European Union

French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France and Germany would act in a coordinated way and that both countries wanted a de-escalation of tensions and respect for sovereignty, Ekathimerini writes. During a joint press conference with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Fort de Bregançon in southern France, he also said that Europe must protect its members' sovereignty in the eastern Mediterranean when it was cast into doubt.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has put Belgium in its entirety in dark orange, after it surpassed 60 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. So far, only Flanders and Brussels were coloured orange. Now the region of Wallonia is joining. Belgium has the fifth highest number of infections in the EU after Spain, Malta, Luxembourg, and Romania.

The European Commission and German biotech firm CureVac said on Thursday they had concluded a first round of talks for the supply of at least 225m doses of a potential Covid-19 vaccine to EU states, Reuters reports. The commission agreed last week on a purchase deal with AstraZeneca for at least 300m doses of the vaccine it is developing with Oxford University.

A German NGO is sending an air-ambulance with a coma-specialist team to pick up Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, Deutsche Welle reports. Navalny fell ill after drinking tea on a domestic flight, raising suspicion of poisoning. However, the doctors of the Siberian hospital say he is too ill to fly. French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday they were ready to offer asylum and medical assistance.

Allies of stricken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny accused the Kremlin of thwarting his medical evacuation to Germany on Friday (21 August), saying the decision placed his life in mortal danger because the Siberian hospital treating him was under-equipped.

The United States formally began the process Thursday (20 August) of activating a controversial mechanism aimed at reimposing sanctions on Iran, a move that was immediately rejected by European allies fighting to save the Iranian nuclear deal.

A prestigious non-partisan US institute gave a generally positive assessment of the recent electoral reforms in Georgia, a country in the EU's neighbourhoud nourishing hopes to join the Union and NATO.  

Steve Bannon, an architect of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, was arrested on a yacht on Thursday (20 August) and was charged with defrauding donors in a scheme to help build the president’s signature wall along the US-Mexico border.

Key members of the "Fridays for Future" (FFF) movement in Berlin called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Thursday (20 August) to become more involved in the fight against global warming after what was described as a "friendly" meeting. EURACTIV France reports.

An Irish Cabinet minister apologised "unreservedly" on Thursday (20 August) for attending a social event with more than 80 people – reported to have included European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan – which may have breached COVID-19 regulations.

Joe Biden accepted the Democratic Party nomination for the White House on Thursday (20 August), vowing to heal a United States battered by a deadly pandemic and divided by four years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Faced with the rapid rise in disease-spreading tiger mosquitoes, a team of French, German and Swiss scientists have combined forces and knowledge to halt their expansion. EURACTIV France reports.

Despite closing weekly markets during the two-month lockdown, farmers in the French region of Hérault have succeeded in continuing or expanding direct sales to their customers through new channels.

The Greek parliament will discuss and ratify the maritime deals demarcating exclusive economic zones (EEZ) with Egypt and Italy next week, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas has said.

The European Commission and German biotech firm CureVac said on Thursday (20 August) they had concluded a first round of talks for the supply of at least 225 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine to EU states.

The European Union does not recognise the results of Belarus elections and would shortly impose sanctions on those who were involved in electoral fraud and repression of protests, the European Council chief said on Wednesday.

In their declaration after an emergency summit on Wednesday the EU leaders said they do not recognise the results of the Belarus's presidential election and condemn the violence against demonstrators. Some commentators criticise that the EU is playing a cynical game with the Belarusians. Others praise the bloc's diplomatic approach.