Latest Brussels News
'There is no time to waste': EU leaders want to boost competitiveness to close gap with US and China
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders on Thursday debated a new “European Competitiveness Deal” aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the economic production gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. In...
EU leaders vow to impose tougher sanctions against Iran as Ukraine's president pleads for support
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders vowed on Wednesday to ramp up sanctions against Iran as concern grows that Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the summit to remind the leaders that his country still...
EU, Britain and Spain say significant progress made in talks on post-Brexit status of Gibraltar
MADRID (AP) — British and Spanish foreign ministers said a new round of talks held Friday over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain’s exit from the European Union were productive and significant progress was made. The meeting was between Spain's...
NATO weighs a plan to provide long-term military help to Ukraine as Russian troops assert control
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO is debating a plan to provide more predictable military support to Ukraine in coming years as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield, the organization’s top civilian official said Wednesday. “We strongly believe that support to...
Spraying manure and throwing beets, farmers in tractors again block Brussels to protest EU policies
BRUSSELS (AP) — Farmers threw beets, sprayed manure at police and set hay alight on Tuesday as hundreds of tractors again sealed off streets close to the European Union headquarters, where agriculture ministers sought to ease a crisis that has led to months of protests across the 27-member bloc....
France's president pounds a punching bag on camera, and Europe notices
LONDON (AP) — The teeth clench. The brow furrows. The bicep bulges. In moody black and white, photos of French President Emmanuel Macron pounding a punching bag arched eyebrows across Europe on Thursday after his official photographer posted them to social media in what was widely...
EU Commission proposes to impose tariffs on imports of grain from Russia
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is proposing to member countries to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus, commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. Speaking at the end of the opening day of a summit...
EU leaders agree on opening membership talks with Bosnia, but with many strings attached
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders agreed in principle Thursday to open membership negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, even though the Western Balkan country must still do a lot of work before talks can begin. The 27 leaders gave the political green light at a summit in...
The EU's new import deal would support Ukraine while protecting the bloc's farmers
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers agreed Wednesday to renew Ukraine’s import rates, which have been in place since shortly after Russia invaded, while adding protective measures for agricultural products such as grain and honey to address the concerns of farmers across the 27-nation...
European Union pushes ahead with a plan to buy weapons for Ukraine with frozen Russian asset profits
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is pressing ahead with a plan to use the profits generated from billions of euros of Russian assets frozen in Europe to help provide weapons and other funds for Ukraine, a senior official said Tuesday. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell got a...
