‘Solidarity’ is one of the most overused words in EU discourse. There’s plenty of talk of needing it to combat the health and economic challenges of the coronavirus. What a shame that when it comes to actions, solidarity is in...
With the biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria should be a key partner for Brussels as the EU seeks to overhaul its political and trade ties with Africa. But terrorism and insecurity that plague the country continue to be a concern.
African finance ministers want the European Union, International Monetary Fund and World Bank to support a multi-billion debt relief programme for the continent amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Dr Richard Ikiebe has led recent efforts to get international community backing to stop nearly two decades of ethnic and religious killing in Nigeria. “Now, people are listening to us”, he says.
A few months ago, the universal basic income was a left-wing pipedream. Now governments across Europe and beyond are preparing to pay people between 60% and 80% of their salary for the next few months.
The UK government has been accused of ‘putting Brexit over breathing’ after it confirmed it had opted out of an EU joint procurement scheme for urgently needed medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people that "you must stay at home" and drastically restricted movement on Monday (23 March) to curb the spread of coronavirus, as fears grew that people were not sufficiently respecting guidance on social distancing.
As Europe and North American countries go into self-imposed economic and social lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, Africa remains the continent least affected by the virus. Still, a raft of African governments were quick to impose travel bans on airlines carrying passengers from Europe last week.
The UK unveiled an unprecedented £350 billion (€400 billion) financial rescue package to “support jobs, incomes and businesses” on Tuesday (17 March), in a bid to offset the economic damage unleashed by the coronavirus crisis.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson performed a dramatic U-turn on Monday (16 March) and put the UK on lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, dropping his controversial 'herd immunity' approach and following the lead of continental Europe.
Whoever said that British exceptionalism would end with Brexit? While the continental cousins put themselves on self-imposed lockdown – closing schools and ordering people to work and stay at home as much as possible, it is almost business as usual across the Channel.
France’s municipal elections on Sunday (16 March) will be a major test for President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the popular protests by the gilets jaunes and over controversial pension reforms. They will also be the first such polls in which British citizens in France will not be able to vote.
The spread of the coronavirus epidemic is set to derail post-Brexit trade talks between London and the EU, UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove admitted on Wednesday (11 March).
The UK will table its own free trade pact with the EU in a bid to up the ante on Brussels at next week’s second round of negotiations on post-Brexit relations.
Partnerships on ten policy areas are at the heart of the EU’s plan “Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa,” launched on Monday (9 March). The paper will start a seven-month negotiating process with EU and African leaders, with a view to agreeing a partnership agenda at an EU African Union summit in October.
Campaigners have urged European governments and the UK to clarify their 'confused' policies to guide UK citizens living in the EU through the post-Brexit “no man’s land”, following the publication of two new reports on Friday (6 March).
The European Commission will next week publish its EU-Africa ‘strategy’, which the bloc hopes will form the basis of a new ‘partnership’ with the African continent. EU Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell will launch the blueprint on Monday (9 March), kick-starting seven months of negotiation between ministers and leaders from the two continents.
The European Commission is pursuing a renewed and ambitious relationship with the African continent. The new relationship is intended to treat Africa as an equal partner to Europe, as opposed to policy priorities being dictated to African partners. However, there...
Belligerence is in the air. Talks on future EU-UK relations will kick off next Monday (2 March) with the two sides looking as far apart as ever. There is scope for the gap to be bridged though.
The UK has threatened to walk away from Brexit trade talks and head towards WTO trading terms with the EU if a draft deal is not in place in June, according to the mandate published by Boris Johnson's government on Thursday (27 February).
The EU and UK formally agreed their negotiating mandates for talks on a new trade and political partnership on Tuesday (25 February), setting the stage for a bruising battle on regulatory standards.
