European Union

The US would "welcome" Finland and Sweden into Nato if they sought to join, US ambassador to Nato Julianne Smith said Tuesday. Other Nato allies would "be generally enthusiastic", she said. "If they apply, I expect that 30 allies will welcome them," Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said. Finnish and Swedish foreign ministers will take part in a Nato meeting Wednesday amid renewed national debates on joining up.

The EU Commission will launch the so-called conditionality mechanism against Hungary which links EU funds to the respect of rule of law, commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday in the European Parliament. The commission has been under pressure to trigger the mechanism over concerns of fraud and corruption of EU funds and worries over democratic backsliding. The commission will now send a letter to the Hungarian authorities.

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola announced on Tuesday she will impose a fine against Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki from the group of the European Conservatives and Reformists over the Nazi salute incident that took place in mid-February. Dzhambazki will lose his entitlement to the daily subsistence allowance for a period of six days, equivalent to some €2,000.

More than 100 Russian-speaking men were involved in a military operation in March in Moura, Mali, in which some 300 civilian men were executed, according to a Human Rights Watch report out Tuesday. The Russians were suspected mercenaries from the Kremlin-linked Wagner group, it added. The EU stopped training Malian soldiers in late March for fear they would fall under Wagner's command. Germany urged Mali to investigate the Moura killings.

Russian nationals in Germany faced 308 attacks, including 15 violent ones, since the end of February, German interior minister Nancy Fraser said in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper Tuesday. Ukrainian nationals faced 109 attacks, including 13 violent ones. Most involved property damage and verbal threats. "This is [Russian president Vladimir] Putin's criminal war. It is not the war of people with Russian roots who live here in Germany," Fraser said.

The chief recommendation in the IPCC report on climate breakdown is the most difficult to implement – reducing demand. Essentially, this means calling on people to travel less.

As most humanitarian corridors are closed, a European non-profit health organisation is giving online training to doctors in Ukraine to help them face the wave of casualties from the conflict.

Putin’s blunder in Ukraine was that he compressed steps that normally take one full year into a mere 24 hours, and it is not clear what prompted him to behave in such an unusual manner, writes Evgenii Dainov.

From heating to transport, energy is essential to everyday life, but also a major source of emissions. Read about EU solutions to decarbonise the sector.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

From heating to transport, energy is essential to everyday life, but also a major source of emissions. Read about EU solutions to decarbonise the sector.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

As EU institutions are moving to regulate the crypto industry, European lawmakers have been subjected to unprecedented levels of online harassment. Two female members of the EU Parliament have been especially targeted by the predominantly male advocates of cryptocurrencies.

Meaningful investigations into January's unrest and genuine follow up on announced reforms will be crucial for Kazakhstan, EU representatives, and academics agreed at a recent EURACTIV event, though scholars remain sceptical about the authorities' resolve.

A set of sweeping new sanctions against Russia, including banning imports of coal, was proposed by the European Commission on Tuesday (5 April) in a first attempt at curbing Moscow’s energy exports. The proposal will be considered by EU member...

Parliament approved on Tuesday new rules for selecting which energy projects can receive EU funding and aligning the existing regulation with the EU’s Green Deal.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Parliament approved on Tuesday new rules for selecting which energy projects can receive EU funding and aligning the existing regulation with the EU’s Green Deal.
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Following the summit trilogy that put Brussels in the spotlight last week, a key question emerges: why isn’t the European import of Russian rough diamonds hit by any of the trade sanctions adopted by the EU since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, asks Larisa Stanciu.

The priorities for 2023’s EU budget, according to MEPs, should be the economic recovery, health, youth and climate action, and dealing with the impact of the invasion of Ukraine.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The priorities for 2023’s EU budget, according to MEPs, should be the economic recovery, health, youth and climate action, and dealing with the impact of the invasion of Ukraine.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The European Commission is planning to propose a mandatory phase-out on coal imports from Russia, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The coal ban would be added to existing sanctions, and a new package aimed at correcting loopholes. The details and timing will be discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday. The commissIon is not expected to extend the ban to oil or gas for now.

Under new rules adopted on Tuesday, there will be fewer restrictions on the use of hired vans or trucks without drivers from another EU country.
Committee on Transport and Tourism

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP