Section: European Voice (EU)
EU prepares support for dairy sector
The European Commission is preparing to provide support for the dairy industry to alleviate the effects of a Russian ban on foods from the European Union. Russia announced an import ban on food products from the EU, US, Norway, Canada and Australia on 7 August in response to sanctions imposed on it because of its actions in Ukraine. Earlier this...
Merkel visits Rajoy ahead of EU summit
Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, yesterday (24 August) held talks with Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, days before a European Union summit at which leaders aim to decide on a series of EU leadership positions. With Merkel under increasing pressure from France and Italy to relax the EU’s policy of spending cuts and...
Lithuanian diplomat killed in Ukraine
Lithuania has revealed that one of its diplomats has been murdered in eastern Ukraine. Linas Linkevicius, Lithuania’s foreign minister, sent out a tweet saying that “Mykola Zelenec was kidnapped and brutally killed by terrorists there [the embattled city of Luhansk]“. Zelenec was Lithuania’s honorary consul in the city. The...
Russia aid convoy moves into Ukraine
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has accused Russia of a “flagrant violation of international law” after a convoy of aid lorries crossed the border. Poroshenko said that more than 100 Russian lorries had entered Ukraine without any customs clearance or Red Cross escort. They are heading toward the embattled city of Luhansk, and reports...
Barroso condemns Ukraine convoy attack
José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, spoke with Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, on 18-19 August, and condemned the shelling of a convoy of refugees in eastern Ukraine that has claimed dozens of lives. In a statement, Barroso called for an inquiry into the attack on the convoy in the Luhansk area on Monday (18...
EU trade with Russia hit by Ukraine tensions
Trade between the European Union and Russia fell by €13.1 billion in the first half of 2014, according to estimates published today by Eurostat. Total EU exports to Russia fell by 12% compared with the same period in 2013, from €49.6bn to €43.6bn. Imports from Russia fell by 8%, or €7.1bn. The EU still imports almost twice as much from Russia as...
Commission pledges to help EU food producers
The European Commission today (18 August) announced that it will provide support for European food producers who have been affected by Russia’s ban on imports of agricultural products. A total of €125 million will be available to producers, allowing the removal of some surplus products from the market, which are then distributed free, with...
What I learned from Vladimir Putin
Is Russian President Vladimir Putin, like most political leaders, predisposed to spinning the truth for his own benefit? Or does he go far beyond that, governing Russia and dealing with his neighbours and the rest of the world with reckless mendacity, abetted by a supine national media? Sometimes, in answering questions like this, we can draw not...
EU warns Russia over entering Ukraine
European Union foreign ministers have warned Russia that they would treat any military action in Ukraine as a “blatant violation of international law” just as news broke that Ukrainian forces have attacked and destroyed part of a Russian convoy supposedly bringing humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine. A joint statement agreed by foreign ministers...
Farm ministers to discuss Russia’s EU food ban in early-September
Farm ministers from the European Union will hold a special meeting in Brussels in early September to discuss the effects of Russia’s boycott of Western food on the EU’s farming sector. The decision to hold the meeting was announced today (15 August) following a gathering of the EU’s foreign affairs ministers in Brussels to...
