Global Europe
Kazakh independent expert: Human rights NGOs enjoy more influence
Kazakhstan has made considerable progress in its human rights record in recent years, independent expert Nazgul Yergalieva told EURACTIV in an interview, describing how the authorities in the central Asian country are now cooperating with NGOs in improving human rights protection.
Britain begins negotiations to join trans-Pacific trade deal
Britain will begin negotiations on Tuesday (22 June) to join a trans-Pacific trade deal that it sees as crucial to its post-Brexit pivot away from Europe and towards geographically more distant but faster-growing economies.
EU slaps fresh sanctions on Myanmar junta
The European Union on Monday (21 June) imposed a third round of sanctions on Myanmar officials and state companies over the military coup on Feb. 1 that overthrew elected leader Aung Suu Kyi and sent the country tumbling into chaos.
EU data watchdogs want ban on AI facial recognition
The EU's data protection agencies on Monday (21 June) called for an outright ban on using artificial intelligence to identify people in public places, pointing to the "extremely high" risks to privacy.
West piles coordinated sanctions on Belarus after plane diversion
The EU, US, Britain and Canada ratcheted up pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Monday (21 June) by imposing coordinated sanctions after the forced landing of a Ryanair airliner to arrest a regime critic.
Slovenian FM: EU inaction in Western Balkans ‘strategically dangerous’
The EU needs to move "as soon as possible" from a wait-and-see approach to a problem-solving strategy in dealing with enlargement and the Western Balkans, Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar told EURACTIV in an interview about the priorities for his country's upcoming EU Council presidency.
COVID eases but US won’t reciprocate EU in opening borders
As the COVID pandemic recedes dramatically in the West, Europe is opening its doors to Americans – but the reverse is not holding true, with the United States not budging on restrictions imposed 15 months ago.
Armenia PM wins majority in polls despite anger over war
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday (21 June) scored a decisive victory in snap parliamentary elections, bolstering his rule after months of discontent and protests following a military defeat to Azerbaijan.
The Brief, powered by Martens Centre – Debunking the Bulgarian veto
EU enlargement issues are decided by unanimity. One of the highlights of the upcoming EU summit on Thursday and Friday (24 and 25 June) will be the attempt to overcome the persistent Bulgarian veto on the start of North Macedonia’s accession negotiations.
Integrity compliance in Western Balkans infrastructure projects
Civil society has an important role to play to make sure that corruption in infrastructure projects and wrong prioritisation do not derail a €30 billion EU financial plan for the Western Balkans, a group of authors write.
Behind Airbus-Boeing truce lies a common rival: China
While the United States and Europe waged a 17-year trade battle over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus, China poured money into its own commercial aircraft to take on the Western aviation duopoly.
Turkish women rally in defense of Istanbul Convention
Hundreds of women rally in Istanbul on Saturday (19 June), urging President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reverse his decision to withdraw from a Council of Europe anti-violence treaty ahead of a formal exit on1 July.Editor's picks
Iran nuclear deal still possible after hardliner’s election, EU says
Iran and world powers can still clinch a deal to revive their 2015 nuclear accord after the election victory of a hardline Iranian president but time is running out, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Sunday (20 June).
Lebanon’s crisis caused by feud over power, says Borrell
The EU's foreign policy chief said a fight among Lebanese leaders is at the heart of its government crisis and he urged them to set their feud aside and form a cabinet or risk a total financial crash and sanctions.
Time for transatlantic leadership on refugee resettlement
As numbers of displaced people across the world reach an all-time high, it’s time to restore transatlantic leadership on refugee resettlement, writes David Miliband.
Global Europe Brief: Europe’s Biden lessons
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU from a global perspective.
Kazakhstan says it has upper hand in multi-billion legal case
Legal representatives for the government of Kazakhstan have told EURACTIV they believe the Central Asian country has gained the upper hand in a long-running legal battle surrounding what they called "one of the biggest frauds in the history of international arbitration".
Pacific undersea cable project sinks after US warns against Chinese bid
A World Bank-led project declined to award a contract to lay sensitive undersea communications cables after Pacific island governments heeded US warnings that participation of a Chinese company posed a security threat, two sources told Reuters.
Draghi takes distance from Russia and China, anchors Italy to the West
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi has clearly aligned his country with the EU and the Atlantic alliance, with strongly worded messages at the recent G7 and NATO summits that end his predecessors’ ambiguous position towards Russia and China. After years...
EU-Serbia: A stagnation comfortable for both sides
No progress in Serbia’s EU integration process appears to be a solution that fits both the EU side which is increasingly critical toward the authoritarian trends in Belgrade and the lack of progress with Kosovo, and the ruling bloc in Belgrade which doesn’t see EU relations as important for its voters, writes BETA agency.
Turkey hosts 15% of world’s refugees, UN report finds
Turkey continued to be the largest refugee hosting country in the world, accounting for nearly 3.7 million refugees, or 15% of all people displaced across borders globally, according to a new report published on Friday by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
EU and UK say Hong Kong newspaper raid shows China cracking down on dissent
The European Union and Britain said a police raid on Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily showed that China was using a new national security law to crack down on dissent and silence the media rather than deal with public security.
Scotch but no bourbon: UK-US trade truce gives dram of hope to drinks industry
The drinks industry welcomed a trade truce between Britain and United States that saw tariffs removed on Scotch whisky and most other spirits, although they called for further efforts to remove the last export duties on American whiskey.