The European Parliament wants to close the money supply for Turkey next year. The so-called pre-accession support of the EU should be reduced by EUR 147 million in 2019 due to political developments in the country, in addition to a 40% reduction proposed by the European Commission for the next two years.
The European Parliament wants to investigate whether a uniform European car sticker can be obtained for access to environmental zones in cities. This could put an end to the current tangle of access requirements for clean vehicles in European urban environmental zones. Only cars that comply with the most stringent European emission standards will receive the so-called Ultra Low Emission Vehicle label.
Frans Timmermans is very pleased with the very generous support of the European Parliament for his proposals to banish many plastic disposable products. 'A good result after all the struggles we have had, but we are not there yet', says the first vice-president of the European Commission against the ANP.
An annual opinion on the state of the rule of law and democracy in each of the EU countries will not be forthcoming for the time being. The European Parliament made an appeal two years ago at the request of D66 European Parliamentarian Sophie in 't Veld to set up such a review, but the European Commission and the member states are abolishing the boat, as it turned out in a debate in Strasbourg.
The Spanish parliament has rejected proposals to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia due to the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The motions were submitted by left and regional parties. The Social Democrats of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez voted against Tuesday, as did the main opposition party, the conservative PP.
Everyone in Europe must have access to clean, safe and affordable tap water. Fountains on the streets and stricter standards for harmful substances must contribute to this. The European Parliament (300 to 98) gave its approval to plans that EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans unfolded in February. Catering companies are invited to serve free tap water.
The vote in the Macedonian parliament supporting the change of the name of the country has been manipulated by a combination of blackmail, threats and buying votes. That said the Russian Foreign Ministry Monday.
A Brexit summit has failed again this week. The British Prime Minister Theresa May had a quarter of an hour to explain her requirements. She spoke so quickly that the other government leaders hardly understood her. 'It is still a mystery what the British want,' sighed one of those present against Bloomberg.
Greece has responded with delight to the first round of voting on the name change of neighboring Macedonia. The Macedonian parliament voted Friday night with the new name Republic of Northern Macedonia. The majority of two thirds needed to implement the name change in the constitution was met exactly: 80 of the 120 deputies agreed. The change is not yet final, because more voting rounds will follow.
The Norwegian authorities released a Russian man on Friday suspected of espionage. He was stuck for almost a month. The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) wanted to extend the pre-trial detention order, but the Oslo court rejected that request. The appeal of the PST was also unsuccessful.
On Friday evening, the Macedonian parliament approved an amendment to the constitution that makes the name change of the Balkan country possible. That will then be when the Republic of Northern Macedonia go through life, as agreed with the Greeks.
The organizers of an anti-brexit demonstration on Saturday in London expect more than 100,000 worried Britons to respond to their call. The 'People's Vote' campaign demands a second referendum on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. Citizens must also be given the right to vote on the final agreement, if it comes.
Cyber attacks can be taken quickly against people or organizations involved in cyber attacks. At their summit in Brussels, the EU heads of government commissioned a sanction system to be developed. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and a few other countries had insisted on this.
An Afghan MP was killed Wednesday by a bomb that was placed under his office chair. Three other people were also killed in the attack, which has been claimed by the radical Taliban.
The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pasjinjan announced on Tuesday that he will step down to make early parliamentary elections possible. The former opposition leader came to power in May with the consent of the deputies after weeks of protests against corruption and nepotism.
The American borde owner who advertised himself as the 'Trump of Pahrump' and who wanted to join the parliament in the state of Nevada on behalf of the Republicans. According to police, he was found dead on Tuesday in one of his cases, the Love Ranch in Crystal. The cause of death is not yet known.
Around 9.5 million voters in Bavaria can vote for a new parliament on Sunday. According to opinion polls, a totally different parliament is elected than the conservative state is used to. The Christian Social Union (CSU), which had been running for decades, would suffer considerable losses under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Söder.
Jean-Claude Juncker thinks that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán no longer belongs in the European People's Party (EPP), the Christian Democratic group in the European Parliament. The President of the European Commission tells French newspaper Le Monde that he also made Orbán clear last month.
Turkey never becomes a member of the EU. Accession talks with the country are officially truncated as Manfred Weber, the leader of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament, will become the new President of the European Commission next year.
Spacemen Aleksej Ovtsjinin and Nick Hague, who had to make an emergency landing on Thursday after their launch, will be able to go into space again next spring. Their flight to the international space station ISS is scheduled for next spring. The head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, Dmitri Rogozin, said that Friday to the Interfax news agency.
The government of Malaysia wants to abolish the death penalty. The parliament will discuss the bill on Monday, reporting Malaysian media. The planned executions are provisionally suspended.
Exhaust gases from diesel vehicles are included in the European list of carcinogenic substances against which employers must protect their personnel. Seven other chemicals are also on the list, giving more than 20 million workers in Europe better protection.
The Macedonian government has adopted a bill to rename the small Balkan country to Northern Macedonia. The pro-prime minister Zoran Zaev, however, needs a two-thirds majority in parliament to make the agreement with Greece on the change of name. A referendum failed a week ago because the turnout was too low.
Bulgarian TV journalist Viktoria Marinova (30) was found dead at a remote spot on the Danube near her hometown of Roese. The police said on Sunday in the local media that she was raped and brutally murdered.
In the Latvian parliamentary elections, the center-right coalition lost its majority. The Union of Farmers and Greens of Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis was punished despite the growing economy. He received less than 10 percent of the votes, halving, and only held 11 seats out of 100 in the parliament. The electoral council in Riga announced this on Sunday.
Russian hackers from the military intelligence service GROe are also associated with a cyber attack in Belgium. In 2014 they attacked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs there, writes De Standaard.
One of the Russian hackers who, according to the US and the Netherlands, are behind the cyber attacks on, among others, the OPCW in The Hague, is registered at an address in Moscow that has been identified by the Americans as a building of the military intelligence service GROe.
A Dutch Kurd has surprisingly seized next to the presidency of Iraq. After a political drama in parliament, Fouad Hussein had to face Barham Salih, who is waiting a tough job to bring the divided and devastated country back on top.
The alliance of center-right parties may try to form a government after the Swedish elections. The chairman of the parliament gave Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate two weeks. He is the head of the four-party partnership, which together have 143 of the 349 parliamentary seats.
Catalans marched massively on Monday evening in Barcelona to underline that separatism is still alive in Catalonia. The police estimated the turnout to 180,000 people according to Spanish media. The largest banner read: 'Self-determination is a human right.'
