Global Europe
EU and ACP finalise post-Cotonou treaty, after two-year delay
Negotiators from the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific community signed off on a broad 20-year partnership deal to succeed the Cotonou Agreement on Thursday night (3 December) after nearly three years of difficult talks.
Can reform and refocus save ‘brain dead’ NATO?
NATO’s new reform report presented this week has drawn up recommendations on how the military alliance should tackle new challenges in its backyard. EURACTIV spoke to experts about the report and the next steps. “We proposed changes to mitigate eventual...
Russia’s Trojan Stream under the Black Sea
The EU’s tacit acceptance of the TurkStream is a serious and dangerous misjudgement of the perils this diversionary pipeline presents, writes Olga Bielkova.
Michel says Turkey should stop playing ‘cat and mouse’ with EU
Turkey has not de-escalated its stand-off with Greece in response to diplomatic outreach, European Council chief Charles Michel said on Friday (4 December) and warned that EU member states would now consider “the means at our disposal”, which most probably means sanctions.
EU crisis envoy urges Ethiopia to restore Tigray communications
The European Union’s crisis management commissioner Thursday (3 December) urged the Ethiopian government to restore communications in its northern Tigray region and called on both sides to cease hostilities. “I urge… the Ethiopian authorities to lift the communication blockade,” Janez...
EU chief Michel seeks international treaty on pandemics
A European Union chief called Thursday (3 December) for an international treaty on pandemics, urging the world to learn from Covid-19 and be better prepared for the future.
United States toughens visa rules for ‘malign’ Chinese Communist Party members
US President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel to the United States by Chinese Communist Party members and their families, the New York Times newspaper reported on Thursday (3 December), a move China condemned as political oppression.
China completes lunar sample collection ahead of schedule
China’s Chang’e-5 lunar vehicle has finished collecting samples of lunar rocks and soil more than a day ahead of schedule in the first lunar sample retrieval mission since the 1970s, the country’s space agency said on Thursday (3 December).OpinionStakeholder Opinion
Belarus sanctions should stay clear of innocent bystanders
As the EU finalises sanctions lists against Belarus, they must be careful to avoid unintended consequences. John Coyle argues that mistargeted sanctions based on incomplete information could risk alienating the very people that the EU should be aiming to support.
Moldova’s incoming president stages protests in tussle over control of intelligence service
Thousands of supporters of Moldova’s incoming president Maia Sandu protested on Thursday (3 December) against a move by parliament to strip her of control of the intelligence service weeks before she takes office.
Commission floats sanctions regime for disinformation offenders
As part of the European Commission's Democracy Action Plan, presented on Thursday (3 December), the EU is charting the establishment of punitive measures to improve the bloc's and member states' capacity to counter disinformation.
How European sovereignty can survive Joe Biden
Europeans need to use the fillip to transatlantic relations brought by Joe Biden's election win to become the kind of capable partner Biden’s America will want and need, writes Jeremy Shapiro.Editor's picks
China edges past US as Europe’s top trade partner
China pushed past the United States in the third quarter to become the European Union's top trade partner, as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the US while Chinese activity rebounded.
Iran watchdog passes law on hardening nuclear stance, halting UN inspections
Iran’s Guardian Council watchdog body approved a law that obliges the government to halt UN inspections of its nuclear sites and step up uranium enrichment beyond the limit set under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal if sanctions are not eased.
EU criticises, US cheers UK approval of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
The European Union criticised Britain’s rapid approval of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday (2 December), saying its own procedure was more thorough, while US health experts welcomed the British move as a sign US regulators should follow suit.
The Brief, powered by APPLiA – Au revoir, consensus?
The new NATO reform report recommended a more political role for the Western alliance, which is unlikely to go without some resistance in allied capitals. Au revoir, consensus? Not quite. After French President Emmanuel Macron said NATO was suffering “brain...
Afghan government, Taliban announce breakthrough deal to pursue peace talks
Afghan government and Taliban representatives said on Wednesday (2 December) they had reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United Nations and Washington.
Can Europe and America rebuild a rules-based world order?
The first major test to revive liberal internationalism is likely to be the UN climate change summit in Glasgow next autumn, which should adopt an agreement with teeth, with enforceable rules and penalties for non-compliance, writes David Clark.
Renewed EU-US alliance to focus on climate, digital, ‘strategic autonomy’
The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell proposed a plan on Wednesday (2 December) for a renewed alliance between the EU and the US under President-elect, Joe Biden, based on greater climate cooperation and new efforts to smooth out commercial and digital friction.
EU-Turkey: A showdown in Brussels
The question of whether to impose sanctions against Turkey will test how far EU leaders are prepared to support President Erdogan's “repressive form of rule”. writes Robert Ellis.
EU wants to improve migration cooperation with Morocco
The European Union wants to improve cooperation with Morocco on the return of illegal migrants from the bloc while also discussing visa facilitation, the EU's home affairs commissioner said Tuesday (1 December).
EU’s Helga Schmid to help fill vacuum in Cold War security body OSCE
The international security body OSCE is expected to fill an unprecedented leadership vacuum, during meetings Thursday and Friday (3 and 4 December), after it failed to reappoint four of its top leaders in July.
EU, ASEAN upgrade their relations to ‘strategic partnership’
After six years of talks, the European Union and the ASEAN group of ten Southeast Asian countries upgraded their relations from "dialogue" to "strategic partnership" at a meeting on Tuesday (1 December).