Photo by Liam Burnett-Blue on Unsplash A senior MEP has welcomed the prospect of closer cooperation between the EU and Japan. Reinhard Bütikofer, the European Parliament’s Rapporteur on EU-Japan relations, was speaking after the “Hydrogen High-Level Business Forum” in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Japan is the EU’s second-biggest trading partner in Asia after…
Author: Our Staff Correspondent
Stopping the Spread of Polio in Gaza
Photo by Kristine Wook on Unsplash The EU has called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” to enable the vaccination of all children in Gaza against the poliovirus. The demand comes as it emerged that the Gaza Strip has been hit by its first outbreak of polio in over two decades. The area had been polio-free…
British Journalist Killed By Russian Missile Strike
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Unsplash The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has strongly condemned the killing of a British journalist working for the Reuters news agency. It also said the events of the last few days has been “unprecedented” for the media organisation and its representatives in war-torn Ukraine. This…
EU Solidarity Fund Boosted
Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash Substantial fresh cash aid is being made available to several EU countries to help them cope with natural disasters. On Tuesday,the EU said some €1 billion was being freed up to help five EU states. The European Commission is proposing financial support from the EU solidarity fund….
EU Chief Scientific Advisors
Photo by Adrien Converse on Unsplash The European Commission has launched a call for nominations of scientists to be shortlisted for future membership of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. The group provides high-quality, timely and independent scientific advice to the College of European Commissioners on any subject, including on policy issues that the European…
EU Aid to Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan
Photo by Mathurin NAPOLY / matnapo on Unsplash The EU says it has released an additional €122 million for humanitarian assistance in the Greater Horn of Africa. This comes as the region continues to face the impact of conflicts and climate-related disasters such as drought and floods. The funding will, says the commission,…
EU Response to Mpox Outbreak in Africa
Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash The EU has moved to provide what is says is an “immediate response” to the mpox outbreak in Africa. The European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, HERA, will procure and donate 175,420 doses of the MVA-BN® vaccine, the only FDA and…
ECR Group in Parliament Formed
The centre-right European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament has been constituted. Nicola Procaccini (Fratelli d’Italia, Italy) and Joachim Brudziński (PiS, Poland) are the new joint leaders Assita Kanko (N-VA, Belgium), Hermann Tertsch (Vox, Spain), Alexandr Vondra (ODS, Czech Republic) and Charlie Weimers (Sverigedemokraterna, Sweden) are its deputy leaders. Meanwhile, Denis Nesci (Fratelli d’Italia) and Kosma Złotowski (PiS, Poland) have been elected as co-treasurers. …
Malta’s Failure to Tackle Corruption
Photo by Spruce on Unsplash Malta has not escaped some criticism from the EU in its annual rule of law report. The keenly awaited report from the Commission covers all Member States and none escape some criticism over the issue. These include the Maltese government which has found itself at odds with the…
Commission Approves State Aid for Nokian Tyres
The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules some €99.5 million support for the Romanian company Nokian Tyres. The aid will support the establishment of a new zero carbon dioxide emission factory for passenger car tyres in Oradea. The measure will contribute to EU objectives, says the European Commission. This relates to job…