A collection of 147 posts
The European Commission (EC) published a draft package on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) imported from China, including tariffs of between 17.4% and 38.1% on manufacturers, in addition to the 10% they already pay, on Wednesday, 12 June. The EC wrote that it has “provisionally concluded that the battery
The EU will close its Article 7 procedure over democratic backsliding against Poland that was initiated in 2017 against the country’s nationalist government led by the former ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, 6 May. The EC could
Romania and Bulgaria partly entered the Schengen free movement zone at midnight Sunday, 31 March, meaning air travel and freight, and sea freight in and out of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries no longer requires document control. The two countries’ partial Schengen membership does not include land routes
The awarding of a turbine tender to China’s Envision Energy by EU applicant Serbia looks to have set the bloc on a new course. The deal has prompted EU plans to ban foreign wind turbines over cybersecurity issues, with protectionist measures to protect European manufacturers against Chinese rivals. The
A total of EUR 400mn will be available to Romanian short- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 1 April, as the Start-Up Nation financing line enters a new phase thanks to an agreement with the European Commission (EC), Romanian European Investments and Projects Minister Adrian Caciu announced, news.ro reports. “After
The EU announced further concessions for the bloc’s agricultural workers, especially for smaller farms, to quell agricultural workers’ protests, on Friday, 15 March. The changes to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidy programme were proposed on Friday evening. The European Commission (EC) said EC President Ursula von
The EU will recommend that member states open accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), a candidate for membership since 2022, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, 12 March. Wary of Russian influence, von der Leyen said “We have realised that it is not enough to just wait
Blue Air’s restructuring plan has failed to restore its long-term viability and the Romanian state must return the EUR 33.84mn it gave to the Romanian airline during the pandemic, as it was incompatible with EU state aid rules, the European Commission (EC) announced. Romania bailed out struggling airline
Polish farmers from Solidarity announced Friday that the trade union is planning a blockade of the country’s border crossings with Ukraine from Friday, 9 February, joining similar protests in Germany, France, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal. Farmers say they oppose rising costs, EU climate change measures, and “unfair competition
Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2024, putting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in formal charge of the EU’s policy-making process for six months. While certain EU politicians are confident about the bloc’s future but view Hungary’
The European Parliament (EP) chief rule of law negotiator Petri Sarvamaa, MEP, published on Tuesday a petition letter calling to suspend Hungary’s voting rights on the European Council, to President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. Since regaining power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz
As Belgium assumed the EU presidency on 1 January, with a rallying cry of “Protect, Strengthen, Prepare”, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo’s said he is charting the course for a united and resilient Europe. His cautious and diplomatic approach was evident at the launch event of his six-month
After 13 years of knocking on the door, Romania and Bulgaria will join Europe’s Schengen travel zone by March 2024, the European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, 1 January. The Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries struck the agreement to join Schengen by air and sea only after Austria
EU leaders voted to begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, at a historic summit in Brussels on Thursday 14 December. The EU meanwhile designated Georgia – also a former Soviet republic – as a candidate for membership, a significant shift in the EU’s level of engagement with post-Soviet states. President
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has reiterated his stance that Russia’s war with Ukraine is insoluble, stoking fears that he could form part of a pro-Kremlin lobby in the EU. After meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Fico called the war a “frozen conflict” that cannot be solved