Region

EU plus

Stories in this section cover the EU-27 countries plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and the Balkan Countries (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia).

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News
EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine should not be used as a "weapon of war". Addressing the European Parliament on 10 September in the annual State of the Union, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response but insisted the European Commission "will do all that it can on its own". "What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said. The German politician said the Commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
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Opinion
What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

The agreements reached in the US-mediated summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington on August 8 are poised to fundamentally reshape the region's future. Particularly, the deal concerning the Zangezur corridor – rebranded as the “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) – holds significant geopolitical importance. If implemented, the TRIPP agreement would deal a severe blow to the regional standing of Russia and Iran. More importantly, it would pave the way for a strategic U.S. presence in this critical geography. This outcome represents a success that few would have predicted for the United States, especially for the Trump administration, given the region's notoriously complex and volatile geopolitics.

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News
Strategic, Ambitious, Flexible and Inclusive

Strategic, Ambitious, Flexible and Inclusive

The EU has set out the vision for making the Eastern Partnership a framework for cooperation, allowing participants to tackle common and global challenges jointly in a wide range of areas, especially in the current unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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News
Happy Europe Day

Happy Europe Day

Europe Day held on 9 May every year celebrates peace and unity in Europe.
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Live blog
Live Blog - 30 April 2020

Live Blog - 30 April 2020

In March some feared that the coronavirus pandemic may overwhelm some countries. That has not happened. Whilst the crisis is not over yet the signs are that humanity, through some extraordinary measures one would not have thought possible only a few weeks ago, has turned the tide.
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Live blog
Live Blog - 29 April 2020

Live Blog - 29 April 2020

Not the time for a blame game, but China needs to engage seriously in a discussion on this pandemic.
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Live blog
Live Blog - 28 April 2020

Live Blog - 28 April 2020

Tributes to doctors, nurses and front line workers in the battle against covid-19 have been expressed by communities all over the world