Russia 'very likely' to invade Ukraine, says top US official
It is "very likely" that Russia will invade Ukraine and it can only be stopped by "enormous sanctions", Adam Schiff, the chair of the US House intelligence committee said.
News in Brief
- EU Commission labels gas and nuclear energy 'green'
- German health minister: 'Light at end of tunnel' in 2022
- Belgium: new Covid meeting as infections double
- England reintroduces face masks in schools
- Over 4,000 flights cancelled due to Omicron
- France removes EU flag from Arc de Triomphe
- Sudan PM steps down after months of turmoil
- Covid-19 deaths surpass 1 million in eastern Europe
Feature
How Italy's one-euro homes are helping to revive rural villages
The pandemic has boosted the appeal of Italy's offbeat idyllic villages among global digital nomads. It is giving some of these villages some kind of Renaissance.
EUobserved
Stop Eurocentrism, start a universal history of ideas
Eurocentrism in our education and thinking is actually a product of a German-Christian ideology of the 18th century. Instead of admitting guilt we should change the way we study and teach history.
Podcast
Transparency, Interrupted
The European Union adopted its access regulation at the turn of this century. But as work went digital, the rules have failed to keep pace. A lot still goes unrecorded or unregistered, and cannot be accessed easily, if at all.
Bulgaria and Romania have Europe's lowest life-expectancy
The report shows that due to Covid-19, Romanians and Bulgarian now die even younger than before. Life expectancy in both Bulgaria and Romania fell by 1.5 and 1.4 years respectively in 2020.
Opinion
How EU should use economic influence on Western Sahara
Since hostilities between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front in Western Sahara resumed in November 2020, the EU has been reluctant to play an active role in the conflict.
Germany shutting down half of nuclear power plants
Germany will close down three of its last six nuclear power plants on Friday, while speeding up its transition to solar and wind energy.
Biden and Putin set stage for New Year peace talks
US and Russian leaders have repeated their red lines on Ukraine ahead of New Year talks designed to prevent a new war in Europe.
Analysis
Who will become Italy's next president?
In January Italian representatives will elect the country's new president. All eyes are on current prime minister Mario Draghi, but other names are starting to circulate as well.
German minister takes lone stand on China rights abuse
Germany's foreign minister will boycott Beijing's Winter Olympics on human-rights grounds, but the EU has a "cognitive split" on China, it said.
Environment minister: Germany will likely miss climate targets
In the coming two years, The EU's biggest economy will likely miss its climate targets, co-leader Robert Habeck said.
Feature
EUobserver's Top 10 stories of 2021
From the Mediterranean to Minsk, from Covid to climate change, EUobserver has proudly broken original stories on the EU institutions in 2021 - under our ethos of 'Independent. Investigative. Influential.'
Russia continues 'self-lobotomisation' by closing top NGO
Russia has attracted international disgust for shutting down its most distinguished human-rights NGO.
Russia: Oil cartel will resist pressure to boost production
Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said the cartel of oil producing countries had agreed not to increase production of oil, resisting pressure from China and the United States.
Tusk calls for probe into Poland phone hacking
"This is an unprecedented thing in our history. This is the biggest and deepest crisis of democracy after 1989," Tusk said, who also served previously as the president of the European Council.
France to ban unvaccinated people from bars and restaurants
French prime minister Jean Castex announced on Monday evening that people will need a 'vaccination pass' to enter restaurants, bars, and museums in future.
Russia and US schedule talks as Moscow derides EU
Russia and the US have scheduled security talks for 10 January, while Moscow continued to belittle the EU.
Stakeholders' Highlights
Latest News
- Russia 'very likely' to invade Ukraine, says top US official
- Transparency, Interrupted
- Bulgaria and Romania have Europe's lowest life-expectancy
- How EU should use economic influence on Western Sahara
- Stop Eurocentrism, start a universal history of ideas
- How Italy's one-euro homes are helping to revive rural villages
- Germany shutting down half of nuclear power plants
- Biden and Putin set stage for New Year peace talks
Poland's Duda vetoes media bill after US criticism
Law was voted through parliament earlier this month by the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party, Duda's political partners, sparking street protests.
Christmas travel disrupted by Omicron variant
The spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant of coronavirus has triggered a flurry of flight cancellations, hampering Christmas plans for millions of people.
Polish ruler compares modern Germany to Nazi-era 'reich'
Poland's de facto ruler has accused Germany of trying to create a "Fourth Reich" in the EU, in his latest Germanophobe slur.
Nato seeks Russia meeting in January
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has sought a meeting of the Nato-Russia council for 12 January, but so far has not received a positive answer from Moscow.
Putin underlines EU gas needs amid Ukraine threat
Russia has underlined Europe's dependence on its gas, while keeping EU powers guessing over its next move on Ukraine.
Almost 800 people stranded at sea on Xmas Eve on rescue boats
Humanitarian rescue ship Geo Barents, run by Doctors Without Borders, has 458 people onboard. The German-based charity Sea-Eye-4 has 216, while SOS Mediterranee's the Ocean Viking is carrying 114.
Europe readies to restrict use of toxic 'forever chemicals'
The European Union is a step closer to restricting some uses of so-called "forever chemicals" next year, despite industry opposition.
Ukrainian gas supplier accuses Gazprom of market abuse
Ukrainian gas giant Naftogaz has filed a complaint against Gazprom alleging market abuse and has asked the European Commission to order it to increase sales.
Exclusive
EU states press for more detention, in asylum overhaul
Austria is citing hybrid-attacks to detain rejected asylum seekers for up to 20 weeks along Europe's frontier borders, while Poland wants to limit people's access to international protection at the borders.
Analysis
Are nuclear and gas green? Depends if you ask EU or experts
The taxonomy for sustainable activities was meant to be a purely science-based classification system - but it has become bogged down by political infighting (not least between Paris and Berlin), threatening its credibility.
EU unveils plan to repay Covid recovery-fund borrowing
The European Commission has presented three new sources of revenues for the EU´s coffers aimed at repaying the emergency coronavirus recovery fund and supporting vulnerable households in the transition towards climate neutrality.
Stakeholder
Podcasts: Nordic voices on the green transition
How close are we to battery-powered planes? What effect has Greta Thunberg had on the attitudes of her fellow Swedes? Is small-scale farming the future? These are some of the questions up for discussion in a new podcast series.
EU proposes minimum corporate tax under global deal
The EU Commission also proposed measures to better detect shell or letter box companies which do not carry out any real economic activities.
Opinion
Covid as Medusa's raft
When you are told "we are all in the same boat", be suspicious. In fact, 205 years after the survivors of the Frigate of Medusa shipwreck were reduced to cannibalism to survive, "we are all on Medusa's raft".
US ready to hold Russia security talks in January
The US is keen to start security talks with Russia in January, while threatening "immediate" sanctions in the event of a new attack on Ukraine.
Recognised refugees going hungry in Greece, say NGOs
Thousands of recognised refugees and others in Greece are said to be going hungry. The issue has been brewing for months by a Greek government that appears to be using hunger as an asylum deterrence for others.
