Both the United States and the European Union have taken belated steps to counter China’s “Belt and Road Initiative,” a vast project by which China is forging coercive economic and political ties with small and weak states, and attempting to induce Western democracies to accommodate a China-led world order, writes Aaron Rhodes. But they and…
Foreign Affairs Committee and Security and Defence Subcommittee MEPs will travel to Ukraine from 30 January to 2 February to gather information on the current crisis. A high-level delegation of eight MEPs, led by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Security and Defence Subcommittee Chairs David McAllister ( EPP, DE) and Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, FR),…
Hungarian PM Orban to travel to Madrid for a populist right meeting in midst of Ukraine crisis Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will travel to Madrid for a meeting of populist right politicians on January 28-29, a Hungarian government official has told the Spanish press. The gathering in the Spanish capital is organised by the leader…
The Commission is proposing to the European Parliament and Council to sign up to a declaration of rights and principles that will guide the digital transformation in the EU. The draft declaration on digital rights and principles aims to give everyone a clear reference point about the kind of digital transformation Europe promotes and defends. It…
The EU has been urged to intervene in the case of a former Bangladeshi PM who claims to be under house arrest in the country, despite being seriously ill. Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the…
Today, Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer will address MEPs at a special plenary meeting for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 77 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp on 27 January 1945, MEPs will honour the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The ceremony will be opened at…
In a special report published yesterday, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) calls for new impetus to boost the roll-out of 5G, the new global wireless standard for mobile networks, in the EU. Member States have experienced considerable delays in implementing their 5G networks, which is jeopardising the achievement of the EU’s objectives in terms…
The European Commission has disbursed €271 million to Finland in pre-financing, equivalent to 13% of the country’s financial allocation under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The pre-financing payment will help kick-start the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Finland’s recovery and resilience plan. The Commission will authorise further disbursements based…
The EU is requesting consultations with Russia at the World Trade Organization (WTO) concerning export restrictions placed by Russia on wood products. The export restrictions consist of significantly increased export duties on certain wood products and a drastic reduction in the number of border crossing points through which exports of wood products can take place….
Disbursement of EU funds, including the Recovery Fund, must be tied to respect for the rule of law in all Member States. Systematic deficiencies in the rule of law always undermine the implementation of EU-funded programmes, and the absence of a rapid and comprehensive EU response to this will jeopardise the EU’s credibility, warns the…
