Page 46 - European Union

EU adopts 14th package of sanctions against Russia, including LNG: Report

The new restrictions on gas aim to reduce Russia's revenues from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by banning trans-shipments - transferring cargoes from one ship to another - off EU ports

EU targets Russia's LNG ghost fleet in new round of Ukraine war sanctions

The European Union on Monday slapped new sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine, targeting Moscow's shadow fleet of tankers moving liquefied natural gas through Europe as well as several companies. In a statement issued at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, the bloc said that it will forbid reloading services of Russian LNG in EU territory for the purpose of transshipment operations to third countries. The EU estimates that about 4-to-6 billion cubic metres of Russian LNG was shipped to third countries via EU ports last year. Russia is suspected of running a ghost fleet to evade sanctions and keep up the flow of energy earnings so that it can finance the war. The measures will target ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore transfers as well as reloading operations. It also involves a crackdown on the re-export of LNG to third countries via the EU, plus a ban on new investments to help Russia complete LNG projects it is working on. A total of 61 new entities often companies, banks, ..

Apple's App Store rules violate EU's Digital Markets Act, say regulators

European Commission, which also acts as the EU antitrust and technology regulator, said it had sent its preliminary findings to Apple following an investigation

Costly election pledges in France may push country deeper into debt

The promises are appealing - and expensive. Vying to oust the centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron in an upcoming two-round parliamentary election June 30 and July 7, French political parties of both the far right and far left are vowing to cut gasoline taxes, let workers retire earlier and raise wages. Their campaign pledges threaten to bust an already-swollen government budget, push up French interest rates and strain France's relations with the European Union. The snap election could well replace Macron's limping centrist government with one led by parties whose campaigns have abandoned any pretence of fiscal discipline,' economist Brigitte Granville of Queen Mary University of London wrote Thursday on the Project Syndicate website. The turbulence began June 9 when voters handed Macron a defeat at the hands of Marine Le Pen's hard right National Rally party in EU parliamentary elections. Macron promptly and surprisingly called a snap parliamentary election, convince

Ukraine inches closer to joining EU after decade of devastating war

Kyiv filed its request to join the EU days after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022

Ukraine on irreversible course of Western integration, says top official

Ukraine's top official for Europe says the war-torn country is on an irreversible course of Western integration after the European Union agreed to formally start entry negotiations this week. The decision to launch accession talks this week is a big day for her country, Olga Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said. This is the utmost will of the Ukrainian people. And this is the irreversibility. And you've seen Ukrainians stand up for their choice, Stefanishyna said, speaking in Kyiv Sunday. It was her first interview since being appointed chief negotiator for EU accession. EU leaders agreed Friday to start the entry talks with Ukraine and Moldova overcoming vocal opposition led by Hungary which takes over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1. Stefanishyna will head the opening of the accession talks in Luxembourg Tuesday, joined by several top government officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to give a sp

China, European Union agree to hold talks on move to impose EV tariffs

Earlier this month, the EU announced plans to impose levies as high as 48% on EVs shipped from China as of July, fueling trade tensions with the Asian nation

Why is Israel arch-enemy Hezbollah threatening a small EU country with war?

Hezbollah's threat came a day after Israel warned that the prospect of an 'all-out war' in Lebanon was 'getting very close'

China accuses EU of foul play, says escalation could trigger 'trade war'

China's Commerce Ministry on Thursday accused the European Union of making unreasonable demands in its investigation into imports of Chinese electric vehicles before announcing it was raising tariffs by as much as 38 per cent. Ministry spokesman He Yadong said the European side had demanded excessive amounts of information from Chinese automakers and then unfairly accused the Chinese companies of failing to cooperate. The types, scope, and amount of information collected by the European side are unprecedented, far exceeding the requirements of anti-subsidy investigations, He said. He said that included requiring details on manufacturing and development, technology and product formulas, among other aspects, from Chinese electric vehicle and battery companies. "After Chinese companies did their best to cooperate with the investigation and provided information, the European Commission still unreasonably accused Chinese companies of not fully cooperating and imposed punitive high tax ..

EU electric car sales fall in May as German demand slumps, says industry

Overall new car sales in the bloc fell by 3 per cent in May from the same month in 2023, the second drop this year

'EU laws on sustainable products to hurt exports from developing nations'

Since most products covered are consumer products, the price rise may lead to inflation in the EU, the report said

Euro 2024: Italy, Spain meet for fifth European Championship in a row

Defending champion Italy plays Spain on Thursday in one of the most anticipated games at Euro 2024. Spain leads Group B ahead of Italy on goal difference after both teams won their opening games. Croatia and Albania are the other teams in the group. Kick-off is at 9 pm local (1900 GMT) in Gelsenkirchen. Here's what to know about the match: Match facts Italy survived a scare against Albania when Nedim Bajrami scored after 23 seconds - the fastest goal in Euros history. A 2-1 come-from-behind win avoided embarrassment for Luciano Spalletti's team. There were no such concerns for Spain after a dominant 3-0 win against World Cup semi-finalist Croatia. Italy beat Spain on penalties in the semi-finals of the last Euros after a 1-1 draw through extra time at Wembley Stadium. The team, then coached by Roberto Mancini, also needed penalties to beat England in the final. Build up to the last game in Gelsenkirchen - Serbia vs. England - had been overshadowed by concerns about fan violence.

China requests Britain to stop sanctioning Chinese firms over Russian links

Britain last week imposed its first sanctions targeting vessels in Russian President Vladimir Putin's "shadow fleet" that it said was used to circumvent Western sanctions on the trade in Russian oil

EU Commission plan may exempt long-haul flights from new emissions rules

The EU is developing plans to require airlines to track and report their contribution to climate change from January 2025

Chinese automakers urge Beijing to impose retaliatory tariffs on EU cars

China's current import tariff for cars is 15%

Here's why EU's ecodesign regulation can hurt export of textiles, footwear

EU's ecodesign regulation mandates rigorous energy performance and environmental sustainability, prohibiting the disposal of unsold textiles and footwear, potentially impacting India's export volumes

China hits Europe's pork imports after EU imposes tariffs on Chinese EVs

The Chinese government is taking aim at European farmers instead of German automakers by launching an investigation into European Union pork imports, just days after the EU said it plans to impose provisional tariffs on China-made electric vehicles. The Commerce Ministry didn't mention the EV tariffs when it announced Monday that it is opening an anti-dumping investigation into pork from Europe, but the move is widely seen as a response to the EU move on electric cars. It also gives China a bargaining chip in any trade negotiations. China could have slapped a 25% duty on imports of gasoline-powered vehicles with large engines in the name of combating climate change, a step that would would have hit Mercedes and BMW hard. In choosing not to do so, at least for now, the government may be acknowledging the public opposition of the German auto industry to the EU tariffs, as well as its sizeable production in China. The Chinese market is a major one for German automakers, and the head of

Nato targets AI, robots and space technology in $1.1 billion fund

On Tuesday, the Nato Innovation Fund (NIF) confirmed it had directly invested in four European tech companies

European Union leaders break off talks over top job nominees without result

Leaders of European Union countries reached no final agreement on candidates for the bloc's top jobs Monday, but several praised the record of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and she appeared on track to secure their endorsement later this month for a second term in office. "There is no agreement tonight at this stage," EU Council President Charles Michel said after chairing an informal dinner summit in Brussels. The 27 leaders were weighing the fallout from the recent European elections and how to take those results into account as they nominate candidates for the top posts. "This conversation was today a useful step to prepare the next European Council," Michel said, referring to the next meeting of EU presidents and prime ministers June 27-28. He refused to be drawn out on the chances of von der Leyen and others, saying only: "It will be clarified next week." The June 6-9 elections saw the European Parliament shift to the right and dealt major blows to ...

China opens anti-dumping investigation into EU pork imports: Report

It was prompted by a complaint submitted by the China Animal Husbandry Association on June 6 on behalf of the domestic pork industry, the ministry said