Emmanuel Macron’s lonely battle to defend the EU-Canada trade deal
OTTAWA — French President Emmanuel Macron’s latest visit to Canada might give him a first taste of his new normal. During his trip to Montreal and Ottawa on the heels of the United Nations General...
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Costas Kadis: A bookish technocrat to handle oceans and fisheries
BRUSSELS — In naming Cypriot Costas Kadis commissioner for oceans and fisheries, Ursula von der Leyen has put a technocrat used to straddling the middle ground in charge of a fiercely contested,...
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Waste scandal haunts Cyprus’ EU pick as he heads to Brussels
BRUSSELS — On Feb. 5, 2023, about a month before Costas Kadis was replaced as Cypriot environment minister, a report landed on his desk. It said that the government was responsible for years of...
View ArticleHow a law on truck movements divided the EU
BRUSSELS — A law setting rules on how truckers operate set off an east-west battle between European Union member countries and laid bare a profound conflict at the heart of the bloc’s internal market....
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Scholz forces German ‘no’ vote in Chinese EV duty saga
BERLIN — Germany will oppose EU duties on Chinese electric vehicles in a bloc-wide vote on Friday after Chancellor Olaf Scholz managed to strong-arm his Green coalition partners into doing his...
View ArticleEU’s top court scraps controversial truck return obligation
The EU’s highest court threw out on Friday a controversial measure mandating that trucks have to return to their registered base every eight weeks, bringing an exceptionally bitter feud at the heart...
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Inside the UK’s dirtiest (and dumbest) political battle in years
LONDON — No one predicted the race for the United Kingdom Conservative Party leadership would go quite like this. And, as so often has been the case in recent years, Boris Johnson had a hand in it....
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Moldova faces ‘existential’ EU vote in face of Russian interference
More than a million Moldovans will cast ballots on whether to join the EU on Sunday in a referendum that could pave the way to becoming a member of the bloc — or see the Eastern European nation pulled...
View ArticleBrussels ducks responsibility for Cyprus waste scandal
When it comes to the misuse of EU funds, Brussels isn’t sure who’s in charge. That’s what waste contractor Medcon & DB Technologies J.V. discovered when it tried to find out which part of the...
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Horrific rape case pushes France to change the crime’s definition
PARIS — French Senator Mélanie Vogel first proposed changing the legal definition of rape nearly a year ago. But it took a gruesome crime that deeply unsettled French society to get the ball rolling...
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How Brexit helped Britain lose the Chagos Islands
LONDON — It was not the happy anniversary Brexiteers had hoped for. On June 22, 2017, almost a year to the day after Britain voted to leave the European Union, representatives from 193 nations filed...
View ArticleCyprus’ commissioner hearing: Costas Kadis on fisheries and oceans — live...
Costas Kadis has a delicate task: protect the health of Europe’s ocean life, while also serving the needs of the fishing industry. Often these two interests are diametrically opposed. A biologist by...
View ArticleEU prosecutors target Camorra, Cosa Nostra in half-billion-euro fraud probe
BRUSSELS — EU prosecutors announced Thursday they are probing a €520 million VAT fraud involving “several” mafia groups. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) revealed the investigation —...
View ArticleEU going too fast on climate, Cyprus president says
Europe may have set the bar too high on its climate goals without focusing enough on economic competitiveness, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said after attending the COP29 global climate...
View ArticleShark lobby slams China, Japan for vetoing US-led move to ban ‘finning’
China and Japan blocked a United States-led bid to strengthen a ban on shark finning in the Atlantic Ocean, infuriating conservationists. The U.S., Belize and Brazil presented a proposal to strengthen...
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Turkey rapprochement sparks rift in Greece’s ruling party
ATHENS — A dispute over how far Greece should go in rebuilding ties with its archenemy Turkey is exposing major fault lines in the ruling party in Athens. Despite both countries being in NATO,...
View ArticleCyprus revokes more high-profile ‘golden’ passports
Cyprus has revoked more passports from people who had acquired citizenship through its controversial “golden visa” scheme. The passport-for-cash program, which was suspended in 2020 under mounting...
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Poland takes on wealthier countries over access to new medicines
Poland takes on wealthier countries over access to new medicines The country sees securing equal access to innovative medicines as its presidency goal in pharma legislative talks. By Giedre Peseckyte...
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Austria prepares to deport Syrian migrants after Assad regime falls
BRUSSELS — Austria has announced plans to deport Syrian migrants following the fall of the country’s dictator Bashar Assad to rebel forces after 13 years of civil war, while Belgium, France, Greece...
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EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra goes to war with airlines
BRUSSELS — European Union climate chief Wopke Hoekstra’s push to slap more tax on airlines is set to be one of the crunch political battles of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s...
View ArticleEU bans ‘Turkaegean’ slogan following Greece’s appeal
ATHENS — The European Union has banned the trademark “Turkaegean” for Turkish tourism campaigns following an appeal by Greece. The EU’s Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has canceled the slogan...
View ArticleCyprus could join Schengen this year, president says
ATHENS — Cyprus will resolve all technical issues necessary to join the Schengen free-travel zone by the end of this year, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said. Cyprus and Ireland, which have...
View ArticleEurope’s doctors are aging fast, new figures find
Europe’s health care workforce is rapidly aging, according to new figures released by Eurostat on Thursday, as health services grapple with labor shortfalls for growing health care demands. Doctors...
View ArticleTurkey pushing to help EU replace Ukraine gas transit
Turkey is launching a diplomatic effort to restart energy negotiations with the European Union, eyeing the prospect of becoming a major supplier of natural gas, after previous discussions were...
View ArticleHungary backs down in EU Russia sanctions standoff
BRUSSELS — The EU will save its Russia sanctions from expiring after officials reached an 11th-hour deal with Hungary, which had threatened to trash the war-time penalties. The agreement was cemented...
View ArticleGreek court orders extradition of Israeli billionaire on Romanian corruption...
ATHENS — A Greek court on Tuesday ruled that Israeli mining billionaire Beny Steinmetz be extradited to Romania, according to Greek authorities and his lawyer. The Athens Court of Appeals ruled in...
View ArticleFrance leads fight against EU plans to merge health crisis and civil...
France is leading a charge against an EU proposal to merge Europe’s health crisis authority with its civil protection unit over fears it will downgrade the bloc’s ability to respond in a health...
View ArticleEU asylum applications drop 13 percent in 2024
Almost 912,000 people applied for international protection for the first time in the EU in 2024, falling 13 percent from the previous year. It is the first decline in first-time applications since...
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EU faces billion-euro dilemma over Turkey crisis
BRUSSELS — The European Union is set to keep pumping billions of euros into Turkey despite President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s sweeping crackdown on political opponents. Brussels warned its southern...
View ArticleRussia frees ballerina in prisoner swap with US
The United States and Russia exchanged prisoners in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, as Washington and Moscow edge toward a diplomatic rapprochement. Russia released Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian dual...
View ArticleFrontex: Illegal crossings into Europe down one third in a year
Illegal crossings at Europe’s borders have dropped by more than 30 percent, a difference of nearly 34,000 people, in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2024, the EU’s border...
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