EU

Puigdemont accuses EU of not defending rights in Catalonia

Copenhagen - Muslimchronicle

Catalonia's sacked president Carles Puigdemont on Monday, January 22, repeated accusations that the European Union is failing to defend fundamental rights in the wealthy Spanish region. During his first foreign visit since leaving Spain to live in voluntary exile in Brussels on 30 October, Puigdemont told students at the University of Copenhagen the EU showed "failures" in the face of crisesRead more

Instagram, Google+ join EU group

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

Facebook's Instagram and the Google+ social network have agreed to join an EU-sponsored group of US internet giants to combat online extremism, EU officials said Friday. EU officials added that the existing members -- YouTube, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook -- have made progress toward meeting the code of conduct they signed up to in May 2016, promising to look at suspiciousRead more

Palestinians seek EU support as row with US persists

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will seek EU support in Brussels on Monday amid bitter acrimony with the United States, but he looks unlikely to get much the in way of concrete commitments. In an interview with AFP on Sunday in Brussels, Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki said Abbas would urge the European Union to officially recognise the state of Palestine “as aRead more

Abbas urges EU countries to 'swiftly' recognise state of Palestine

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on Monday urged EU member states to "swiftly" grant official recognition to the state of Palestine as he arrived to meet foreign ministers from the bloc in Brussels. "We truly consider the European Union as a true partner and friend, and therefore we call its member states to swiftly recognise the state of Palestine and weRead more

Macron says French vision for EU needs German backing

Paris - Muslimchronicle

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that his ambitious plans to reform the European Union need German backing, as Chancellor Angela Merkel gears up for a crucial vote on forming a new governing coalition. "Our ambition cannot come to fruition alone," Macron told a joint press conference with Merkel in Paris ahead of talks. "It needs to dovetail with Germany'sRead more

'Stable German government' crucial for EU to act

Paris - Muslimchronicle

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that a "stable German government" was crucial for the European Union to move forward with its reform agenda. "To act in Europe it is crucial that Germany have a stable government," she said at a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, two days before a high-stakes vote on her proposed governing coalitionRead more

EU agrees to sanctions against Venezuelan officials

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

The EU agreed to add Venezuelan officials to its sanctions blacklist on Thursday, European sources said, the first time the bloc has targeted individual members of President Nicolas Maduro's embattled regime. Seven individuals have been blacklisted according to diplomats, making them subject to asset freezes and travel bans. Source: AFPRead more

Tycoon-led Czech cabinet loses confidence vote

Prague - Muslimchronicle

The new Czech minority cabinet led by billionaire Andrej Babis lost a parliamentary confidence vote on Tuesday, after lawmakers spurned the populist who has been charged with EU subsidy fraud. "The parliament refused to voice confidence in the cabinet," parliament speaker Radek Vondracek said. The vote was 117 against the cabinet to 78 in favour, with five abstentions in theRead more

EU to remove Panama, seven others from tax haven blacklist

Brussels - Muslimchronicle

The EU will remove Panama, South Korea and six other countries from its recently unveiled EU tax blacklist at a meeting of finance ministers next week, a European Union official said on Tuesday. "Barring a major surprise, EU finance ministers should remove eight countries from the blacklist of tax havens," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Read more