A collection of 227 posts
French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi that France expects China to reverse the sanctions it has imposed on Lithuania during a telephone call on Tuesday. China has removed Lithuania from its customs system over its recognition of the independence of Taiwan, which the superpower considers illegitimate. Lithuania’s
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid an unexpected visit to Budapest on Monday evening to discuss the EU’s proposed package of sanctions against Russia with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. After the meeting, von der Leyen tweeted: “This evening’s discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful
There were mixed messages from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on Wednesday, when the European Commission (EC) announced plans for a Russian oil embargo. In CEE, two of the countries that would be most affected by the import ban had markedly different reactions to the announcement. While Slovakia merely requested
The European Commission (EC) may allow Hungary and Slovakia to opt out of the Russian oil embargo currently being drawn up, Reuters reports. The EU will on Tuesday finalise its sixth package of sanctions against Russia, and is aware of how dependent the two countries are on Russian crude oil,
Poland began operating a new pipeline that transits gas from Lithuania on Sunday, 1 May. The launch was particularly timely, as Russian state energy company Gazprom halted gas deliveries to Poland on 27 April. The 508-kilometre, bi-directional Poland-Lithuania Gas Connector (GIPL) had been under construction since 2020. The opening this
EU Commission President von der Leyen proclaimed “the era of Russian fossil fuel in Europe is coming to an end” on Wednesday, after Kremlin-owned energy firm Gazprom cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The news came after Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned countries refusing to pay for natural
The EU will extend EUR 130mn to Lithuanian companies affected by the trade restrictions China has imposed on the Baltic country, the European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday afternoon. The scheme will run until 31 December 2027 or until the “discriminatory” restrictions are lifted, the EC wrote in a statement.
Estonia is providing the most aid to Ukraine by far in relation to its economic output, according to a new data tracker set up by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The Baltic country has promised aid worth nearly 0.8% of its GDP, way ahead of Poland on
A coalition of 11 European Union states led by Denmark wants to accelerate the continent’s green transformation, in order to end the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy. EU governments last year commenced talks on reforms aimed at meeting 2030 emissions reduction goals. Now some countries including Poland want
The EU banned Russian seafaring vessels from entering European ports, as it approved its fifth tranche of sanctions against Russia on Friday. The bloc also embargoed Russian coal supplies from August and enforced restrictions on all transactions with four major Russian banks. “We are proposing a fifth package of sanctions,
As a kilometres-long convoy of Russian forces approached the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the country’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, gave a powerful video address to members of the European Parliament on Tuesday. Pleading for Brussels to show which side it was on, he said, “Do prove that you are with us.
As Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, was heavily bombarded by Russian forces on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that EU defence ministers would discuss how the bloc would deliver EUR 500 million worth of defensive weapons to Ukraine. He said, that while Kyiv was resisting
On the evening of Sunday, 27 February, as Russian President Vladimir Putin had put his nuclear forces on high alert, Ukraine’s government agreed to talks in Belarus with Russian officials. Al Jazeera reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would send a delegation of officials to Ukraine’s border
Bulgaria and North Macedonia premiers Kiril Petkov and Dimitar Kovacevski discussed establishing regular flights between their two respective capitals Skopje and Sofia, in the latter city on Tuesday. They also signed memorandums on finishing the incomplete railtrack in “Corridor VIII” between Skopje and Sofia, mutually supporting SMEs and developing a
Eastern Europe will be high on the agenda during France’s six-month EU rotating presidency tenure which will commence in under three weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron underlined on Thursday. Without specifically naming Poland and Hungary, Macron called the rule of law “non-negotiable” for the EU and urged countries to