brussels bureau New EU sanctions on Russia 'are a missed chance to fix relations' Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's long-time envoy to the EU, believes any sort of "unilateral restrictive measures are illegitimate by definition".
brussels bureau Belgium’s slow rollout ‘absurd’ with so many vaccines made in country "It is absurd and a bit surreal that vaccines produced here in Belgium end up more easily in the UK or in Israel."
brussels bureau Speeding up vaccine rollout set to be high on agenda at EU summit Council members will also discuss the emergence of new variants, which are quickly becoming dominant COVID variants throughout the bloc. They are complicating countries' efforts to bring down infection levels. 24/02/2021
brussels bureau 'A very meaningless penalty': Polish MEP slams new Russia sanctions “These are not even symbolic sanctions, just a few people were asked not to travel to the European Union," said Polish MEP Witold Jan Waszczykowski. 23/02/2021
brussels bureau EU agrees human rights sanctions on Russia over Navalny's jailing EU foreign ministers agree more sanctions on Russia over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a new human rights mechanism, chief diplomat Josep Borrell confirms. 22/02/2021
brussels bureau Europe's week: Vaccine boost and Afghanistan decision delayed There was some relief for the EU this week both on vaccines and defence. 19/02/2021
brussels bureau Brussels says EU-UK data flows are safe to continue post-Brexit The decision of the European Commission, which is not yet final, will allow the transfer of personal data between the UK and the EU. 19/02/2021
brussels bureau Brussels prioritises WTO reform in newly announced trade plans The European Commission laid out its trade priorities for the next few years on Thursday, which include reforming the World Trade Organization. 18/02/2021
brussels bureau NATO to increase training in Iraq but delays decision on Afghanistan With a May 1st deadline looming, defence ministers from the NATO military alliance have chosen to delay a decision on whether to withdraw forces from Afghanistan. 18/02/2021
brussels bureau EU is 'ready to impose new sanctions' against Russia over Navalny Diplomatic sources have told Euronews they are hoping for a breakthrough next week. 18/02/2021
brussels bureau NATO allies must all meet spending requirements, says Stoltenberg NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the military alliance to jointly fund more of its work at a virtual meeting of defence ministers on Wednesday. 17/02/2021
brussels bureau EU unveils plan to prepare for battle against COVID-19 variants The EU plan to fight variants, called HERA Incubator, will be a public-private partnership, pooling knowledge from researchers, biotech companies, manufacturers, the health sector and public authorities and regulators. 17/02/2021
brussels bureau COVID- vaccine: EU to get extra 350 million doses in 2021 The 27-country bloc is now expected to receive 500 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine this year. Enough to inoculate 250 million people. 17/02/2021
brussels bureau NATO to discuss deadline for full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan NATO's defence ministers will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss a range of issues, but forces in Afghanistan will top the agenda. 16/02/2021
brussels bureau Economic forecast: Some EU countries will recover in 2021, others must wait until 2022 Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni warned that uncertainty remains high but that the vaccine roll-out and the EU's recovery fund could help accelerate growth in 2021. 11/02/2021
brussels bureau MEPs call for the rights of gig economy workers to be strengthened European lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of plans to fight inequality and in-work poverty, calling for a minimum wage and equal labour conditions for platform workers. 10/02/2021
brussels bureau EU visit to vaccine plant under scrutiny over AstraZeneca delays The site at Seneffe, south of Brussels, manufactures the active ingredient of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. 10/02/2021
brussels bureau Edible insects likely to hit supermarkets within months The European Food Safety Agency has found that the yellow mealworm is safe for human consumption, paving the way for EU-wide sales. 10/02/2021
brussels bureau Von der Leyen defends EU vaccine plan but admits mistakes over Ireland Speaking before the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission said the EU's common vaccine strategy was the right thing to do in the name of European solidarity. 10/02/2021
