Politics of the European Union

European Council President Charles Michel on Thursday expressed the EU's solidarity with Greece and Cyprus during a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kathimerini has learned.

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.

The European Commission has presented a report on the progress of non-Eurozone countries towards the adoption of the euro.   EC Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said there was encouraging progress in some countries.

The European Commission on May 8 proposed extending restrictions on travel to the EU until June 15.

EU countries in mid-March adopted restrictions on non-EU nationals entering bloc territory in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, and extended the ban in April.

The virtual summit, organized by the EU Presidency of Croatia and chaired by European Council President Charles Michel, will be held from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

Secretary of state for European Affairs Iulia Matei on Wednesday participated in the informal meeting of the ministers and secretaries of state for European Affairs of the EU Member States that was held as a videoconference, informed a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES.

The Greek Coast Guard on March 31 forced 18 asylum seekers into Turkish territorial waters off the southeastern coast, where they were rescued by Turkey.

A Turkish Coast Guard team rescued the asylum seekers off the Datça district, in the Aegean, in the Muğla province, said the coast guard command.

17 countries, including Iran and Venezuela, have requested financial assistance from the European Union in relation to the disease caused by the new coronavirus. This was announced by EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell after a meeting of foreign ministers from 27 countries in the community in a video conference.

European Union governments will consider on Friday whether to provide more money for migrants in Turkey, but will not accept that refugees are used as a bargaining tool, the EU's top diplomat said.

"We are going to discuss it," Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, told reporters in the Croatian capital before chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is heading to Croatia on Thursday to attend the informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers, also known as Gymnich, in the context of Croatia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.