Page 48 - European Union

Major EU climate protection plan shelved following farmer protests

A major European Union plan to fight climate change and better protect nature in the 27-nation bloc has been indefinitely postponed Monday, underscoring how farmers' protests sweeping the continent influence politics ahead of the June EU parliamentary elections. The member states were supposed to give final approval to the bill on Monday following months of proceedings through the EU's institutional maze. But what was supposed to be a mere rubber stamp has now been possibly shelved forever. "(The plan) is in a very difficult position at the moment and with the upcoming European elections, it won't be easy to get out of this position, said Dutch Climate Minister Rob Jetten. The Nature Restoration plan is a key part of the EU's European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world's most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues. The bill aims for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, ...

Lufthansa, ITA Airways deal may lead to higher prices: EU watchdog

"The removal of ITA as an independent airline may have negative effects on competition in these already concentrated markets," the Commission said in a statement

Google, Apple breakups on the agenda as global regulators target tech

Since AT&T was broken up exactly 40 years ago, no company has faced the possibility of a regulator-led break-up in the United States until now

EU Commission proposes to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is proposing to member countries to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. Speaking at the end of the opening day of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Von der Leyen said the move would prevent Russia from destabilizing the EU market with its imports of cereals, oilseeds and derived products. It will stop Russia from using the revenues from the export of these goods to the European Union, and it will ensure that illegal Russian exports of stolen Ukrainian grain do not enter the EU market, she said. Von der Leyen did not give any details about the value of the proposed tariffs. Russia was one of the main trade partners of the European Union before it invaded Ukraine. In support to Ukraine in the war against Russia, the EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia. The measures have targeted the energy sector, banks, the world's bigges

EU leaders debating fresh ways to get more arms to help war-torn Ukraine

European Union leaders on Thursday debated fresh ways to help boost arms and ammunition production for Ukraine amid a new sense of urgency about the future of the war-torn country. Ukraine's munition stocks are desperately low, while Russia has more and better-armed troops. There is also a growing awareness that the EU must provide for its own security, with election campaigning in the US raising questions about Washington's commitment to its allies. At the same time, political rhetoric is at fever pitch as the campaign for Europe-wide elections on June 6-9 gathers pace, with security a major issue. As they talk up the need to fund the defense industry, both at home and in Ukraine, many leaders are also trying to convince citizens that budgets could be tightened elsewhere. Ahead of the summit in Brussels, EU Council President Charles Michel said the Europeans face a pivotal moment." He said that with Europe "facing the biggest security threat since the Second World War, it is high .

France rejects bill to ratify EU-Canada trade deal, cites farmers' concerns

France's Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to reject legislation to ratify a 2017 trade deal between the European Union and Canada that has been criticised by farmers as bringing unfair competition from abroad. The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, provisionally went into effect in September 2017 after all EU governments agreed to it, but its full implementation requires approval by each national parliament. Thursday's 211-44 vote in the Senate does not necessarily mean that France ultimately will reject ratification. The vote sends the bill back to the powerful National Assembly, which previously has approved it and can move to override the Senate rejection and give final approval to the measure. If the Assembly should reject the legislation during its second vote, that would signal France's failure to ratify and could unravel the EU trade deal. Opposition in the Senate centred on concerns about shielding local farmers from what they consider unfair

European Union's AI Act sets clear regulatory framework, say experts

Indian startups and companies conducting business in the EU or catering to EU clientele will need to adhere to the standards set forth in the Act

Plane carrying UK minister gets its GPS jammed as it flew near Russia

A plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its satellite signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory, the government said on Thursday. The government said the Royal Air Force jet carrying Shapps, officials and journalists temporarily experienced GPS jamming when they flew close to Kaliningrad on a flight from Poland to the UK. The Times of London, whose reporter was onboard, said that for about 30 minutes mobile phones couldn't connect to the internet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. Shapps visited Poland on Wednesday to see UK troops participating in a large NATO exercise, Steadfast Defender. Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania, home to the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman, Dave Pares, said the jamming didn't threaten the safety of the aircraft at any point. He said it was not unusual for aircraft to experience electronic jamming near ...

EU lawmakers pass Act to regulate AI despite doubts about right balance

The landmark set of rules, in the absence of any legislation from the US, could set the tone for how AI is governed in the Western world

Explained: Apple to allow apps download on iPhone from websites, but...

Apple is opening up its iPhone ecosystem in the EU, developers will still have to jump over a lot of hurdles to offer apps directly from their website

India, four-nation EFTA set to sign free trade agreement on Sunday

India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA will sign a free trade agreement on Sunday with an aim to boost two-way trade in goods, services and investments, an official said. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The pact received approval from the Union Cabinet on March 7, the official said. India and EFTA have been negotiating the pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), since January 2008 to boost economic ties. The agreement has 14 chapters, including trade in goods, rules of origin, intellectual property rights (IPRs), trade in services, investment promotion and cooperation, government procurement, technical barriers to trade, and trade facilitation. EFTA has 29 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 40 partner countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Korea. Under free trade pacts, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum

As Big Tech scrambles to meet EU regulations, investigations seen as likely

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is one of the most comprehensive regulatory actions to rein in so-called "Big Tech" and is expected to reshape the global technology industry after decades of unfettered

India's free trade agreement with EFTA likely to be signed on March 10

The Union Cabinet on Thursday discussed the proposed free trade agreement between India and four European nation bloc EFTA and the pact is likely to be inked on Sunday, said sources. The negotiations for the pact with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members -- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland -- have concluded. The pact is expected to be signed on Sunday here, sources added. India and EFTA have been negotiating the pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), since January 2008 to boost economic ties. The agreement has several chapters including trade in goods, rules of origin, intellectual property rights (IPRs), trade in services, investment promotion and cooperation, trade and sustainable development, and trade facilitation. EFTA has 29 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 40 partner countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Korea. Under free trade pacts, two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate .

As costs rise, Lufthansa drops 2024 operating margin target to 7.6%

Europe's airlines have benefited from unprecedented demand following the pandemic, allowing them to hike prices, but higher labour and maintenance costs have limited earnings growth

IAEA chief in Russia to discuss safety of Ukrainian nuclear plant

The U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency chief is visiting Russia amid concern about a Ukrainian nuclear power plant caught in the crossfire since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022 and seized the facility shortly after. IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi arrived at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday evening, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti for talks on nuclear safety in Ukraine. Grossi announced the trip on Monday, the first day of a regular meeting of the agency's 35-nation board of governors in Vienna. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed alarm about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The plant's six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Speaking to reporters in Sochi on Wednesday, the IAEA chief said he had a very intensive and exhaustive workin

Poland protests: Many injured amid violent clashes between farmers, police

Poland saw its most violent protest by farmers and supporters yet Wednesday as some participants threw stones at police and tried to push through barriers around parliament, injuring several officers, police said. Police used tear gas and said they detained over a dozen people and prevented the protesters from getting through to the Sejm, the Polish parliament. Farmers are angry over European Union climate policies and food imports from Ukraine that they say threaten their livelihoods. Such protests have occurred across the 27-member EU in recent weeks, but this one was decidedly angrier than earlier demonstrations in the central European nation. Police noted on the social media platform X that its officers are not a party to the ongoing dispute and warned that behavior threatening their safety cannot be taken lightly and requires a firm and decisive response. The deputy agriculture minister, Michal Kolodziejczak, said he didn't believe that real, normal farmers caused a riot in fr

Google rolls out changes for users, developers as EU digital rules loom

Changes to search results mean large intermediaries and aggregators will get more traffic while hotels, airlines, merchants and restaurants will get less, Google said in a blogpost

Apple on track to collide with EU as new Digital Markets Act kicks in

The world's most ambitious digital regulation is being closely watched by other nations, including Japan, South Korea, Turkey and the UK, which are contemplating their own versions

As France ensures right to abortion, other countries look to expand access

As France becomes the only country to explicitly guarantee the right to abortion in its constitution, other Europeans look at the US rollback of abortion access and wonder: Could that happen here? Abortion is broadly legal across Europe, and governments have been gradually expanding abortion rights, with some exceptions. Women can access abortion in more than 40 European nations from Portugal to Russia, with varying rules on how late in a pregnancy it is allowed. Abortion is banned or tightly restricted in Poland and a handful of tiny countries. "It may not be an issue today in France, where a majority of people support abortion. But those same people may one day vote for a far-right government, and what happened in the US can happen in Europe," said Mathilde Philip-Gay, a law professor and specialist in French and American constitutional law. The inscription into France's constitution will "make it harder for abortion opponents of the future to challenge these rights." Here is a lo

WTO MC13: India blocks EU proposal to link trade with industrial policy

The proposal was a major ask by the EU