ADVERTISEMENTThe European Commission this month pledged a new package of €500 million for the period 2025-2027, part of which will be specifically earmarked for research projects with industrial applications.President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc needs to “stand for science” in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, adding…

ADVERTISEMENTA new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) quantifies the worldwide value of counterfeit goods at over €416 billion, roughly 2.3% of global imports.The EU is a primary target: nearly €99 billion worth of its imports, or 4.7%, are fake.Remarkably, 20 of the world’s top 25…

ADVERTISEMENTBrazil has halted all poultry exports to the EU, the European Commission confirmed on Monday, after the country notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of a bird flu outbreak.Brazil notified WOAH that it suspended its status ‘free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)’ after bird flu was detected…

ADVERTISEMENTRepresentatives of Brazil’s indigenous peoples travelled to Brussels to set out concerns with the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries at recent meetings with MEPs and European Commission officials. A key issue is the likely expansion of agriculture and livestock farming in the lands inhabited by native…

ADVERTISEMENTRussian authorities have banned Amnesty International, making involvement with the international human rights group illegal, the Russian Prosecutor General’s office said on Monday.Branded an “undesirable organisation” – a designation that criminalises involvement or support of such groups — the international NGO is the latest target of the Kremlin’s crackdown on…

ADVERTISEMENTThe European Union should “renew and intensify” its diplomatic engagement with countries that still maintain close ties with Russia in a bid to increase the pressure on the Kremlin to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, a group of 14 member states has said in a joint letter to…

ADVERTISEMENTBrussels and London on Monday agreed new deals on fishing, energy, youth mobility and defence following marathon talks that concluded just a few hours before the first-ever EU-UK summit was to be held.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council chief Antonio Costa…

ADVERTISEMENTPro-West independent candidate Nicusor Dan staged a dramatic comeback on Sunday to win the Romanian presidential elections with a firm 54% of the votes. His contender, hard-right candidate George Simion, with 46% of votes, at first refused to concede in an unprecedented political thriller which transfixed and polarised the country…

ADVERTISEMENTRussia launched its largest drone assault in overnight attacks from Saturday into Sunday on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, with a total of 273 drones deployed, according to the Ukrainian air force. At least one person was killed, and three others, including a four-year-old child, were injured…

ADVERTISEMENTItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted three-way transatlantic talks in Rome on Sunday, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted as she hoped could mark “a new beginning” in international relations between the two blocs.In US Vice President JD Vance’s opening comments, he called Europe “an important ally”…