Fourteen EU countries condemn Hungary over anti-LGBTIQ law
In a heated discussion among EU affairs ministers, Hungary defended its vision of traditional family, while other EU countries worried about the new law's discriminatory aspects.
News in Brief
- EU sanctions almost 'declaration of economic war', says Belarus
- Lithuania pokes China with Taiwan Covid-vaccine donation
- Brussels airport traveller with false Covid test jailed for year
- Von der Leyen: Turkey needs more help for Syrian refugees
- German MEP adds to pressure to move Euro 2020 finals
- Report: Vatican urges Italy to block anti-homophobia law
- Dutch coalition talks postponed to August
- EU Commission to buy 150m extra Moderna doses in 2022
Europol: Extremists exploited pandemic to spread radicalism
A new report reveals how extremists attempted to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic to spread their radical messages and propaganda across the EU. In 2020, a total of 57 completed, failed or foiled terrorist attacks took place in the EU.
Column
What are the online risks to Germany's autumn election?
Germany is one of the few countries where a political YouTuber or blogger may receive a letter from the independent media authorities asking him or her to respect journalistic standards.
Greece dismisses EU states' objections on refugee travel
Greece reaffirmed its position that refugees should be allowed onward travel, despite objections of abuse by six EU member states. The comments come as Amnesty International releases a new report on illegal pushbacks in Greece.
EU preparing to lift Burundi sanctions, despite warning
The EU is preparing to resume budgetary aid to Burundi, despite NGOs' reports of ongoing human rights abuses by the government there.
Opinion
What's missing from agenda for Berlin's Libya conference?
There is an eagerness to move towards what Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, has called the "sustainable stabilisation" of Libya. And yet the essential elements needed for such stability are not on the agenda of Wednesday's conference in Berlin.
Analysis
Latest EU sanctions to bite Belarus dictator's income
Belarusian opposition leaders have broadly welcomed the EU's latest round of sanctions on regime henchmen, but some said they ought to have gone further.
Libyan detention centres must end, EU says
The EU has trained and equipped the Libyan Coast Guard. Those intercepted are then returned. Now Turkey has taken the lead, raising the stakes of possible leverage over the European Union as Ankara takes control of the route.
Poland and Hungary sanctions procedure back after pandemic
The Article 7 sanctions procedure was initially launched against Warsaw in 2017 by the EU Commission and triggered by the European Parliament in 2018 against Budapest. Now it is back on the table, after the pandemic.
Sánchez risks 'betrayal' call with pardon for jailed Catalans
The Spanish government will grant a pardon to nine jailed Catalan leaders behind the failed independence attempt in 2017 - an issue that continues to divide Spaniards.
Opinion
EU a 'Wild West' for China's unsafe toys, gadgets and clothes
China has already imposed its 'wild west' approach on our daily lives: more than 50 percent of the products listed as dangerous in the EU in 2020 came from China - mostly toys, electrical appliances and clothing.
Stakeholder
'You'll never walk alone' - our message to women
Hundreds of thousands of brave Polish women took to the streets, repeating the message "you will never walk alone". We will not rest until Polish women enjoy the same rights as French, Spanish or Belgian women.
Too soon to lift EU sanctions on Burundi, NGOs warn
The EU should not relax sanctions against Burundi until the regime there has stopped persecuting journalists and human rights activists, leading NGOs have said.
EU to wage economic war on Belarus dictator
EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell will announce sweeping economic sanctions on Belarus at Monday's foreign affairs meeting after Austria caved to pressure.
EU commission takes stand against Danish asylum law
EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson has taken a firm stand against outsourcing asylum to other parts of the world. Her comments follow a recent Danish law that aims to stop asylum seekers from filing claims in Denmark.
Air pollution in many EU cities 'stubbornly high'
Many European citizens are still exposed to illegal and dangerous levels of pollution, especially badly in Italy and Poland, new data from the European Environment Agency revealed.
Agenda
EU leaders discuss Turkey, Russia, migration This WEEK
EU foreign affairs ministers will try to sort out a new round of sanctions on Belarus, and EU affairs ministers will hold intergovernmental conferences with two candidate countries, Serbia and Montenegro.
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Latest News
- Fourteen EU countries condemn Hungary over anti-LGBTIQ law
- EU preparing to lift Burundi sanctions, despite warning
- Europol: Extremists exploited pandemic to spread radicalism
- Greece dismisses EU states' objections on refugee travel
- What are the online risks to Germany's autumn election?
- What's missing from agenda for Berlin's Libya conference?
- Latest EU sanctions to bite Belarus dictator's income
- Libyan detention centres must end, EU says
Pandemic exposed corruption in some EU health systems
The report's findings are particularly worrying as member states are preparing to roll-out billions of euros for a post-pandemic recovery. The European Commission is approving national plans for the spending of around €800bn by member states from now until 2026.
Opinion
The European Court of Justice vs German Constitutional Court
Luxembourg's European Court of Justice versus Karlsruhe's German Constitutional Court - the question of the 'war of the judges' may determine the future course, even existence, of the EU.
AstraZeneca must deliver 50m doses by September or face fines
A Brussels court ordered AstraZeneca to deliver 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to EU member states by September in a legal case brought by the European Commission - with both sides claiming victory.
Opinion
Next week is time for EU to finally lead on rule of law
The EU Commission still has to prove they are ready to stand up for the rights of every citizen in the EU. Throwing the towel in would send a terrible signal to European leaders tempted to emulate Hungary and Poland.
Austria blocking EU sanctions on Belarus banks
Austria has been blocking new EU sanctions on loans to Belarusian banks so that Austrian lenders can keep making money with the oppressive regime there.
Number of people forcibly displaced reaches historic high
The UN refugee agency says the number of people forcibly displaced by end of last year had grown to 82.4 million, "the highest number on record according to available data."
Three-quarters of EU citizens support vaccines, survey finds
When asked how the EU handled the vaccination strategy among different institutions, respondents in Malta and Portugal tend to be most satisfied, while in France and Germany respondents are the least satisfied with the EU.
NGOs: Leaked EU biomass reform is 'denial of science'
Green groups called on the European Commission to remove forest biomass from the Renewable Energy Directive, arguing that the proposal leaked this week shows a "clear denial of science" and "dangerous greenwashing".
US and Russia restart talks on cyber and nuclear war
Relations between the US and Russia warmed up slightly after a summit in Switzerland, even as the EU predicted ties with Russia would get worse in future.
Europe needs to help sea rescues, say NGOs
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, along with Ecre, a Brussels-base NGO, have proposed a plan to increase sea rescues. The call comes ahead of an EU summit later this month among EU heads of state and government.
EU countries can start 'going to the bank' for recovery funds
"Now I can go to the bank?," asked Portuguese prime minister António Costa to EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, as the EU executive approved his country's national Covid-19 recovery plan.
EU 'concerned' at Johnson & Johnson vaccine shortfall
The EU does not expect US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to meet its goal of delivering 55 million Covid-19 vaccines for the second quarter of 2021, due to a manufacturing issue.
Opinion
Why the EU renewables target needs to be (a lot) higher
The revamped Renewable Energy Directive next month should set an EU binding renewable energy target of at least 50% by 2030, paving the way towards transition to a 100 percent renewable-energy based system by 2040.
EU and US make peace on trade before Russia summit
The EU and US have ended their oldest trade war in a show of transatlantic unity one day before US president Joe Biden meets his Russian counterpart.
Hungary passes anti-LGBTIQ bill ahead of 2022 election
Thousands of protestors demonstrated against the proposals in Budapest in front of the parliament this week, denouncing the Orbán government's efforts to conflate homosexuality with paedophilia.
Prisoners, homeless, migrants, 'overlooked' in EU vaccine race
A new report from the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency revealed the difficulties people in vulnerable situations face accessing vaccines - from language barriers, to limitations tied to residence, or legal status.
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