The Council has decided to set an oil price cap for crude oil and petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (CN code 2709 00) which originate in or are exported from Russia, at USD 60 per barrel. The level of the cap was established in close cooperation with the Price Cap Coalition and will become […]
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EU adopts Chips Act to address shortage of semiconductors
The Council has adopted its position (‘general approach’) on the proposed regulation establishing a framework of measures to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, better known as the ‘Chips Act’. The Chips Act addresses the current shortage of semiconductors in Europe. With the Chips Act, the EU aims to double its global market share in semiconductors from 10% to at least […]
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Foreign Affairs Committee calls for strengthened EU defence of European security
War in Ukraine, rising global authoritarianism, a more assertive China and climate emergency have caused a tectonic shift in the geopolitical landscape, MEPs warn. In a report on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs called for EU to switch to qualified majority voting for foreign and security policy decisions as soon as possible. They argue that […]
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Council adds the violation of restrictive measures to the list of EU crimes
The Council unanimously adopted a decision to add the violation of restrictive measures to the list of ‘EU crimes’ included in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Pavel Blažek, Czech Minister of Justice: The EU has responded with determination to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. It has adopted an unprecedented number […]
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Europol: European drug super-cartel smashed in six countries
Between 8-19 November, coordinated raids were carried out across Europe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), targeting both the command-and-control centre and the logistical drugs trafficking infrastructure in Europe. A total of 49 suspects have been arrested during the course of this investigation. The drugpins considered as high-value targets by Europol had come together to […]
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Throwing mud at everyone and hoping some of it sticks
Since 24 February of this year, Russia has gone all out in using its diplomatic network to push its disinformation narratives across different social media platforms. For example, last week the EU launched the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in support of Ukraine. The aim of the mission is to boost the military capabilities […]
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EU Code of Conduct against online hate speech
The European Commission released the results of its seventh evaluation of the Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online. This year’s results unfortunately show a decrease in companies’ notice-and-action results: the number of notifications reviewed by the companies within 24 hours dropped as compared to the last two monitoring exercises, from 90.4% in 2020, […]
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European Parliament declares Russia to be a state sponsor of terrorism
Following the atrocities carried out by Vladimir Putin’s regime against Ukrainian civilians, MEPs have recognised Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. On Wednesday, Parliament adopted a resolution on the latest developments in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. MEPs highlight that the deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies […]
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Commission proposes a new EU instrument to limit excessive gas price spikes
the Commission has continued its response to the ongoing energy crisis by proposing a Market Correction Mechanism to protect EU businesses and households from episodes of excessively high gas prices in the EU. This complements measures to reduce gas demand and ensure security of supply through diversification of energy supplies. The new mechanism aims to reduce the volatility […]
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