Tag: EU

EU Agrees New Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine Invasion, France Says

PARIS—The European Union has agreed further sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that will hit Russian officials and oligarchs, the maritime sector and three Belarusian banks, France said on Wednesday. The new measures will be formally endorsed by leaders of the bloc’s 27 member states at a summit in Versailles, France, later this week. Reuters…


EU Rolls out Plan to Cut Russia Gas Dependency This Year, End It Within the Decade

BRUSSELS—The European Commission published plans on Tuesday to cut the EU’s dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and end its reliance on Russian supplies of the fuel “well before 2030.” The European Union executive said it will do so by switching to alternative supplies and expanding clean energy more quickly under the plans,…


Bulgaria May Seek Exception to Any EU Sanctions on Russian Gas and Oil

SOFIA—Bulgaria supports sanctions on Russia as a means to halting its invasion of Ukraine, but will likely seek an exception on banning Russian natural gas and oil imports if such a proposal is put forward, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on Monday. EU and NATO member Bulgaria is almost completely dependent on gas supplies from…


Capitol Report (March 4): Invasion May Be Tied to Bigger Plan With China

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is in Russian hands now, while the U.N. atomic agency says the reactors are not hit. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Brussels Friday, meeting with NATO and EU leaders. What did they commit to, and how long do they think the war in Ukraine will last? Former…


‘Over Time, Ukraine Belongs in EU’: Ursula von Der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Euronews in an interview on Sunday that over time, Ukraine “belongs” in the European Union and that the EU wants the country as a member. Von der Leyen’s comments came shortly after Brussels announced it would provide some €500 million in lethal weapons and other aid to the Ukrainian military, and would…


EU Bans Russian State Media Outlets, All Russian Flights

The European Union will shut down the bloc’s airspace to all Russian planes and will ban Russian state media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik, according to the head of the European Commission The EU will be closed down to Russia-controlled, owned, or registered aircraft, including the “private jets of oligarchs,” said European Commission President Ursula von…


EU Countries Agree to Admit Travelers Vaccinated With WHO-Approved Shots

BRUSSELS—European Union countries agreed on Tuesday to open their borders to travelers from outside the bloc who have had shots against COVID-19 authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO), easing restrictions on those who received Indian and Chinese vaccines. The EU has so far authorized vaccines produced by Pfizer-BionTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca (when produced in Europe),…


EU Launches WTO Dispute Against China Over Telecom Patents

BRUSSELS—The European Union launched a legal challenge against China at the World Trade Organization on Friday, arguing that Chinese courts were preventing European companies from protecting their telecom technology patents. The European Commission, which filed the challenge on behalf of the EU’s 27 members, said EU companies were being deterred from going to a foreign…


In Altered Photo from Public TV Network, Nuclear Plant Appears to Issue Black Smoke Instead of Water Vapor

ZDF, one of Germany’s public television networks, has released and deleted a modified photograph of a nuclear plant in a Facebook post, sparking mockery and outrage at a time of intense debate over the low-emission power source’s future during a worldwide push for decarbonization. Like the BBC in the United Kingdom, ZDF is funded in…


Staff Shortages, Supply Backups Batter EU Economic Growth

BRUSSELS—The European Union is seeing its economic emergence from the unprecedented COVID-19 slowdown hampered by coronavirus-induced staff shortages, supply bottlenecks, runaway energy prices, and subsequent inflation surges. In its winter 2022 forecast, the European Commission said Thursday that even though the economy has rebounded from stunning losses at the height of the pandemic crisis, key…