Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked 50 billion euros ($54bn) in European Union aid for Ukraine, hours after the group agreed to formally open membership talks with Kyiv. Leaders meeting in Brussels said they would revisit the issue next month after Orban refused to back the additional funding for Ukraine’s government as it battles … Read moreHungary blocks $54bn EU financial aid for Ukraine
The European Union’s top diplomat says he will propose sanctions on Jewish settlers who are violent against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday said the bloc was “alarmed by the violence in the West Bank by extremist settlers” and condemned the Israeli government’s decision to approve … Read moreEU mulls sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, expressed three wishes last month: he sought $61.4bn in funding from Washington for Ukraine’s war effort next year, $20.5bn from the European Union, and an EU invitation to start membership talks. Zelenskyy asked for his wishes to come true before Christmas, but it now seems possible he will not get any of … Read moreUkraine’s war effort could sputter out, as US, EU delay funds
Clementine Ngono*, a 25-year-old Cameroonian, never wished for a life in Europe. She grew up dreaming of being a doctor, but when she turned 10 and got her first period, her father sat her down. “He said, ‘You’re a woman now, my woman’,” Ngono told Al Jazeera. He made her live with her uncle, who … Read moreAt EU borders, refugees report invasive genital searches during pushbacks
The European Union has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X social media platform over the spread of disinformation and violent content about the Israel-Hamas conflict. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, on Thursday filed a binding request for information to determine if the platform complies with the rules on illegal and harmful content. … Read moreEU launches probe into Elon Musk’s X over Israel-Hamas war content
European Union leaders are in the southern Spanish city of Granada for an informal summit focused on the 27-member bloc’s enlargement, disagreements over migration and economic competitiveness. Friday’s summit comes a day after leaders of the European Political Community, a forum of more than 40 countries across the continent, met in the city and pledged … Read moreEuropean Union leaders meet in Granada to discuss enlargement, migration
The European Union has presented a plan for Italy to help it handle arrivals of migrants and refugees after a record number of people landed on its island of Lampedusa over the past week. The surge in asylum seekers arriving on the Italian island has rekindled a fierce debate in Europe on how to share … Read moreEU chief promises ‘action plan’ as Italy sees surge of asylum seekers
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union may loan Tunisia more than 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) with the lion’s share positioned as “macro-financial assistance” designed to save Tunisia’s faltering economy. The potential package, which was announced on Sunday during von der Leyen’s visit to Tunisia with Italian and Dutch Prime … Read moreWhy is the EU offering Tunisia a financial assistance package?
The European Court of Justice (ECJ), the European Union’s highest court, has ruled that Poland’s 2019 justice reforms infringe the bloc’s rule of law. The ruling came on Monday after the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, took Warsaw to court in February, arguing that the Polish Supreme Court lacked the necessary independence and impartiality … Read moreTop EU court rules Poland’s justice reforms infringe EU law
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called on Kosovo to tone down tensions with Serbia, two days after clashes between Kosovan police and protesters who are opposed to Albanian mayors taking office in ethnic Serbian areas. “Pristina must de-escalate & not take unilateral, destabilising steps,” Stoltenberg said in a tweet on Sunday. The transatlantic military alliance’s … Read moreNATO urges Kosovo to ease tensions with Serbia after clashes