The French government and unions have signed an agreement to give over eight billion euros in pay rises for the nation’s troubled health workers. France’s recently appointed Prime Minister Jean Castex said the move was overdue amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic in the European Union member state.
Poland’s incumbent conservative President Andrzej Duda has narrowly beaten his liberal challenger Rafal Trzaskowski in Sunday’s razor-blade tight presidential election. The National Electoral Commission said Duda won with 51.2 percent of the vote.
Hungary’s fiercely anti-migration government warned Sunday it would reimpose far-reaching coronavirus restrictions on people arriving from nations with a moderate or high number of coronavirus infections. The measures include mandatory two-week quarantines or bans and other limitations.
People in Poland went to the polls Sunday in what commentators called a razor-blade-close presidential election runoff amid a coronavirus pandemic. Voters were deciding whether to give another chance to the current conservative President Andrzej Duda, or to make the liberal mayor of Warsaw the next head-of-state.
Serbia was facing broader civil unrest Wednesday as security forces struggled to contain angry crowds demanding the resignation of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic.
The European Union’s executive has apologized after its leader threw her support behind the victorious ruling conservative party in Croatia’s parliamentary elections. Ursula von der Leyen, the German president of the European Commission, appeared with other center-right politicians in a promotional video clip posted by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.
A French court has launched an inquiry into the alleged mishandling by the outgoing French government of the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement comes while elsewhere in Europe, and the former Soviet Union, tensions also rise over the way leaders deal with the crisis.
Russia’s long-ruling President Vladimir Putin could remain in power until 2036 after voters backed controversial changes to the constitution, official results showed Wednesday.
Hungary’s right-wing government has come under pressure amid reports that it spends more on anti-migration propaganda than on support for persecuted Christians.
The European Union has decided to extend sanctions it imposed on Russia in 2014 following Russian military action against Ukraine. The decision to extend the economic measures was made by the Council of the European Union on June 29.
Poland’s right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, was seeking a second five-year term in an election amid controversy. Sunday’s poll was seen as a test whether voters share his plans of implementing a conservative agenda. His policies include judicial reforms that the European Union claims undermine democracy.
The United Nations, European Union countries, and the Arab League joined Wednesday in calling for Israel to abandon its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, as the Jewish state’s envoy to the international body insisted the step would not stand in the way of peace with the Palestinians.
Serbia’s ruling populists were due to tighten their grip on power in the first European national election since the coronavirus pandemic. Voting began Sunday in the, heavily Orthodox, Balkan nation despite concerns about ongoing COVID-19 cases and what critics view as the autocratic style of the current president.
The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that Hungary’s legislation requiring non-governmental organizations to reveal their foreign donors is against EU rules. The Luxemburg-based Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) condemned a law that forces NGOs receiving at least 7.2 million Hungarian forints ($23,000) to register with authorities.
Leaders from Britain and the European Union agreed on Monday that talks on their future relationship should be stepped up to clinch a deal, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggesting an agreement could be reached in July with “a bit of oomph”.
European Union foreign ministers on Monday urged the United States to join a new effort to breathe life into long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but they rejected US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan as the basis for any international process.
Borders reopened across Europe on Monday after three months of coronavirus lockdowns. But many restrictions persist and remain unclear how willing Europeans will be to travel this summer.
A knife-wielding man fatally stabbed a school deputy head and injured at least five in northern Slovakia before being killed by police, officials say.
Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that Israel will act “responsibly” in pursuing plans for annexing parts of the West Bank, Israel Hayom reported. Responding to German and EU concerns that unilateral annexation would jeopardize a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Ashkenazi said annexation plans would be carried out “in dialogue with our neighbors.” The statements were made at a press conference in Jerusalem with German foreign minister Heiko Maas.
Another round of trade discussions between the European Union and the U.K. ended Friday – and once again there were no signs of progress ahead of a looming deadline on whether a transition arrangement can be extended.