European Union

European countries struggle to make most of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses

Some European countries are drawing fewer than the approved six doses from Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine vials, meaning shots are likely going to waste even as nations plead for…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU hails Biden’s ‘new dawn’ but wants tough tech rules

The European Union hailed Joe Biden's inauguration later on Wednesday as U.S. president as a "new dawn" for Europe and the United States, while insisting U.S. technology companies should be…

Read More Here

EU eyes scheme to share surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer nations

The European Union wants to set up a mechanism that would allow the sharing of surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer neighbouring states and Africa, the EU health chief said -…

Read More Here

Brussels targets vaccinating at least 70% of EU adults by summer

The European Commission recommended on Tuesday to vaccinate against COVID-19 at least 70% of the European Union's adult population by this summer, in an attempt to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Vaccination campaigns are conducted by the…

Read More Here

EU to strengthen plans to promote euro as international trading currency – reports

The European Commission is expected to strengthen plans to establish the euro as the leading international currency through financial markets, trade and foreign policy. Political news portal Politico revealed today…

Read More Here

EU Agenda: 19 January-22 January

Tuesday 19 January: European Parliament debate on the EU global strategy on Covid-19 vaccinations Wednesday 20 January: Commissioner Sinkevičius holds a virtual meeting with Mr Costel Alexe, Minister of Environment…

Read More Here

Malta reiterates its continued support for EU-wide coordination on COVID19 matters

During a video conference meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union, Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi Government has reiterated Malta’s support for continued EU-wide…

Read More Here

New European Bauhaus: Commission launches design phase

Today, the Commission launched the design phase of the New European Bauhaus initiative, announced by President von der Leyen in her 2020 State of the Union address. The New European…

Read More Here

‘Every week counts’ as Austria, Greece, Denmark seek quick EU OK for AstraZeneca vaccine

Austria, Greece and Denmark will jointly pressure the European Medicines Agency to approve AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday, adding: "Every week…

Read More Here

Malaysia takes WTO legal action against EU over palm biofuel curbs

Malaysia is taking legal action at the global trade watchdog against the European Union and member states France and Lithuania for restricting palm oil-based biofuels, the government said. The world's…

Read More Here

EU states warn of risks to vaccination credibility as Pfizer slows supplies

European governments said the credibility of their COVID-19 vaccination programmes was at risk on Friday after U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer announced a temporary slowdown of deliveries of its vaccines. Shots…

Read More Here

EU eyes “Vaxproof” document to revive travel

The European Commission is working on a vaccine certificate, dubbed "Vaxproof", that could help restore cross-border travel, EU officials said, but the plan is dividing EU nations. The issue has…

Read More Here

European nations say COVID vaccines fall short as Pfizer slows supplies

Many European nations say they are receiving lower-than-expected supplies of COVID-19 vaccines as U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer slows shipments and distribution proceeds unevenly among European Union states. Vaccines developed by Pfizer with its German…

Read More Here

ESAS’ Board of Appeal dismisses case against the EBA on alleged non-application of Union Law as manifestly inadmissible

The Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs – European Banking Authority, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, and European Securities and Markets Authority) published today its decision in…

Read More Here

Investment deal expected to bolster European dealmaking in China

European companies are expected to hunt for assets in China, mainly in insurance, healthcare and automobile sectors, after the world's second-largest economy and the European Union agreed to an investment…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Individual COVID vaccine deals cannot undermine EU joint orders, Portugal says

Any side deals for COVID-19 vaccines by European Union countries cannot undermine the bloc's joint orders, the health minister of Portugal, which holds the six-month EU presidency, said on Friday.…

Read More Here

EU leaders set for video summit to discuss COVID-19 on Jan 21

EU leaders are set to meet online on January 21 to discuss the bloc's efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, the spokesman of the chair of EU summits said on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU doubles COVID vaccine deal with Pfizer, EU countries cannot negotiate separate vaccine deals

The European Union reached a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, the head of the European Commission said on Friday, in a…

Read More Here

Italy to spend 222 bln euros of EU funds to revive economy

Italy plans to spend more than 222 billion euros ($272 billion) from various European Union funds to revive its coronavirus-battered economy, a draft government document seen by Reuters showed. Rome…

Read More Here

EU fiscal rules must remain flexible until 2022 -Portugal finance minister

Flexible EU fiscal rules meant to help member states weather the pandemic and return to growth should stay in place until 2022, Portugal's finance minister said in an interview, adding…

Read More Here

EU’s landmark climate law to be finalised within months, Portugal says

Portugal will use its six-month presidency of the European Union to finalise a landmark law containing the bloc’s emissions-cutting targets, the country’s environment minister said. The bill would make the…

Read More Here

13 governments urge EU to share vaccines with Balkan neighbours

The European Union should send coronavirus vaccines to its Balkan neighbours and do more to combat the virus in Ukraine, 13 of the EU’s foreign ministers said in a joint…

Read More Here

Portugal begins talks on EU migration pact, says ‘solidarity cannot be voluntary’

Portugal started a round of talks with ministers from various European Union (EU) nations on the new pact to tackle the bloc's long-standing migration issues, its government. As part of…

Read More Here

EU Agenda

05 January- 09 January 05 January-07 January: European Parliament Committee meetings 06 January: meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Control at the European Parliament 07 January: Public hearing on the…

Read More Here

European shares inch higher as oil, retail stocks jump

European shares edged up on Tuesday, lifted by oil and retail stocks, while investors looked past a new national lockdown in Britain to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.1%…

Read More Here

Euro share trading exits London for EU

The biggest shift in European share trading in two decades was proceeding smoothly on Monday, on the first day of business since Britain left the European Union's single market. While…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU in discussions with Pfizer-BioNTech for additional vaccine doses

The European Commission is in discussions with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the 300 million shots already covered…

Read More Here

U.S. slaps tariffs on French and German wines, aircraft parts amid EU dispute

The U.S. government said it would raise tariffs on certain European Union products, including aircraft components and wines from France and Germany, the latest twist in a 16-year battle over…

Read More Here

A look at the EU COVID-19 vaccination campaign

The European Union officially launched its mass COVID-19 vaccination programme on Sunday with the goal of making shots available to all its adult population by the end of 2021. Germany's…

Read More Here

China says reports of demands on nuclear power complicating EU talks are fake

The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday denied that talks on an investment pact between the European Union and China had run into complications due to Chinese demands on nuclear power…

Read More Here

Europe’s plans to vaccinate against COVID-19

Germany’s BioNTech said it was preparing to send 12.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it has developed with U.S. drugs giant Pfizer to European Union countries by the end…

Read More Here

Russia bans entry for EU officials

Moscow is expanding the list of European officials barred from entering Russia in response to the European Union’s sanctions over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Russia’s Foreign…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU agreed to pay 15.5 euros per dose for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

The European Union has agreed to pay 15.50 euros ($18.90) per dose for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, an internal EU document reviewed by Reuters shows. The…

Read More Here

Facebook warns on changes to messaging services in Europe

Facebook announced that starting today, the data privacy and security protections in the 2002 Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (ePrivacy Directive) will apply to more communications services across the EU. The laws…

Read More Here

European Medicines Agency to review Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Europe's medicines regulator will on Monday assess the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by U.S. company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech , with a green light to put Europe on…

Read More Here

Belgian minister tweets EU’s Covid vaccine price list to anger of manufacturers

A Belgian minister has blown the lid off a sensitive and commercial secret – the price that the EU has agreed to pay for the leading Covid vaccines. Belgium’s budget…

Read More Here

COVID-19 vaccinations in EU to start from Dec. 27, Commission chief says

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries will begin inoculating people against the new coronavirus from Dec. 27, the head of the EU commission said on Thursday, assuming the EU regulator…

Read More Here

Turkey’s Erdogan, EU’s Michel discussed EU summit in call

President Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel in a call that Turkey wants to build its future with the EU, calling for Ankara and the bloc to move…

Read More Here

EU proposes new airport slots rules for summer 2021

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday new rules on airport slots for summer 2021, allowing airlines to keep those slots if they use 40% of them instead of the normal…

Read More Here

Facebook to move UK users to California terms, avoiding EU privacy rules

Facebook Inc will shift all its users in the United Kingdom into user agreements with the corporate headquarters in California, moving them out of their current relationship with Facebook's Irish…

Read More Here

EU pushes gradual return to airport slot competition

The European Union plans to end a freeze on access to airport slots next year, when a travel recovery from the coronavirus crisis is expected to be underway, aviation sources…

Read More Here

Morocco refuses EU request to re-admit third-country migrants

Morocco has rebuffed a European Union request to take back third-party nationals who reach Europe from the North African kingdom, its interior ministry said. EU migration commissioner Yiva Johansson visited…

Read More Here

Large EU states commit to coordinated launch of COVID vaccinations

Germany, France, Italy and five other European states will coordinate the start of their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, the countries’ health ministers said in a joint statement. The countries will promote…

Read More Here

EU unveils landmark law curbing power of tech giants with threat of fines, break-up

U.S. technology firms including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google face fines of up to 10% of annual turnover and could even be broken up under draft European Union rules announced…

Read More Here

EU set to approve vaccine on 23 December

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is set to approve its first COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 23, a German government source told Reuters on Tuesday, putting EU countries on track to start to…

Read More Here

EU Agenda

14 December – 18 December Monday 14 December – 17 December: the European Parliament meets for a plenary session Monday 14 December – Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit has an…

Read More Here

Carbon neutrality strategy should address different reality of Member States – Miriam Dalli

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli has called on the Energy Council of Ministers to support a carbon neutrality strategy that addresses the different realities of the European member states, understanding that…

Read More Here

Erasmus+: European Parliament secures better deal for students

Would-be Erasmus students Europe-wide stand to benefit from €23.4 billion in funds for the next seven years if agreement is reached on the next EU long-term budget. The new budget…

Read More Here

EU banks face 9.4 billion euro shortfall to meet capital rules

Major banks in the European Union will have to collectively find 9.4 billion euros ($11.4 billion) by 2028 to plug a capital shortfall that will emerge under pending rules, the…

Read More Here

Europe, U.S. should say ‘no’ to China’s ‘wolf-warrior’ diplomacy – EU envoy

The European Union and the United States should work together to stand up to coercive Chinese diplomacy and coordinate with other countries in the region on the disputed South China…

Read More Here

Google, adtech firms targets of fresh EU privacy complaints

Alphabet unit Google and digital advertising firms are the targets of fresh privacy complaints filed in six EU countries on Thursday over the way they sell ads to potential advertisers…

Read More Here

UPDATED: EU presents contingency measures on Brexit, Commission chief says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday she had laid out measures to cope if Britain and the European Union fail to agree a trade deal by…

Read More Here

EU leaders to unblock EU budget, recovery fund, set new climate goals

European Union leaders are likely to unblock on Thursday a stalled 1.8 trillion euro package to help revive the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic and agree on new, more ambitious…

Read More Here

Moment may come to end post-Brexit EU trade talks, says UK PM Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday there may be a time when Britain should call an end to post-Brexit trade talks, a day after agreeing to meet the European Commission…

Read More Here

EU rejects result of disputed Venezuela congress election

BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Monday it did not consider Venezuela's parliamentary election on Sunday was free or fair and rejected the result, calling on…

Read More Here

Euro zone economy to gain momentum in 2021 on vaccine hopes

The euro zone economy will contract again this quarter as renewed lockdown measures stifle activity, according to a Reuters poll which showed the bloc's GDP would then return to pre-crisis…

Read More Here

Poland, Hungary have to behave responsibly on EU recovery fund, Spain’s Foreign minister says

Poland and Hungary should behave responsibly and reach an agreement on EU recovery fund, Spain's foreign minister, Arancha Gonzalez Laya, said on Thursday. "Spain wants Poland, Hungary to behave responsibly…

Read More Here