France is proposing that Europe should issue common debt again. In other news, Slovenia is reluctant on the question of whether the EU should deprive Hungary of its voting rights under Article 7 of the EU Treaty. Romanian MEP Daniel Buda calls for more subsidies to support farmers across Europe.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states have been given a partial mandate to negotiate with the European Parliament on new long-term financial aid for Ukraine. Austria’s Karoline Edtstadler reacts to the announcement of European Council President Charles Michel’s resignation. Statistics from the EU delegation in Tirana show that the EU is financially supporting Albania with pre-accession funds.
The EU Council has added diamond giant PJSC Alrosa to its sanctions list against Russia over its war of aggression against Ukraine. Bulgaria and Romania will join the Schengen zone by the end of March 2024. Belgium has taken over the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
Former European Commission President Jacques Delors has died at the age of 98. German business sectors are pessimistic about the year ahead. Spain advocates the creation of a special mission in the Red Sea in the face of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
According to Eurostat, Austria recorded the highest number of first-time asylum applications per capita in September 2023. The country ranks third in the EU for unaccompanied minors. The European Parliament and the member states have reached an agreement on the sweeping reform of the asylum and migration policy. The EU-27 agreed to relax budgetary rules.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that the decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine was being overrated. The Dutch government has decided to lift its veto on Bulgaria joining the Schengen area. The EU is supporting an Albanian awareness campaign aimed at informing travellers about the rules for transporting money in and out of the country.