
Czech presidency to fortify EU embrace of Ukraine
The Czech Republic took over the EU's rotating presidency on Friday (1 July), which will be dominated by the economic and humanitarian outfall of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sunday
3rd Jul 2022
The Czech Republic took over the EU's rotating presidency on Friday (1 July), which will be dominated by the economic and humanitarian outfall of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
For the most part Nato and its 30 leaders rose to the occasion — but it wasn't without room for improvement. The lesson remains that Nato still doesn't know how or want to hold allies accountable for disruptive behaviour.
Two MEPs have withdrawn their nominations from the MEPs Awards over the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis's participation as a sponsor — currently involved in an alleged bribery scandal in Greece.
Billionaires during the height of the pandemic had a net worth average increase of $5.2bn a day, said WFP's David Beasley. He also noted Gulf states now profiting from high fuel prices. Both should step up, he said.
Interpreters at the European Parliament are fed up with remote interpretation, citing auditory health issues given the poor quality of the online sessions.
Increasingly, analysts — both inside and outside of Russia — are considering the possibility of the Russian Federation's collapse into a series of independent states. Who are the most likely candidates for secession in Russia's south, east, and centre?
Dr Hans Bruyninckx the executive director of the European Environment Agency, on why — and how — Europe can cut its pollution-caused cancer rates.
The EU has overturned a funding ban on two Palestinian NGOs, effectively debunking an Israeli campaign to smear them as "terrorists".
Member states blame data privacy laws for lack of transparency in the bloc's biggest economic stimulus package.
Nato leaders have agreed a new wave of enlargement and to pile troops onto their Russian flank in response to its rampage in Ukraine.
The European Commission has been unable to find the text messages exchanged between president Ursula von der Leyen and the boss of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
German infighting and divisions between Nordic EU members and the rest over the Social Climate Fund nearly scuppered a crucial set of climate laws.
The French EU presidency is set to announce next week how many asylum seekers will be relocated under a temporary solidarity proposal, billed as a major breakthrough.
Turkey has agreed to let Finland and Sweden join Nato after a deal on Kurdish separatists and arms exports.
Bulgaria's target date for joining the eurozone, 1 January 2024, seems elusive. The collapse of Kiril Petkov's government, likely fresh elections, with populists trying to score cheap points against the 'diktat of the eurocrats', might well delay accession.
We realise that we are living in one of those key moments in history, with events unfolding exactly the way Swiss art historian Jacob Burckhardt describes them: a sudden crisis, rushing everything into overdrive.
The European Parliament approved last week a non-binding resolution on illegal logging, calling to extend the EU public prosecutor's mandate to also cover environmental crime. The lead MEP on the file has called for urgent implementation.
The aim of the oil-price cap is to ramp up pressure on Moscow by linking insurance and the shipping of oil to a price ceiling.
Rising energy and food prices shouldn't stop the Western public from supporting Ukraine, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said at the alliance's summit in Madrid.
While the EU has made a quantum leap in its foreign and security policy, unless it reconsiders its more muscular approach it risks an arms race towards total militarisation.
The EU's 27 energy ministers reached agreement on a crucial set of climate laws, but worried that the economic recession weakened some provisions in the commission proposal.
Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi defended his border forces despite evidence of illegal pushbacks, including a new testimony from a 26-year old asylum seeker from Gaza.
Exposure to air pollution, radon, ultraviolet radiation, asbestos, certain chemicals and other pollutants is linked to over 10 percent of all cancer cases in Europe, a report found.
While Kyiv endured the heaviest bombing it has seen in weeks, G7 leaders have discussed putting a price cap on Moscow's oil revenues and raise new tariffs on Russian goods.
The Czech Republic is already in the throes of an extremely difficult period — several waves of Covid, high inflation, energy fears, an influx of Ukrainian refugees and a Prague corruption scandal. Now it has the EU presidency.
Ursula von der Leyen, Frans Timmermans, and Kadri Simson, may be the faces of the EU's Green Deal — but Big Business is in the driving seat of its energy policy.
EU energy ministers and environment ministers are expected to reach common positions on different aspects of the Fit for 55 package — as the continent is increasingly worried about energy prices and future supplies.
Almost a dozen NGOs have demanded an investigation into the reported deaths of some 29 people who had attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla last week.
EU leaders at their summit talked of unity in the face of the economic outfall of the war in Ukraine — but amid uncertainty over common solutions.
EU leaders discussed how to guarantee enough gas supplies for next winter at a summit in Brussels — after Russia cut off or reduced gas supplies to 12 member states.
EU leaders have granted "candidate" status to Ukraine and Moldova at a summit marked also by Western Balkan frustration.
The Hungarian hacking allowed Russian intelligence to read 'over the shoulder' of an EU member state for an extended period of time. The difficulty for the EU is that it's not one nation, but a combination of 27 cybersecurity policies.
We now have French president Emmanuel Macron's "European Political Community", European Council president Charles Michel's "European Geopolitical Community", and former Italian PM Enrico Letta's "European Confederation" — among others.