Page 7 - European Union

Ukrainian parliament adopts laws to launch membership talks with EU

The Ukrainian Parliament has adopted all laws needed for launching membership talks with the European Union, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said

Apple to allow alternative app stores on iPhones in European Union

Move in response to law that applies to tech firms having $80-bn value

EU ministers again fail to reach agreement on gas price cap to curb costs

European Union energy ministers failed yet again to overcome their deep differences Tuesday on a natural gas price cap that many hope would make utility bills cheaper so people can stay a little warmer during harsh winter days if not this year, then later. The ministers emerged from their fifth emergency meeting empty-handed because they could not come to agreement on a maximum ceiling to pay for gas due to fear that global suppliers will simply bypass Europe when others offer more money. There was lots of progress but no final breakthrough yet, said German minister Robert Habeck. We were so close today, said Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela, adding the ministers would meet again next Monday. There will be only one open issue for the discussion on Monday and this is the price level triggering the mechanism which was the core dispute from the start. Sikela said no one asked for the issue to be taken up at Thursday's summit of EU leaders. The 27 nations have stuck together thr

EU moves closer to new data transfer deal over spying concerns with US

The European Union moved closer to a clinching a revamped deal over transatlantic data transfers aimed at resolving concerns about U.S. spying with a draft decision that confirms comparable safeguards to those in the EU, which has stringent privacy rules. The EU's executive Commission released its draft decision approving the pact Tuesday, which follows a breakthrough preliminary agreement in March between Brussels and Washington to resolve a yearslong battle over the privacy of EU citizens' data that businesses routinely store in the U.S. That breakthrough was hailed by business groups, which said it will provide certainty to thousands of companies, including tech giants like Google and Facebook, sending data between Europe, which has stricter data privacy regulations, and the comparatively lax U.S., which lacks a comprehensive federal privacy law. Frictions over the transfers had raised the prospect that companies might need to keep European data out of the U.S. We are now confid

Four hit with corruption charges over EU lobbying scandal, two released

Four people have been charged with being part of a criminal group, money laundering and corruption in connection with an investigation into suspected influence peddling by a Persian Gulf country at the European Union's parliament, the Belgian federal prosecutors office said Sunday. The lobbying scandal, which allegedly involves Qatari officials, has already seen parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili relieved of her duties. The four are among six people held for questioning after Belgian police launched raids on at least 16 premises across the capital Brussels on Friday. None were named, but at least one is a member of the European Parliament and one a former EU lawmaker. The two others were released. It is suspected that third parties in political and/or strategic positions within the European Parliament were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence Parliament's decisions, prosecutors said in a statement. Authorities have not identified the Gulf country ...

EU's 'demands' for GSP Plus renewal put Pakistan under pressure

In order to save its status of GSP Plus, Pakistan is dangling between the conditions put forth by the European Union (EU) as well as its domestic exports lobby

Will push for early India-EU FTA under our presidency, says Sweden

Weeks before Sweden takes over the presidency of European Union, Swedish foreign trade minister Johan Forssell on Friday said pushing for an early finalisation of the India-EU free trade agreement will be one of the key priorities of his country's year-long tenure at the 27-nation. He said Sweden will act as an "honest broker" and do its best to conclude the negotiations for the FTA as it will be in "everyone's interest". The minister described India's procurement of crude oil from Russia amid the Ukraine conflict as part of domestic policies, saying every country must make their own decisions. "I have not come here to tell you what to do. The war has affected Europe in many ways, especially in the energy situation. Every country must make their own decisions and I totally agree with Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi saying that this is no time for war," he said while interacting with a group of journalists. "We very much hope for the war to end and hopefully very soon because there a

Takeda's dengue vaccine QDENGA gets EU's authorisation use approval

The vaccine, branded QDENGA, is designed for use those aged 4 and older to prevent any of the four so-called serotypes of dengue.

ASK Capital gets Central Bank of Ireland nod to launch India-based fund

UCITS is a regulatory framework of the European Commission for management and sale of mutual funds

Germany busts plot to put ex-royal back in power, detains 25 people

Prosecutors said the group was inspired by the deep state conspiracy theories of Germany's Reichsbuerger and QAnon, whose advocates were among those arrested after the storming of the U.S. Capitol

German police conduct countrywide raids, arrests 25 to avert coup: Report

A German man, Heinrich XIII, is alleged to have been central to the plans

EU leaders reaffirm commitment to integrating western Balkan countries

The leaders of the EU reaffirmed their full commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkan (WB) countries on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans Summit held here

European sanctions on Russian oil lead to a traffic jam on Turkey's coast

The government in Ankara is insisting the ships have a letter from their insurer guaranteeing cover while in Turkish waters -- something that's yet to happen

EU, Western Balkans to boost partnership as war in Ukraine advances

EU leaders and their Western Balkan counterparts gathered Tuesday for talks aimed at boosting their partnership as Russia's war in Ukraine threatens to reshape the geopolitical balance in the region. The EU wants to use the one-day summit in Albania's capital to tell leaders from Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia that they have futures within the wealthy economic bloc and give them concrete signs, rather than just promises, that they will join one day. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has been repeating that stepping up the bloc's engagement with the six nations is more crucial than ever to maintaining Europe's security. As Europe's relationship with Russia deteriorates further because of the war, tensions have also mounted in the Balkans and the EU wants to avoid other flashpoints close to its borders. In the Western Balkans, several crises are looming, and partners feel the immediate damaging impact of .

US, EU agree to intensify talks to resolve 'green subsidies' dispute

The United States and European Union agreed Monday to intensify talks to resolve EU concerns over major subsidies for American companies contained in a US clean energy law. Although no deal was reached at a meeting of the bilateral Trade and Technology Council, the two sides pledged to continue work on preliminary progress and said they would push for a solution that benefits both US and European firms, workers and consumers as well as the climate. We acknowledge the EU's concerns and underline our commitment to address them constructively, the two sides said in a joint statement after the meeting at the University of Maryland in College Park, located just outside Washington. We underline the TTC's role in achieving this and in supporting a successful and mutually supportive green transition with strong, secure, and diverse supply chains that benefit businesses, workers, and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, it said. The dispute revolves around the US Inflation Reduction Act

Europe's new tranche of sanctions on Russian oil kick in: What changes?

Russia has consistently said it won't sell oil to countries that participate in the price cap

Rupee skids 48 paise as corporates, oil firms rush to buy dollars

Domestic unit has shed over 9% versus the greenback so far in 2022; latest weakness came despite softer dollar index and strength in Asian currencies, led by a firm Chinese yuan

India-EU Competition Week on digital resolutions starts on Monday

Experts from the European Union would share their experiences in applying antitrust laws to the digital economy and markets and the introduction of the EU's Digital Markets Act

Want to go after Russian sanctions' evaders: EU chief prosecutor Kovesi

The bloc has so far frozen about €18.9 billion of assets belonging to sanctioned Russian individuals and entities since Vladimir Putin's February invasion of Ukraine

Crude concerns: India may have to rely on dark fleets for Russian imports

India will continue to buy Russian oil, and the lack of ships or insurers will not be a hindrance, said an oil ministry official