Tag Archives: EU

With Brexit bickering on hold at this week’s EU summit as leaders prepare for a second phase of talks, the drama will be provided instead by national capitals’ efforts to rein in what some see as a brazen attempt at overreach by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. European leaders worry …

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Germany’s second largest party SPD leader Martin Schulz called for the transformation of the European Union into a United States of Europe by 2025 with a common constitution. “Europe is our life insurance,” Schulz told an SPD party convention in Berlin on Thursday. I want a new constitutional treaty to …

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Hardly had the news that the European Union will ban Kebab and Gyros for food safety reasons, the hashtag #Free_Gryos became trendy in Greek Twitter where hundreds of Greeks added their own tzatziki sauce on the upcaming real or fake news ban. Εχουν βάλει συντηρητικά παντού, μολύνουν το περιβάλλον, βομβαρδίζουν …

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A Greek prosecutor on Sunday charged seven people for fraudulently selling large quantities of adulterated sunflower oil as olive oil in Greece and abroad. Police investigation found that in the last two months alone, 100,000 liters of bogus olive oil were exported to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The seven, …

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Social Justice in the European Union Index 2017: a survey conducted by the German Bertelsmann Stiftung. Greece managed to get scores in five out of six indicators and topped the bottom. What’s the correct word? “Social just…what?”

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The never-ending dispute of what is “Greek yogurt” and what is not “Greek yogurt” and the protection of its geographical origin. There is none.  The denomination “Greek yogurt” cannot be used for yogurts produced outside Greece, a European Commission spokesperson said amid mounting tensions between Athens and Prague on the …

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European police forces cannot impose blanket height restrictions on recruits because that discriminates against women, the EU’s top court ruled on Wednesday, throwing out an argument from the Greek government. Athens had defended a minimum height requirement for entry to the Greek police academy of 1.70 meters (5 feet 7 …

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European governments have put thousands of Afghans in harm’s way by forcibly returning them to a country where they are at serious risk of torture, kidnapping, death and other human rights abuses, Amnesty International said today in a new report. In their determination to increase the number of deportations, European …

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey no longer needs EU membership. His son Bilal who plays an important role in Turkey’s politics went even further and described the Europeans as “gavur” (indifels). The comments come after 12-year-long accession talks with Brussels grind to a halt. “We will …

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The European Union unveiled a new plan Wednesday to resettle at least 50,000 refugees, the majority of them from northern Africa. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said it has set aside 500 million euros ($587 million) for the effort. It wants refugees in Libya, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Chad …

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Following a recommendation by the European Commission, the Council of the European Union decided to close the excessive deficit procedure for Greece. It confirms that the  country’s deficit is now below 3% of GDP, the EU’s reference value for government deficits. Official statement On 25 September 2017, the Council repealed its …

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A Greek minister has warned China to cancel fake trademarks of two Greek products including feta cheese in order for a future deal with Brussels on geographical indications to move on. Brussels and Beijing agreed in June to publish a list of 200 geographical indications (GIs) – 100 from each …

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The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Wednesday dismissed a challenge by Slovakia and Hungary against the EU’s relocation policy for asylum seekers, upholding the EU’s right to oblige member countries to take in refugees. In response to the migration crisis that hit Europe in the summer of 2015, the …

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The actions of the Turkish authorities are making it “impossible” for the country to join the European Union, an EU executive said on Monday, reuters reports. A day earlier both chancellor candidates, Angela Merkel (CDU) and Martin Schulz (SPD) after German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that turkey’s Eu membership …

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Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has further strained his country’s relationship with Germany by describing the main German political parties as “enemies of Turkey”. Speaking after Friday prayers to his supporters gathered in a mosque in Istanbul, the Turkish President criticised those who he said had an aggressive or disrespectful …

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The European Union should use military means to defend its external borders from migrants entering illegally, Bulgaria’s defense minister, Krasimir Karakachano, has said. Krasimir Karakachanov, whose far-right United Patriots party is a junior coalition partner in Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s government, said: “We cannot allow illegal immigrants to come to Europe …

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The European Union recorded the largest increase in slavery of any world region in 2017, with the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants, many of them extremely vulnerable to exploitation, analysts said on Thursday. Greece, Italy, Cyprus. Romania and Bulgaria are the countries with the most slave labour within the …

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The Greek ministry of Agriculture will push for a geographical protection for “Greek yogurt” considering the rising consumer demand as well as the recent dispute with Prague. Greek yoghurt is ‘Greek’, European Commission technocrats told Czechs last year. They wanted a ‘Greek-style yoghurt’ made in the Czech Republic. The product …

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The top US Army general in Europe and the Netherlands push to ease movement of military personnel and equipment across EU and NATO borders. European leaders have made a priority of greater military cooperation, yet the ability of NATO forces to operate in Europe is still hindered by border restrictions …

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Escalation of the diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara ended in a clear message. Foreign   Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned German citizens that they risk arrest if they travel to Turkey. The German government on Friday warned citizens travelling to Turkey that they are at risk of arrest. Foreign Minister Sigmar …

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