Category: EU Reporter

Dozens of protestors booed Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday in Vienna for his racist speech over the weekend, which saw a strong rebuke from Washington. Orbán, meeting with Austrian chancellor Karl Nehammer during a one-day visit, defended his comments against creating “peoples of mixed-race”, saying they represented a “cultural, civilisational standpoint”. “It happens […]

Western sanctions are driving Russia toward “economic oblivion” despite reports to the contrary, a leading US university has said.

Italian right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini’s ties with Russia came under scrutiny again Thursday following questions about what led to the collapse of prime minister Mario Draghi’s government, AFP reports. La Stampa newspaper revealed that a Russian diplomat met Salvini’s aide in May, and asked if any of the ministers from Salvini’s League party intended […]

China’s ambitions and clearly-stated strategic objectives are no less than delegitimising and finally replacing what it views as the Western-dominated and unfair existing world order. It denounces the current global system as the main source of instability and insecurity.

Making the EU target to reduce gas demand by 15 percent this winter mandatory should be decided unanimously and not by a qualified majority vote, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki told broadcaster Polsat News on Thursday. “We absolutely favour such a vote in this matter… where Poland has the right to veto. We demand it,” he said. […]

Estonia announced on Thursday that Russian citizens will no longer enjoy visas or residence permits to study in the country, Reuters reported. The country’s foreign ministry will also stop granting short-term work authorisations to Russians and other citizens allied with Belarus with a visa from another EU member state. “The continuation of sanctions against Russia is essential […]

Germany is preparing a bill to impose a levy on households and industry for their gas consumption to help suppliers facing skyrocketing prices, Reuters reported on Thursday. The levy will enter into force on 1 October, affecting all consumers with long-term contracts until the end of September 2024. The tax would be between 1.5 cents […]

The Irish government announced on Wednesday it will appoint two extra commissioners to the country’s Data Protection Commission, Reuters reports. The move is significant because most major Big Tech platforms — Alphabet (ie Google), Meta (ie Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), Apple, Microsoft, and Twitter — are based in Ireland. The country hosts the US multinationals […]

The Spanish government is to ask the European Parliament to allow Catalan to be used in the chamber, a first for a regional language, Reuters reports. The request could then be extended to Basque and Galician, if regional governments request it. Unanimous approval will be needed first from the EU Council. The move is seen […]

French president Emmanuel Macron hosts Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on Thursday, despite criticism the invitation is inappropriate four years after the murder by Saudi agents of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, AFP reported. Energy concerns will dominate the agenda as fears over power shortages rise. It is the prince’s (referred […]