European Union

The Bulgarian government proposed emergency measures late on Thursday, to be adopted by parliament. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov spoke, but his wording was unclear and the details were difficult to grasp. It appears that kindergartens, schools and universities will be...

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision not to cancel public events to contain the outbreak has been described as “concerning” by ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Hunt, who stood against Johnson for the Conservative party leadership last summer, criticised the pace of...

Ireland has issued a temporary closure on all schools, colleges and childcare facilities in the country. Speaking in Washington, Taoiseach  Leo Varadkar said that indoor events of more than 100 people would be cancelled and outdoor events with more than...

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde was supposed to reassure markets by announcing anti-crisis measures to take on COVID-19 but caused a spike in Italian bonds yields instead, triggering harsh reactions in Italy. Lagarde said it is not the ECB’s...

US shale producers are seeking sharp service costs cuts to deal with plummeting prices and shrinking demand, according to executives and a letter sent to top providers, driving home the oil industry’s desperate efforts to cope with a market dive.

Europe reacted with dismay Thursday (12 March) to a US-imposed trans-Atlantic travel ban that sent the share price of major airlines into free fall, with one EU diplomat saying "Trump is simply kicking a man when he's down".

All schools in Portugal will suspend all classroom activities from Monday due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Prime Minister António Costa announced today in a statement to the country. This temporary measure, until the end of the school term, before the...

Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain have sent a joint letter to the European Commission calling for the inclusion of a 100% renewable energy scenario in long-term climate projections.

In Italy, millions are locked down and more than 1,000 people have died from the coronavirus. In South Korea, hit by the disease at about the same time, only a few thousand are quarantined and 67 people have died.

After a long meeting on Thursday (12 March) that stretched late into the evening, the Belgian National Security Council decided to take far-reaching measures to fight against the spreading coronavirus, installing a state of emergency over the entire country.

The impact of the coronavirus hit the Spanish government on Thursday (12 March) as the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, was diagnosed with COVID-19.

EU leaders work from home, remember, wash your hands with loads of foam, and Trump clamps down on desire to roam. Welcome to Euractiv’s EU Tweets of the Week, this week it’s a Corona special, we’re hoping it goes viral!...

The ECB decided on Thursday to inject more money into the real economy to combat the economic fallout of coronavirus. As markets continued to plunge, the bank's president Christine Lagarde stepped up pressure on member states to pass an “ambitious and collective” fiscal stimulus.

One thing is moving in the right direction: according to the most recent Eurobarometer surveys, the pro-EU sentiment stands at a high level in the four Visgrad countries, write Yannis Karamitsios and Marcela Valkova.

Italy's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic shot past 1,000 on Thursday (12 March) as the economic impact worsened, with much of the country at a standstill and the Milan bourse posting its largest ever one-day fall.

As political parties have become an important interface between governments and the people around the world, and global challenges are becoming increasingly transnational, party structures at the European level could contribute to stronger global governance, European and global stakeholders believe....

France will close from Monday all nurseries, schools and universities to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address on Thursday (12 March), calling the outbreak the nation's worst public health crisis in a century.

Schools, cafes, bars, and restaurants in Belgium, the home of EU and Nato institutions, were to close due to coronavirus the Belgian prime minister, Sophie Wilmès, said Thursday. All cultural events were also cancelled until further notice. Most shops would remain open on weekdays only, but food shops and pharmacies would stay open all week. Public transport would continue to run, but people were advised to stay home where possible.

Thousands of people have died, the US response has infuriated European allies, and China has gone on a propaganda offensive. The new coronavirus is shaping up to be a cataclysmic event with far-reaching consequences in global politics.

Greece ought to let people apply for asylum and the European Commission would "like to know more about" reports Greece had operated a 'black' detention site where would-be applicants were mistreated, Ylva Johansson, a Swedish EU commissioner said in Athens on Thursday. "Individuals in the European Union have the right to apply for asylum. This is in the treaty, this is in international law. This we can't suspend," Johansson said.