Euobserver.com

Europe and the US are seen as imposing rules upon the rest but not following these rules themselves. Europe is insisting on democracy, human rights and the rule of law in third countries — but not several EU member states.

EU energy ministers met for an extraordinary council meeting to discuss a unified European response to the energy crisis — but no decision was reached, with negotiations likely continuing until the end of September.

Authorities in northern Yemen have been accused of 'Talibanisation' by a senior UN refugee agency official — following repressive restrictions on Yemeni female aid workers.

In the European Parliament hearing into espionage against Greek politicians and reporters, the spied-upon journalists recounted their experiences — but the non-answers provided by the Greek government official were embarrassing, confrontative, and institutionally vacant.

EU countries' diplomats and EU officials boycotted a farewell reception for Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, in Brussels on Thursday, the Euractiv news agency reported. Chizhov, who is leaving after 17 years in the post, said he felt "sorrow and a bit of frustration" at the dire state of relations. "But I leave with a clear conscience," he added, despite having defended Russia's brutal war on Ukraine.

Tributes have poured in from Europe for the late British queen Elisabeth II, whose death Thursday marked the end of an era in the UK. "I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen," French president Emmanuel Macron said. She was one of "the most respected personalities worldwide," EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. King Charles III will now take over the symbolic role aged 73.

Taxi drivers from more than 20 European countries staged a protest in Brussels on Thursday, demanding that the EU Commission investigates allegedly improper lobbying by US transport firm Uber. Leaked files recently published by a consortium of investigative journalists showed the firm used access to politicians to bypass local laws and recruited ex-EU commissioner Neelie Kroes to petition the Dutch government on its behalf.

EU energy ministers are set to meet on Friday to discuss the energy crisis. As part of a package of measures, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed a price cap solely on Russian gas imports. Enforcement would likely require unanimous approval from all 27 EU members, but according to the Financial Times, as many as ten countries, including Poland and Greece, oppose the measure, some fearing Russian reprisals.

The EU has complained about Belarus' treatment of one of its diplomats in Minsk, Evelina Schulz, the EU mission's chargée d'affaires, after she was detained by police outside a courtroom Thursday. "This illegal detention of a diplomat is a serious breach of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations ... and undermines their security," an EU spokesman said. Schulz had been observing a trial, which saw young dissidents jailed for years.

Several EU countries have put in place almost permanent internal border controls, circumventing the Schengen Agreement on free movement. The EU Court of Justice declared such controls illegal. Now they are trying to loosen Schengen rules in Brussels negotiations.

One of the vice-presidents of the parliament, Green MEP Heidi Hautala told EUobserver a swift procudre based on the package deal would be "underestimating the parliament, and damaging the reputation of the parliament".

The Greek government has been accused of violating the rule of law, following a wiretapping scandal that has ensnared Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

National capitals' failure to meet EU rules ends up costing €55bn per year, the European Commission warned, adding that there is an investment gap of up to €110bn per year to back up the green transition.

During the election campaign, Sweden has taken a sharp and surprising turn to the right. Keen on seizing power from the ruling Social Democrats, the conservative block has sought the aid of a far-right party, the formerly neo-Nazi Sweden Democrats.

"I cannot reduce the price of energy. I cannot convince the big players to reduce gas prices. Monetary policy is not going to bring down the price of energy," ECB president Christine Lagarde said on Thursday at a press conference following the bank's decision to raise its its key interest rates by 75 basis points.

Green MEPs are pushing to increase the share of renewables in the EU's final energy consumption mix to 56 percent by 2030, at the revised renewable energy directive plenary vote next week.

Poland has joined Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in banning all Russian tourists, even if they received a visa from another EU state, from entering their territories in future. They said on Thursday large numbers of Russian visitors posed a threat because some had "the aim of undermining the security of our countries." It was also morally "unacceptable" Russians should take EU holidays while Ukrainians were being "tortured and murdered".

The European Central Bank has raised interest rates by a historic 0.75 percent in an effort to bring down inflation.

EU commissioner for energy Kadri Simson, currently in New Delhi to enhance cooperation between India and the EU in renewable energy, announced on Thursday that the EU executive is planning the first EU-India offshore wind summit next year. "Offshore wind is one of the key clean technologies that has enormous potential both in the EU and India," she said on Twitter.

Instead of programming structural investments to achieve energy independence and shatter the oligopoly of big energy companies, the EU delayed any kind of statement or intervention that could reveal that the Emperor — the market — has no clothes.