The Council decided on 14 March to prolong the restrictive measures targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for another six months, until 15 September 2025. The existing restrictive measures provide for travel restrictions for natural persons, the freezing of assets, and a ban on making funds or other […]
EU launches call for EU companies to invest in Ukraine recovery and reconstruction
At the first EU-Ukraine Investment Conference, which started on 13 November, the European Union has launched a call for expressions of interest to mobilise EU private investment in critical areas to support Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts. Proposals will be reviewed and matched with the most suitable investment projects funded under the Ukraine Investment Framework, which is […]
Parliament calls for an EU crackdown on Russia’s ’shadow fleet’
MEPs demand more targeted EU sanctions against Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’, which provides a key financial lifeline for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Russia uses old tankers, often uninsured and with unclear ownership, to export its crude oil and petroleum products abroad, despite EU, G7 and international sanctions. These activities have also raised fears over the […]
Russian voters had no real choice, says the EU
The presidential elections held by Russia on 15-17 March took place in a highly restricted environment exacerbated also by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russian authorities have continued to increase the systematic internal repression by cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of […]
Josep Borrell about the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the law on Foreign Affairs
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of the signing by President Putin of the law on “foreign agents”, a decade shaped by the Russian authorities’ growing fear of critical voices from within Russian society. This law was the first of several legislative measures, including the law on “undesirable organisations” in 2015 and the 2022 “fake news […]
EU – U.S. Consultations Underscore Shared Commitment to Human Rights
On 28 March, the European Union and United States held the EU-US Human Rights Consultations at the level of senior officials. The meetings, which took place in Washington D.C., were led by EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore and acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Lisa Peterson, and reaffirmed their […]
EU rejects Putin’s request to pay for gas supplies from Russia in rubles
The Energy Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the European Union Commissioner for Energy met on Monday in a brief videoconference. As a result, they rejected Putin’s demand that gas deliveries must be paid in rubles, and reaffirmed that agreed contracts for gas deliveries […]
Putin: The new tamer of neo-Nazism?
It is a schoolyard defence most of us know. If someone calls you a name you reply, “It takes one to know one” or “you are worse than me”. That is, accuse them of the very charge they made against you. This rhetorical tactic is a projection(opens in a new tab) – a way to shift blame […]