EU’s Borrell on Russia: Prepare for relations to get worse
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday warned that Europe’s relationship with Russia is only going to get worse. Yet his proposal for what to do about it received a notably cold reception...
View ArticleGerman chancellor hopeful Laschet: I’m a Merkel-Macron mix
Armin Laschet, leader of the German conservatives, described his political style as a mixture of Angela Merkel’s “sobriety” and Emmanuel Macron’s “passion” for European reforms, saying that...
View ArticleEU to sanction Belarus economy, seeking to bring Lukashenko regime ‘to its...
LUXEMBOURG CITY — The EU on Monday finalized a fresh set of sanctions against the Belarusian regime, with foreign ministers pledging the move would cripple Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian-leaning...
View ArticleMerkel chides Portugal for allowing in Brits amid Delta variant
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Tuesday that the EU is “backfiring” in its goal to set consistent travel rules as countries take varying approaches to the surge of a new COVID variant in...
View Article‘A shame’: Von der Leyen vows EU will fight Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced initial legal steps against Hungary’s new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, pledging to use “all the powers of the Commission” to...
View ArticleGerman-French overture to Putin splits EU
Germany and France threw the EU’s carefully orchestrated Russia policy into disarray on Wednesday by raising the threat of new economic sanctions while also floating the possibility of a summit...
View ArticleMerkel urges ‘direct contact’ with Putin, defending Franco-German overture
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called on the EU to establish high-level talks with Vladimir Putin, seeking to buttress a Franco-German proposal for a summit with the Russian president...
View ArticleRule of law disputes cast shadow over opening of Slovenia’s EU Council...
KRANJ, Slovenia — Never mind the hundreds of billions in common debt the EU has begun issuing to finance its pandemic recovery, Ursula von der Leyen was focused on a different, more troubled asset...
View ArticleJohnson and Merkel look past Brexit (and football) with treaty plan
LONDON — Brexit and football divided Britain and Germany — but they’re willing to stay friends. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed Friday to strengthen their...
View ArticleBorrell: Slovenia’s Janša ‘does not represent’ EU on Iran
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša may hold the rotating EU Council presidency, but he “does not represent” the EU in foreign policy, the bloc’s diplomatic chief Josep Borrell said Monday — a...
View ArticleEU urges Cuba to ‘immediately’ release detained protesters
The EU’s foreign policy spokesman on Tuesday condemned the “unacceptable” arrests of political activists and journalists in Cuba, demanding their “immediate” release. The activists were detained in...
View ArticleFrontex neglected evidence of potential migrant pushbacks, says Parliament...
The EU’s border agency overlooked evidence that migrants were being illegally turned away at the bloc’s borders — a failure that left migrants exposed to future violations of their basic rights, a...
View ArticlePolish legal showdown escalates as top EU court issues new reprimand
The top EU court on Thursday ruled that Poland’s controversial disciplinary procedure for judges violates European law — a judgment that comes just a day after a Polish court questioned the supremacy...
View ArticleOver 100 die in Germany, Belgium floods despite early warnings
Extreme flooding killed more than 100 people in Germany and Belgium on Thursday and Friday, with hundreds missing, despite clear advance warnings, in what one expert described as a catastrophic...
View ArticleUK rejects EU’s Northern Ireland ‘solutions’
The U.K. on Monday rejected the European Commission’s proposals for “solutions” to ease trade friction between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain, which Brussels set out in two so-called non-papers...
View ArticleEU urges Tunisia to protect democracy but skirts criticism
The EU on Tuesday called on Tunisia to restore its parliament and respect fundamental rights, two days after President Kais Saied ousted the government and suspended the legislature for 30 days — a...
View ArticleEU pauses both Brexit lawsuits against the UK
BRUSSELS — The European Commission said it would freeze two separate lawsuits against the U.K. “at this stage” as it wants to “continue constructive discussions” with London over trade arrangements in...
View ArticleEU and Cuba clash over condemnation of protest crackdown
EU-Cuba relations dramatically soured after Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla blasted an EU statement and accused the bloc’s foreign policy chief of lying about protests in the country....
View ArticleBorrell: EU’s ‘insufficient’ vaccine donations open door for China
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Friday lambasted the bloc’s “insufficient” coronavirus vaccine shipments to Africa and Latin America, warning that Europe risks losing influence to China. The...
View ArticleGreens and far-right AfD excluded from election ticket in two German states
The German Greens faced a major setback Friday when they were excluded from the ticket in Saarland for September’s German election, while the far-right Alternative for Germany(AfD) was hit with a...
View Article