European Union - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

By JAMES MACKENZIE and NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI

Israel will defend itself, Netanyahu says, as West calls for restraint

ISRAEL will make its own decisions about how to defend itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as Western countries pleaded for restraint in responding to a volley of attacks from Iran. The United States, European Union and G7 group of industrialised nations all announced plans to consider tighter sanctions on Iran, seen as aimed at mollifying Israel and persuading it to rein in its retaliation for the first ever direct Iranian strikes after decades of confrontation by proxy. Iran attacked in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. Israel and its allies mostly shot…

Mar

2024

By PATRICK WERR

EU to bolster Egypt ties with billions of euros in funding

BUSINESS

THE European Union announced a 7.4 billion euro ($8.06 billion) funding package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of a push to stem migrant flows to Europe that has been criticised by rights groups. The agreement, which lifts the European Union's relationship with Egypt to a "strategic partnership", was announced as a delegation of leaders visited Cairo. It is designed to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade, and security while delivering grants, loans and other funding over the next three years to support Egypt's faltering economy. The proposed funding includes 5 billion euros in concessional loans and 1.8 billion euros…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

EU disburses 150 mln euros to Tunisia to support financial stability

BUSINESS

THE European Union disbursed 150 million euros to Tunisia as budget support for financial stability and economic reforms, the European Commission said, as the North African country faces a financial crisis. "The EU continues its commitment alongside Tunisia ... This is an important step as part of our agreement concluded last year and good progress in our partnership.", the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said.

Feb

2024

By The African Mirror

Russia warns the West: we will be very tough if you ‘steal’ our assets

WORLD

RUSSIA warned the West that Moscow would be very tough if the United States and European Union seized hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Russian assets. After President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, the United States and its allies prohibited transactions with Russia's central bank and finance ministry, blocking around $300 billion of sovereign Russian assets in the West. The EU on Monday adopted a law to set aside windfall profits made on frozen Russian central bank assets, it said on Monday, in a first concrete step towards the bloc's aim of using the money to finance the reconstruction of…

Jan

2024

By ANGELO AMANTE and CRISPIAN BALMER

Italy’s Meloni pledges new partnership with Africa, funds limited

NEWS

ITALIAN Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed a new partnership with Africa, unveiling a long-awaited plan aimed at boosting economic ties, creating an energy hub for Europe and curbing immigration. Hosting a one-day summit attended by more than two dozen African leaders and European Union officials, Meloni outlined a series of initiatives, pledging an initial 5.5 billion euros ($5.95 billion), including state guarantees. Meloni said the summit had been a success that had produced many areas of potential cooperation, particularly concerning energy. "We are only at the beginning, there is a very long road ahead of us. This day is a restart,"…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya, EU advance economic partnership agreement to boost trade

BUSINESS

KENYA and the European Union moved closer to sealing an Economic Partnership Agreement that will grant the East African nation's exports duty-free status and unlimited access to the bloc, officials said on Monday. Both sides had initiated a draft deal in June after seven months of negotiations. The EU is one of Kenya's biggest export markets. The deal was approved by the European Union Council last week. It will now be presented to the parliaments of both sides for ratification before it comes into force. "Today's agreement heralds a new dawn where Kenyan goods gain immediate duty- and quota-free access…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

European countries tighten borders

WORLD

THE European Union is dealing with an increase in legal and illegal arrivals by migrants, prompting some member states to temporarily re-introduce border controls within what is normally a zone of free movement. The bloc's Schengen rules allow such action "as a last resort" in cases that are deemed serious threats to internal security or public policy. These countries have reinstated stricter checks: * Austria introduced checks at its border with the Czech Republic in October, set to last until December 6. As of November, it extended border controls with Slovenia and Hungary until May 2024, citing pressure on the asylum reception system, threats…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

EU condemns Darfur violence and warns of ‘another genocide’

NEWS

THE European Union (EU) condemned an escalation of violence in Sudan's Darfur region, warning of the danger of "another genocide" after the conflict there between 2003-2008 killed some 300,000 people and displaced more than 2 million. A war since April between Sudan's regular army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary has destabilised the western region and reignited long-simmering feuds there. The EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell cited in a statement witness reports that more than 1,000 members of the Masalit community were killed in Ardamta, West Darfur, in just over two days earlier this week during attacks by the RSF and…

Oct

2023

By GABRIELA BACZYNSKA and TAREK AMARA

Analysis: Tunisia brush-off augurs badly for EU push for African migration deals

NEWS

WHEN Tunisian President Kais Saied this month rejected 60 million euros ($63 million) in EU aid, the bloc got a taste of the risks and challenges it will face as it seeks new pacts with African states to reduce irregular Mediterranean immigration. Spurred by Italy and Spain, the European Union has embraced the idea of sealing what it terms strategic cooperation deals in North Africa as the best tool to curb unauthorised arrivals. But security risks, high costs, a lack of trust, and African countries' incapacity or unwillingness to tighten their borders or asylum systems highlight the shortcomings of a policy that rights groups…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

EU squeezes SA citrus exports

NEWS

NEW European Union pest control rules will cut South Africa's orange exports to Europe by 20% this year, threatening thousands of jobs, the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) has said. The new measures imposed by the EU last June require enhanced cold treatment for citrus exports due to concerns over False Codling Moth, a pest commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa, and Citrus Black Spot. "Current estimates are that around 20% of oranges produced for Europe will not be shipped this year because of the new regulations," CGA president Justin Chadwick said in a statement. "This means that approximately 80,000 tons of…