The 4th meeting of the Consultative Group between the European Union and Belarusian democratic forces and civil society took place on 11 December, in Brussels. The meeting presented the opportunity to reaffirm the EU’s support to the brave Belarusian democratic forces in their quest for a democratic, independent, and sovereign Belarus. In the margins of […]
Read More
Schengen: Council decides to lift land border controls with Bulgaria and Romania
EU member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025. It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania as full Schengen members. Lifting checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between those member states […]
Read More
Parliament calls for new elections in Georgia
Due to significant irregularities, MEPs reject the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia and call for them to be re-run within a year. On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the 26 October parliamentary elections in Georgia, an EU candidate country, for being neither free nor fair, representing yet another manifestation […]
Read More
What is the EU’s disaster response?
The frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Europe is increasing. Largely due to climate change and urbanisation, Europeans have had to deal with more extreme weather including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms in recent years. Natural disasters in Europe As the European Environmental Agency points out, global temperatures have been increasing, with 2023 being the warmest year […]
Read More
Parliament approves up to €35 billion loan to Ukraine backed by Russian assets
On Tuesday, MEPs gave their green light to an extraordinary loan of up to €35 billion to Ukraine, to be repaid with future revenues from frozen Russian assets. With 518 votes in favour, 56 against and 61 abstentions, Parliament endorsed the new macro-financial assistance (MFA) to help Ukraine against Russia’s brutal war of aggression. This […]
Read More
EU provides €40 million in humanitarian aid for winter preparedness in Ukrain
In response to the continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Commission is increasing its humanitarian funding for vulnerable Ukrainians with an additional €40 million before the winter. Of this amount, €35 million will go to humanitarian projects in Ukraine and €5 million to support Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in Moldova.. The main […]
Read More
EU’s first medical evacuation operation of Palestinians transfers children from Egypt to Spain
On 24 July, the first EU-coordinated medical evacuation operation of 16 Palestinian children and their family members took place from Egypt to Spain. The operation was financially and operationally supported by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), in close coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Palestine Childrens Relief Fund (PCRF) and authorities of […]
Read More
New sanctions against human rights abuses
The Council approved additional restrictive measures against four persons and two entities under the European Union’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. The listed individuals and entities are responsible for serious human rights abuses worldwide, including torture and systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence. This listings include the chief of staff of the Syrian army, Abdel Karim Mohammad Ibrahim, and Ali Mahmoud […]
Read More
Newly elected Parliament reaffirms its strong support for Ukraine
With Russia’s war against Ukraine raging on, Parliament reconfirmed on Wednesday its view that the EU must continue to support Kyiv for as long as it takes until victory. The resolution, which sets out the newly-elected European Parliament’s first official position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, restates the continued support of MEPs for […]
Read More