European Union

The opening of Cluster Four in the membership negotiations with the EU is a great recognition for Serbia, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić stated in Brussels Wednesday, adding that around €10 billion would be needed for Serbia to harmonise with the...

The head of Lithuania's state-run railways, Mantas Bartuska, agreed on Tuesday (14 December) to step down to "de-escalate" public outcry over the transport of potash from sanctions-hit Belarus, but the company said it could not stop facilitating it for now.

Slovenian police launched an investigation into the verification of rapid antigen tests purchased by the state last year, following claims by a whistleblower that the tests were not up to standard when they were submitted for verification. Twelve searches were...

After two years of the pandemic, it is necessary to consider whether the basic [EU] treaties should be changed. “This will be the core of the French presidency of the EU”, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, speaking about challenges in 2022....

The European Commission and its Representation office in Romania have launched a communication campaign on vaccination in one of the countries with the lowest vaccination rates in the EU. The campaign launched on Tuesday (14 December) and consists of a...

The EU Commission wants to reduce internal border checks by shoring up joint-police patrols against irregular migrants making secondary movements.

Only days after its adoption, the Serbian government abolished a decree that would have prevented independent research in numerous areas, thereby calling academic freedoms into question and violating the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said Tuesday in a phone call with the Finish president Sauli Niinsto that he wants "immediate" talks with the US and Nato over security guarantees, as tensions soar between Moscow and the West over Ukraine, AFP writes. The US and its allies have for weeks accused Russia of planning an invasion of its neighbour, warning of a massive coordinated sanctions response should Putin launch an attack.

Germany's opposition conservatives announced on Tuesday their plans to file a complaint with the country's Constitutional Court to review the supplementary budget for climate expenditure announced by the new government, Reuters reported. This week, the cabinet of chancellor Olaf Scholz passed a complementary fund to boost climate spending with a debt-financed injection of €60bn. "This is highly questionable. We will have it constitutionally reviewed," CDU leader Ralph Brinkhaus said.

The dangers of Europe's people-smuggling underworld came to light in Hungary on Tuesday when a car, smuggling 10 migrants near the Hungarian-Serbian border, crashed, killing seven of those inside and injuring others. The accident happened after the driver sped away to avoid a police roadblock, overturned, and hit a house, Hungarian news agency MTI reported. Hungary stopped 2,419 people trying to cross its borders last week, police data said.

Russia's prosecutor general's office has requested the shutdown of the renowned international human rights organisation, Memorial, which seeks to secure the rights of political prisoners and publicises historic repression in Russia, Deutsche Welle reports. The group was founded in 1989 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, and won the European Parliament Sakharov Prize in 2009. Russian president Vladimir Putin said the group provided support to terrorists and extremists.

A Belarus court on Tuesday jailed government critic Siarhei Tsikhanouski for 18 years, state news agency Belta reported. Tsikhanouski's wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a political novice at the time of his arrest, replaced him as presidential election candidate and claims to be the rightful winner of the August 2020 vote. Protests to support her claim went on for months. She tweeted: "The dictator publicly takes revenge on his strongest opponents."

The court said it does not mean that all EU countries must recognise same-sex couples in national law, but that the children's right to free movement should not be hindered.

Three key European powers said on Tuesday (14 December) "we are rapidly reaching the end of the road" to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, as Tehran accused Western powers of engaging in a "blame game."

Current low gas-storage levels and lack of guarantees for further supply, means the new Dutch government cannot guarantee gas for businesses over the winter, experts warn.

Bosnia should be free of international supervision, Russia says, despite concern about Bosnian Serb plans to break up the country.

MEPs in the internal market committee reached a common position over the landmark Digital Service Act – new rules requiring companies like Google and Facebook to remove illegal content quicker and be more transparent about their controversial recommendation algorithms.

Clubs, associations and social networks help to give meaning not just to life, but to the entire democratic system. Be they dinner groups, voluntary fire brigades, citizens' councils, environmental NGOs, neighbourhood committees coaching refugees, and yes, why not, breastfeeding-support groups.

Let there be no doubt: a possible secession of Republika Srpska is the deathblow to the Dayton accords and to peace and stability in the region. The spill-over of such a disaster scenario for the EU is hard to foresee.

The agency responsible for safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom has opened legal proceedings against the UK government over the status of 2.5 million EU citizens given temporary residency rights in the UK.