European Union

Turkey's energy ministry has filed a request for new licensing of explorations by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in the Eastern Mediterranean, in particular in the area between southern Turkey and Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. The area in question includes not only parts of the territorial waters of Turkey, but also a significant part of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of the northern, occupied, part of the island.

The European Union has approached Russia for talks on recognising each other's coronavirus vaccination certificates, the EU ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer has said, The Moscow Times reports. "It would be very useful if our certificates with Russia were equivalent ... so we turned to the Health Ministry with a proposal for such discussions," Ederer said at a press conference.

Iran has rebuked Slovenian prime minister and temporary EU presidency-holder Janez Janša for giving a video-speech at an event in Berlin hosted by the NRCI, an Iranian opposition group in exile, on Sunday. It was "against diplomatic norms", Iran's state-owned Iran news-agency said. The event was backed by senior US politicians. The NRCI is hunted by Iran after carrying out attacks on its territory following the Islamic revolution.

Italians poured into streets and squares in massive numbers as the national soccer team beat England to win Euro 2020, celebrating a success widely seen as a rebound from the heartbreak failure of not qualifying for the last World Cup.

Sunday's elections in Bulgaria ended with another inconclusive result, with the centre-right Gerb party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov and the anti-establishment There Is Such a People party both on some 23 percent, according to exit polls. The snap vote was called after failed coalition talks in April, with the Socialists coming in third (13 percent) and the anti-corruption Democratic Bulgaria party fourth (12.8 percent).

Chanting "freedom" and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday (11 July) in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades.

Lithuania has called on the EU to help deter Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko from pushing migrants across its border in record numbers.

Video message by President Charles Michel on the occasion of Srebrenica Memorial Day

The PAS party of pro-Western Moldovan president Maya Sandu conducted early parliamentary elections on Sunday, according to data from the Central Election Commission, on a platform to fight corruption and implement reforms, Reuters reports. After 37.16 percent of the ballots were counted, the PAS won 42.34 percent of the vote, while the Socialist and Communist bloc obtained 33.86 percent. Preliminary results are expected to be announced on Monday.

Europe's new and revised climate legislation needs to enable cities to reach climate neutrality by mid-century, including by encouraging more building renovation and driving the transition to clean energy, European mayors write.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Saturday unveiled a thorough reshuffle of his cabinet, swapping out heavyweight ministers in the fields of foreign affairs and justice while boosting the representation of women and reducing the average age of the government. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.

A new report reveals how key industry groups in Europe have been actively lobbying against some of the upcoming proposals under the 'Fit for 55' package, to weaken climate regulation - despite their public support for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Aside from the green package, Poland will also be the centre of attention. Two decisions by the controversial Constitutional Tribunal could affect the country's EU future. Belarus' border with Lithuania will also be in the spotlight.

The request was included in the European Parliament's annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area, and received overwhelming support from MEPs, with 505 votes for, 134 against, and 54 abstentions. The EU Commission has made a similar request.

If we are to prevent the pandemic from having a life-long impact on an entire generation of children and young people - especially the most marginalised - we must ensure that schools reopen and stay open safely.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu pledged an "end to the rule of thieves" Sunday (11 July) as her pro-European party looked set to win snap parliamentary elections she called to shore up her position against pro-Russia forces.

Thousands rallied in Georgia on Sunday (11 July) demanding the government to resign following a TV cameraman's death after being badly beaten by far-right assailants during a protest against an LGBTQ Pride march.

Countries should be able to tax a quarter of big multinationals' profits no matter where they are earned, France proposed on Saturday (10 July) at a G20 finance ministers meeting focused on overhauling the rules for cross-border corporate taxation.

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UPDATE Presidency event: informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers, Kranj (Slovenia) 15-16 July 2021