EU urged to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians
Finnish and Estonian leaders want EU countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens in protest at the war against Ukraine.
Opinion
Let Taiwan's democracy shine brighter
Dr Ming-Yen Tsai, head of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, responds to EUobserver op-ed on Taiwan by the Chinese ambassador to Belgium. "Taiwan is an 'island of resilience'. That will continue to be the case."
Opinion
Supporting Taiwan 'like carrying water in a sieve'
China's ambassador to Belgium, Cao Zhongming, says the US has been distorting, obscuring and hollowing out the 'one-China' principle and unscrupulously undermining China's core interests. This is sheer double standards and a shameful act of bad faith.
News in Brief
- Sweden overtakes France as EU's top power exporter
- Italy's far-right star in European charm offensive
- Another migrant tragedy claims 50 lives in Greek waters
- Russia hits area near town with 120 rockets, says Ukraine
- UN expects more ships to get Ukrainian grain out
- Greece to end bailout-era oversight
- Denmark to train Ukrainian soldiers in urban warfare
- Russian helicopter flies into Estonia's airspace
France and Italy ratify Nato expansion
Lawmakers in France, Italy, and the US have voted to let Finland and Sweden join Nato.
Lithuania only EU state to back Pelosi on Taiwan
Lithuania has become the only EU country to publicly endorse a controversial US visit to Taiwan by House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Opinion
Three problems with the EU's 'Global Gateway' to Africa
The EU's investment package for development, the so-called 'Global Gateway', which Ursula von der Leyen described as the "future of the EU's development cooperation", seems fixated on boosting private sector investments in energy, infrastructure and climate-smart solutions in Africa.
Opinion
West needs to counter Russia in Africa, but how?
Russian influence in Africa has gradually grown over the past decade and poses various problems — for local populations as well as for US and European interests
EU hopeful of Iran nuclear deal
A possible deal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear pact is within reach, says the European Union. Washington backs the final proposals, but Tehran remains cautious.
UN chief demands access to nuclear plant after new attack
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe's largest atomic plant over the weekend.
Opinion
How Ukraine made the case anew for an EU army
The Kremlin attacked Ukraine because it believed it could afford to. It perceived nuclear deterrence between Russia and the West as reciprocal, and therefore almost a non-issue. It also saw, in military terms, Europe is disappearing from the world map.
Putin must lose Ukraine war, Nato chief says
Russian president Vladimir Putin would be more likely to wage war against Nato if he won in Ukraine, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has warned.
Column
Global hunger crisis requires more than just the Odessa deal
International donors are playing hide and seek. Instead of stepping up their assistance programmes, richer nations are cutting overseas aid, or reallocating funds from other parts of the world towards the Ukraine crisis.
UN chief warns of 'nuclear annihilation' by mistake
Nuclear stockpiles have been reduced since the Cold War — but the risk of using nuclear weapons remains high, amid conflicts and tensions between nuclear powers in Ukraine, Korean peninsula and Middle East.
Ethnic clashes on Kosovo-Serb border cause EU alarm
Kosovo has put off new border rules with Serbia following another flare-up in ethnic violence.
First Ukraine grain ship leaves Odessa port
The ship's departure for Lebanon was made possible thanks to an export agreement reached by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN on 22 July.
US and EU sanctions 'crippling' Russia, Yale study finds
Western sanctions are driving Russia toward "economic oblivion" despite reports to the contrary, a leading US university says.
Opinion
What is China up to with its new 'Global Security Initiative'?
China's ambitions and clearly-stated strategic objectives are no less than delegitimising and finally replacing what it views as the Western-dominated and unfair existing world order. It denounces the current global system as the main source of instability and insecurity.
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Latest News
- Russian coal embargo kicks in, as EU energy bills surge
- Only Western unity can stop Iran hostage-diplomacy
- Kosovo PM warns of renewed conflict with Serbia
- EU Commission shrugs off Polish threats on rule-of-law
- EU urged to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians
- Russia puts EU in nuclear-energy paradox
- Almost two-thirds of Europe in danger of drought
- West needs to counter Russia in Africa, but how?
EU court upholds ban on Russia Today broadcaster
The EU court in Luxembourg has thrown out Russia's challenge against a ban on propaganda outlet Russia Today imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
Column
Albania's post-communist dream has lessons for Ukraine
Comparisons between post-communist Albania and current-day Ukraine are fascinating — and make many pertinent parallels. Ukrainians have a similar determination to belong to "the rest of Europe" as Albanians.
UK spy chief: Taiwan's future at stake in Ukraine war
The West must help Ukraine to defeat Russia in order to deter China from invading Taiwan, Britain's intelligence chief has said.
Column
Is it goodbye to 'pacifist' Germany?
Many Germans saw the country as a benign power that will always favours diplomacy and peace-making over the use of force. Not any more.
Exclusive
Russia's 'Night Wolves' biker gang to face EU ban
Pro-Kremlin biker gang the Night Wolves will no longer be able to ride around Europe under new Russia sanctions, which also strike at Sberbank and the mayor of Moscow.
EU diplomats discuss Russia gold sanctions
EU ambassadors will hold initial talks on new Russian sanctions on Monday, amid proposals to ban gold exports and blacklist more individuals.
North Macedonia to finally open EU accession talks
North Macedonia is to finally open accession talks with the EU on Tuesday after MPs backed a deal to end Bulgaria's veto.
Investigation
Revealed: Who were Russia's spies in the EU corridors?
An IT expert who stirred up anti-EU hatred, an Orientalist, and biological weapons specialists — the profiles of 19 more spies expelled from Belgium in April show what Russia's embassy to the EU was up to.
Exclusive
Chorus of EU concern on low harvests plus rocketing prices
High prices of energy, fuels, fertilisers and feed are pushing up agricultural production costs and harming farm profitability in several European markets due to Russia's war on Ukraine, prompting some member states to seek further EU support.
EU diplomat in Myanmar accused of endangering activists' lives
The EU ambassador in Myanmar is putting trade unionists' lives at risk by publicly "denigrating" them, they say. Western activists agree. Brussels says: "No".
Opinion
Why Bosnia & Herzegovina is not ready for the EU
Due to a total capture of the country's institutions and economy by corrupted ethno-nationalist elites, Bosnia & Herzegovina did not advance on key reform areas such as democratisation and improvement of the rule of law — arguably even backsliding.
Exclusive
EU and Azerbaijan draft deal on extra gas supplies
The EU is preparing to sign a gas-import deal with Azerbaijan to reduce dependence on Russia following cut-offs to Europe.
Exclusive
EU mulls visa bans on Balkans extremists stirred up by Moscow
EU states are in talks on potential visa bans on right-wing extremists in the Western Balkans, amid fears that Russian propaganda is stirring up new threats.
Germany to quit Russian coal on 1 August, oil on 31 December
Germany will end purchases of Russian coal on 1 August and quit Russian oil on 31 December, German state secretary Jörg Kukies said in Sydney.
Opinion
The Kremlin's repressive decade
Ten years ago, I had the honour of speaking at news conference in Moscow with Russia's human rights defenders. A week later, president Vladimir Putin signed a new bill into law and Russia's human-rights landscape has become almost unrecognisable since.
EU court points to future resurrection of Russian gas pipe
Russia has won the right to challenge EU laws meant to stop dirty tricks in gas markets, at the same time as waging gas wars against Europe.
