News
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EU Parliament threatens Schröder with sanctions for ties with Russia
The European Parliament is increasing its pressure on former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, threatening him with sanctions if he refuses to resign from his posts in Russian companies, a joint draft motion, seen by EURACTIV, suggests.
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Commission should block staff from taking ‘revolving door’ jobs, says EU watchdog
The European Commission should temporarily block its staff from taking private sector jobs if they pose conflict of interest risks that cannot be offset by restrictions, the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly recommended on Wednesday (18 May).
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Microsoft launches cloud changes following EU competition inquiries
Microsoft will adapt its licensing conditions in response to complaints from cloud providers and the rumblings of a competition investigation from the European Commission.
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Cholera outbreak: A new health concern in war-torn Ukraine
The areas in Ukraine suffering from water and sanitation infrastructure damage are at risk of a potential cholera outbreak, the World Health Organisation warned on Tuesday (17 May), adding it was already deploying cholera kits on the ground.
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EU tables €300bn plan to ditch Russian fossil fuels, speed up green transition
The European Commission submitted on Wednesday (18 May) a €300 billion plan to eliminate Russian energy imports by 2027, although it admitted this would require short-term investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure to replace imports of Russian oil and gas.
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Access to justice key in corporate sustainability due diligence directive, stakeholders say
Giving those harmed by multinational companies a way to seek recourse, reparation, and justice is one of the goals of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, but in practice, it may be easier said than done.
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UK worried monkeypox might be spreading among men who have sex with men
Four additional cases of monkeypox were detected in the UK among men who have sex with men leading to concerns about the virus spreading in the community.
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The Green Brief: Quitting Russian fossil fuels is only half the challenge
Faced with war, high energy prices and a climate crisis, Europe needs to untangle itself from Russian fossil fuels asap. But ultimately, it needs to reduce its reliance on all fossil fuels as much as possible.
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Fixing EDF’s reactors corrosion mystery to take several years, French regulator warns
The head of French nuclear regulator ASN said on Tuesday (17 May) that fixing corrosion problems at some of state-controlled utility EDF's nuclear reactors would require a "large scale" plan and "several years" as he warned of a risk more reactors could be halted.
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Austria’s neutrality in the spotlight after Sweden-Finland NATO bid
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Hungarian president travelling to Warsaw in a bid to reinforce relations, Slovenia being unhappy about the continuation of Austrian border controls, and so much more.
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EU leaves military training in Mali suspended, stops short of ending mission
The EU will leave its military training mission in Mali suspended, but will not terminate it for the time being, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday (May 17). "We decided to reaffirm our decision of suspending operational training …
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Croatia moves to boost own energy production, says minister
Croatia currently meets only 21% of its energy needs and is moving towards increasing its own production capacities, Energy Minister Davor Filipović told state broadcaster HRT on Tuesday. Croatia has decided to start filling its only underground gas storage, Okoli in …
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Germany presents energy efficiency ‘work plan’ to reduce fossil fuel demand
Amid growing pressure to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels, the government presented plans on Tuesday (17 May) to save more energy, reports Clean Energy Wire.
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Italy’s Eni starts procedures to pay for Russian gas in euros and roubles
Italian energy giant Eni has started procedures to open accounts in euros and roubles with private Russian bank Gazprombank, the company announced on Tuesday. In April, Moscow said it would only continue gas exports in exchange for roubles in response to …
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Record number of Finns now favour nuclear to go green
A record number of Finns favour nuclear power, a fresh survey commissioned by Finnish Energy has found, citing fighting climate change as the main reason. According to the survey conducted in April and published on Monday (16 May), about 60% said they …
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New restrictions on waste exports risk hindering recycling in Europe, industry warns
European Commission plans to overhaul of the EU's waste shipment regulation could hit the recycling industry by creating a captive market in Europe with artificially low prices that will depress investments in recycling, the industry has warned.
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Slovak oil embargo exemption to benefit Hungarian MOL, not citizens
The oil embargo exemption Slovakia is asking for will not benefit citizens but the owner of the only Slovak oil refinery, Slovnaft, a subsidiary of Hungarian MOL, analysts point out. There is a “fundamental difference” between the Slovak exemption and the …
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Bulgaria and Albania set ground for new gas corridor
A Memorandum of Understanding for the gasification of Albania was signed this week between three companies in the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, signalling the start of a new potential natural …
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Mariupol defenders surrender to Russia but their fate is uncertain
More than 250 Ukrainian fighters surrendered to Russian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol after weeks of desperate resistance, bringing an end to the most devastating siege of Russia's war in Ukraine and allowing President Vladimir Putin to claim a rare victory in his faltering campaign.
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Libya capital rocked by deadly battle as rival PM vies for power
Gunfire rocked oil-rich Libya's capital for several hours Tuesday (17 May) as a rival prime minister attempted to oust interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah, threatening another escalation in the war-torn country.
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EU may terminate vaccine purchase agreement with French drugmaker Valneva
A manufacturer of one of the four COVID-19 vaccines currently under rolling review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) received notice from the European Commission that the advance purchase agreement of over 24 million doses might be terminated.
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G7 finance ministers plan €15 billion aid for Ukraine
The finance ministers of the Group of Seven economic powers want to put together a €15 billion aid package for Ukraine at their meeting in Bonn this week, a senior German government official said on Tuesday (17 May).
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EU threatens sanctions after UK proposes law to override NI protocol
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss outlined plans for a new law to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol on Tuesday (17 May), insisting that the plans would be legal under international law.
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Lobbyists create speed bumps for vehicle emission cuts
One question in light of the vote on CO2 standards for vehicles is the role that lobbying played. To say that our lawmakers were led by the nose seems cynical. But to believe that lobbying had no affect seems naive.