European Union

Bulgaria received an unusual price discount from Gazprom in November. Instead of rising by 32%, as the Bulgarian state gas company Bulgargaz predicted, the price of gas was reduced. In November, the Bulgarian gas price is €46.5/MWh, which is almost...

Poland is becoming increasingly isolated. Initially, Warsaw bet on Trump, but now it is Biden leading the US. It antagonised EU institutions and member states at a time when Visegrad’s cohesion was weakening. The PiS government has been digging a...

The EU should press for the final declaration of the climate summit in Scotland to decry the "ambition gap" between national pledges on CO2 emissions-cuts and hopes of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Centigrade, according to a document by Germany's delegation to the 'COP26' event seen by Reuters. "There has hardly been any progress on the 17 points of negotiation over financial topics [aid for poor countries]," it added.

Albanian defence minister Niko Peleshi admitted that the state was not ready or prepared for this summer’s wildfire season that killed two people and devastated thousands of hectares of countryside, orchards, and crops. During a law commission hearing on Monday,...

Kosovo’s political parties have been trading blame over the lack of an invitation to the US-led Summit of Democracy scheduled for December. Last week, a list of more than 100 countries invited to the summit was published. The summit, scheduled...

Hunger has been rising globally since 2014, the risk of famine in some countries is real and malnutrition rates are still very high. Having been a world leader on nutrition through its last seven-year budget, the EU needs to take up its responsibility again, argue a group of advocates.

Talat Xhaferi, Speaker of the Sobranje (parliament), scheduled a vote of no-confidence of the government of former Prime Minister Zoran Zaev for 11 November at 11 am. Aleksandar Nikoloski, the Vice President of VMRO-DPMNE, said that 61 out of 120...

New European rules for big tech companies could become an international "game-changer for the online world", Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told MEPs.

New European rules for big tech companies could become an international "game-changer for the online world", Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told MEPs.

Turkish Airlines and FlyDubai could be blacklisted by the EU for flying migrants to Belarus after an attack on the Polish border blew up into an international incident.

The Serbian government has given a new ordinance to make COVID passes compulsory from 8 pm in all hospitality businesses and gambling establishments. The ordinance enforced on Monday (8 November) prescribes that after 8 pm, the users of those establishments...

The Croatian Sovereigntists, a right-wing party, reported on Monday (8 November) that they had collected more than 300,000 signatures for a petition for a referendum on maintaining the kuna as Croatia’s sole legal tender. Though the party could not give...

The COP26 climate conference is a crucial step for the future of our planet and younger generations, Slovenian Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said at Monday's press conference in Glasgow, UK. "It is time we act responsibly and move up from good intentions to concrete actions," he added.

Six human-rights activists, including a French and US citizen, working in the West Bank had their phones hacked using military-grade spyware made by Israel's NSO Group, according to a study by Front Line Defenders, a Dublin-based NGO. Three of the activists worked for NGOs which had received EU funding. Hungary's government, last week, admitted to having used the same spyware, but said it did not use it against its citizens.

The Slovenian Press Agency (STA) has been saved from collapse after press-bashing prime minister Janez Janša's government agreed to new funding which will "enable normal financing and thus the STA's activities this year, while we will also have something left for next year," STA acting director Igor Kadunc said Monday. EU values commissioner Věra Jourová had urged Janša in September not "to put ... pressure on media".

Widespread use of Titanium Oxide (TiO2) in anti-corona face-masks did not pose a cancer threat despite the chemical's known health risks, which were highlighted in a study by Belgian health body Sciensano in October, the EU Commission told Reuters on Monday. "It cannot be concluded that 'FFP' face masks or surgical masks, which may contain TiO2, may pose a risk to health," a commission spokesperson said.

Poland violated the rights of two judges whose job applications were blocked by a government-controlled panel, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg ruled Monday. Poland's 'Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court' was "not a 'tribunal established by law'," the ECHR said, awarding the judges €15,000 each in compensation. The Polish government attacked the "bizarre" verdict, amid wider EU concerns on judicial independence.

The US expected a surge in international visitors on Monday, as foreigners who had been barred for nearly 20 months were allowed to enter. The US lifted a ban on travellers from 33 countries who can prove they are fully-vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the US or the World Health Organization. It is the first time since March 2020 that direct entry has been possible for non-essential travellers.

Germany's Covid-19 infection rate has risen to 201 per 100,000 - its highest level since the start of the pandemic, new data revealed Monday. The three political parties working to agree a coalition government by early December are expected to present proposals to combat a fourth wave. Plans include reintroducing free tests. Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder called for more decisive action in view of the new peak.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on Monday that Poland’s Supreme Court’s Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs Chamber is not an independent court. The case is related to the judicial reform pushed by the ruling Law and...