European Union

One of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's family-linked firms is suing EUobserver, as well as the EU Council, after being blacklisted.

The European Commission announced that some new and renovated buildings in the EU will need to be equipped with charging points for electric cars - as part of new efforts aimed at reducing the sector's emissions.

The EU has unveiled plans to phase-out natural gas and repurpose natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted 488 detained journalists in 2021, an increase of 20% compared to 2020, according to its annual round-up on abuses against journalists worldwide, published on Thursday (16 December).

EU leaders gather in Brussels to discuss the Omicron variant, rising energy prices, migration, and agree a stern warning to Russia.

The strong advocacy of Central and Eastern European capitals for including fossil gas and nuclear power in the EU's green taxonomy only leads to another unsustainable energy lock-in for the region, leaving their grid exposed to third-country coercion.

A new, short constitution is needed, and it should stipulate that a prime minister should serve no more than two terms, Márki-Zay Péter, the independent mayor running as the joint opposition candidate Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in next year’s elections...

“The European Commission considers that there is a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland”, said EU Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas during a debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Polish...

Taiwan will deepen economic ties with Lithuania in a "cycle of goodwill" as it faces pressure from Beijing, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday (15 December), after Lithuania's diplomatic delegation hastily departed China.

The president of Portugal has signed the extension of parental mourning from five to 20 consecutive days, ending a legislative process initiated by a petition that had generated a broad consensus among the parties. Approved by parliament in a final...

Spain on Wednesday began a new vaccination campaign against COVID-19 targeting children aged 5-11, in a significant logistical effort to prevent infection. The aim is not just to increase individual coverage but to protect the elderly during Christmas. Nearly 3.3...

A number of police officers will be temporarily transferred to Stockholm – a region heavily exposed to serious gang crime – to assist with ongoing investigations and operational work, the police wrote in a press release. Compared to the transfer...

Russia wants “international legal security guarantees” that rule out “NATO’s further movement eastward”, said President Vladimir Putin in a statement released by the Kremlin. The statement stressed “the importance of immediately starting talks with the United States and NATO”. Russia’s...

The introduction of additional post-Brexit checks on goods entering the UK from Ireland has been postponed, UK Brexit Minister David Frost said on Wednesday. The grace period in place has been extended beyond its planned 1 January end date to...

As tensions between Ukraine and Russia are at their highest in years, EU leaders and their Eastern Partnership counterparts met on Wednesday (15 December) for a summit aimed to reaffirm the strategic importance of the region. The EU summit with...

The government has been urged to relax its visa requirements for EU workers to allow the social care sector to overcome a potentially crippling labour shortage. The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) said the sector was facing “severe and increasing”...

Up to 4,000 citizens might need intensive care treatment over the holiday season, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal told the press on Wednesday. As the number of COVID-19 cases increases and the Omicron variant spreads, 2,800 patients are currently being treated...

North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski said that the Open Balkan initiative could not succeed without the participation of all six Western Balkan countries. The next meeting between Tirana, Skopje, and Belgrade will be held in Albania later this month. The...

Michal Wiezik recently left the European People’s Party (EPP) to join the Renew Europe group. In an interview for EURACTIV Slovakia, Wiezik expressed his dissatisfaction with the EPP’s position on environmental topics. “They are leaning towards the right-wing worldview, and...

A Berlin court has ruled that a 2019 assassination of a Georgian citizen in Berlin was ordered by Russia, resulting in two employees of the Russian embassy being declared “persona non grata.” “This murder by order of the state …...