EURACTIV News
EU centre-right clashes over qualified majority voting
Internal discussions in the EU’s centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) – the largest political family in Europe – saw an “unsettling” exchange about the drafting process of its EU election manifesto, Euractiv has learnt.
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Ukrainian grain transits through Romania as export licences effective
Ukrainian grain has successfully transited through Romania since the country introduced export licences under its grain export plan to help protect farmers last autumn, Adrian Pintea, state secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, said on Thursday.
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Ex-Bulgarian justice minister appointed judge at European Court of Human Rights
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted Wednesday to elect Bulgaria’s former GERB justice minister and current ombudsman, Diana Kovatcheva, to a nine-year term as the next Bulgarian judge at the European Court of Human Rights.
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Renew MEPs propose a mini-Schengen between Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania
Renew Europe MEPs have proposed the rapid creation of a mini-Schengen between Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, to be operational this summer, to ease the heavy tourist traffic between the three EU Balkan countries.
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EIB ready to work more with defence but remains cautious, vice-president says
The European Investment Bank is open to financing defence industries but is still reluctant to go beyond dual-use technology, a top EIB official told Euractiv, warning also that the idea of using eurobonds to finance military industry must be carefully weighed as they may not attract investors.
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Ukraine to start building 4 new nuclear reactors this year
Ukraine expects to start construction work on four new nuclear power reactors this summer or autumn, Energy Minister German Galushchenko told Reuters on Thursday (25 January), as the country seeks to compensate for lost energy capacity due to the war with Russia.
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Germany’s Habeck wants market power of food industry scrutinised
As nationwide farmers' protests continue, the German government wants to have the market power of supermarkets and the food industry scrutinised, blaming their price-setting power for the poor economic situation of many farms.
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China presses Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter said.
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Polish ruling parties divided over abortion law
Poland’s ruling parties have presented separate bills to liberalise the country’s abortion laws, proposing to make abortion legal up to the 12th week of pregnancy, but some MPs remain sceptical.
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Macron to visit Sweden to talk EU defence amid Hungarian NATO block
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Sweden from 30 to 31 January at the invitation of Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf to discuss European defence issues, as Hungary remains reluctant to vote on Sweden’s NATO bid and EU states hold differing views on defence policy.
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French farmers call for Paris blockade, eagerly await PM’s announcements
French farmers have called for the blockade of Paris on Friday afternoon, a week after they began protesting across the country, as new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to announce concrete measures.
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Le Pen questions EU-level alliance with AfD, spelling trouble for ID unity
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen questioned the collaboration with the German AfD over allegations that some members were involved in discussions about deporting German citizens with migration backgrounds, prompting her French competitor Eric Zemmour to rush to the German far-right’s defence.
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Gravitational wave, Venus missions get European green light
The European Space Agency gave the green light to two missions on Thursday (25 January), one to detect ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves and another to probe the secrets of Earth's closest neighbouring planet Venus.
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Italian police disrupt massive Italo-Chinese fraud scheme
Italian police said on Thursday (25 January) they had dismantled a tax fraud network worth €1.7 billion involving Italian and Chinese suspects using over 100 shell companies in the country's north.
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EU Greens’ manifesto: A ‘Social’ Green Deal and embrace of NATO
The European Greens are pushing for “massive” investments to simultaneously boost the green transition and protect living conditions under what they are calling the “Green Social Deal”, according to a draft electoral manifesto seen by Euractiv.
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Von der Leyen kickstarts strategic dialogue on future of EU food systems
With tractors continuing to parade through the streets of Europe, on Thursday (25 January) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with food chain stakeholders and NGOs to launch a ‘strategic dialogue’ between agriculture groups and EU decision-makers.
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French Supreme Court finds almost half of controversial immigration bill illegal
France’s highest constitutional body ruled that 32 of the 86 articles in the French government's controversial immigration bill are unconstitutional, in a much-awaited judicial ruling on Thursday (25 January).
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A ‘battle of narratives’ behind Georgia’s EU future
As Georgia gears up for a crucial general election this autumn, some worry the country could be at risk of going down the same road into authoritarianism, as its big neighbour Russia.
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The Brief – Fortress Europe
Fortress Europe (German: Festung Europa) was a military propaganda term used by both sides during World War II, which referred to the areas of continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany, as opposed to the United Kingdom across the Channel.
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EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding state of play
The EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding is in its early stage of implementation, for instance, when it comes to the €105 million for migration announced in July 2023, a European Commission spokesperson told Euractiv.
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