EURACTIV.com with EFE
Austria vetoes Mercosur deal saying it goes against EU Green Deal
Austria’s coalition government has confirmed it will block the landmark EU-Mercosur trade agreement - which should create the biggest free-trade area in the world - saying it goes against the EU's environmental ambitions set out in the European Green Deal.
Latin America is the new COVID-19 epicentre
Latin America has become the new epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent weeks with more than a million cases. The next month will be crucial in slowing the progress of the outbreak in the region, according to Marcos Espinal, an expert at the Pan American Health Organisation.
Europe’s COVID crisis does little to disparage Mediterranean migrants
Alfa Jafo has spent the last few months working in the kitchen at a restaurant in the historic city of Agadez in Niger, a launchpad for irregular migration in the Sahel. Asked if the COVID-19 pandemic has killed his dream of going to Europe, Jafo looks genuinely puzzled and says 'No'.
Canary Islands: Spain’s tourist paradise seeks to lead revival of sector
When the Spanish government put the country on lockdown in March to contain the spread of the coronavirus, tourism in the Canary Islands quickly dropped to zero. But the Atlantic archipelago hopes to rebound soon.
Madrid toasts lockdown easing as outdoor terraces partially reopen
Four friends sat around a table in Madrid’s central La Latina neighbourhood and enjoyed a round of beers in the late Monday morning sun, a toast to rediscovered freedoms. A year ago, it would have seemed like a perfectly ordinary spring day, but for most Madrid residents today, it was almost a landmark event.
Coronavirus board game to teach and entertain Italian kids
One board says: "You do the shopping for your neighbours: throw the dice again”. Another orders: “You go out without a face mask: go back to the previous square”. Those are some of the rules of a new, educational cum fun, ‘coronavirus board game’ designed for kids in Italy.
Children venture out in Spain after six weeks at home
Spain’s children were allowed to go for first walks on Sunday (26 April), after spending six weeks locked in their homes, as the country continued a downward trend in the number of deaths and rate of infection.
Von der Leyen: ‘We now need to build a resilient, green, and digital Europe’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes the “real Europe is standing up” to the coronavirus crisis now. In a written interview with EURACTIV's media partner Efe, she spoke about a broad range of issues, from the challenges facing the Eurogroup earlier this month to the expectations for the summit of European leaders this week.
Spain unveils fresh economic relief measures for vulnerable groups
The Spanish government approved on Tuesday (31 March) a fresh package of economic relief measures to mitigate the negative effects of the full suspension of non-essential activities enforced as part of the country’s efforts to fight the coronavirus outbreak. “What...
MEPs rejected boost to search and rescue operations in Mediterranean by two votes
On Thursday (24 October), the European Parliament voted by a thin majority against a resolution calling on the EU to step up its search and rescue (SAR) operations in the Mediterranean, exposing a certain degree of political volatility in the hemicycle.
France, Spain condemn Venezuela’s expulsion of EU fact-finding team
The foreign ministers of France and Spain condemned on Monday (18 February) the Venezuelan government's decision to expel a group of EU lawmakers who had travelled there on a fact-finding mission and wanted to meet with the self-appointed but widely recognised interim president. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Spain joins Poland in opposing EU posted workers law
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his Polish counterpart, Beata Szydło, last week reaffirmed their commitment to the European project but reiterated their concerns about the EU’s posted workers directive. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Columbian president: Thankful for ‘heaven-sent’ Nobel Prize, hopeful of new FARC peace deal
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos hopes that a new peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group could be possible by the end of November and did not dismiss the possibility of organising another referendum, in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV’s partner EFE.
EU asked to recognise Palestine and boycott illegal Israeli products
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah yesterday (4 April) called upon the European Union to recognise the State of Palestine and to boycott Israeli products “produced in illegal Israeli settlements”.
New Orleans looks to EU and TTIP to rebuild fortunes
A decade after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of New Orleans, the city is still in the process of rebuilding and is now setting its sights on foreign trade and foreign investment, especially when it comes to the European Union and TTIP.
MEPs back cheaper services in EU ports
MEPs on Tuesday (8 March) backed a proposal to increase efficiency and lower the cost of services provided in European Union ports.
Former coca plantations given new purpose by EU funding
EU-funded agricultural projects in Colombia that make use of former coca plantations could be expanded if a fragile peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces guerrilla movement (FARC) survives.
Mogherini plans Cuba visit as accord nears
The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is set to visit Cuba next week for talks that could finalize an agreement on normalizing relations, Havana said on Thursday (3 March).
Spanish fishermen go on pilgrimage to protest law change
Thousands of people braved the Spanish rain to protest in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela over the regional government's alleged betrayal of its all-important fishing industry.
Georgia lauded as ‘most advanced’ in the Eastern Partnership
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García concluded a visit to Georgia by praising the Caucasian republic's rapid implementation of its EU association agreement and highlighted Madrid and Tbilisi’s ‘close links’.
Peruvians all set for visa-free Schengen travel
Peru's migration authority has started issuing its first biometric passports that will allow its citizens to undertake short-term visa-free travel within the Schengen area.
Mercosur makes EU free trade offer before French visit
South American bloc Mercosur is offering to open up 93% of its trade to competition from the European Union to seal a long-sought free-trade deal, Uruguay's president said yesterday (22 February).
Josep Borrell: Spain’s influence on EU is ‘negligible’
Former President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell has criticised Spain’s role in European politics over the last decade and Mariano Rajoy’s role in forwarding Spanish interests.