Belgium

EU warns Gantz not to accept annexation of West Bank settlements

20 April 2020; MEMO: The European Union has warned Israel’s Benny Gantz not to accept the annexation of the country’s settlements in the occupied West Bank, Quds Press reported on Sunday.

EU officials have apparently told Gantz’s foreign affairs adviser, Melody Sucharewicz, over the past few weeks that Europe strongly opposes any unilateral move to extend Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

Europe needs at least 500 billion euros from EU institutions for recovery: ESM

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe will need at least another 500 billion euros from European Union institutions to finance its economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, on top of the agreed half-a-trillion package, the head of the euro zone bailout fund said.

In an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera paper, published on Sunday, European Stability Mechanism Managing Director Klaus Regling said the easiest way to organize such funds would be via the European Commission and the EU budget.

WHO warns "eye of storm" as some European countries start to ease anti-virus measures

BRUSSELS/COPENHAGEN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge on Thursday described the continent as being in the "eye of the storm" as some European countries start to reopen over signs of a slowing in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

EU eyes mass investment through next budget to restart growth

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s next long-term budget should be used to sponsor economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, the heads of the bloc’s Brussels-based institutions said on Wednesday.

EU leaders’ chairman, European Council President Charles Michel, said the bloc’s 27 national heads of states and governments will discuss during a videoconference summit on April 23 reworking their plans for their 2021-27 joint budget.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said: “The next European budget has to be the European answer to the corona crisis.”

European politicians, CEOs, lawmakers urge green coronavirus recovery

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European politicians, companies, lawmakers and activists called on Tuesday for green investment to restart growth after the coronavirus pandemic, saying fighting climate change and promoting biodiversity would rebuild stronger economies.

The European Union is headed for a steep recession triggered by the outbreak, but divided on how to finance economic recovery, with the ailing south advocating issuing joint debt against the opposition of the fiscally conservative north.

Coronavirus death toll passes 75,000 in Europe: AFP tally

Paris, Apr 12 (AFP/PTI) More than 75,000 people have died from the coronavirus in Europe, with 80 percent of the fatalities occurring in Italy, Spain, France and Britain, according to an AFP tally at 0945 GMT Sunday compiled from official sources.

With a total of 75,011 deaths from 909,673 infections, Europe is the hardest-hit continent in the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed at least 109,133 people worldwide.

Europe's most affected country is Italy with 19,468 deaths, followed by Spain with 16,972, France with 13,832 and Britain with 9,875.

EU puts anti-dumping duties on stainless steel from China, Indonesia and Taiwan

(Reuters) - The European Commission has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on some stainless steel products from China, Indonesia and Taiwan, according to the official EU journal, nearly eight months after launching a probe into low-price imports.

The duties on hot-rolled stainless steel sheets and coils include a rate of 17% on shipments from two Indonesian subsidiaries of Chinese stainless steel maker Tsingshan Holding Group, whose rapid expansion and low production costs in the southeast Asian country have left EU producers fretting over market share.

Global corona death toll passes 94,000, but some signs of hope

BRUSSELS, April 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Another horror day of the coronavirus pandemic saw the global death toll pass 94,000, although there were tentative signs of hope that the crisis was peaking in the United States and Europe.

The picture of the unfolding economic catastrophe also became clearer with the IMF warning of a Great Depression and data showing 17 million Americans lost their jobs, but a European Union financial rescue package agreement offered some relief to the barrage of bad news.

EU to fly home another 250,000 nationals stranded by coronavirus

BRUSSELS, April 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 250,000 European Union citizens are still trying to get home, as the number of people stranded by the coronavirus outbreak remains high even after the EU has repatriated some 350,000 people, its top diplomat said.

While the repatriation of EU nationals since mid-March was moving swiftly, the number of people abroad seeking help keeps rising as more of them seek assistance via their embassies, said the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

Subscribe to Belgium