Belgium

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called off a series of in-person meetings in Germany and Romania because he has contracted shingles after having a coronavirus infection last month, his office said Thursday.

“The Secretary General will conduct his planned visit to Germany (and Romania) remotely rather than in person. He has been diagnosed with shingles, which can occur after COVID-19, and is working from home,” a NATO official said.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the military alliance stands ready to seize a historic moment and move quickly on allowing Finland and Sweden to join its ranks, after the two countries submitted their membership requests.

The official applications, handed over by Finland and Sweden’s ambassadors to NATO, set a security clock ticking. Russia, whose war on Ukraine spurred them to join the military organization, has warned that it wouldn’t welcome such a move, and could respond.

17 May 2022; MEMO: The European Union has denied reports claiming the bloc intends to reduce its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), describing them as "false and baseless".

In a statement issued yesterdat, the European Union stressed that it will always be a reliable and major donor to UNRWA, adding that last November, the commission transferred €92 million ($96 million) in one payment.

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - The European Commission is set to propose on Wednesday a new package of financial aid to Ukraine including new loans to provide immediate liquidity to Kyiv and commitments for the long-term financing of the country's reconstruction, officials said.

The size of the short-term financial support is still being defined but two officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters they expected it to roughly cover Ukraine's financial needs for two months, largely through loans.

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers sought to publicly pressure Hungary on Monday to lift its veto of a proposed oil embargo on Russia, with Lithuania saying the bloc was being "held hostage by one member state".

The ban on crude imports proposed by the European Commission in early May would be its harshest sanction yet in response to Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and includes carve-outs for EU states most dependent on Russian oil.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s efforts to impose a new round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine appeared to be bogged down on Monday, as a small group of countries opposed a ban on imports of Russian oil.

Since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, the bloc has implemented five rounds of sanctions on Moscow. President Vladimir Putin, senior officials, more than 350 lawmakers and pro-Kremlin oligarchs were hit with asset freezes and travel bans. Banks, the transport sector and alleged propaganda outlets were targeted.

14 May 2022; MEMO: European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced on Friday that he had "reopened" negotiations on reviving the nuclear deal, which has been at a standstill for several years.

"The negotiations were stalled, and now they have been reopened," Borrell confirmed from Wangels in northern Germany, where he is attending a G7 foreign ministers meeting.

14 May 2022; MEMO: The European Union (EU) condemned on Friday the "disproportionate use of force" by Israeli occupation forces during the funeral procession of slain Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Anadolu Agency reported.

"The European Union is appalled by the scenes unfolding" at the funeral procession of Abu Akleh in the occupied East Jerusalem, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced in a statement.

BRUSSELS (AP) — International donors on Tuesday pledged $6.7 billion to help Syrians and neighboring countries hosting refugees but fell well short of a U.N. target for assistance to millions of people from conflict-torn Syria who rely on aid to survive.

European Union Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi acknowledged that the war in Ukraine and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic weighed heavily on donors’ economies.

Still, “donors are sending now a very strong signal to Syria and this region that we are ready to do even more than before,” he said.