European Union

EU agenda

Discover the latest events happening across the European insititutions: Tuesday 15 June: Health ministers will meet in Luxembourg. Ministers will exchange views on the pandemic situation. Wednesday 16 June: The…

Read More Here

EU clears way for the EU Digital COVID Certificate

Today, the Presidents of the three EU institutions, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission attended the official signing ceremony for the Regulation on the…

Read More Here

Airbus tells EU hydrogen won’t be widely used in planes before 2050

Most airliners will rely on traditional jet engines until at least 2050, with the introduction of zero-emissions hydrogen limited to regional and short-range planes, Airbus told European Union officials in…

Read More Here

Sir Elton John warns musicians face EU tour ‘catastrophe’

Sir Elton John has warned MPs that the UK music industry could lose "a generation of talent" because of post-Brexit restrictions on touring the EU. The musician accused ministers of…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU countries clear plan to ease tourism over summer

European Union countries agreed on Friday to an easing of travel restrictions over summer that will allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests or quarantines and broaden the list of…

Read More Here

EU countries meet to tussle over gas project funding

European Union energy ministers meet in Luxembourg on Friday to debate prolonging EU support for some cross-border natural gas projects, despite the European Commission saying such funding should end to…

Read More Here

Britain’s Raab says ball in EU’s court over N.Ireland issue

Britain's foreign minister Dominic Raab said that it was up to the European Union to respond to the UK's proposals on resolving the Northern Irish trade issue. "The ball's very…

Read More Here

EU Funding: New ESF+ targets specific funds to combat child poverty

The newly approved European Social Fund Plus will be ring-fencing a proportion of funds towards the eradication of child poverty, with states exceeding the EU average being legally bound to…

Read More Here

EU foregoes 100 million J&J vaccines, considers donating other doses

The European Union decided not to take up an option to buy 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine and is considering donating another 100 million optional…

Read More Here

EU eyes fund to protect citizens from new carbon prices

The European Commission will set up a fund to support vulnerable households if their fuel bills increase as a result of its plan to expand carbon pricing to transport and…

Read More Here

Google loosens its search engine grip on Android devices in Europe

Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU…

Read More Here

EU Commission announces infringement procedures against Malta

The European Commission has announced a number of infringement decisions vis-a-vis Malta in the latest package of infringements announced earlier on Thursday. The infringements vary from the passport selling scheme…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU, U.S. to end trade tariffs, call for new study into COVID-19 origins, summit draft says

The European Union and the United States are set to commit at a summit in Brussels next week to ending their transatlantic trade disputes, and to call for a new…

Read More Here

UPDATED: UK urges EU to move on post-Brexit trade with N.Ireland

Britain will tell the European Union on Wednesday time is running out to find solutions to ease post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland, saying any further legal action by the bloc…

Read More Here

Europeans’ confidence in EU hit by coronavirus response

Confidence in the EU’s ability to handle crises has taken a hit from Covid-19, a major survey shows, but dissatisfaction with national political systems is even higher and most people…

Read More Here

Forced relocation of swaps clearing to EU would harm bloc, says LSE

Forcing euro derivatives clearing to move from London to the European Union would bump up costs for customers and put EU firms at a competitive disadvantage to international peers, the…

Read More Here

Euro zone investor morale rises to highest level since February 2018

Investor morale in the euro zone rose for the fourth month in a row in June, reaching its highest level since February 2018, lifted by reopening restaurants and tourism resuming…

Read More Here

EU countries give final approval to multibillion euro green transition fund

European Union countries on Monday approved the bloc's flagship fund to wean them off fossil fuels and protect communities most affected, paving the way for members to start receiving the…

Read More Here

EU lawmakers reluctantly decamp to France for first pandemic session

Hundreds of European lawmakers and staff travel to Strasbourg this week for the European Parliament's first session since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, though many think it is too early to…

Read More Here

Kyiv seeks EU support to revive war-ravaged businesses in eastern Ukraine

Kyiv is proposing a multi-billion dollar investment plan for towns and businesses along the conflict line with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, hoping to show its citizens that siding with…

Read More Here

Critics still unhappy as EU clarifies revamped copyright rules

The European Commission defined the scope of revised copyright rules adopted last year following criticism from governments, including France and Poland, but EU broadcasters and internet activists said there was…

Read More Here

EU Parliament and Council approve €14bn support package for countries on path to EU membership

Parliament and Council negotiators have reached agreement on a €14.2 billion package governing the 2021-2027 funding for countries on the path to EU membership, paving the way or important EU-related…

Read More Here

Bulgarians welcome U.S. corruption sanctions, EU nods approval

Leading Bulgarian politicians welcomed U.S. sanctions on three Bulgarians and 64 companies linked to them over alleged corruption on Thursday, while the European Union signalled its approval by saying it…

Read More Here

EU’s carbon border tariff to target steel, cement, power

The European Union plans to impose carbon emission costs on imports of goods including steel, cement and electricity, Bloomberg News reported. The European Commission is due to propose its carbon…

Read More Here

European consumer group BEUC joins EU antitrust case against Apple

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) lobby group backed the European Union's antitrust case against Apple which alleges it distorts competition in the music streaming market. The European Commission filed its…

Read More Here

EU justice chief says EU to adopt more safeguards in revamped EU data transfer tools,

The European Commission will on Friday adopt revamped data transfer tools with more legal and privacy safeguards to allow companies to transfer Europeans' data securely around the world, the EU…

Read More Here

MEPs lament lack of rule of law implementation, threaten EU court action

A number of MEPs have lamented the fact that the European Commission has failed to apply the Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism. Speaking out against what they described as 'delaying…

Read More Here

Germany “persistently” broke air pollution rules, EU top court rules

Germany persistently violated EU limits on air pollution, the European Union's top court said on Thursday, in a ruling that could see the country face financial penalties if it fails…

Read More Here

Bill Gates and EU pledge $1 billion boost for green technology

The European Union and an energy investment programme founded by Bill Gates plan to raise up to $1 billion to roll out the low-carbon technologies Europe is betting on to…

Read More Here

Eleven EU countries oppose plan to prolong gas project funding

Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and eight other countries will reject a plan to prolong European Union support for cross-border natural gas projects, and instead push for rules to exclude fossil…

Read More Here

EU steps up its rules on cash controls to fight money laundering and terrorist financing

New rules come into force tomorrow, 3 June, which will improve the EU's system of controls of cash entering and leaving the EU. As part of the EU's efforts to tackle money laundering and…

Read More Here

EU to keep its borrowing limits suspended in 2022, restore them in 2023

The European Commission will keep borrowing limits for European Union governments suspended for the third year in a row in 2022 to help finance an economic recovery from the pandemic,…

Read More Here

EU to step up digital push with digital identity wallet

The European Commission will on Thursday announce plans for a digital identity wallet to allow Europeans to access public and private services, prompted in part by the COVID-19 pandemic which…

Read More Here

EU reaches deal on tax transparency for multinational firms

European Union government and parliament negotiators reached a deal on Tuesday on rules that will force large multinational companies to disclose how much revenue and tax they pay in the…

Read More Here

EU to add Japan to safe travel list, leave UK off for now

The European Union is set to add Japan to its small list of “safe” countries from which it will allow non-essential travel, but will hold off opening the door to…

Read More Here

EU set to unveil plans for bloc-wide digital wallet: FT

The European Union (EU) is set to unveil plans for a bloc-wide digital wallet on Wednesday, following requests from member states to find a safe way for citizens to access public and private…

Read More Here

UPDATED: European Commission urges travel reopening ahead of summer

The European Commission proposed on Monday that all EU countries gradually ease travel measures over the summer as the number of COVID-19 vaccinations continues to grow and the severity of…

Read More Here

Russia vows to defend Belarus if EU sanctions Minsk

Russia will defend Belarus and help it if the European Union imposes economic sanctions on Minsk over the grounding of a plane and arrest of a dissident blogger, the RIA…

Read More Here

Swiss to pay economic price for ditching EU treaty

Switzerland will pay the price in lost exports, higher costs and diminished attractiveness as a business centre after deciding this week to pull the plug on a draft treaty binding…

Read More Here

EU military mission to Mozambique may be operating in months

The European Union could have a military training mission in place in Mozambique within several months, the bloc's foreign policy chief said on Friday, helping the southern African country tackle…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU talks on farming subsidy reforms break up with no deal

European Union negotiators this week failed to agree reforms to the bloc's huge farming subsidy programme, with talks due to resume in June on rules to protect small farms and…

Read More Here

EU countries seek to prolong bloc’s funding for gas projects – document

European Union countries will seek to prolong EU support for cross-border natural gas projects, a stance at odds with the European Commission's plan to end such funding, according to a…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Wirecard ‘wake-up call’ prompts EU company reporting reform

The European Union will apply lessons from the Wirecard scandal by proposing stricter rules next year for company financial reporting and auditors, its financial services chief said. The payments company…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU to slap sanctions on financial transactions of Belarus, Germany says

Proposed European Union economic sanctions on Belarus will hit financial transactions by the country, Germany said on Thursday. "It is clear that we will not be satisfied with small sanctions…

Read More Here

Swiss abandon EU talks and reject treaty

Years of talks to bind Switzerland more closely to the European Union’s single market collapsed on Wednesday when the Swiss government ditched a draft 2018 treaty cementing ties with its…

Read More Here

EU partly to blame for Mediterranean migrant deaths -UN

The European Union is partly to blame for deaths of migrants taking boats across the Mediterranean due to unanswered distress calls, obstruction of humanitarian rescue efforts, and so-called “pushbacks” to…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Stalled EU treaty close to collapse as Swiss cabinet meets

A framework to simplify and strengthen ties between Switzerland and the European Union was close to collapsing on Wednesday as the Bern government met to consider breaking off talks over…

Read More Here

Consensus reached for year-end WHO talks on pandemic treaty

South Africa said on Tuesday that consensus has been reached to hold a special session of the World Health Organization's (WHO) decision-making body this year to consider negotiating a new…

Read More Here

EU agenda

Tuesday 25 May: Conference on a European approach on housing policies Wednesday 26 May: EP President David Sassoli will address the special European Council meeting on Monday at 19:00, where…

Read More Here

EU air traffic agency eyes Baltic routes for flights shunning Belarus

European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said on Tuesday approximately a 100 flights by EU and British carriers fly over Belarus every day and it would be best for them to re-route…

Read More Here

EU leaders agree to pile more sanctions on Belarus over Ryanair incident

European Union leaders agreed to impose more sanctions on Belarus, including economic ones, called on their airlines to avoid the former Soviet republic's airspace and authorised work to ban Belarusian airlines from…

Read More Here

EU leaders to debate who will pay for the green transition

European Union leaders meet on Tuesday to debate how to split the efforts and costs of the bloc's shift to a low-carbon future, at a summit that will set the…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU calls for international inquiry into forced landing of Ryanair plane

The European Union has called for an international investigation into the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk. "In carrying out this coercive act, the Belarusian authorities have jeopardised…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU to donate at least 100 mln COVID vaccines to poorer nations this year

The European Union intends to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations by the end of this year, the president of the European Commission Ursula…

Read More Here

Trust in EU governments falls amid pandemic, steady in EU as a bloc

European Union citizens' support for their national governments has fallen sharply since the COVID-19 pandemic began, although the supranational bloc itself has maintained trust, a survey by an EU agency…

Read More Here

EU reaches deal on COVID-19 passes to rescue summer

The European Union reached a deal on Thursday on COVID-19 certificates designed to open up tourism across the 27-nation bloc this summer as a rapid pick-up of vaccinations allows widespread…

Read More Here

UPDATED: European Commission signs third contract with BioNTech-Pfizer for 1.8 bln vaccine doses, Hungary opts out

The European Commission said on Thursday that it signed a third contract with pharmaceutical companies BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc for an additional 1.8 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine.…

Read More Here