EU | DD News

May 9, 2024 3:11 PM

Vietnam irks EU by delaying meeting ahead of possible Putin visit

Vietnam's foreign affairs ministry has annoyed the European Union by postponing a meeting next week with the EU's top official on Russian sanctions, ahead of a possible visit to Hanoi by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Vietnam has been striving to pursue a neutral foreign policy in its relations with major world powers. It has abstained from condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine, a position that Western countries see as too close to the Kremlin. Special envoy for the implementation of EU sa...

April 24, 2024 4:42 PM

EU Parliament adopts new rules to improve air quality by 2030

The European Parliament adopted stricter legally-binding air pollution limits on Wednesday that must be complied with by 2030. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The World Health Organization (WHO) tightened its air quality guidelines last year, hoping to push countries toward clean energy and prevent deaths caused by dirty air. Air pollution causes 300,000 premature deaths in Europe each year. EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said the tougher EU rules could reduce that number by 70% over t...

April 22, 2024 5:30 PM

EU foreign and defence ministers meet in Luxembourg

Foreign and defence ministers of European Union member states met in Luxembourg on Monday (April 22) with bolstering Ukraine’s air defences and expanding sanctions on Iran on the agenda. With Russia having stepped up air attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other targets, EU governments are under pressure to supply more air defence systems such as Patriots to Kyiv. Kyiv and its European allies got a big boost at the weekend when the U.S. House of Representatives approved a packag...

April 18, 2024 11:09 AM

EU leaders back new Iran sanctions after attack on Israel

European Union leaders decided on Wednesday to step up sanctions against Iran after Tehran's missile and drone attack on Israel left world powers scrambling to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East. The summit in Brussels is the first meeting of the EU's 27 national leaders since Saturday's attack, more than six months into the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel has signalled it will retaliate but has not said how. EU leaders condemned the Ira...