european union

Iran President Ready for "Constructive Dialogue" with Europe

Iran's president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said he looks forward to improved relations with European nations, even though he accused them of reneging on commitments to mitigate the impact of US sanctions. Pezeshkian won a runoff election against ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili last week. The 69-year-old has called for ...

France Greenlights Flying Taxis for Paris Olympics

France's government on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for the construction of a floating landing pad on the River Seine for flying taxis set to be shown off during the Paris Olympics. An official decree said that the pad "can be used until December 31, 2024" after months of suspense over whether the taxis would take to the air during the July 26 - ...

Le Pen and Orban's Far-Right Groups Unite in EU Parliament

Marine Le Pen's party on Monday teamed up with the camp of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to launch a new far-right camp in the European Union parliament, a day after being dealt a surprise defeat in French elections. Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's 28-year-old lieutenant and chief of her National Rally (RN) party, will take the reins of the ...

EU Chief in Egypt for Joint Investment Conference

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was in Cairo on Saturday to kick off a two-day investment conference, where deals potentially worth over $42 billion are expected to be signed. "At this conference, European companies are signing over 20 new deals... which are worth over 40 billion euros," von der Leyen said at the meeting in the ...

EU Imposes Sanctions on Hamas Financiers

The European Union imposed on Friday asset freezes and visa bans on several firms and individuals accused of helping to finance Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas, Brussels said. The sanctions were the second round to be imposed by the EU on the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups after their attack on Israel on October 7. Overall, ...

EU Leaders Return Ursula Von Der Leyen to Top Job

EU leaders struck a deal Thursday to return Ursula von der Leyen as head of the powerful European Commission, while tapping Estonia's prime minister Kaja Kallas as the bloc's top diplomat. The late-night accord carves up the EU's top institutional jobs for the next five years, with former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa to head the ...

Zelensky Signs Ukraine Security Accord With EU

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed a 10-year security pact with the European Union in Brussels, the latest deal aimed at shoring up long-term support for Kyiv in its fight with Russia. Days after the EU said it was opening formal membership negotiations with Kyiv, Zelensky attended a summit of EU leaders to meet with some ...

Ukraine and Moldova Accession to the EU: Negotiations Begin

The European Union formally launches accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday, setting the fragile ex-Soviet states off on a long path towards membership that Russia has tried to block. The landmark move is aimed in particular at sending a vote of confidence in Ukraine's future as Moscow has momentum on the battlefield almost ...

EU Unlocks 1.4 bn Euros from Russian Assets for Ukraine

The EU on Monday agreed to start paying out a first chunk of funds worth 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) earned from Russian frozen assets to help arm Ukraine, bypassing blockages from Hungary. The money is part of roughly three billion euros a year in interest from immobilized Russian central bank funds that the EU agreed to use for Kyiv in ...

EU Shows Unconditional Support for Cyprus Against Hezb

European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said on Thursday that a threat against Cyprus was tantamount to a threat against the entire European Union, after Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened the island nation the previous day with reprisals if it opened its airports or bases to Israel "to target Lebanon." [readmore ...

Ukraine Says EU Security Accord to Be Signed Soon

Ukraine said Wednesday it would soon sign a security agreement with the European Union, the latest in a series of accords that it hopes will ensure military aid for years to come as it battles Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky last week hailed an "unprecedented" 10-year security deal agreed with the United States as a "bridge" to NATO ...

European Union Leaders Haggle For Bloc's Top Jobs

European Union leaders huddled in Brussels on Monday to thrash out how to divide up the bloc's top jobs, with early signals putting Ursula von der Leyen on track for a second term as chief of the powerful European Commission. Far-right gains in EU-wide elections in early June, which triggered snap polls and political upheaval in France, appear to ...