society, a French MEP has claimed. Socialist Raphael Glucksmann said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine contradicted European…

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Oil prices surge again as EU considers embargo on Russia

Oil prices extended gains on Tuesday as some European Union members discussed a potential oil embargo on Russia and attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group on Saudi energy and water desalination facilities sent…

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EU Agenda – What’s up this week in Brussels and Strasbourg

While the Russian invasion of Ukraine remains high on the EU agenda, this is an intensive week for European institutions with both the European Parliament meeting in plenary and a…

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UPDATED: EU too dependent on Russian oil and gas to cut it off tomorrow -Dutch PM

AMSTERDAM, March 21 (Reuters) - EU countries still largely depend on Russian oil and gas for their energy supply and can't simply cut themselves off on short notice, Dutch Prime Minister Mark…

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Biden to travel to Europe

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joseph Biden will travel to Poland on Friday to discuss the international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has sparked a "humanitarian and human rights crisis,"…

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Oil jumps as EU mulls Russian ban, Saudi refinery output hit

March 21 (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped $3 on Monday, with Brent above $110 a barrel, as European Union nations consider joining the United States in a Russian oil embargo, while a…

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EU naturalised over 18,000 Ukrainians in 2020 – Eurostat

Some 18,100 Ukrainians were granted citizenship of European Union countries in 2020, largely by Poland and Germany, as the bloc naturalised 3% more people overall than in the previous year,…

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EU boosting stockpile of iodine pills and nuclear protective gear

Brussels has accelerated plans designed to improve the EU’s health response in case of a nuclear incident following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, according to EU officials. The European commission is…

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Russia will never rely on the West again, Says post-1991 ‘illusions’ about the West are over

LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Russia has lost any illusions about ever relying on the West and Moscow will never accept a world order dominated by the United States, which is acting…

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UPDATED: Ukraine president says he expects progress on EU membership bid within months

LVIV, Ukraine March 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and Ukraine expects progress to be…

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Bulgaria’s former PM Borissov detained after EU probes

SOFIA, March 17 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's former prime minister and leader of the largest opposition GERB party, Boyko Borissov, was detained late on Thursday as part of a police operation linked to…

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European leaders’ risky Kyiv mission causes some unease among European allies; Criticism of those who went, and one leader who didn’t

PRAGUE/KYIV, (Reuters) - When headlines flashed on Tuesday morning that the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia were on a train to Kyiv for talks with the Ukrainian president, it…

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