European Union

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, are in Turkey on Tuesday, meeting president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara to discuss relations - which have been strained over the past year. The EU has taken a cautious approach towards Turkey over disputes dealing with energy exploration, migration, and aggressive behaviour towards Greece and Cyprus.

Preliminary results from the parliamentary election on Sunday suggest Bulgaria's incumbent prime minister Boyko Borissov will come out with a win but a weaker public mandate. His centre-right GERB party led with 26 percent of the vote, losing ground to parties on the back of corruption allegations. The populist party There is Such a People (ITN) came in second with 17.9 percent, followed by the Socialists on 15 percent.

The Saudi hajj and umrah ministry announced that three categories of people would be considered "immunised": those who have received two doses of the vaccine; those administered a single dose in the past 14 days; and people who have recovered from the virus, The Guardian writes. Unlike hajj, the shorter umrah pilgrimage is non-compulsory and can be performed at any time of year.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's centre-right party came first in the weekend's parliamentary elections, partial results showed Monday (5 April), but with protest parties surging it has no clear partner to form a governing coalition.

French energy firm Total has justified ongoing operations in Myanmar despite its massacre of civilians, by saying a shutdown would lead to forced labour or electricity blackouts. "Can we halt production of this gas that supplies electricity to a large population ... adding to their suffering?", Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said Sunday. He was "appalled by the repressive action", Pouyanne added, after opposition leaders urged Total to pull the plug.

Finnish foreign minister and EU special envoy Pekka Haavisto has embarked on a second trip to Addis Ababa to appeal for humanitarian access to Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region and to urge that "Eritrean forces shall withdraw from Tigray". He will also visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, amid concern on regional instability. Ethiopia was fighting a "difficult and tiresome" guerrilla war in Tigray, its prime minister said Sunday.

Greece has accused a Turkish coastguard vessel of twice crashing into a Greek port-authority boat in a recent incident and other Turkish ships of pushing migrant dinghies toward Greece. The reports come amid EU efforts to reset relations with Turkey, including new funds for refugees. "Everyone in the region, including the United States, are interested in stability and peace, the only troublemaker is Turkey," Greek military chief Konstantinos Floros said.

Russia has suddenly started preparing for a full-scale war in Ukraine, but what does it really want?

The EU failed to reach its target of having at least 80 percent of the elderly and healthcare workers vaccinated by the end of March. According to estimates, 55 percent will be vaccinated by the end of June.

A family law bill currently under talks in Greece was drafted by an international men's movement, says Giota Massouridou, vice-president of the European Democratic Lawyers Association. Critics say the bill rolls backs international treaties to protect women against domestic violence.

According to the latest opinion polls, Matteo Salvini's League party is leading with 24 percent, followed by Brothers of Italy at 18 percent.

Iceland's international reputation masks two blunt realities that face the country's women - the disproportionate levels of gender-based violence that they experience, and a justice system that is frequently suspicious and hostile towards victims of this violence.

The United States will on Tuesday (6 April) join talks in Austria's capital Vienna aimed at salvaging an international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, which Washington withdrew from in 2018.

The European Union's top two officials will pay a rare visit on Tuesday (6 April) to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan aimed at testing his avowed commitment to improve uneasy ties.

Jens-Peter Bonde, one of the longest serving MEPs in the European Parliament, lost his battle against cancer on Sunday (4 April) in his hometown of Copenhagen. He was elected member of the European Parliament in the first direct elections in 1979. He was re-elected six times consecutively and was a member of the conference of presidents for 17 years. Bonde is the husband of Lisbeth Kirk, the founder of EUobserver.

European Council President Charles Michel offered support to Libya Sunday (4 April) on a visit to Tripoli, as the North African nation seeks to end a decade of chaos following a NATO-backed 2011 revolt.

Kosovo's parliament has appointed a 38-year-old US-educated female law professor and candidate of the ruling Vetevendosje party as the country's new president, following an election in February.

During his visit to Libya, President Charles Michel held a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Najla.

Weekly schedule of President Charles Michel 4-11 April 2021

Consumers will be at the centre of EU efforts to create a more integrated energy system, with local authorities playing an essential role to bring energy users closer to suppliers in a bid to maximise efficiency and cut greenhouse gas...