Section: European Voice (EU)
EU threatens Russia with more sanctions
The leaders of the European Union have instructed the European Commission and the EU’s diplomatic service to prepare further sanctions to be imposed on Russia, in reaction to its military action against Ukraine. Proposals are to be presented for consideration by the EU’s member states “within a week”. Herman Van Rompuy, the president...
Tusk and Mogherini appointed to EU’s top jobs
Donald Tusk is to leave the prime ministership of Poland to become president of the European Council in succession to Herman Van Rompuy. His appointment balances the choice of Federica Mogherini, Italy’s foreign minister, as the European Union’s high representative for foreign policy. The decisions were announced by Van Rompuy, who...
Live blog: the Saturday summit
Leaders of the European Union’s member states are holding a summit in Brussels today (30 August) to choose who will become the next EU foreign policy chief and president of the European Council. Leaders are hoping for a swift agreement so that the summit can move on to discussing the crisis in Ukraine, which reached a new level this week as...
Hopes rise for swift resolution on top jobs
Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, is looking for a swift decision on the European Union’s senior appointments from national government leaders when they meet in Brussels on Saturday (30 August). He is increasingly hopeful of establishing a consensus around a balanced ticket of Donald Tusk for president of the...
Oettinger in Moscow for energy talks
Günther Oettinger, the European commissioner for energy, is in Moscow this morning (29 August) for gas talks with Russia. Oettinger is meeting with Alexander Novak, the Russian energy minister, to try to work out a compromise between Russia and Ukraine on the issue of gas debts. Trilateral gas talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine have broken...
Poroshenko accuses Russia of invasion
Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, today (28 August) held a dramatic press conference in which he declared that the Russian military has invaded Ukraine. It has been suspected that Russian troops have been in eastern Ukraine for some time. Ukraine captured Russian paratroopers within its borders earlier this week, but Moscow said they...
Moldova celebrates completion of gas connection to EU
A ceremony was held in Moldova today (27 August) to inaugurate a gas pipeline that connects the country to Romania, and will reduce its reliance on Russian gas. The inauguration, led by Prime Minister Iurie Leancă, was held on the 23rd anniversary of Moldova’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Speaking at the ceremony in...
Ukraine’s leader pledges ‘roadmap for peace’ at Minsk summit
Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, has pledged to come up with a “roadmap” for peace in his country, where Russian-backed separatists have been losing ground to government forces in recent weeks. Poroshenko made the announcement at a summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Minsk yesterday (26 August) that was also...
Women commissioners: Juncker struggles to reach eight
Jean-Claude Juncker, the next president of the European Commission, is faced with the prospect of having at most nine women in his college of European commissioners, whose composition is to be finalised in the coming days. The European Council is to meet on Saturday (30 August) to decide who should succeed Herman Van Rompuy as the president of...
EU, Russia, Ukraine leaders to meet in Minsk
Senior figures from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union will meet in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, today (26 August) to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, and Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, are meeting this afternoon. The summit will also...
