Taxes on cigarettes 'no longer' deter smokers, says EU

Moldova, Europe's poorest country, is working hard to combat tuberculosis. The country wants to be tuberculosis-free by 2030, at the same time as joining the EU. That's quite a challenge.

"We have honesty in our approach towards climate change and a lot to show", Nordic Council's top-woman told EUobserver before travelling to the climate conference in Dubai.

Since the cycle of violence started earlier this year in Sudan, more than six million people have been displaced. With increasingly fewer safe areas within the country, thousands have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries — especially Egypt.

The example of Ukraine illustrates that donors like the EU should be more ambitious about the localisation of aid. And this funding to local actors needs to be predictable, flexible, and longer than the typical one-year funding cycle.

The EU should consider visa bans on violent Israeli settlers, as well as a tougher crackdown on Palestinian group Hamas, in reaction to the Gaza war, EU foreign-relations chief Josep Borrell has said.

EU finance ministers are set to discuss debt and spending rules over dinner on Thursday evening (7 December), in what officials say may turn into an all-nighter.