Tag Archives: von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched an urgent inquiry into her 26 commissioners’ links to former EU migration chief Dimitris Avramopoulos, who has been caught up in spiraling corruption allegations about Qatari influence in Brussels. Commissioners have half a day to respond to von der Leyen, until 10:30 …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Athens on Thursday, the Commission’s Chief Spokesperson, Eric Mamer, announced on Monday. He said that Ursula von der Leyen will deliver a speech at the Athens Democracy Forum. The ADF turns 10 this year and is marking this milestone with …

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The EU plans a “deep and comprehensive reform of the electricity market” to cope with an energy crisis spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. The measures include a cap on electricity producers’ profits that would raise 140 billion euros ($140 billion) …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and eight EU leaders are flocking to Athens on Friday for the EUMED 9 Summit to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Culture Centre (SNFCC). The presence of the EU VIPs will disrupt traffic and public transport for security reasons. The agenda …

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The European Union will “never, ever” accept a two state deal on ethnically-split Cyprus, the head of its executive said on Thursday. Ursula von der Leyen, who was visiting Cyprus, said the European Union spoke with one voice on the conflict, which has dragged on for decades and is a …

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A diplomatic faux pas that left EU chief Ursula von der Leyen without a chair as male counterparts took their seats at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stirred controversy in Brussels. On media and social media the unprecedented incident has been named SofaGate. Video from Tuesday’s …

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The European Union’s executive body on Wednesday proposed the introduction of coronavirus pass to let its 450 million residents travel freely across the 27-nation bloc by the summer. The plan, which will be discussed next week during a summit of EU leaders, foresees the creation of vaccine certificates aimed at …

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The European Commission will present a proposal in March on creating an EU-wide digital COVID-19 vaccination passport that may allow Europeans to travel more freely over the peak summer holiday period. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the coming legislative proposal in a speech to German conservative lawmakers on …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Greece’s efforts for the roll out of its vaccination campaign against Covid-19, and especially welcomed the Greek prime minister’s proposal for a vaccination certificate, in an interview with the Greek newspaper “Ta Nea” released on Saturday. “The percentage of vaccinated citizens [in …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged on Wednesday that the European Union was not where it wanted to be in the fight against the coronavirus. “We were late with the approval. We were too optimistic on mass production. And perhaps we were also too certain that the orders …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday the disbursement of 728 million euros to Greece in the framework of the EU’s SURE financial support program. Von der Leyen made the announcement in Greek on Twitter where she also announced the SURE share for other EU member states …

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International Air Transport Association (IATA) is backing Greece’s for a digital European vaccination certificate and is urging the European Commission to adopt the proposal. In an open letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, IATA Director-General Alexandre de Juniac stressed that the proposal needs to be adopted urgently as …

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The Greek Prime Minister has proposed that the European Union introduces a vaccination certificate in order to facilitate freedom of movement for those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a letter with his proposal to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU news website PoliticoEurope …

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President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen hailed Elias Giovanidis as an example of solidarity throughout the pandemic. The 24-year-old Greek Roma has been a volunteer at a food bank in Thessaloniki,  providing meals for families struggling due to the Covid-19 crisis. Recognizing the immense weight of the …

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European Union countries could begin coronavirus inoculations as soon as this year, the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday. The statement by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen followed the EU drug regulator’s decision to bring forward its possible approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to Dec. …

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Εuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saaid that Greece will have access to 2 billion euros as of November 17 to  help companies and employees affected by the pandemic. Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, von der Leyen expressed also her satisfaction and optimism over the latest developments regarding a …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the withdrawal of Turkish survey vessels from the eastern Mediterranean was “a positive step.” She underlined, however, that “Turkey must refrain from unilateral actions.” Speaking at the European Parliament on the “State of the Union” on Wednesday,von der Leyen expressed the …

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of talks with President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that Turkey must move refugees and migrants away from the Greek border. “It was the Turkish president who said the EU borders were open. They were not open, they are not open, they …

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