Category: Євросоюз

Poland suddenly backtracked Wednesday on a disputed Holocaust speech law, scrapping the threat of prison for attributing Nazi crimes to the Polish nation, but leaving the possibility of fines in place. The original law, passed five months ago, was presented as an attempt to defend the country’s “good name” but mostly had the opposite effect. There was widespread suspicion that the true intent was to suppress free inquiry into a complex past, and the law was compared by some to history laws in Turkey and Russia. The amendments were unexpectedly presented to lawmakers by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in the morning, passed …

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While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan easily handled his presidential rivals in the June 24 election, analysts warn that economic and financial challenges may be far more formidable foes.  There was a muted reaction by financial markets to Erdogan’s victory and his ruling AKP party also maintaining control of parliament, albeit with its electoral partner the MHP Party. Initial gains in the lira and stock market quickly dissipated. Analysts suggest there is relief the election did not result in the presidency and parliament falling to rival parties, as predicted by several opinion polls.  Economist Inan Demir of Nomura International said political …

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The Senate in the Netherlands has approved a bill that bans wearing full-face cover in many public places. The 44-31 vote Tuesday ends a sensitive debate on religious freedom and women’s right to wear what they want. The bill bans wearing any type of clothing that completely covers the face except for the eyes in educational institutions, on public transportation, in hospitals and in government institutions. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports. …

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Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday he met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to discuss energy issues and U.S. sanctions on Russia. Russia is one of the world’s biggest crude oil and natural gas producers, and the United States has been urging global energy producers to boost output to stem an increase in prices. “We met. We discussed energy issues, among other things. We touched upon questions related to sanctions,” Novak said in a press briefing in Washington. “We can’t sidestep these difficult questions, so of course we touched upon them during our contact.” Novak said he …

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U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected in Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and possibly Vladimir Putin, part of an effort to lay the ground for a summit between Putin and President Donald Trump. Bolton, whom the Kremlin regards as an arch Russia hawk, is due to give a news conference after his meetings at 1630 GMT, where he might name the date and location of a summit, which the Kremlin has been trying to make happen for months. Trump congratulated Putin by phone in March after the Russian leader’s landslide re-election victory …

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Daniel Baud is a veteran of Route 66, who fondly recalls riding the iconic highway spanning a large swath of the United States saddled on his motorcycle. Sporting a snowy goatee and a leather jacket speckled with American memorabilia, he speaks reverently about his vehicle of choice.  “I’ve dreamt of having a Harley-Davidson ever since I was a kid,” Baud said. “For me, it’s about liberty.” Baud might fit comfortably into an upscale Hells Angels club. But the aging biker is not from Paris, Texas, but rather the French capital. On a recent morning, he gathered with other Paris-area enthusiasts to …

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The European Union is preparing for a crunch two-day summit beginning Thursday in Brussels – as differences over immigration policy threaten to tear the bloc apart. Henry Ridgwell reports on the summit that some analysts say could make or break the European Union. …

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A top U.S. State Department official warned Turkey on Tuesday that its purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets would be jeopardized if it does not drop a plan to buy S-400 missile defense systems from Russia. If it buys the system, Turkey would also be subject to sanctions under a bill President Donald Trump signed into law last summer, Wess Mitchell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, testified in the Senate. That sweeping sanctions law, known as CAATSA, seeks to punish companies that do business with Russia’s defense industry. “We’ve also been very …

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The global chemical weapons watchdog plans to vote Wednesday on whether it should have authority to apportion blame for attacks, an idea arising from frictions between Britain and its key Western allies on one side and Russia and Syria on the other. The British delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons introduced the proposal to empower the Nobel Prize-winning group to identify those responsible for chemical weapons attacks. The organization, based in The Hague, the Netherlands, currently does not have that ability. “At present, the OPCW experts will say where and when an attack happened, but not …

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Uber avoided a ban in London on Tuesday after the taxi-hailing app’s new management made changes to ease strained relations with the city’s transport regulator, but its new license will include strict conditions. Uber overhauled its policies and personnel in Britain after Transport for London (TfL) refused to renew its license in September for failings in its approach to reporting serious criminal offenses and background checks on drivers. Judge Emma Arbuthnot said while Uber had not been fit and proper when that decision was made, an overhaul of its policies in the subsequent months had changed its position. “[Uber] has …

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The Netherlands has approved a limited ban on “face-covering clothing” in public places, including Islamic veils and robes such as the burqa and niqab but not the hijab, which covers only the hair. Firebrand far-right politician Geert Wilders had pushed for the ban for over a decade. Parliament’s upper chamber made the final approval in a vote Tuesday. Wilders’ Freedom Party claimed the development as a major victory, while Senator Marjolein Faber-Van de Klashorst called it “a historical day because this is the first step to de-Islamize the Netherlands.” “This is the first step and the next step is to …

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The Turkish presidency says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone to U.S. President Donald Trump following Sunday’s elections. The statement on Tuesday said Trump congratulated Erdogan for his election victory and wished him success. Erdogan was voted into an executive presidency with sweeping powers Sunday, garnering more than half of the country’s votes. The statement said they also stressed the Turkish-American “strategic partnership,” especially in defense and military relations. That included an emphasis on a “joint road map” recently struck for a key northern Syrian town, which will push out a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia that Turkey considers terrorists. …

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Some European lawmakers urged the EU on Monday to consider stripping Hungary of its voting rights to punish it for weakening democracy and the rule of law, a move which prompted a swift rebuke from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee (LIBE) voted in favor of triggering a formal punitive procedure, citing concerns about the independence of the judiciary, freedom of expression, the rights of minorities, and treatment of migrants and refugees in Hungary. The European Parliament as a whole is expected to endorse the proposal in September but it is unlikely to lead to …

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Moldova’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld a decision to invalidate the election victory of a pro-transparency candidate for the post of mayor of the capital Chisinau, despite public protests demanding the ruling be overturned. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of Moldovans have been protesting daily, since a court ruled on June 19 that Andrei Nastase’s electoral win was illegitimate, citing unspecified violations. The scandal has brought more political turmoil for a country that plunged into crisis following a $1 billion banking fraud in 2015, enduring successive government collapses and frequent conflict between the president and the government. According to Moldovan law, …

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NATO is on the verge of expanding its membership from 29 to 30 countries, perhaps more, when the alliance holds its annual summit next month. What does this mean for NATO and what are the implications for Russia? VOA’s Jane Bojadzievski has more. …

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Italy called on Monday for migrant centers to be set up in Africa to stop a tide of asylum-seekers fleeing toward western Europe, as Rome raised pressure on its European Union partners to take a much tougher approach to immigration. The new Italian government has closed its ports to charity ships operating in the Mediterranean, saying the EU must share the burden of disembarking the hundreds of migrants who are plucked from waters each month, mostly off the Libyan coast. Italy, which lies close to Libya, has taken in 650,000 boat migrants since 2014. Its tough new approach has aggravated …

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An election observation mission found Monday that though voters had a genuine presidential election in Turkey, which incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan decisively won, the conditions for campaigning were not equal. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a preliminary statement Monday the incumbent enjoyed “undue advantage, including in excessive coverage by government-affiliated public and private media outlets.” In a joint statement released later, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn cited the results of the mission, refusing to congratulate Turkey’s president, not even mentioning him by name. “The elections trigger the entry into …

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Latin American countries have sprung a World Cup surprise by filling Russia’s 11 host cities with tens of thousands of fans from Mexico and Colombia to Peru and Argentina. And some of the Europeans who did show up said their friends back home told them they were crazy to go. The contrasting cast of supporters at the biggest event in sport reflects Russia’s progressive creep away from Europe in the 18 years of President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Moscow is now embracing new allies that happen to worship football and where damning — and often exaggerated — media stories about Russian …

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Pro-Brexit politicians and business figures have urged British Prime Minister Theresa May to be ready to walk away from the European Union without a trade agreement, despite warnings from major manufacturers that a “no deal” Brexit would be an economic disaster.   In an open letter, 60 lawmakers, economists and business chiefs accused the EU of being “intransigent” in divorce talks and said Britain should threaten to withhold the $52 billion divorce bill it has already agreed to pay.   The letter released Sunday by Economists for Free Trade was signed by prominent supporters of a “hard Brexit,” including ex-U.K. …

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was declared the winner in a tightly contested ballot on Sunday. And as VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul, this victory could continue to give the leader immense power for years to come. …

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