Good morning from Brussels.
Under review. A majority of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday expressed support for launching a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, in a bid to increase pressure on Israel to end its humanitarian blockade of Gaza, writes Euractiv's Alexandra Brzozowski.
The diplomatic push was initially spearheaded by the Netherlands – usually a staunch backer of Israel and one of the eleven EU states not to recognise Palestine – marking a major shift in the bloc's policy towards Israel.
It remains, however, unlikely that an actual suspension, which would require unanimity, can be achieved any time soon due to deep divisions among member states.
In force since 2000, the EU–Israel Association Agreement regulates political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two sides, but has come under criticism in light of Israel’s war in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, confirmed after Tuesday's talks that Brussels was acting following "a strong majority".
"What it tells is that the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable. What we want is to really help the people, and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid so that it will reach the people," Kallas told reporters in Brussels.
EU diplomats said that 17 member states have backed the initiative, including Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia also backed the review, while the rest voted against, and Latvia abstained, according to the same diplomats. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK] |
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The European Commission is moving to overhaul asylum procedures by relaxing the criteria for application of the ‘safe’ third country concept, according to a new proposal published yesterday, writes Nicoletta Ionta.
Make reforms or lose access. EU member states will have to meet "milestones and targets" to receive payouts from the bloc's next trillion-euro long-term budget, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, write Magnus Lund Nielsen and Nikolaus J. Kurmayer and Thomas Moller-Nielsen.
In operation. The European Union's military crisis response force is now "operational" and ready for deployment after having won political backing from all 27 EU countries, the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced on Tuesday evening, writes Charles Cohen.
Meanwhile, the EU greenlit the lifting of all remaining economic sanctions against Syria on Tuesday.
EPP opposition. Recently leaked draft criteria for 'low-carbon' hydrogen production lack the backing of the biggest political group in the European Parliament, two prominent members of the European People’s Party (EPP) have warned the EU's energy chief, writes Stefano Porciello.
Clash over sovereignty trademark. Two key figures behind the Eurostack initiative aimed at boosting tech sovereignty are locked in a battle over who owns the rights to the name, and therefore the potential to unlock access to any cash bonanza from a push to wean off US tech, writes Théophane Hartmann.
Social Democrat MEP Christel Schaldemose has urged the Commission to draft EU-wide age verification rules and close legal loopholes that fail to protect young users online, according to a new parliamentary report seen by Euractiv, writes Anupriya Datta.
€2 package fee. The Commission wants to levy a €2 surcharge on all packages coming into Europe, amid a surge in low-value imports following the growing popularity of online retailers, write Inés Fernández-Pontes and Nikolaus J. Kurmayer. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story |[Philippe Lissac/Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images] |
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| PARIS Accusations that France's iconic Comté cheese is damaging the environment have sparked a national backlash, with politicians rushing to defend what many see as a symbol of French heritage. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgium’s oldest university elects first-ever female rector. Severine Vermeire was elected on Tuesday the new rector of Belgium's highest-ranked university, KU Leuven, becoming the first woman to helm it in its 600-year-history. Read more. |
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| LONDON
UK's foreign secretary: EU reset is decade-long healing from 'all-time low'. The UK's relationship with the EU is recovering from "an all-time low," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, adding London should play its "full part" in European security "over this next decade" after inking a defence pact. Read more. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story |[Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images] |
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| STOCKHOLM
Sweden's parliament has passed a law banning the purchase of sexual performances for viewing online, including those on platforms like OnlyFans, marking a major update to the country’s sex purchase legislation. Read more. |
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| ROME
Rome sits out WHO pandemic agreement, rekindling criticism over COVID stance. Italy was among a small group of countries that abstained from voting on the World Health Organization’s first-ever global pandemic agreement, adopted Tuesday in Geneva. The move, which puts Rome in the company of Russia, Iran, and Israel, has drawn criticism, especially in light of the Meloni government's controversial track record on COVID-19 vaccines. Read more.
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MADRID
Spain’s telecom breakdown leaves thousands without network. A technical failure in Spain’s main telecommunications network, Telefónica, caused widespread internet and signal outages across parts of the country. Telefónica’s customers reported major service disruptions on Tuesday morning with some warning that emergency services lines were severely impacted in regions like Aragón, Valencia and the Basque Country. These communities set up alternative emergency lines, whilst Andalusia and Extremadura reported short-term disruptions, according to broadcaster RTVE. Telefónica carried out some network upgrade work that affected some companies' fixed communication services, the company told Euractiv. "This morning we had an incident that affected the fixed communications services of some companies and public services. We have been working from the outset to restore these services, which have now been fully recovered." The communications services of companies and public services have since been restored. (Ines Fernandez-Pontes | Euractiv.es)
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LISBON
Portugal: 'No guarantee another blackout won’t happen,' says environment minister. Portugal's minister for the environment and energy said on Tuesday that lessons must be learned from the power blackout and, although there is no guarantee that such an event can be prevented, steps can be taken to mitigate its effects. "Honestly, no one can guarantee that we will not experience another blackout like the one on 28 April, there is no guarantee". The minister highlighted increased investment in networks, storage, and system services as ways to prevent a similar widespread power cut, or at least its impact. "There are certainly aspects we could have done better, lessons to be learned. This incident should lead us to improve our energy system," commented the minister, noting that there is still no diagnosis of what happened. "We know that the cause was external to Portugal," she added. To avoid similar phenomena, she said that what must be done is to "ensure that the evolution and adaptation of the electricity system to a new paradigm, based on renewable production and decentralisation, which naturally generates challenges," ensuring that work is already underway in this direction. To follow this path, she highlighted two points: "The challenge associated with data collection and management, whose volume and complexity require more advanced and digital solutions. And the challenge of ensuring the capacity of the electricity system to withstand frequency changes - known as inertia - and the flexibility needed to manage the grid to ensure its reliability and resilience," she added. (Sara Curralo Ribeiro, edited by Cristina Cardoso | Lusa.pt) |
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| WARSAW
Poland’s far-right Mentzen sets conditions for presidential runoff endorsement. Sławomir Mentzen, the rising star of Poland’s far right who came third in Sunday’s presidential election, has outlined strict conditions for potentially endorsing either Rafał Trzaskowski or Karol Nawrocki in the second round. Read more. ///
PRAGUE US exit from Ukraine talks would play into Putin’s hands, Czech president warns. A US withdrawal from ceasefire negotiations on Ukraine would be a gift to the Kremlin, Czech President Petr Pavel warned in Brussels on Tuesday. Speaking after talks with EU leaders about tightening economic pressure on Russia, he said coordination with the United States is still falling short. Read more. |
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| Click on the picture to read the story | [Andrei Pungovschi/Getty Images] |
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| BUCHAREST
The leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, George Simion, is contesting the presidential election results, accusing France and the Republic of Moldova of interference. Read more. |
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| EU: European Economic Area Council convenes to discuss economic security, and more; Third EU - African Union Ministerial Meeting expected to focus on multilateralism, migration and mobility, security, and more; President von der Leyen receives Mr Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Italy Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds meetings with President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof, President of the German Trade Union Confederation Yasmin Fahimi; Parliament President Roberta Metsola addresses Forum Europa; Hosts President of Italy Sergio Mattarella; Hosts President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar. *** |
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| [Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara] |
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