European Union

UK's 'Bregret' syndrome: Decade on, Brexit objectives prove unworkable

A decade after the Brexit vote, slower growth, higher trade costs and persistent immigration challenges have fuelled rising public regret over leaving the EU

India-EU trade pact likely by year-end, operational in early 2027: Delphin

EU Ambassador Herve Delphin says legal vetting of the India-EU trade pact is nearing completion, with signing expected by year-end and implementation likely in early 2027

10 years after Brexit vote: How Britain's financial industry recovered

A decade after Brexit, London's finance sector remains resilient but has lost market share as the UK grapples with weaker investment appeal

EU lifts travel advisory for Assam, except 3 districts under Afspa: Himanta

European Union (EU) member-states have withdrawn their negative travel advisory for Assam, except for the three districts under the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act or AFSPA, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday. EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin informed the Assam chief secretary that the restriction has been lifted from Friday, he said. "After reviewing the situation in Assam, they have withdrawn the negative travel advisory from yesterday. All the 27 member-states of the EU have lifted the restrictions for its citizens travelling to our state, barring the three districts of Charaideo, Tinsukia and Sivasagar which are under AFSPA," Sarma said on Facebook Live. He said that the USA and Canada are yet to lift the travel restrictions for Assam, and the state government was pursuing the matter with them. Australia and Japan had earlier withdrawn similar advisories for their citizens last year, the CM said in a post on X. "This development, following the recent visi

EU to start Ukraine membership talks next week as war with Russia drags on

European Union nations agreed on Friday to open membership talks with Ukraine next week, officially launching the process for the war-torn country to eventually join the world's biggest trading bloc. At a meeting in Brussels, ambassadors from the 27 EU nations decided to officially open negotiations with Ukraine as well as with Moldova, which Russia has also tried to drag back into its orbit, on Monday in Luxembourg. Ukraine sees EU membership as an important "security guarantee" for a stable future once war with Russia ends. Its best guarantee would be NATO membership, but the Trump administration insists that cannot happen. Others oppose it joining while fighting continues. Russia is strongly against it, and has cited moves toward NATO membership as a reason for launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, though it has not objected to EU membership for Kyiv. Countries hoping to join the EU must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, or chapters, ranging from agriculture to trad

Europe is finally beginning to reinvent itself for a changing world

Europe is accelerating efforts to strengthen its economy through market integration, industrial support and tougher trade measures, while reducing reliance on US policy under Donald Trump

EU orders Meta to restore WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots

European Union regulators on Tuesday ordered Meta Platforms to restore access to WhatsApp for rival AI chatbot makers until its antitrust investigation is complete. The bloc's executive Commission, which is the 27-nation EU's top antitrust and competition enforcer, said it was taking action to prevent harm to competition in the growing market for AI assistants before it's too late. The commission said it was imposing "interim measures" while it continues its investigation into WhatsApp's artificial intelligence policy over concerns the company is breaching EU law by blocking competitors from offering their AI assistants on the platform. Meta said it would appeal. "The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free," the company said in a statement. "This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay." Brussels has been resorting to temporary orders after

Regulators refusing to engage: Apple delays Siri AI for iPhone users in EU

The company said the European Commission did not accept any of its suggestions over the past several months, and that as a result Siri AI will not be available in the EU as part of iOS 27 or iPadOS 27

Weekly policy watch: EU delegation visit, inflation and forex data in focus

India's policy calendar this week will be driven by a high-level EU visit, inflation data and key indicators on banking liquidity and external sector stability

Meta's AI training tool for employees may spark new EU privacy concerns

Meta is reportedly collecting detailed software usage data from US employees to train AI systems, a move that could raise GDPR-related concerns in Europe

European Union mulls temporary freeze on Russian crude oil price cap

The EU is weighing a freeze on its Russian oil price cap as the West Asia conflict drives crude prices sharply higher ahead of a July review

Why Switzerland's 10-million population cap is worrying executives

On June 14, Switzerland will vote on a plan to cap the population at 10 million, requiring a severe reduction in immigration

India's carbon market gathers pace as export markets raise cost of business

India's carbon market framework is moving towards implementation under the CCTS, but experts warn that verification gaps, weak penalties and limited sectoral coverage remain major concerns

Ukraine can be EU 'associate' member: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

Friedrich Merz has proposed an "associate member" status for Ukraine as an interim pathway towards full EU membership

PM Modi in Rome: Why India, Italy need to build a strategic future together

Rome increasingly understands that the future of European competitiveness, economic resilience and strategic diversification will depend upon trusted industrial partnerships beyond the Continent

'Beginning of a new journey': Swedish PM Kristersson on India-EU FTA

Kristersson also underlined the expected economic benefits of a free trade agreement, particularly for employment generation in Sweden

India-EU ties can bring stability in unstable world: EU Commission Prez

Von der Leyen also underlined the importance of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, saying it is paving the way for stronger collaboration in areas such as AI governance, semiconductors, etc

EU includes India in eligible list of countries for marine exports

The EU has added India to its updated list of countries eligible to export marine products, safeguarding seafood shipments to the bloc beyond September 2026

EU-India partnership now at totally new strategic level: European envoy

The European Union-India partnership is "limitless, ambitious and progressive" and both sides have elevated the relationship to a "totally new level" in both qualitative and strategic terms, EU Ambassador Herve Delphin has said. In an address at an event, the envoy also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "not an era of war" message "deeply resonates" with Europe's values and identity, and called the EU "fundamentally a peace project". Characterising the EU-India summit held three and a half months ago as a milestone, Delphin said the confluence of symbolism, substance and strategic significance resulted in "momentous outcomes". "We have placed our relationship to a totally new level, in qualitative and strategic terms. The EU-India partnership is limitless, ambitious and progressive," he said. "These achievements would not have been possible without the political conviction and trust shared by our leaders," the envoy said at the Europe Day celebrations on Friday night. Delp

EU has until July 4 to approve trade deal or face higher tariffs: Trump

President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4. The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks. "A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to gi