Year: 2026

European officials, including Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Silina, have urged for accelerated negotiations on a free-trade agreement with Gulf nations to diversify trade amid US tariffs and increasing Chinese exports. Talks aim to enhance business ties and energy cooperation.

Several US lawmakers, including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, urged the European Union to maintain its methane regulations and avoid exempting US energy operators from compliance, highlighting the urgency of effective methane management amid upcoming EU-US trade agreements.

Leaders of the socialist and liberal groups in the European Parliament have expressed concerns to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about European Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto’s and Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius’s attendance at a political event in Slovenia, potentially breaching internal conduct rules ahead of elections.