Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart. “As Turkey, we have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration,” Cavusoglu said, speaking in a joint news conference with German Foreign …
Read More »Ex-EU Brexit negotiator Barnier to run in French presidential center-right primary
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, said on Thursday he would participate in his center-right camp’s probable primaries for next year’s French presidential election, joining an already crowded field of candidates. “In these dark times, I took the decision to run for the French presidency, to be president …
Read More »Russia deplores state of relations with EU
The Russian foreign minister says the current state of the relations between Russia and the European Union (EU) is “deplorable,” regretting the fact that the bloc’s policy is aimed at restraining Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remark at a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, …
Read More »Spain will receive up to 4,000 Afghans at two military bases, source says
Spain will temporarily host up to 4,000 Afghans, who had worked for the United States, at two military bases used by the U.S. military in southern Spain, a government source told Reuters. According to an agreement signed on Monday between Madrid and Washington, the Afghans will be able to stay …
Read More »Erdogan says Turkey cannot bear Afghan refugee burden for EU
Turkey cannot bail out the EU by taking in Afghans who worked for Western countries in Afghanistan as the Taliban take power there, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. “We have received a request to welcome local employees of a European Union mission in Afghanistan,” a government statement quoted …
Read More »Germany’s Merkel condemns Belarus’ treatment of refugees
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday condemned the way Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko treats refugees, adding that Germany would consult closely with its European partners on a coordinated response. “President Lukashenko is using refugees, for example from Iraq, in a hybrid way to undermine security, and of course we condemn …
Read More »Poland to make changes to controversial Disciplinary Chamber for judges
Poland is to introduce changes to its controversial disciplinary chamber for judges, the head of the ruling party announced on Saturday. “We will abolish the Disciplinary Chamber (of the Supreme Court) in the form in which it currently operates and the subject of the dispute (with the EU) will thus …
Read More »Britain granted ‘dialogue partner’ status by Southeast Asian bloc
Britain has been granted “dialogue partner” status by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a step forward in London’s push to build stronger diplomatic ties in Asia following its exit from the European Union. Britain has been seeking the status as part of its post-Brexit policy shift to focus more …
Read More »Amazon hit with whopping $887 million fine by European privacy regulators
Amazon has been handed an $888 million fine by European Union regulators for breaching the bloc’s data protection laws. The fine is the largest issued by the EU but is still less than one percent of the firm’s annual revenue. The Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) issued the …
Read More »England to allow US, EU arrivals to skip quarantine if vaccinated starting August 2
England will allow fully vaccinated visitors from the European Union and the United States to arrive without quarantine from next week, the transport minister said on Wednesday, in a huge and long-awaited boost for airlines and travel companies. Britain’s travel industry has heavily criticized the government for being too slow …
Read More »EU calls for quick return to ‘stability’ in Tunisia
The European Union on Tuesday called for a speedy return to political stability in Tunisia after the country plunged into turmoil following the president’s ousting of the prime minister. “The European Union is following developments in Tunisia with the greatest attention,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in …
Read More »UK demands new Northern Ireland Brexit deal
Britain on Wednesday demanded a new deal to oversee post-Brexit trade involving Northern Ireland and warned the European Union that London would be justified in unilaterally deviating from a deal it struck with the bloc just last year. The Northern Ireland protocol was agreed upon by Britain and the European …
Read More »Polish ruling on primacy of EU law may worsen row with Brussels
A top Polish court will rule on Tuesday on whether the country’s constitution or European Union treaties take precedence, the first of two rulings this week that could bring Warsaw’s conflict with Brussels over the rule of law to a head. Warsaw aims to hit back at what it says …
Read More »Belarus accused of using migrants in its fight with EU
Belarus’ president Alexander Lukashenko is using migration to put political pressure on the European Union, it’s been claimed. It comes after Euronews reported migrant crossings on the Lithuania-Belarus border have soared this year. More than 1,500 illegal crossings have been registered in 2021, compared with just 81 for the whole …
Read More »EU delivers enough doses to vaccinate 70% of adults, von der Leyen says
The European Union has delivered enough coronavirus vaccine doses to member states to reach a target to fully vaccinate at least 70% of adults in the bloc, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Saturday. Von der Leyen, who had tweeted on May 9 that …
Read More »Four dead as Cyprus forest fire rages
Four people were found dead as a huge fire raged for a second day in Cyprus, razing tracts of forest in a blaze one official called the worst on record. The blaze, fanned by strong winds, affected at least 10 communities over an area of 50 square kilometres (19 square …
Read More »These Are the EU’s Richest and Poorest Countries
Danish households are the richest in the European Union, according to a data analysis by the country’s central bank. The average household in Denmark had 1.88 million Danish kroner ($300,000) in financial assets as of the fourth quarter of 2020. The data, released Wednesday, was extracted from the European Central …
Read More »Iraq’s PM to EU Parliament Speaker: looking forward to enhancing ties with EU
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi affirmed, today, Thursday, during his meeting with European Parliament President David Sassoli, Iraq’s aspiration to build distinguished bilateral relations, while noting that the government is continuing to implement economic reforms and diversify investment. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said, “He met the …
Read More »EU agrees three-month ceasefire with UK in “sausage war”
The European Union agreed on Wednesday to a ceasefire with the United Kingdom in a post-Brexit dispute dubbed the “sausage war” by extending a grace period for shipments of certain meat products from Britain to Northern Ireland. The bloc will also make it easier for medicines and guide dogs to …
Read More »Swedish PM Lofven resigns after no-confidence vote
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has announced his resignation, no additional vote will be held, Radio Sweden reported on Monday. Lovfen reportedly asked parliament speaker Andreas Norlen to try to form a new government. “A snap election is not what is best for Sweden”, Lofven said. “The speaker will now …
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