European Union

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday (5 June) the European Union should end damaging sanctions against Moscow imposed over the Ukraine crisis and its annexation of Crimea.

Azerbaijan’s strategic yet precarious geopolitical location and situation are such that the country deserves EU support, especially in light of growing tensions with Russia and Iran, writes Jan Zahradil MEP.

Mexico will import more pork products from Europe after imposing a 20% tariff on US pork legs and shoulders in retaliation to steel tariffs, Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Tuesday.

Same-sex partners of EU citizens have the right to live in any member state whatever their nationality, even in countries that do not recognise gay marriage, the bloc's top court ruled Tuesday (5 June).

ICAO's proposed offsetting scheme for aviation emissions, known as CORSIA, will cover a mere 6% of projected CO2 emissions accumulated to 2050, writes Bill Hemmings, saying CORSIA fails the Paris Agreement test miserably.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned of the risk of "conflict" in the standoff with Iran after Tehran announced plans to boost its uranium enrichment capacity as Europe scrambles to save a beleaguered nuclear deal.

Isolated among the Gulf States for the past year, Qatar has paradoxically managed to steer a successful course through the economic conflict waged against it, by turning to Europe. EURACTIV.fr reports.

Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov met yesterday (5 June) with some 30 journalists in Brussels to promote this summer's FIFA World Cup in Russia, using the opportunity to deliver several messages to the EU and its leaders.

Unlocking far greater energy efficiency investment is the real test for whether InvestEU, and the wider EU budget, can deliver on clean growth and climate targets, write Pedro Guertler and Tom Jess.

With an eye on Italy and Spain and the possible political and financial turmoil there, the European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker called once again on Tuesday (5 June) for a fast and deep reform of the Economic and Monetary Union.

Construction site machinery is responsible for a significant amount of air, noise, and climate pollution yet remains remarkably unregulated. The ongoing recast of the EU Clean Vehicles Directive offers a golden opportunity to address this, writes Mark Preston.

When consumers make decisions in the marketplace, they are voting with their wallets, writes Yaël Ossowski.  

Migration is here to stay. Acknowledging voting rights and political participation of migrants are necessary aspects of a democratic society, writes Yves Leterme.  

The European Parliament and the Council will soon negotiate a revision of the Dublin regulation, concerning the EU's asylum system. This is an opportunity for the EU to develop a more humane system based on objective criteria, and for every member state to take its share of responsibility, writes Cornelia Ernst.

During their meeting in Brussels, President Tusk and Prime Minister Solberg discussed bilateral relations, co-operation in the field of security and defence, as well as further involvements in tackling environmental issues.

The EU's director-general for budget, Nadia Calviño, was picked on Tuesday (5 June) for the post of the economy minister by the new Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, signalling the Socialist government’s readiness to meet the EU’s fiscal commitments in times of market instability.

EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová stood by the EU's principles that freedom of speech was not absolute at a panel discussion held in Brussels, saying that attempts to regulate hate speech were justified but her comments prompted a fierce debate. 

On 4-5 June, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Cyprus for a two-days working visit. During the visit, Mr Domecq met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, and the Minister of Defence, Mr. Savvas Angelides, for discussions on EU defence initiatives as well as Cyprus’ current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes. Minister Angelides announced during the visit that Cyprus would participate in the Agency’s Military Search Capability Building project in the domain of Countering-Improvised Explosive Devices. 

During the meeting with the Minister of Defence, discussions included the general state of play regarding the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence including the revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund, with focus of the discussions on EDA's role.

Minister Angelides and Chief Executive Domecq also exchanged views on EU-NATO cooperation as well as regional and broader priorities on security and defence. Chief Executive Domecq highlighted, “EDA supports all Member States, irrespective of their size, in order to develop the capabilities they need now and in the future. I very much welcome Cyprus’ active involvement in EDA projects; and I want to reiterate that EDA is there to support and to contribute to an enhanced security environment for Cypriot citizens.”

At a joint press point, Minister Angelides emphasised the close cooperation between Cyprus and EDA. He said, “We strongly believe that the European Defence Agency is a trusted European facilitator in the domain of the development of military capabilities and a powerful locus for cooperation between the Member States in this crucial sector. EDA has so far managed to illustrate its pivotal role in the European defence cooperation while its achievements constitute a solid proof of its outstanding efforts. Cyprus appreciates the role of the EDA and is actively engaged for supporting the Agency in accomplishing its mission.”

Chief Executive Domecq and Minister Angelides also discussed Cyprus’ involvement in ongoing EDA projects with focus on cyber defence, C-IEDs, energy and environment, protection of critical infrastructure and satellite communications as well as projects in the maritime domain where Cyrpus takes a proactive role.

During his visit, Mr Domecq also had the occasion to meet with other high-level officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence as well as representatives of Cypriot academia and research centers.

The leader of Italy's new populist government vowed on Tuesday (5 June) to redistribute migrants in the EU and review EU sanctions against Russia, in his first policy speech to lawmakers since being sworn in.

The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel always publishes on Mondays and it recently made headlines worldwide because of its series of covers ridiculing Donald Trump. This week, it made headlines again, but in a very controversial way.