Tag Archives: European Union

EU leaders have gathered for a third day of discussions over a massive post-coronavirus economic recovery plan. Some member states believe the proposed €750bn ($857bn; £680bn) package is too large and should come as loans, rather than grants. The unplanned third day of talks comes after a record one-day rise …

European Union leaders were hunting for compromises Saturday as a summit to reach a deal on an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund entered its second day with tensions running high. A full day and night of discussions by the 27 leaders on Friday …

The European Union is negotiating advance purchase deals of potential COVID-19 vaccines with drugmakers Moderna, Sanofi, and Johnson & Johnson and biotech firms BioNtech and CureVac, two EU sources told Reuters. The talks follow a deal reached in June by four EU states with AstraZeneca for the upfront purchase of …

Spain is paying homage to the nation’s victims of the new coronavirus and workers who put their lives at risk during the worst of the pandemic, with a solemn ceremony in Madrid. Relatives of around 100 people who died during the pandemic, representatives of medical personnel, police, and other essential …

The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that an agreement that allows big tech companies to transfer data to the United States is invalid and that national regulators need to take tougher action to protect the privacy of users’ data. The ruling to invalidate Privacy Shield will complicate the transfer …

Nabil Shaath, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ close aide, announced on Wednesday that 23 European Union (EU) countries stand with Palestine against the Israeli plan to annex large swathes of occupied West Bank, Al Watan Voice reported. The only two European states which have not yet announced their stance …

Apple Inc. won its court fight over a record 13 billion-euro ($14.9 billion) Irish tax bill in a crushing blow to European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s crackdown on preferential fiscal deals to selected companies. The EU General Court sided with the iPhone maker, ruling on Wednesday that Ireland’s tax …

The European Union’s executive said on Thursday that “significant divergences” persisted in its talks with Britain on their new relationship from 2021. Britain left the EU in January and is in a standstill transition period with the bloc to give the two sides time to forge a new relationship on …

The eurozone economy will drop deeper into recession this year and rebound less steeply in 2021 than previously thought, the European Commission forecast on Tuesday, with France, Italy, and Spain struggling the most due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The downbeat assessment of Europe’s economy comes amid concern the U.S. recovery …

For more than 70 years, the transatlantic alliance has served as the unshakable foundation of European stability and underpinned the values of the US-led Western order. In 2020, it appears that the relationship is being rethought on both sides of the Atlantic. Earlier this week, the European Union declined to …

Officials in Brussels have approved remdesivir to treat severe cases of Covid-19, just days after the US effectively stockpiled the world’s entire supply of the antiviral medication. “We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to secure efficient treatments or vaccine against the coronavirus,” EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides …

Germany fears that Hong Kong’s autonomy is being “eroded” and Berlin will raise issues such as human rights with China during its presidency of the EU that began this month, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. “Based on an open dialogue, we also speak about the rule of law and …

The United States is not on a “safe list” of destinations for non-essential travel due to be unveiled by European Union governments later on Tuesday, three diplomats said. The 27-member bloc is expected to give outline approval to leisure or business travel from Wednesday to 14 countries beyond its borders …

The EU and Britain have launched an intense five weeks of negotiations on a deal to define their post-Brexit relations, with London keen to wrap things up quickly. The new round of talks which began in Brussels on Monday was the first to be held face-to-face since the coronavirus shutdown …

Poles voted in a presidential election Sunday that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and was taking place amid deep cultural and political divisions in the European Union nation. President Andrzej Duda, a 48-year-old conservative backed by the nationalist ruling Law and Justice party, was running against 10 other candidates …

Britain will be ready to quit its transitional arrangements with the European Union “on Australia terms” if no deal on their future relationship is reached, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, told his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki on Saturday. Britain left the bloc on Jan. 31. A transition period, during which Britain …

Four years on from the UK’s Brexit vote, a majority of British voters would now opt to remain inside the European Union, says new research. According to the European Social Survey (ESS), a pan-European poll carried out every two years, 56.8% of respondents in the UK indicated that they would …

China and the European Union (EU) on Monday reaffirmed commitment to conclude a comprehensive bilateral investment agreement in 2020. The pledge came as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held the 22nd China-EU leaders’ meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der …

President Emmanuel Macron visits London on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s appeal to the French resistance and to discuss Brexit with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Macron, who will be hosted by heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, will mark de Gaulle’s June 18, 1940 “Appel” from BBC headquarters …

Britain and Australia need each other more than ever at this time of acute global tension, the Australian high commissioner said as the two sides launch trade talks. The UK is also kicking off trade negotiations with New Zealand on Wednesday in a new era for British diplomacy outside the …