European Union

Africa races to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity, concerns rise over Europe’s control

By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency As Africa races to be more independent in vaccine production, Europe is seeking greater control in building and scaling of local manufacturing hubs. In June, France hosted the launch of African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) an approximately US$1 billion project geared towards making vaccines more available in Africa - away from African soil. Only 2% of vaccines […]

2 July, 2024 63

World

Hungary takes on EU rotating presidency

"Make Europe Great Again"- that's the cry from Hungary's controversial Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, as his government takes over the EU's six-month rotating presidency. Orban's proximity to Donald Trump has EU officials in Brussels on edge. Hungary's diplomats, though, are promising to act as honest brokers.

1 July, 2024 48

World

EU extends Ukrainian refugee stay

The European Union has extended the right of Ukrainian refugees to stay in the bloc for another year to March 2026, as Russia's war ravages their homeland. Currently, some 4.2 million Ukrainians are registered as refugees across the EU, with Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic hosting the biggest numbers. The measure had been due to expire on 4 March next year.

26 June, 2024 28

World

EU finds loophole to bypass Hungary veto

The EU has found a legal way around Hungary's veto on using frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons for Ukraine. According to the Financial Times, Hungary's abstention from an earlier EU agreement this year has created a loophole, allowing Brussels to allocate these funds for military purposes. Pablo Gutierrez, reports.

24 June, 2024 48

World

Hungary cracks down on illegal immigration

Hungary has announced its priorities for its upcoming presidency of the European Council including plans to crack down on illegal immigration. And its slogan has drawn strong parallels to the one used by Donald Trump on the campaign trail. William Denselow reports from Brussels.

19 June, 2024 42

World

China launches anti-dumping probe into EU pork imports

By Oliver HOTHAM and Matthew WALSH China said Monday it had launched an anti-dumping investigation into pork imports from the European Union, the latest step in a mounting trade stand-off between the bloc and its largest economic partner. Pork is China's most popular meat and a staple of diets in the world's second most populous nation. Imports of pork and pork by-products from EU nations […]

17 June, 2024 30

Africa

BlueInvest Africa 2024 Invitation to investors to support the blue economy in Africa

BlueInvest Africa 2024, a business event organised by the European Union in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Kenya, will be held from 2 to 4 July 2024 in Diani, on the Kenyan coast. The aim of the event is to draw investors' attention to the African blue economy, a fast-growing sector that is crucial to the continent's socio-economic development. Kenya is a champion of […]

14 June, 2024 23

World

EU parliament election sees shaken centre hold – but far right now has chances to show its strength

By Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey After the four-day, 27-state democratic marathon that is the European parliamentary election, a picture has emerged of a fragile centre just holding amid a shift to the right that carries a significant potential to shape the near future of the EU, despite having fallen short of producing the earthquake some predicted. The big shock came in France, with […]

10 June, 2024 13

Environment

Green Hydrogen Commissioner responds to environmental assessment call

Following a call by the Namibian Chamber of Environment on the government, Germany, and the European Union to commission an independent and transparent strategic environmental assessment of the green hydrogen sector, warning that projects in the Tsau ||Khaeb National Park could harm its integrity, biodiversity, and landscape. We contacted Green Hydrogen Commissioner James Mnyupe to discuss how his office plans to address the concerns. Mnyupe says the Environment Ministry will […]

23 May, 2024 310