Category: EU Reporter

Germany will end purchases of Russian coal on 1 August and quit Russian oil on 31 December, German state secretary Jörg Kukies said in Sydney.

The EU has listed the top three cross-border health threats that require coordinated action. This includes nuclear, chemical, pathogens and antimicrobial resistance.

As several European countries turn back to coal to secure energy supplies, US special envoy for climate John Kerry said the return to coal should be temporary. “The war doesn’t mean climate steps aside all of a sudden, the climate crisis doesn’t stop evolving,” Kerry told Reuters, arguing that the war in Ukraine reveals the need […]

The Dutch Senate approved the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada on Tuesday. Under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, more than 99 percent of all trade tariffs currently in place between the the bloc and Canada will be abolished. So far 14 of the 27 member states have approved the text, but […]

The euro hit parity with the dollar for the first time since 2002 on Tuesday. The eurozone currency has lost value rapidly since the start of the war in Ukraine, when it was trading at $1.15. Fear the Kremlin will cut off gas to Europe has pushed the euro down. This will drive up the […]

Uber lobbyist and former European Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes still has an active badge that allows her to access commission buildings during working hours, a commission spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. She does not have access to cabinets floors. Kroes is among the high-profile figures in the Uber Files investigation, recently disclosed by the Guardian newspaper […]

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Tuesday new temporary taxes on energy companies and financial institutions in 2023 and 2024 to ease the effect of inflation. The government expects levies on both financial institutions and power firms to collect €3.5bn per year. “We need to share the burden of this crisis justly, and not […]

Poland said on Tuesday that the war in Ukraine and skyrocketing energy prices call for “special legal measures that allow for a real-time reaction if the situation deteriorates further,” Reuters reported. The measures include easing gas-trading rules, extending consumers’ tariff protection until 2027, and contingency plans for gas operators. Russia has cut gas supplies to […]

The European Union has frozen Russian assets worth €13.8bn since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders said on Tuesday. “A very large part [of this money], more than €12bn, comes from five member states so we need to continue to convince others to do the same,” he told reporters ahead of a meeting […]

Women working in the health sector earn on average 24 percent less than their male colleagues, a new report by the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization revealed on Wednesday. The report also found the gender pay gap tends to actually be wider in higher-pay categories, over-represented by men, although it points out […]