The World Briefly

April 21, 2023

Building Walls

European Union

The European Parliament approved new measures on Thursday that aim to accelerate the deportation of migrants who entered Europe illegally and prevent them from traveling to other European Union countries, Politico reported. The new measures propose a more stringent registration system and call on countries to...

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The World Briefly

April 19, 2023

Following the Money

European Union

Slovakia became the third European Union country to ban food imports from Ukraine on Tuesday, a decision that follows complaints from farmers claiming that a glut of Ukrainian grain is causing them economic hardship even as countries in the Middle East and Africa remain desperate...

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Need to Know

January 10, 2023

Buying Power

European Union

Belgian authorities have arrested a vice president of the European Parliament and jailed her, detained almost a dozen others and raided parliamentarians’ apartments and offices, seizing $1.6 million in cash. All this is part of a major scandal known as “Qatargate” that has erupted in the...

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The World Briefly

December 16, 2022

Green Walls

European Union

European Union policymakers have agreed to impose a border tax on imports of highly polluting products with a heavy carbon footprint, a deal that seeks to protect the bloc’s own climate ambitions while pressuring polluting nations to become greener, the Washington Post reported. The agreement –...

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The World Briefly

December 09, 2022

The Right to be Forgotten

European Union

The EU’s top court ruled Thursday that citizens of the bloc can order Google to delete search results about themselves if they prove the information is “manifestly inaccurate,” Politico reported. The case began when two investment managers asked Google to remove the results of a search...

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The World Briefly

November 09, 2022

Clash of the Titans

European Union

The European Union’s top court overturned a 2015 tax ruling against carmaker Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday, dealing a significant blow to the bloc’s regulators as they crack down on multinational corporations – especially American ones trying to avoid paying taxes, the Wall Street Journal reported. The...

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The World Briefly

November 01, 2022

Farewell, Little Engine

European Union

The European Union reached a deal this week to in effect ban the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035 in an effort to speed up the switch to electric cars and combat climate change, Reuters reported. Specifically, the bloc agreed that car manufacturers must...

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The World Briefly

October 18, 2022

Banned…Sort Of

European Union

The European Union’s top court ruled that companies in the bloc can ban the visible wearing of religious symbols, including headscarves, but noted that employers will need to justify any restrictions, Reuters reported. The case concerns a Muslim woman who had applied for a six-week traineeship...

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Need to Know

October 14, 2022

Redefining the Mainstream

European Union

A decade ago, right-wing populism in Europe was still viewed as an outlier, a political philosophy that might take root in Eastern Europe or Russia because of their histories, but not wealthy Western European powers where the free market and robust social safety nets were...

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The World Briefly

October 05, 2022

Untangling Cables

European Union

The European Parliament approved new rules Tuesday that will introduce a common charger for small electronic devices in the European Union, a move proponents say will reduce waste in the bloc, Politico reported. Under the new bill, USB type-C charging ports will become standard for portable...

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The World Briefly

September 15, 2022

Follow The Money

European Union

European Union lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would ban the sale of agricultural products linked to the destruction of forests, a move welcomed by many environmental groups, the Associated Press reported. Under the proposed law, companies and producers will need to ensure that...

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The World Briefly

July 20, 2022

The Club

AlbaniaEuropean UnionNorth Macedonia

The European Union officially began talks on EU membership with North Macedonia and Albania Tuesday, a move that brings the two Balkan nations closer to joining the 27-nation bloc, Politico reported. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the opening of talks and praised the...

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Need to Know

July 08, 2022

RSVP, Please

European UnionGeorgiaMoldovaUkraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already resulted in proposals to expand NATO. Now, in a move to counter Russian threats, the European Union might also add Ukraine, Moldova and, eventually, Georgia, three former Soviet republics where Russian President Vladimir Putin has long sought to increase...

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The World Briefly

July 07, 2022

Casting the Reins

European Union

The European Parliament approved two new laws this week that it says would rein in tech giants and transform the bloc’s digital landscape through fairer competition and additional consumer safety, Euronews reported. Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital...

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The World Briefly

June 16, 2022

The Tricky Isle

European UnionUnited Kingdom

The European Union launched new legal proceedings against Britain on Wednesday, the latest salvo over an agreement signed between the two parties following London’s exit from the bloc two years ago, CNN reported. The bloc’s executive arm said it took action because the United Kingdom had...

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The World Briefly

June 16, 2022

Hat in Hand

EgyptEuropean UnionIsrael

Israel, Egypt and the European Union signed a natural gas deal Wednesday that would provide Europe with an energy source as the bloc works to replace the Russian supplies it has relied on for years, the Washington Post reported. The trilateral deal would allow Israel to...

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The World Briefly

June 15, 2022

Colorblind

European Union

Two committees in the European Parliament voted against including natural gas and nuclear energy as sustainable energy sources, dealing a blow to the bloc’s executive arm which had proposed the controversial labeling, Euronews reported. The European Commission had proposed earlier this year to include nuclear power...

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Need to Know

May 25, 2022

Cutting Edge, Blunted

European Union

American serial entrepreneur Elon Musk’s proposed purchase of social network Twitter has garnered a lot of headlines lately. But Musk’s plan could hit serious roadblocks if he expects Twitter to operate in the European Union, among the world's three largest markets. As the Associated Press recently...

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The World Briefly

May 12, 2022

Suffer the Children

European Union

The European Union is proposing a new law that would order online platforms to do more to screen and remove child abuse online even as privacy rights activists expressed concern over the legislation’s broad reach, CNBC reported. The planned rules would allow bloc countries to require...

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The World Briefly

May 03, 2022

Not Playing Fair

European Union

European Union regulators accused Apple of breaking the bloc’s competition laws Monday after preliminary findings showed that the tech giant misused its dominant position in mobile payments to deny competitors access to contactless technology, the Financial Times reported. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said the company...

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