Browsing: EU

The 2024 summer Olympics in Paris will mark the first time an opening ceremony has not been held inside a stadium – instead, the extravaganza will unfold along the River Seine, with spectators lining streets and bridges in the heart of the French capital. The plan is not without risks, and organisers revealed extensive safety protocols on Tuesday.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that if energy prices were to flare up again, any support measures rolled out should be “targeted at protecting vulnerable households and firms.”

FRANCE 24 spoke to exiled Russian opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev, the political representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion. This Ukraine-based paramilitary group of Russian volunteers has been involved in cross-border incursions into Russia’s Belgorod region in the past last few days. Ponomarev claimed the pro-Ukrainian, anti-Putin group “didn’t lose a single soldier” and is successfully making progress inside Russia. Ultimately, “our guys will be in Moscow and Putin will not be in the Kremlin,” he predicted.

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr’s red card in Sunday’s LaLiga match at Valencia, in which he was also racially abused, has been rescinded, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Tuesday.

British oil and gas giant Shell faced a stormy shareholders’ gathering Tuesday, as environmental protesters hit out over its pledge to tackle carbon emissions.

Belgium is among the largest wholesale buyers of rare gems from Moscow, and local professionals fear that a Western ban on Russian diamonds could result in less oversight.

Romania must legalise same-sex civil unions, Europe’s top rights court ruled on Tuesday, in a victory for LGBTQ+ campaigners in the socially conservative southeastern European country.

Unanimity rules can be used by one single member state to derail or block a collective decision.

Spanish police arrested Tuesday three youths suspected of hurling racist insults at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a weekend match, sparking an international outcry.

Athletes have joined the clamour of criticism at the high cost of tickets for the 2024 Paris Olympics, decried as undermining organisers’ promises of a Games accessible to all.

Demonstrators complain that their working conditions have worsened significantly in recent years.

Facebook owner Meta has been fined a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for transferring EU user data to the United States in breach of a previous court ruling, Ireland’s regulator announced on Monday.

The European Commission has called for an independent investigation into allegations authorities carried out an illegal migrant pushback in April and warned it could take “formal steps” against the country.

Pro-EU rally in Moldovan capital amid rising tensions with Russia More than 75,000 people poured onto the streets of Moldova’s capital to show their support…

Conservative incumbent Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Sunday’s vote a political earthquake. “Citizens want a strong government, with a four year horizon with bolder changes so that we can quickly make up the lost ground that still separates us from Europe”, he said. The former primer minister Alexis Tsipras suffered a crushing blow. The most likely outcome is a return to the polls in June

FRANCE 24’s Nathalie Savaricas reports.

Tens of thousands of Moldovans rallied on Sunday to demand European Union membership for their country, whose bid to join the bloc has been accelerated by the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Greece went to the polls on Sunday in a general election unlikely to produce a clear winner, with a second vote expected by July if the country’s fractious political parties fail to agree to a coalition.

This month’s regional election in Spain sets the stage for the general election held six months later.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky compared Bakhmut’s “total destruction” after months of continuous battles and shelling to the Japanese city of Hiroshima after a nuclear strike in 1945. This comes following conflicting reports on the status of Bakhmut, as Russia claimed having taken the city while Ukraine denied it had fallen. Read our live blog for the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

More than 36,000 people have now been forced from their homes by deadly floods in northeast Italy, regional officials said Saturday, as rising waters swallowed more houses and fresh landslides isolated hamlets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said “peace will be closer” as a result of meetings at the G7 summit, after a diplomatic source said he had arrived in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Read our live blog for all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

In this edition of Brussels, my love?, panelists discuss EU/Turkish relations in light of the recent Turkish elections as well as the encouraging news about growth across Europe.

In a whirlwind tour of major European capitals, President Zelenskyy was trying to forge a “coalition of fighter jets” – something the West was so far unwilling to consider. Until now. This comes on the heels of Germany pledging an additional EUR2.7 billion of military aid. #StateOfTheUnion

The European Union sees Romania as one of its frontline states when it comes to the war in Ukraine. The country of 19 million people, a member of both the EU and NATO, has a land and sea border with Ukraine of more than 600 kilometres. It has been a transit hub for weapons supplies to Kyiv. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have passed through Romania, and more than 130,000 have been granted temporary protection in the country, according to the UN. Talking Europe interviews Viktor Negrescu, a Romanian politician from the Social Democratic Party. He is a Member of the European Parliament and he was Minister Delegate for European Affairs in the government of Romania between 2017 and 2018.