European Union

While proper respirators made of polyester can remove some 90% of the droplets in the air, the level of protection afforded by fabric face masks lies somewhere between 20% and 40%, according to a new study published on Thursday (14...

 When Chancellor Sebastian Kurz visited a village in the far-west of Austria on Wednesday (13 May), he had been followed by a crowd of villagers, many of whom had failed to respect the mandatory one metre social distance rule between...

Belgium aims to reopen its borders to tourists by 15 June, but this would largely depend on neighbouring countries’ decisions, according to Belgian interior minister Pieter De Crem. In Germany, “the aim is that, if the evolution of the infections...

French President Emmanuel Macron indicated on Thursday (14 May) he plans to meet Sanofi company officials next week to clear the air regarding the controversy surrounding a COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this week, Sanofi’s Chief Executive Officer Paul Hudson had suggested...

Russia on Thursday (14 May) launched a probe into the Financial Times and the New York Times after the newspapers said local authorities could be vastly under-reporting deaths from the coronavirus in the country.

The European Union's foreign policy chief called on China on Thursday (14 May) to contribute significantly to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and said there should be an independent scientific investigation into the origins of the pandemic.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their borders to each other at the stroke of midnight, creating the first "travel bubble" within the European Union in a bid to jump-start economies broken down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Orban’s dictatorship makes MEPs mad, summer holidays would make everyone glad, and resumed Brexit talks are going pretty bad.

As Europe gingerly eases its coronavirus lockdowns, many governments are scrambling to buy antibody tests to find out how many of their citizens were infected, in the hope that will help them craft strategies to avoid a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Governments in Europe and beyond should pay “utmost attention” to avoid a “jobs versus climate” confrontation in the recovery phase from the COVID-19 crisis, said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

More and more migrants are crossing, Europe is closing its ports and no humanitarian ships are carrying out rescues. As the coronavirus pandemic dominates headlines, activists fear the Mediterranean is the scene of an overlooked "tragedy".

Food security is one reason why the EU should give 10 percent more money to farmers after the pandemic, Poland has said.

The UK illegally freed City of London traders from VAT obligations, the EU court ruled Thursday, adding Britain would have to pay the European Commission's legal fees in the case, in bitter pills to swallow for Brexiteers. The UK is still bound by EU laws until a transition period ends in 2021. It is currently waiting to restart talks in earnest on future trade relations after the pandemic calms down.

A coronavirus vaccine could be approved at the earliest next year, not in September, as some European politicians had hoped, the head of the EU's medical certification body, the European Medicines Agency in Amsterdam, said Thursday. "For vaccines, since the development has to start from scratch ... we might look from an optimistic side in a year from now, so beginning of 2021," Marco Cavaleri said, Reuters reports.

For the German budget, the pandemic means greater expenditures and less income. For the first time since the financial crisis, tax revenues are falling but Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) is not thinking about austerity. On the contrary, another economic stimulus package is planned in June to help boost the economy, EURACTIV Germany reports.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's organisations have denounced a lack of progress in the recognition of sexual minorities in the EU ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Sunday (17 May). 

An EU institution known as the EESC has been given until the autumn to initiate a series of reforms to protect victims of harassment and whistleblowers, including against threats, blackmail and bribery attempts.

MEPs are ready to veto the long-term EU budget if they are not included in drawing up and implementing economic recovery efforts to be shortly tabled by the commission.

The European Commission suspended future deliveries of masks for member states - after some countries reported that the masks did not meet EU's standards. Earlier this month, the commission started sending 1.5m masks to 17 EU countries and the UK.

The EU commission vice-president said that as member states relax lockdwon measures, it is time to roll back the state of emergencies that affect democracy and fundamental rights. Hungary said it might end extra powers in June.