European Union

France will push for motion on migration when it hosts the European Union presidency from January, president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, Reuters reports. "We should take a number of actions: stop the institution of lasting camps, act to dismantle the smuggling networks, and strengthen work with the international locations of origin to stop these flows," he said, adding "I'll carry reforms under the French presidency of the EU."

Slovenian interior minister Aleš Hojs, whose country chairs the EU presidency said the EU should seal its borders to prevent people coming to claim asylum in line with their international rights. "I believe external borders must be secured, even with fences if necessary ... There is no more 'Refugees Welcome'," he said at a conference in Sarajevo Thursday. He also said movements of "illegal" migrants were "destabilising the European Union".

In South-East Europe, China’s economic presence is noticeably the biggest in Serbia, either in loans or direct investments, Belgrade University Professor of Economics , Ivan Vujačić, said on Thursday (18 November). Speaking at the conference titled ‘China in South-East Europe:...

The Slovenian government has decided to put forward Tanja Frank Eler and Matej Oštir as the country’s two prosecutors delegated to the European Public Prosecutors’ Office (EPPO). However, their appointment is “temporary”, in force until the national appointment procedure is...

Croatian border police are ready to take appropriate measures to secure the border on the Western Balkans route if necessary. Still, there are no indications this could happen as migrant numbers have decreased, Zoran Ničeno of the interior ministry told...

In an exclusive interview, Ilian Vassilev, a former Bulgarian ambassador to Russia who became an entrepreneur and analyst, discussed the stakes around Nord Stream 2 pipeline and provided useful insights at a time when the European Commission should certify the controversial gas project.

Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) wants to reopen discussions on some chapters of the country’s recovery plan adopted last month. However, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed that exceptional circumstances are needed for member states to request that parts of their...

The Greek government reacted strongly after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to enhance their countries’ collaboration in the defence industry.

Spain seeks to maintain carbon in soils destined for agriculture in its strategy against climate change with the support of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). However, producers demand more funds to compensate for their efforts.

China has verbally attacked Lithuania for opening a 'Taiwan Representation Office' in Vilnius, breaking with a convention in which Taiwan's de facto embassies called themselves 'Taipei' offices instead as a euphemism. "We demand that the Lithuanian side immediately correct its wrong decision," the Chinese foreign ministry said calling Lithuania's move an "extremely egregious act" and saying Taiwan's aspirations to be recognised as an independent sate were "doomed to fail".

NGOs on Thursday slammed the new transparency policy of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for not following recommendations from the EU ombudsman on disclosing information of the projects it finances. The EIB is not obliged to publish the projects it selects for funding, the role of financial intermediaries like commercial banks and investment funds, the criteria of selection or the environmental impact of such projects.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the West is "escalating" the Ukraine conflict by holding drills in the Black Sea, AFP writes. His comments come as the US accuses Moscow of a troop build-up near Ukraine. "(Our) Western partners are escalating the situation by supplying Kyiv with lethal modern weapons and conducting provocative manoeuvres in the Black Sea," Putin said, claiming that Western bombers are flying "20km from our border."

Doctors without Borders' (MSF) rescue boat - GeoBarents - is seeking to disembark 186 people it has rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. The NGO had also recovered 10 corpses earlier this week from a boat with 99 survivors. "Some had to identify the dead bodies of family members or friends who perished in front of their eyes," said MSF.

The European Commission's chief spokesperson Eric Mamer said there would be no negotiations with the Belarus regime, noting that its foreseen "technical talks" announced on Wednesday will deal purely with repatriations of trapped migrants and asylum seekers. Those talks will be held between Belarus and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration. "There is no question of negotiating with the Lukashenko regime," said Mamer.

The Polish army detained hundreds of migrants who crossed the Belarus border, and accused Belarusian special forces of masterminding the operation, France24 writes. Around 2,000 people, mainly from the Middle East, are estimated to be living rough near the Polish-Belarus border, in dire conditions. G7 foreign ministers on Thursday urged Minsk to end the migrant crisis: "We call on the regime to cease immediately its aggressive and exploitative campaign."

Almost 200 MEPs want to use remote voting rather than attend next week's session in Strasbourg, due to Covid-19 worries. The parliament's senior administrator has instructed staff to follow Belgian four-day home working rules - as has the European Commission.

The European Commission should give greater legal clarity on what terrorism actually means in EU criminal law - to prevent abuses of fundamental rights and discrimination against specific groups, an EU agency has warned.

France must reinforce cooperation with Britain on the thorny question of migrant Channel crossings, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday (18 November), accusing London of "oscillating between partnership and provocation".

The EU Commission also decided to extend - for another six months - the relaxation of state-aid rules to help member states cope with the economic fallout from the Covid- pandemic.

Why no price-aggregating website for international trains in Europe? Why is it almost impossible to buy a single ticket for a cross-border train? It's easier to go by plane - and governments are making sure it stays that way.