European Union

The United States, Britain and Canada unveiled sweeping sanctions against Belarus on Friday (9 August) to mark the fourth anniversary of a contested presidential election that returned strongman President Alexander Lukashenko to power.

Czech police are investigating groups of mostly young people hunting for paedophiles on the internet to blackmail them or beat them up, a spokesman said Friday (9 August).

Italy is the largest beneficiary of the Next Generation EU, but while the Italian government boasts the success of being the first to have obtained the payment of the fifth instalment of the NGEU and to have applied for the sixth, the problem of spending the funds remains to be solved.

There is so far "no objective element" to confirm that former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont managed to flee Spain for Belgium after his controversial visit to Barcelona on Thursday (8 August), according to Catalan police chief Eduard Sallent.

Israel withdrew the accreditation of eight Norwegian diplomats working at Norway's mission to the Palestinian Authority on Thursday (9 August), in response to which Norway said it hopes to seek dialogue and improve relations.

United Nations member states approved its first-ever treaty aimed at combating cybercrime, a controversial text opposed by digital rights organisations and Big Tech companies.

Ukraine’s latest foray into Russian territory may provide a much-needed boost to Ukrainian morale, but is unlikely to last long or change the course of the war, according to defence analyst.

The French agriculture ministry sharply lowered its estimate of the country's 2024 soft wheat output, now expected 25% below last year's volume, making it one of the worst harvests of these past 40 years in the EU's largest grain grower.

Beijing said on Friday (9 August) it had filed an appeal with the World Trade Organization over the European Union’s imposition, effective on 5 July, of provisional tariffs of up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from China.

The EU has issued a statement marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, in which it reaffirms its commitment to supporting Indigenous Peoples around the world.

The Council has adopted an implementing decision authorising the first regular payment of grants and loans under the Ukraine Plan of the Ukraine Facility.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2024/2012 of 22 July 2024 implementing Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2009 of 22 July 2024 amending Decision (CFSP) 2020/1999 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses.

The Council imposed restrictive measures on an additional 28 individuals for their role in the ongoing internal repression and human rights abuses in Belarus.

The EU issued a statement on post-election developments in Venezuela.

The European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States join forces to implement outcomes of the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4).

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/1970 of 15 July 2024 amending Decision (CFSP) 2023/1532 concerning restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region.

The Council adopted decisions establishing the existence of excessive deficits for Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia. In addition the Council established that Romania, which is under the excessive deficit procedure since 2020, has not taken effective action to correct its deficit and therefore the procedure should remain open.

The Council added one entity to the list of those subject to restrictive measures by virtue of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism.

The Council appointed four new EU Special Representatives for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Great Lakes Region, Kosovo*, and South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, and extended the mandates of three EUSRs for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkans regional issues, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa.