Brussels, Belgium | AFP | EU leaders launch fraught negotiations Friday on a major recovery fund to revive a European economy ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak, deeply divided on the way forward. Europe faces its biggest recession in the bloc’s 63-year history, and states are under pressure to look beyond their …
Read More »Italy PM presses on with much-maligned economic pow-wow
Rome, Italy | AFP | EU leaders are set to join Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday for talks on jumpstarting the nation’s economy, but opposition figures shunned the hastily organised — and roundly criticised — initiative. Despite a bevy of A-list political speakers, Italians such as far-right leader Matteo …
Read More »Round Four: UK and EU back in the Brexit ring
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Trade negotiators from Britain and the EU embark on a fourth round of post-Brexit negotiations Tuesday but no-one in London or Brussels expects a breakthrough. Instead, once the latest cross-Channel video conferences are over, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will …
Read More »Bad tempered post-Brexit talks enter crucial phase
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain and the EU will attempt to revive their imperilled trade talks on Tuesday, entering a crucial week of negotiations that could mark the final hope for a deal. Hundreds of officials will hold video talks all week from London and Brussels, the fourth and last …
Read More »Battle ahead for EU’s massive virus recovery plan
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed a 750-billion-euro post-virus recovery fund for Europe and urged sceptical member states to back it. The global coronavirus outbreak has already thrust the EU into its deepest ever recession, and Von der Leyen’s proposal would help …
Read More »EU’s Von der Leyen to unveil trillion-euro recovery plan
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen will on Wednesday propose a roughly one-trillion-euro post-virus recovery fund for Europe, but will have to win over sceptical member states. The global coronavirus outbreak has thrust the EU into its deepest ever recession, and Von der Leyen’s proposal …
Read More »World leaders pledge €7.4bn to research Covid-19 vaccine
EU-hosted talks tout cooperation but is not addressed by India, Russia or US PATRICK WINTOUR | World leaders, with the notable exception of Donald Trump, stumped up nearly €7.4bn (£6.5bn) to research Covid-19 vaccines and therapies at a virtual event convened by the EU, pledging the money will also be …
Read More »EU chiefs sign Brexit deal ahead of parliamentary vote
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Brussels’ two top officials, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, signed off on Britain’s EU divorce agreement Friday. With Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel’s formal endorsement, the text will now go to the European Parliament on Wednesday, January 29 for …
Read More »US, EU warn of danger from Russia, China on Berlin Wall anniversary
Berlin, Germany | AFP | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and incoming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen issued stark warnings Friday that the West faces new challenges from Russia and China, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall. Urging Western allies to defend hard-won …
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