European Union

The European Union is expected to soon raise its renewable energy target for 2030, and France, which has already largely missed its 2020 goal, could have difficulties in meeting the new objective. EURACTIV France reports.

The EU and its leading powers voiced strident criticism of China at a G7 meeting in London on Wednesday, even as Hungary, once again, tried to gag the bloc in Brussels.

Last month, European lawmakers proclaimed the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programmes as the largest ever amount of EU funding dedicated to promoting the bloc's values such as democracy and fundamental rights.

The word "gender" was removed from a draft of the Porto Declaration being prepared for Saturday's informal summit of EU leaders on social issues, a source told EUobserver. The declaration will be finalised by EU ambassadors Thursday. But in the latest draft on leaders' commitments, the formulation "to promote gender equality and fairness for every individual" was changed to "equality and fairness for all individuals" on Hungary and Poland's insistence.

Italy will allow tourists to enter quarantine-free as early as this month, prime minister Mario Draghi announced, according to The Guardian. Visitors who have had an EU-approved Covid-19 vaccine, recovered from the disease, or tested negative 48 hours prior to travelling, will be allowed entry without restrictions. "From mid-May tourists can have the Italian pass … so the time has come to book your holidays to Italy," added Draghi.

Germany proposed on Wednesday increasing its emissions-reduction target from 55 percent, to 65 percent, below 1990 levels by 2030, AFP reported. The proposal also foresees a 88-percent emission-cut by 2040, paving the way to reach climate neutrality by 2045, five years earlier than the previous target of 2050. In April, a court said previous targets "irreversibly pushed a very high burden of emissions reduction into the period after 2030".

French fishers are threatening to blockade ports in the Channel Islands, in an escalation of a post-Brexit row in which the French maritime minister has backed calls to cut off Jersey's electricity supply, The Guardian reports. France has accused the UK of breaching the terms of the Brexit deal new licensing system, which kicked in on 30 April, by restricting French fishing boats in Jersey's waters.

Jihadi rebels kidnapped French journalist Olivier Dubois in early April while he was working in Mali's northern city of Gao, Reporters Without Borders chief Christophe Deloire has announced. A video released Wednesday shows Dubois saying he was kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked group JNIM, AP reported. Dubois usually works for LePoint Afrique. The French foreign ministry confirmed his disappearance, saying they are in touch with his family and Malian authorities.

An independent oversight board for Facebook decided to uphold a ban on former US president Donald Trump. But it was also critical of the severity of the ban, noting that it needs to "justify a proportionate response". "We are telling Facebook to go back and be more transparent about how it assesses these things. Treat all users the same and don't give arbitrary penalties," said co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Madrid conservative leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso has become a political phenomenon mainly because of her success in keeping Madrid open during the worst moments of the pandemic. However, critics accuse her of neglecting health services - while only protecting businesses.

Madrid conservative leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso has become a political phenomenon mainly because of her success in keeping Madrid open during the worst moments of the pandemic. However, critics accuse her of neglecting health services - while only protecting businesses.

As the EU wants to assert its "strategic autonomy" from China and the US, the EU Commission has put forward proposals on how to tackle foreign subsidies that harm fair competition within the bloc.

The UAE's international reputation is steadily being shredded by its own leadership, in moves so blatant that no amount of sporting spin can hide them. Like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, China will also discover that sportswashing never works.

The Conference on the Future of Europe must concretely involve our local communities, regions, cities and villages. This is key to avoid a top-down exercise that would only feed the demagogic and anti-European false narrative of populists and eurosceptics.

Kazakhstan continues to rejuvenate its public administration in a drive to keep talented youth at home and achieve two major goals: modernising the Central Asian country and avoiding brain drain.

Multilateralism, as we in China understand it, is about seeking consensus through consultation and manage common affairs through cooperation for shared benefits and win-win results. In this sense, China and Europe share a common interest in upholding multilateralism. Fu Ying...

Fourteen EU countries, including Germany and France, have proposed a rapid military response force that could intervene early in international crises, a senior EU official said on Wednesday, two decades after a previous attempt. The countries say the EU should...

The European Parliament supports an EU COVID-19 certificate that would allow travel within Europe without additional restrictions or discrimination.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The European Parliament supports an EU COVID-19 certificate that would allow travel within Europe without additional restrictions or discrimination.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The EU is helping to boost Europe's digital capacities and create new opportunities for businesses and consumers while safeguarding basic rights.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP