Contents tagged with EU
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Media: The EU could extend sanctions against Russia next week
The European Union member countries will decide on the extension of anti-Russian sanctions early next week.
According to a high-ranking EU official in Brussels, this will be done “in accordance with the proposal of the President of France, François Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.”
As was confirmed by TASS, citing a source in the German Government, sanctions will likely be extended immediately after the meeting. “If the leaders make this decision, it will be possible to extend …
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Merkel: Sanctions against Russia should be extended
Before her meeting with French President François Holland in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the EU's economic sanctions against Russia should be extended, Reuters reports.
According to her, the sanctions should be extended due to a lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
"Although we would have wished for a better progress in the implementation of the agreement, the lack of it is what causes the need to extend sanctions against Russia," Merkel said. …
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EU allocated an additional 4 million euro for humanitarian assistance in eastern Ukraine
The European Commission has allocated 4 million euro of additional immediate assistance in response to urgent humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine, as was stated by the press service of the EU representative in Ukraine.
Thus, the total amount of humanitarian assistance provided by the EU in 2016 in response to the crisis, will reach 26.4 million euro.
"The humanitarian aspects of the crisis in eastern Ukraine remain a priority issue for our program," Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for …
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US, EU and Canada urged Ukraine to conduct independent verification of e-declarations
The United States, the European Union, and Canada welcome the steps taken by Ukraine towards anti-corruption reforms and call for further reforms, in particular, for an independent and reliable verification of electronic declarations, as was said in a joint statement by the Embassy of Canada, the United States of America, and the representative of the European Union on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day.
“We welcome the impressive steps made after the Revolution of Dignity, …
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Mogherini: Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the OSCE principles
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, once again stressed that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a violation of the OSCE principles and international law, as she stated during the 23rd meeting of Ministers of the OSCE countries in Hamburg.
"Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimea and actions intended to destabilize eastern Ukraine are flagrant violations of OSCE principles and international law," Mogherini noted.
She also said that the …
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Former NATO Secretary General called the EU's position on the abolition of visas for Ukraine 'betrayal'
Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the EU's position towards Kyiv on the issue of visa-free entry for citizens of Ukraine a "betrayal". Rasmussen, who is now an advisor to the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, believes that Kyiv complies with "all the necessary criteria to facilitate the easing of the visa regime." Meanwhile, as Reuters quoted on December 6th, according to Rasmussen, Poroshenko, and his associates are publicly "trying to retain optimism".
At the …
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Ukraine may join Poland in a law suit against EU over concession of OPAL pipeline to Russia
Ukraine can file a lawsuit against the European Commission and the European energy regulator due to Gazprom’s increased access to the OPAL pipeline, LB.ua news agency reported, citing a diplomatic source.
According to the source, Kyiv cautioned Europe that in addition to inflicting financial losses on Poland and Ukraine as a result of the reduction of transit volumes of Russian gas, the European Union sets a dangerous precedent which will be exploited by Russia's Gazprom when fighting claims …
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Ukrainian and Polish presidents condemn EU decision on OPAL pipeline, saying its benefits Gazprom
The Ukrainian and Polish Presidents, Petro Poroshenko and Andrzej Duda, released a statement in which they said they were shocked by the European Commission’s decision to expand Gazprom’s access to the OPAL pipeline, which provides an opportunity for the Russian company to increase their flow of gas to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
"We believe that the decision contradicts the rules and principles of the energy community and contradicts the achievement of the organization’s fundamental goal: the …
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Albania asks for EU membership for Balkan countries to protect themselves from Russia
The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, fears that Russia and Islamic terrorists may try to increase their influence in the Balkan countries if the Balkans is not included in the European Union (EU).
Rama also stated, in his interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, that it is in the interest of Brussels to take the Balkans under its wing.
“If we want a safe and stable European Union, and a safe Europe, we shouldn’t have any gaps. In addition, we should never forget that there are third …
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The president of the European Commission favored maintaining sanctions against Russia
The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, stated in an interview with the French regional newspaper Quest-France that he considers it necessary to maintain sanctions against Russia.
“If we point Russia to the fact that sanctions against it will be maintained, this country will understand such language and draw necessary conclusions. However, if we demonstrate that there is a possibility of lifting sanctions, Russia will definitely benefit from it,” Juncker stated. The …