European Union

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has threatened to veto an EU accord linking the bloc's long-term budget to a mechanism requiring countries to uphold Europe's democracy rules, according to an EU source on Sunday (8 November).

On Monday (9 November), MEPs in the economic affairs and budgetary committees will vote on the EU's recovery fund package, but the ban on spending funds on fossil fuels, suggested by the environment committee, will not be in the final agreement.

The European Commission and senior EU lawmakers said they stood ready to intensify dialogue with the US on climate change, listing car CO2 limits and green finance among areas where “real transatlantic cooperation” is again possible after the four-year “Trump parenthesis”.

Police in Belarus on Sunday (8 November) detained more than 800 people during the latest in weeks of unprecedented demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko, as the opposition reached out to US President-elect Joe Biden.

After years of tiptoeing around the issue, EU governments are finally set to check on each other's records on the rule of law. This is a significant step forward, but governments have to take this broad dialogue seriously and talks must lead to action, argues Linda Ravo, an expert adviser at the Civil Liberties Union for Europe.

Contrary to Donald Trump's impulsive policies in the Middle East, Joe Biden is expected to shift back to a more conventional US stance and re-engage with Iran, redrawing regional geopolitics.

Although certain aspects of both the European Parliament and the Council's positions on the EU's farming subsidies programme may raise eyebrows, upcoming negotiations can still result in a reform that makes the programme fit for purpose, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said in reply to a letter from the Greens.

While Europe is rapidly catching up with China on investments into batteries for electric cars, it is still lagging behind when it comes to securing supplies of the critical raw materials that are needed to produce them.

More than 1,600 African migrants have landed on Spain's Canary Islands over a two-day period, a rate last seen a decade ago, emergency services said Sunday.

The EU’s legislation on fluorinated gases, adopted in 2014, needs an overhaul “to increase ambition in line with the European Green Deal” and “better prevent” an ongoing surge of illegal imports coming from China, an EU official told EURACTIV.

The EU and Russia will not be able to overcome their disagreements in the coming decade. But if they so choose, they can come to a pragmatic partnership that safeguards peace and stability in Europe, write Sabine Fischer and Ivan Timofeev.

The coronavirus may have slashed demand for air travel but a recovery is expected and, with it, extra growth and extra greenhouse gas emissions. Options to make aviation greener exist but sorely need investment and regulatory support to take off in a big way.

Police in Georgia fired water cannons and tear gas on thousands of demonstrators who have vowed permanent protests until a snap vote is called as the opposition accused the ruling party of rigging tightly contested parliamentary elections.

Greek fishermen say territorial waters in the northern Aegean are constantly being violated by Turkish fishing boats which engage in bullying tactics to spread their nets over a wider area, the Greek newspaper Ekathimerini writes. According to the Fishermen's Association of the Municipality of Alexandroupoli, Turkish boats resort to threats "so that we leave the fishing grounds to make way for Turkish boats," especially east of Samothraki and Limnos.

Polish ruling party chief Jarosław Kaczyński had wanted police to use force, including water cannon, to disperse protesters against new anti-abortion laws on 25 October, but Polish police chief Jarosław Szymczyk blocked his instructions, ordering his officers to act in a "balanced and cautious way", according to Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, citing anonymous sources. About 80 people have been arrested so far for unruly behaviour, including vandalism of monuments.

Britain's GCHQ spy agency is launching "offensive" cyber-operations designed to disrupt Russian disinformation on coronavirus. "GCHQ has been told to take out antivaxers online and on social media," a British government source told The Times newspaper. The same methods have already been used to "monitor and disrupt terrorist propaganda", the source said. Russia stands accused of spreading lies about the pandemic and vaccination projects to sow disorder in the West.

"I've always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners," British prime minister Boris Johnson told the AP news agency Sunday, but added he would still pass a bill enabling him to renege on a previous withdrawal agreement if needed. He spoke with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen by phone Saturday, who said "large differences" remained on fishing rights and state aid.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone Saturday Armenia must withdraw from Azerbaijan's territory and "sit down at the negotiating table" for a peaceful solution to warfare over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Erdoğan's diplomatic overture to play a leading role in the conflict came after his military support for Azerbaijan. Russia has a joint defence pact with Armenia, if Armenian territory is attacked.

Police snatched another 360 protesters off the streets of Belarus on Sunday, as weekly demonstrations against rigged elections on 9 August continued despite the crackdown. Olympic decathlon silver-medallist Andrei Krauchenko and kickboxing champion Ivan Ganin were among those arrested, Reuters reported. About 60 medical doctors were also detained in a rally on Saturday. The EU blacklisted Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, saying more sanctions could follow.

NGO ClientEarth, and other 13 organisations, have filed an injunction to stop a €3bn plastics-plant project expansion in Antwerp. The environmental groups are trying to prevent the clearance of woodland necessary for the construction of two extra industrial units before submitting a judicial appeal. "The Flemish authorities' decision to welcome yet more plastics refineries directly contradicts its own commitments to reduce plastic pollution and tackle climate change," ClientEarth said.