Category: EU

The European Union should phase out its funding of oil, gas and coal projects, EU finance ministers said in a joint statement on Friday (8 November), in a move that could mark a major shift in the bloc’s efforts to combat climate change. It is the first time EU finance ministers have backed a declaration urging an end to fossil fuels funding altogether, having called previously only for an end to funding for coal power plants. The statement, adopted by EU finance ministers, retains some ambiguity, however, saying it “encourages”…

Read More

Spanish voters are heading back to the polls on Sunday (10 November) for the fourth general election in less than four years to see if they can finally put an end to the political deadlock. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports. An overarching uncertainty this time around is whether people will vote tactically by pooling votes behind a party most likely to win, or instead cast their ballots in line with precise political convictions. Another factor that could affect the result is voter fatigue. Having alternated in power since the return of…

Read More

Trouble spots and tensions surrounding the European Union are continuing: Syria, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Eastern Mediterranean. In the south of the European Union, an arc of geopolitical instability is being formed and we must not allow it to expand, ten former foreign ministers warn in an open letter. *The signatories are listed at the bottom. Stability, democracy and prosperity in Southeast Europe are directly linked to the consolidation of the European project and the completion of the reunification of our continent with the accession of Western Balkan countries, a process…

Read More

Like many others before him, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, was appointed to a plum diplomatic post by a grateful president. The wealthy hotelier donated $1 million to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee and was rewarded with the coveted job in Brussels. Ambassadorships have long been doled out by American presidents — both Democrats and Republicans — to loyal supporters, and many political appointees have served with distinction. Others less so. And then there’s Sondland, whose involvement with Ukraine has made him a central figure in…

Read More

On the day Britain was supposed to have left the European Union, voters instead faced the start of an election campaign, with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pledging to overthrow a “rigged system” he said was run by billionaires and tax dodgers. After failing to deliver Brexit by the 31 October deadline, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the Dec. 12 election to break what he cast as a political paralysis that had thwarted Britain’s departure and undermined confidence in the economy. Opinion polls suggest the election is Johnson’s to lose….

Read More

A deeply divided US House of Representatives took a major step on Thursday (31 October) in the effort to impeach President Donald Trump when lawmakers approved rules for the next, more public, stage in the Democratic-led inquiry into Trump’s attempt to have Ukraine investigate a domestic political rival. In the first formal test of support for the impeachment investigation, the Democratic-controlled House voted almost entirely along party lines – 232 to 196 – to move the probe forward in Congress. The vote allows for public impeachment hearings in Congress, which…

Read More

The EU poultry meat sector was sacrificed in order to convince Brazil to seal the Mercosur trade agreement. But the impact on the sector in Europe is expected to be very heavy, the association of poultry processors told EURACTIV.com. “Poultry meat export is very important for Brazil and, therefore, the last-minute offer of an extra 90,000 tonnes (in total 180,000 tonnes) might have persuaded, especially the Brazilians, to get the deal done,” Birthe Steenberg, secretary-general of the association of EU poultry processors and trade. The EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil…

Read More

The defense party in the Rotterdam + case filed a motion to close the proceedings tied to the findings of forensic experts confirming the validity of the formula, the absence of economic damage and losses for electricity consumers, the lawyer of the DTEK group Natalya Drygval told Interfax-Ukraine. “When determining the price, factors such as the API-2 index, the cost of transportation from the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp to Ukrainian ports, the cost of transporting coal from a vessel to warehouses of Ukrainian ports, the cost of transporting coal…

Read More

Outgoing European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced on Tuesday (22 October) that the investment plan launched at the beginning of his mandate helped create 1.1 million jobs in Europe and boosted the European economy by 0.9%. The Juncker Commission is nearing its end, so it is time to take stock and cement the legacy. The past five years have been shaken by Brexit, the migration crisis, the third Greek rescue programme and the threat posed by terrorism. For that reason, Juncker looked at the investment plan launched at the outset…

Read More

The UK government will shelve its Brexit bill and attempt to secure a general election, should MPs fail to support the planned timetable and the EU agrees to an extension period for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. MPs are due to vote this evening on the timetable for adopting Johnson’s withdrawal agreement bill, which was published on Monday evening. Johnson is seeking to get it through parliament before the 31 October deadline. However, the BBC reports that should MPs reject the bill and…

Read More