European Union

A French court began hearing an appeal by former prime minister François Fillon against a conviction in a corruption scandal that torpedoed his presidential ambitions and sealed the rise of Emmanuel Macron, France24 writes. Fillon, a conservative candidate in the presidential elections in 2017, was charged with corruption after revelations that his wife Penelope was paid over €800,000 over 15 years for a suspected fake job as a parliamentary assistant.

Hungary's Constitutional Court has begun hearing a case challenging an EU court ruling saying Hungary broke EU law by forcing refugees back to Serbia. The case was brought by Hungarian justice minister Judit Varga, who said "this [EU ruling] would affect Hungary's sovereignty set out in the Constitution", Reuters reports. The case comes after Poland's nationalist-conservative government recently attacked the primacy of EU law in its own Constitutional Court verdict.

After a week of speculation, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani confirmed that Kosovo and Serbia were invited to the upcoming Summit for Democracy. On Monday (15 November), Osmani confirmed she would represent the country along with more than 100 others, following...

Croatia will help Kosovo with visa liberalisation, said Prime minister Andrej Plenković who met with his counterpart Albin Kurti in Pristina on Monday. Following a meeting between the two, Plenković said they would help Kosovo on the path to European...

Derek Chollet, the Counsellor of the US Department of State, visited Sarajevo on Monday (15 November). Ahead of his arrival, it was announced that Chollet would convey a strong US message that any attempt to undo 26 years of peace...

The EU has said Russia was complicit in Belarus' attack on Polish borders, while warning Russian president Vladimir Putin not to also strike Ukraine.

The European Commission adopted a decision on Monday (15 November) certifying that the official COVID certificate issued by Serbia is equivalent to the EU digital COVID certificate and that Serbian citizens with this certificate can travel to the EU. The...

In October, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined a compromise for de-escalating a rule of law crisis with Poland and unlocking up to €36 billion in recovery funding for Polish citizens. However, the EU Parliament shares a different...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko held a phone call on Monday (15 November) to discuss humanitarian aid for refugees and migrants stranded at the EU-Belarus border, a German government spokesperson said.

The Decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia on mandatory testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus for officials, civil servants and employees will enter into force from Tuesday (16 November). Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrović...

The centre-right party PNL and the socialist PSD have largely agreed on a governing programme, but the prime minister’s name is not yet settled. President Klaus Iohannis has the final say in choosing the future prime minister. Together with their...

Belgium's government is bringing forward a meeting to decide on tighter measures to control the spread of Covid-19, amid a rapid increase in infections and hospital admissions, The Guardian writes. The meeting, originally set for Friday, was brought forward to Wednesday so that any measure approved midweek could be operational by the weekend, the government said this morning. Hospital admissions are up 30 percent on a weekly basis.

The European Environment Agency on Monday revealed that 307,000 people died prematurely due to air pollution in the EU in 2019. These deaths are concretely related to the exposure of fine particulate matter, coming from emission sources like road transport, industrial processes or agriculture. At least 58 percent, or 178,000, of these deaths could have been avoided, if all member states had applied international air quality standards, it said.

A letter from 180 MEPs is demanding the European Commission perform better when it comes to responding to their written questions, in an initiative taken by Dutch liberal MEP Sophie In't Veld. "The quality of answers to written questions is deplorable. Answers come in too late, they are evasive, incomplete, and void of any substance," she said, demanding the executive takes measures to improve responses.

Hungary's Constitutional Court on Monday discussed a challenge by justice minister Judit Varga to an EU court ruling stating Budapest broke EU laws designed to protect refugees, by deporting them to the Serbian border. Varga's motion, submitted in February, asked Hungary's top court to assess whether the implementation of the EU court ruling would be compatible with country's constitution. A ruling is expected later.

The Iraq government said Monday it will begin arranging the first repatriation flight for citizens wishing to leave Belarus, Deutsche Welle writes. Foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf told local media that the first flight would be scheduled on Thursday. "Iraq will carry out a first flight for those who wish to return voluntarily on the 18th," he told Iraqi television.

Despite widespread relief that the summit did not fail to reach an agreement, there is a great deal of discontent surrounding the outcome of the UN climate negotiations held at Glasgow over the last two weeks. Here's why.

Shell's CEO called the relocation "necessary" - saying it will simplify company structure, making stock buybacks easier, and prop up value. Shareholders will vote on the move at a general meeting on 10 December.

EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič met with Swiss federal foreign minister Ignazio Cassis in Brussels to restart negotiations - after Switzerland abruptly halted talks in May.

EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič met with Swiss federal foreign minister Ignazio Cassis in Brussels to restart negotiations - after Switzerland abruptly halted talks in May.