European Union

Indebted eurozone countries such as Greece or Italy need European Union grants rather than loans to deal with the impact of the coronavirus crisis, European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Wednesday.

Sweden will lift its advice against non-essential travel to 10 European countries from June 30, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The countries are Greece, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, France, Iceland, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

The European Union unveiled plans Wednesday to fight unfair competition from foreign companies backed by powerful non-EU trade rivals amid China's growing influence in the bloc's single market.

That was said by the Bank's board member Fabio Panetta

Bulgaria could join waiting room to adopt the euro until the end of 2020, European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta said in an interview for Le Monde.

The institution praises the efforts of Bulgaria and Croatia to switch to the common currency, Panetta added. He underlined that the two countries rely on tourism.

Cyprus Defense Minister Savvas Angelides briefed his EU counterparts on Tuesday on Turkey's ongoing activities in the Republic of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), stressing the need for an EU naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Senior German diplomat Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut was nominated as head of EU delegation to Turkey, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced on June 16 in a statement.

Meyer-Landrut has been Germany's ambassador to France and Monaco since 2015.

He will replace Christian Berger, who continues his career as EU ambassador to Egypt.

Years of futile EU-led negotiations have brought the idea of territorial exchanges back to the table as a way of resolving Kosovo's final status - with an impatient US seemingly pushing the EU on the issue.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu on Monday participated in the informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs from the European Union member states, carried out in videoconference system, with the participation of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, has expressed the bloc's concern over the escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Asked during a press conference after the EU's foreign affairs council on Monday over Turkey's activity in the area, Borrell said that "the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean is becoming worse."

The European Commission has rejected allegations that its officials tried to cover up the failure by Croatia's government to supervise its border police, after they were repeatedly accused of abusing migrants and refugees on the EU's external borders.