Page 15 - European Union

EU doesn't single out China in planned ban on forced labour goods

The proposed Forced Labour Products Ban, from the European Commission, covers goods imported from third countries as well as those made within the EU.

17 million in EU may have suffered long Covid-19, says WHO report

New research suggests at least 17 million people in the European Union may have experienced long COVID-19 symptoms during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic, with women more likely than men to suffer from the condition, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday. The research, conducted for the WHO/Europe, was unclear on whether the symptoms that linger, recur or first appear at least one month after a coronavirus infection were more common in vaccinated or unvaccinated people. At least 17 million people met the WHO's criteria of long COVID-19 with symptoms lasting at least three months in 2020 and 2021, the report said. Millions of people in our region, straddling Europe and Central Asia, are suffering debilitating symptoms many months after their initial COVID-19 infection, said Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, during a conference in Tel Aviv. The modeling also suggests that women are twice as likely as men to experience long COVID-19, and the ri

European Medicines Agency clears Pfizer-BioNTech's tweaked Covid booster

The European Medicines Agency has recommended the authorisation of a tweaked booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine that includes protection against two of the latest versions of omicron, as countries look to bolster their immunisation programs ahead of winter. The EU regulator said Monday that laboratory studies suggest the combination vaccine which targets both the original COVID-19 virus as well as the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 should trigger an effective immune response. The vaccine is expected to be as safe as the original version, but the agency will continue to track its rollout globally since the data is limited. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the modified vaccine shot the green light last month. According to the World Health Organisation, the BA.5 version of omicron is responsible for most of the COVID-19 spreading globally; it made up about 87% of all virus sequences shared with the biggest public database. Earlier this month, the .

EU must respond as one to Putin's 'blackmail': Greek PM Mitsotakis

The European Union should have a coordinated response to the challenge posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's blackmail with the supply of natural gas, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Saturday. He said Putin's invasion of Ukraine is meant to "legitimise a despotic authoritarianism and enable any local troublemaker to do the same, a hardly veiled reference to Greece's neighbour Turkey and the increasingly aggressive rhetoric of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the Ukraine war, we stand with those defending themselves, we stand with democracy and freedom...we know what it means to have an (aggressive) neighbour, Mitsotakis said. Putin wants to turn European anxiety about energy into political destabilisation, Mitsotakis added in the keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, in which Greece's heads of government announce the coming year's economic policies. The Greek premier reminded his audience that Greece had proposed months ago a cap on natural ga

Targeting China, EU seeks to ban products made with forced labour

In a move to target China, concerned about human rights violations in the province of Xinjiang, the 27-member country European Union (EU) seeks to ban products made with forced labour

Small nuclear power stations emerge in EU as energy option, but risks loom

A global search for alternative sources to Russian energy during the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power stations, which proponents say could provide a cheaper, more efficient alternative to older model mega-plants. UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR says its small modular reactors, or SMRs, are much cheaper and quicker to get running than standard plants, delivering the kind of energy security that many nations are seeking. France already relies on nuclear power for a majority of its electricity, and Germany kept the option of reactivating two nuclear plants it will shut down at the end of the year as Russia cuts natural gas supplies. While Rolls-Royce SMR and its competitors have signed deals with countries from Britain to Poland to start building the stations, they are many years away from operating and cannot solve the energy crisis now hitting Europe. Nuclear power also poses risks, including disposing of highly radioactive waste and keeping

EU members support swift adoption of 5-bn-euro loan to war-torn Ukraine

The EU has pledged 9 billion euros in assistance for Ukraine

EU nations agree on temporary emergency measures to curb energy prices

The energy ministers of the European Union (EU) member states have agreed a common position on temporary emergency measures to curb energy prices, according to senior officials.

Top Headlines: Direct tax collections jump, broken rice exports, and more

Business Standard brings you the top headlines at this hour

'Substantial victory' for Kyiv conceded on Russian state TV: Report

The Ukrainian breakthrough near Kharkiv was the fastest advance reported by either side for months, and one of the biggest shifts in the war's momentum

Price cap won't largely affect Russian gas supply, says Estonian minister

Any price cap EU countries might set on gas from Russia probably won't make a large difference on the supply of it to Europe, Estonia's energy minister said

We will cap Russia gas price despite Putin's warning: European Union

Putin has warned that contracts could be discarded in the event of price caps

Russia gas price cap political agenda, no focus on EU energy crisis: Prague

The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union wants to remove capping Russian gas prices from the agenda of this Friday's meeting

Apollo Tyres' stock racing ahead on improving outlook, growth in EU

While volumes are rising, there are interesting structural changes taking place in the sector

Europe can learn a lot on fiscal arrangements from India. But it won't

Europe is a large number of independent countries. How do you get them to cooperate within a common framework?

Lengthier visa application, fee hike for Russians entering European Union

Under new rules proposed by the European Union (EU), Russians will now have to face a lengthier visa application process and see fees rise from 35 euros ($34) to 80 euros ($79)

'Ask Siemens Energy', says Gazprom on resumption of Nord Stream 1

Gazprom on Friday said the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, Europe's major supply route, would remain shut as a turbine at a compressor station had an engine oil leak, sending wholesale gas prices soaring.

European Union blocks merger of US firms in cancer screening sector

The European Union's anti-trust watchdog announced on Tuesday that it is blocking the buyout of cancer-screening company GRAIL by biotech giant Illumina in a rare move by European regulators against two US companies. Illumina is a major supplier of next-generation sequencing (NGS) systems for genetic and genomic analysis, while GRAIL is a health company developing blood tests to try to catch cancer early. Illumina announced an $8 billion acquisition of GRAIL in 2020. But the European Commission, which polices competition issues, said the buyout would have enabled and incentivised Illumina to foreclose GRAIL's rivals, who are dependent on Illumina's technology, from access to an essential input they need to develop and market their own tests. Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said that it is vital to preserve competition between early cancer detection test developers at this critical stage of development. As Illumina did not put forward remedies that would have .

Windfall profit taxes are pure economic populism and thus bad policy

Germany's government just became the latest to ingratiate itself with angry voters by promising a windfall tax on energy companies

EU gas prices surge 30% as Russia shuts main pipeline: Report

The Dutch TTF October gas contract had eased to 256 euros, up 23 per cent on the day by 0723 GMT but almost 400 per cent higher than a year ago.