Newsletter
Newsletter
EUROPE
EU states back plan for stricter asylum reforms: The European Union’s 27 member states have agreed on an initial plan to enact tougher asylum and migration policies across the bloc, officials announced last week. The agreement was reached hours after tense negotiations. Swedish Interior Minister Maria Stenergard, who chaired the talks, told a press conference that if the applicant had no chance of receiving asylum in the EU, they would be returned immediately. All applications for asylum had to be processed within a maximum period of six months. One of the contested reforms was the introduction of preliminary checks on asylum-seekers, who would then be sent back immediately if deemed that they did not have a chance to be granted asylum. dw.com
- UN: Thousands of migrants die on the way to Europe n-tv.de
EU considering major Tunisia aid package as migration surges: The EU said on Sunday it may loan Tunisia over one billion euros to help develop its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with a migration crisis, with most funds contingent on it agreeing economic reforms. The offer was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Tunisia. Tunisian President Kais Saied, however, said that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries. reuters.com, reuters.com
EU approves $8.7 billion of state aid for tech innovation projects: The EU Commission approved the aid for microelectronics and communication technology projects as part of the EU’s drive to be at the cutting edge of technological innovation. The Commission said that 14 member countries could provide the aid to 68 projects. The projects, which involve a total of 56 companies, include research and development into materials and tools, as well as chip design and manufacturing processes. reuters.com
Macron, Scholz and Duda discussed security guarantees for Ukraine: At a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish leader Andrzej Duda, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated the unity of the Europeans in his decision to invade Ukraine. Scholz said Germany, France and Poland would stand with Ukraine. According to Macron, the Ukrainian counter-offensive against the Russian troops could last several weeks or months. The goal, he said, is to help Ukraine retake its territoy, but never to attack Russia in the process. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda appealed to NATO member states and urged them to promptly accept Ukraine into the alliance. welt.de, tagesschau.de, rnd.de
- Netherlands: Coalition aims to begin Ukrainian F-16 pilot training by summer. reuters.com
- Denmark to propose August start of Ukraine F-16 pilot training. reuters.com
- Swiss websites hit by DDoS attack ahead of Zelenskiy video address. reuters.com
- France exposes mega Russian disinformation campaign. politico.eu
Death toll after dam burst continues to rise: The military administration of the Ukrainian-controlled side of the Kherson region reported ten dead, 20 injured and 42 missing. On the Russian-controlled southern bank of the Dnipro River, the number of dead also increased – from eight to 17, according to Russian sources. Meanwhile, Ukraine will receive further loans from the EU to repair war damage. The EU Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to make available an EU guarantee enabling the EIB to provide €100 million of new loans to Ukraine. The US government is expected to provide Ukraine with depleted-uranium rounds following weeks of internal debate about how to equip the Abrams tanks the US is giving to Kyiv, US officials said Monday. reuters.com, eib.org, wsj.com
Visegrad Group protects Slovak airspace: The defence ministers of the four Visegrad countries Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia signed an agreement to this effect. Germany’s State Secretary Siemtje Möller also attended the meeting as a guest. She assured the Slovak Defence Minister Martin Sklenar of continued military support. Slovakia is a neighbour of Ukraine and has not had its own fighter aircraft in service since last September. At that time, the Slovakian army made its Russian-built fighter jets available to Ukraine. tagesspiegel.de
Von der Leyen commits to completing EU-Mercosur deal by end of year: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is currently touring Latin America, as she looks to shore up support for the trade deal between the EU and Mercosur countries ahead of negotiations at the end of the month. Given the changing geopolitical environment, the EU sees the continent as an increasingly important ally and no longers wants to be seen to be neglecting the region. Von der Leyen also met with Argentinian president Alberto Angel Fernandez in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, where a memorandum of understanding on stronger cooperation on sustainable raw materials was signed. euronews.com
EU to digitalise procedures for Schengen visa: The EU Parliament and the Council agreed to allow for the digitalisation of the Schengen visa procedure. The agreed rules will modernise, simplify, and harmonise the visa procedures for non-EU country nationals applying for a visa and for the EU member states who need to grant such visas through digitalisation. ec.europa.eu
Google faces new EU antitrust complaint for ad tech abuses: Google is set to be hit with a formal antitrust complaint from the EU that could pave the way for massive fines. The charge sheet will target the core of the Alphabet Inc. unit’s ad tech business model, according to people familiar with the matter. Google’s advertising business is by far its most successful, accounting for about 80% of its annual revenue. In 2022, its ad sales amounted to about $225 billion. bloomberg.com
Google forced to postpone Bard chatbot’s EU launch over privacy concerns: The Irish Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that the tech giant had so far provided insufficient information about how its generative AI tool protects Europeans‘ privacy to justify an EU launch. politico.eu
Employment rights for gig workers: Ministers for employment and social affairs agreed on the Council’s general approach for a proposed directive to improve working conditions for platform workers. The proposal introduces two key improvements: it helps determine the correct employment status of people working for digital platforms and establishes the first EU rules on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. consilium.europa.eu
Netherlands and Canada take Syria to court: The Netherlands and Canada have submitted a case against Syria to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over allegations of torture. Their application accuses the Syrian government of committing „countless violations of international law“ since the country’s civil war began in 2011. bbc.com
Brexit: UK bill to revoke EU laws could have negative impact on trade, Brussels warns euronews.com
EU Environment Agency: Several EU countries need to recycle better spiegel.de
Covid recovery fund: EU Court of Auditors calls for more transparency from the EU Commission zeit.de
Because of massive US subsidies: Europe’s only solar cell manufacturer threatens to relocate to the US tagesspiegel.de
Electronic evidence: New rules to speed up cross-border criminal investigations europarl.europa.eu
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said it is time to wrap up the trade deal between the EU and Mercosur countries after years of standstill. politico.eu
NATION
World reacts to Silvio Berlusconi’s death: Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86. His death drew tributes even from his critics, and ever more lavish praise from admirers, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as prayers from Pope Francis. In a video statement carried on Italian television, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “a great European political leader and a great Italian is gone. His intuitions, his battles, his commitment transformed our nation and opened spaces for authentic liberty.” The Biden administration extended its condolences to Berlusconi’s family, friends and to the government and people of Italy. washingtonpost.com, apnews.com
Man arrested after 3 killed in Nottingham: A man was arrested early Tuesday on the suspicion of murder after three people were found dead in the city of Nottingham, in central England. The police said they were first alerted just after 4 a.m. about two people who had been stabbed in the street and were unresponsive. These two people would later be identified as 19-year-old students at the University of Nottingham. Police officers were then called to a nearby street in the city centre, where three other people were found wounded after a driver attempted to run them over with a van. Soon after, the body of a man in his 50s who had been killed with a knife was found in a third street. The police said Tuesday that they believe that the van belonged to that man and that it had been stolen from him. A 31-year-old man was arrested in connection with the deaths. nytimes.com
Four children wounded in Annecy knife attack: Four toddlers and two pensioners were stabbed in a knife attack in the tranquil French mountain town of Annecy last week. A video of the attack, taken by a bystander and verified by Reuters, showed the assailant jump a low wall into a children’s playground and repeatedly lunge at a child in a stroller, pushing aside a woman who tries to fend him off. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the suspected attacker, who was in police custody, was a 31-year old Syrian national who was granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the stabbing attack as “unfathomable”, adding that his thoughts were with all those affected. reuters.com, independent.co.uk
Poland to challenge EU climate laws before top court: Poland will try to overturn the EU’s combustion engine phaseout and other climate laws with an appeal before the bloc’s top court, Climate Minister Anna Moskwa said. In spring, the EU passed a law effectively banning the sale of new cars powered by fossil fuels from 2035. Moskwa told Poland’s Radio Zet on Monday that the country would take the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union. politico.eu
Italy and Germany agree on closer cooperation: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have agreed on closer cooperation between the two countries. The two EU governments intend to set this down in writing in an action plan before the end of 2023. Scholz praised the plan to build a new natural gas and hydrogen pipeline from Italy via Austria to Germany. Meloni also called for closer cooperation between the EU and North African countries. table.media/europe
Northern European states want to better protect maritime infrastructure: This was agreed by the defence ministers of the ten Northern European countries. Important pipelines, wind farms or cables in the sea are increasingly becoming targets of attacks, said Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren. „We have seen many examples of this in recent months, such as the sabotage of Nord Stream.“ The minister also recalled that Russian ships had collected information about wind farms in the North Sea earlier this year. handelsblatt.com
German court orders Cologne Archdiocese pay €300k in abuse damages: A German regional court ordered the Archdiocese of Cologne to pay €300,000 in damages to an abuse victim for crimes committed in the 1970s. It’s a far higher sum than Germany’s Catholic Church dioceses have paid in voluntary, symbolic compensation payments in the past. „I am happy and grateful, that the court has contributed to clarity in this case with its decision,“ Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki said, calling sexual abuse „a crime, whose consequences can often negatively impact those affected for their entire lives.“ dw.com
Arrest of alleged organiser of Serb protests: Three police officers in Kosovo were injured during the arrest of an alleged organiser of Serb protests in the country’s north, including one in which 30 NATO-led peacekeepers were injured, the country’s interior minister said Tuesday. In May, ethnic Serbs clashed with Kosovo police and then members of the international Kosovo Force peacekeeping missions in northern Kosovo’s city of Zvecan. Thirty soldiers and over 50 Serbs were injured. apnews.com
Germany draws up plan to prevent heatwave deaths dw.com
Scotland: First Minister Humza Yousaf won’t suspend Nicola Sturgeon from party after arrest reuters.com
Romania: PM Ciuca resigns in power swap agreed by ruling coalition reuters.com
Montenegro: Pro-EU party wins election euronews.com
NUMBERS
Germany and France have announced they will give away 60,000 train tickets — half in each country — beginning Monday as a way to foster relations between the two countries. dw.com
AT LAST
Netherlands to provide free sun cream to tackle record skin cancer levels: Citizens of the Netherlands are to be offered free sun protection this summer in an effort to tackle record levels of skin cancer in the country. Sun cream dispensers will be made available this summer in schools and universities, at festivals, parks, sports venues and open public spaces across the country, according to the government. theguardian.com