European Union

A vaccine against Covid-19 may be available before the end of the year, said European Commissioner for health Stella Kyriakides. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt on Sunday. "Although making predictions is risky at this point, we have good indications that the first vaccine will be available toward the end of this year or beginning of next year," she is quoted as having said.

Images of bloody injuries after police attacked protesters with batons and stun grenades marked Belarus' latest sham election, posing questions on EU sanctions.

With more and more trade moving to the digital realm, Europe can ill-afford to cut itself off. Meanwhile, China continues to advance a vision for an internet that is fractured along national boundaries and controlled by governments.

The UK is scrambling to prevent migrant boat crossings but is facing legal obstacles in a move that seeks to offshore the issue onto France.

After 9 August Belarus will have a totally illegitimate president, and the West must be prepared for the perspective of the illegitimate Lukashenko, writes Andrius Kubilius.

Belarus police fired water cannons, tear gas and stun grenades in a crackdown on protests that erupted on Sunday (9 August) as President Alexander Lukashenko was set to claim another election win in the face of the biggest challenge in years to his grip on power.

The Afghan government agreed on Sunday (9 August) to release 400 “hard-core” Taliban prisoners, paving the way for peace talks aimed at ending almost two decades of war.

World leaders on Sunday (9 August) pledged more than €250 million for disaster-struck Lebanon, conference host France said, with the emergency aid to be delivered "directly" to a population reeling from the deadly port blast in Beirut.

Turkey's resumed search for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean is "extremely worrying", the EU said Sunday (9 August) after Greece and Egypt set up an exclusive economic zone in the region.

Britain's armed forces have been asked to help deal with boats carrying migrants across the Channel from France, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday (8 August) after a spate of arrivals on the southern English coast.

Italy has asked the European Union to tap its SURE unemployment scheme for €28.5 billion after extending furlough support to help the economy withstand the hit from the COVID-19 crisis.

The European Commission on Friday (7 August) urged member states to allow EU entry for unmarried partners of European citizens and residents by exempting them from travel restrictions targeting some countries.

Along other world leaders, President Michel delivered a speech at a virtual donor conference to secure international aid for Lebanon in the aftermath of the explosions that hit Beirut on 4 August

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, travelled to Beirut on 8 August 2020 to convey EU solidarity to the people of Lebanon after the devastating explosions on 4 August.

EU states have voiced fear of violence during Belarus elections on Sunday (9 August), as president Aleksander Lukashenko seeks to enter his third decade in power.

Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted.

The EU extends its solidarity to all indigenous peoples around the world at a time when their health, lives and livelihoods are endangered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weekly schedule of President Charles Michel 8-14 August 2020

France, Germany and Poland on Friday (7 August) called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to ensure a "free and fair" election in the former Soviet republic Sunday as fears of irregularities mounted.

President of the European Council Charles Michel will head to Beirut on Saturday (8 August), ahead of a major donors conference to raise funds for the blast-damaged Lebanese capital Beirut.