European Union

MEPs in the European Parliament are set to vote on a report on North Macedonia. Some MEPs are demanding Bulgaria stop issuing "provocative statements" against the Balkan state.

Sweden announced on Wednesday that its travel ban for people coming from Norway and Denmark will end on 31 March. People will need a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country, however, Reuters reported. "This means, among other things, that Norwegians and Danes can travel to their holiday homes in Sweden and that families and friends across borders can meet each other," said minister of the interior, Mikael Damberg.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Andy Li has been charged with "conspiracy to commit collusion" with a foreign country to endanger national security, Deutsche Welle writes. The charges come two days after the 30-year-old was released from a prison in China. Li, along with 11 other activists, had been detained after trying to flee to Taiwan by speedboat in August 2020. All had faced charges over the pro-democracy protest movement.

The Portuguese presidency of the EU Council, together with the European Investment Bank, are hosting 30-days of talks with African political leaders on the energy transition and green investment needed in the continent. These dialogues started on Wednesday and will end on 23 April, when a forum will be held in Lisbon. These dialogues are part of the preparation for the next summit between the EU and the African Union.

The UK seems to be targeted as it has received 10m vaccines since January from the EU but has not exported back. Several EU countries are cautious about the tighter curbs fearing it could harm global supply chains.

Britain will introduce new rules for those seeking asylum, making it more difficult for refugees entering illegally to stay in the country, UK interior minister Priti Patel said, Reuters reports. "Under our new plan for immigration, if people arrive illegally, they will no longer have the same entitlements as those who arrive legally, and it will be harder for them to stay," Patel said in a statement.

The UN human rights council agreed to set up a team of investigators to gather evidence about the alleged brutality and torture by authorities in Belarus during their post-election crackdown on protesters, Reuters writes. "We must show our support to the people of Belarus and hold perpetrators of grave human rights violations accountable to end the vicious cycle of impunity," Portugal's ambassador Rui Macieira, speaking for the EU, said.

The European Commission has raised concerns about the "alarming" epidemiological situation in some member states, warning that it could worsen in the coming weeks as a third wave of the pandemic hits the continent.

The sanctions announced against Chinese officials are another example of European peddler politics: offering a little tasting of this and a little of that - without impact.

The EU is keen to display its capacity as a global actor: it has leverage in Yemen to be a force for peace-driven change, and to support Yemenis who are already pursuing peace, despite the horrific risks of doing so.

The renewed focus on the COVID-19 crisis and delays with the European vaccination campaign are set to overshadow talks on how to align industrial policy with the EU's climate goals at an EU summit meeting on Thursday (25 March).

The US and Europe have agreed to relaunch a bilateral dialogue on China and work together to address Russia's "challenging behavior," according to a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the EU foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospects for another term looked uncertain on Wednesday (24 March) after partial results from a national election projected no clear path to victory.

The work on the Conference on the Future of Europe has officially started with the constitutive meeting of the Executive Board held on 24 March.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The work on the Conference on the Future of Europe has officially started with the constitutive meeting of the Executive Board held on 24 March.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Most MEPs supported the Digital Green Certificate during today’s debate but warned that all efforts to recover will be void unless Europeans are vaccinated more quickly.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Most MEPs supported the Digital Green Certificate during today’s debate but warned that all efforts to recover will be void unless Europeans are vaccinated more quickly.

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Ukraine has imposed sanctions on two dozen Russian officials and three French members of the European Parliament who visited Russian-annexed Crimea without Kyiv's permission.

The European Court of Justice has been asked to clarify whether Germany's competition authority was right to order Facebook to halt its data collection practices, due to concerns over alleged abuse of its dominant market position and violations of EU data protection law.

The 10th anniversary of the Syrian uprising passed last week without as much comment as it merited. Next week, the EU will host the fifth international pledging conference tasked with ‘Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,’ also referred to as ‘Brussels V’.