On February 28, the European Newsroom spoke to Terry Reintke, the Green lead candidate for the European elections in June, on the sidelines of the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, France.
Convoys of farmers protesting against agricultural regulations and food imports occupied the EU quarter in Brussels on Monday, blocking roads and setting fires. Following proposals from the European Commission, EU agriculture ministers vowed to cut red tape – but called for more ambitious proposals to better meet farmers’ demands.
During the weekend of 23-25 February, the European Newsroom (enr) accompanied European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on another visit to Ukraine. On Saturday, February 24, it had been exactly two years since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
According to diplomatic sources, Belgium will once again attempt to reach an agreement on the EU’s platform workers directive. The EU ambassador in Tirana stressed the need to promote a competitive economy in Albania. Bulgaria announced that it wants to benefit from a derogation from EU agricultural rules.
February 24 marks the two-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s troops invading Ukraine. It comes as Ukrainian forces are losing ground and the future of support from their key ally USA remains in doubt. The EU agreed on the 13th round of sanctions, also aiming at presenting its framework for EU accession talks with Ukraine by the “beginning of summer”.