UK Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January, the BBC reports. Those joining or upgrading from 7th July 2021 will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European destinations from January 2022. EE, which is part of BT Group, previously said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges in Europe. It is the first UK operator to reintroduce the charges since the EU trade deal was signed in December. Since 2017, mobile networks in…
Read MoreMonth: June 2021
COVID-19 travel certificate rolled out in Belgium
A COVID-19 travel certificate expected to greatly simplify travel within the EU has been made available in Belgium from Wednesday (16 June), the country’s authorities confirmed. The “European digital COVID certificate”, referred to in Belgium as the COVID certificate, is a document obtained at no cost and recognised throughout the European Union to facilitate travel abroad, whether business trips or tourist stays. It contains data as to the person’s COVID-19 vaccination status, current negative PCR test, or confirmation that the person has recently recovered from the disease. It will be…
Read MoreEU leaders reject Franco-German Russian summit plan
In the early hours of today (25 June) EU leaders concluded the first day of the summer European Council. Discussions on Russia ended at two in the morning following a lively exchange. In the early hours of today (25 June) EU leaders concluded the first day of the summer European Council. Discussions on Russia ended at two in the morning following a lively exchange. Please accept the cookie consent It was clear yesterday morning that a proposal for an EU-Russia summit put forward by the French and Germans had upset…
Read MoreCommission and industry invest €22 billion in new European Partnerships to deliver solutions to major societal challenges
The Commission has launched 11 new European Partnerships together with industry, to boost investments in research and innovation and to overcome major climate and sustainability challenges, towards making Europe the first climate neutral economy and delivering on the European Green Deal. In line with the goals of the ‘twin’ green and digital transition, the Partnerships will also deliver on the EU’s digital ambitions for the next decade, Europe’s Digital Decade. They will receive more than €8 billion from Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme for 2021-2027. The…
Read MoreBanks too involved in fossil fuels: study
A French study shows that the biggest European banks continue to support the fossil fuel sector. A double threat–climatic and financial–which, according to the study, could generate a financial crisis, similar to that of the subprimes. While the financial world swears by green finance, a French study shows that the largest banks in the euro zone still strongly support the fossil fuel sector, through credit products or investments. Commissioned by the Rousseau Institute, associated with environmental NGOs Reclaim Finance and Amis de la Terre, the “Fossil assets, the new subprimes?” study calculated that…
Read MoreFuture of Europe plenary, migration, biodiversity
MEPs will participate in the inaugural plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe and discuss migration and development issues. The inaugural plenary of the Conference on the Future of Europe takes place on Saturday, 19 June in Strasbourg. The Conference Plenary gathers representatives from EU institutions, and national parliaments together with citizens and will develop people’s proposals into recommendations for EU action. All Europeans can participate in the Conference by sharing their ideas on the multilingual digital platform, EU affairs. Following the approval of the EU Digital COVID…
Read MoreFootball: the growing interest of investment funds
Investment funds in control of football clubs as varied as AC Milan, Burnley, Toulouse and Caen. What is their interest and how has financing football changed over the years? “Investment funds are only there for business. They have no business [being involved] in football!” Last April, these comments from Christophe Dugarry, part of the French team that won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship two years, made the pages of sports daily L’Équipe. And they sparked a lot of debate. The former striker, who has become one…
Read MoreGerman nuclear waste to remain in France after years of talks
Germany and France have agreed that 152 containers of nuclear waste from Germany are to be treated in La Hague in northwestern France, while only three to five containers will return to Germany as the country is contractually obligated to take back its nuclear waste reprocessed abroad. According to a joint information paper by German economy and environment ministries, three to five containers with highly radioactive nuclear waste are to be returned from La Hague in France to the interim storage facility in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg by…
Read MoreBig countries’ tax deal to reveal rift in EU
A global deal on corporate tax looks set to bring to a climax a deep-seated European Union battle, pitting large members Germany, France and Italy against Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Although the smaller EU partners at the centre of a years-long struggle over their favourable tax regimes, welcomed the Group of Seven deal on June 5. for a minimum corporate rate of at least 15%, some critics predict trouble implementing it. The European Commission, the EU’s executive, has long struggled to get agreement within the bloc on a common…
Read MoreCorruption leading to Biden: the corrupt connection between the US presidential administration and Ukraine
The United States may be the world’s largest donor to democracy. They sponsor a large number of anti-corruption programs. However, in recent years, the American pillar of democracy has begun to show its cracks. And strangely enough this could be a result of the relations in the US President’s administration. On June 2, 2021, Press Club Brussels Europe hosted a presentation of a documentary film by British journalists, “A LOT OF HOT AIR. Who’s telling the truth in the Burisma gas scandal?” It covers how the Ukrainian company Burisma, with…
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