A collection of 233 posts
The United States has imposed sanctions on three Bulgarians and 64 companies linked to them, over their alleged corrupt activities. The three businessmen are former lawmaker and media mogul Delyan Peevski, government official Ilko Zhelyazkov and fugitive gambling tycoon Vassil Bozhko. Those blacklisted are banned from the US financial system,
A key element of the “Green Deal,” on 10 June EU environmental ministers meeting for the last occasion of Portugal’s EU presidency approved a strategy for adaptation to climate change. Some of the aims of the adaptation strategy, according to Portugal’s minister of environment and climate action, João
Poland says that closing down its open-pit brown coal mine in Turow would be an “energy disaster.” Even so, the European Commission is lining up behind the Czech Republic in an ongoing fight with its neighbor against the expansion of the mine, which is run by Poland’s state-run company
Europe looks to return to normal as the first major international sport event, the UEFA 2020 football championship, is about to kick off this Friday, 11 June. While the continent’s ailing tourism sector is expecting some kind of boost, one wonders whether it is not too early to open
EU member states have approved a EUR 17.5 billion fund which aims to help some countries wean themselves from polluting industries like coal mining and others with high emissions, moving them towards green industries in the push to achieve net zero GHG emissions. The so-called Just Transition Fund (“JTF”
Several European “green” initiatives have provoked resentment in Hungarian government circles. The outrage is mainly due to the European Parliament having failed to endorse a European Council proposal on a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027. The debate is over the greening of direct payments
A so-called “digital identity wallet,” which would grant access for all European citizens to public and private services through their mobile phones, was proposed by the European Commission on Thursday. The EU body argues the COVID-19 pandemic showed the need for more user-friendly online services. Via the proposal, the Union
One of the biggest car manufacturers of the world, the Czech Republic has a lot to lose if it does not adapt to the fundamental changes of the auto industry. But the country is confident it can host one of the gigantic battery plants of Europe, capitalizing on its skilled
With the aim of rolling out low carbon technologies, the Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures is teaming up with the European Union to raise USD 1 billion in funding. The cooperation entails gathering private capital and philanthropic funds by Breakthrough Energy and combining them with EU community funding. The goal
On Tuesday, the EU agreed to new tax rules designed to increase the transparency of multinational companies with established operations in tax haven countries for the purpose of tax avoidance, but some NGOs say the rules don’t go far enough. According to the EU rules, such corporations whose worldwide
Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš should be indicted over charges of fraud involving European Union subsidies, according to a recommendation by Czechia’s national police, who made their announcement about Babiš on Monday. Prosecutors there said they had received an updated police investigation into his alleged involvement in fraud estimated
Usually, at this time of the year in Europe, everyone is already planning where they will spend their summer holiday. However, the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to reinvent many areas of life, like vacationing habits. The European vaccination campaign has accelerated in recent weeks and the third wave of
The EU was unusually unified and prompt in condemning Belarus for “hijacking” the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair plane. The European Council has imposed new sanctions including banning Belarus’s airlines from using EU airspace and airports. Yet, it is still questionable whether tougher sanctions could force Lukashenko to change his
Two European airlines, Austrian Airlines and Air France, have had to cancel flights to Moscow after Russian authorities denied permission for them to divert around Belarus to be in line with new EU sanctions. Russia’s ambassador to Austria, Dmitry Lyubinsky, justified the move on Facebook, writing that the “politicization”
Slovenia’s prime minister, Janez Janša, is facing increasing pressure from the European Union as his country is poised to take over the European Council presidency. For one, he is alleged to be obstructing the work of the Office of the European Public Prosecutor (EPPO), a new EU office whose