By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament abandoned its plan on Thursday to set a date for voting on the EU-UK trade deal, in protest at what the European Union sees as Britain’s unlawful changes to Northern Irish Brexit arrangements.EU parliament group chiefs had been expected to fix a March 24 date for the vote. But they opted not to do so after the British government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move Brussels said violated the terms of Britain’s divorce deal.The European Parliament still has until the end of April to ratify...…By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament abandoned its plan on Thursday to set a date for voting on the EU-UK trade deal, in protest at what the European Union sees as Britain’s unlawful changes to Northern Irish Brexit arrangements.EU parliament group chiefs had been expected to fix a March 24 date for the vote. But they opted not to do so after the British government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move Brussels said violated the terms of Britain’s divorce deal.The European Parliament still has until the end of April to ratify...WW…

By , , LONDON/BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If Donald Trump loses in November, it’s no secret that most European policymakers will be happy to see his back. But as they envision the possibility of a post-Trump future, many are wondering how quickly the trans-Atlantic alliance can be fixed.Despite U.S. opinion polls showing Biden ahead, officials in capitals across Europe say they are making no assumptions about the likely outcome of the U.S. election.Having failed to anticipate Trump’s first victory, “the German government already burned its fingers,” said Jürgen Hardt, foreign affairs...…By , , LONDON/BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If Donald Trump loses in November, it’s no secret that most European policymakers will be happy to see his back. But as they envision the possibility of a post-Trump future, many are wondering how quickly the trans-Atlantic alliance can be fixed.Despite U.S. opinion polls showing Biden ahead, officials in capitals across Europe say they are making no assumptions about the likely outcome of the U.S. election.Having failed to anticipate Trump’s first victory, “the German government already burned its fingers,” said Jürgen Hardt, foreign affairs...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told China on Monday to make good on a promise to open up its economy and warned of “very negative consequences” if Beijing goes ahead with a new security law on Hong Kong that the West says will curtail basic rights.Speaking after video calls with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the EU’s chief executive and chairman said they had repeated accusations that Beijing has spread disinformation about the coronavirus.“The relationship between the EU and China is simultaneously one of the most strategically important and one of the...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told China on Monday to make good on a promise to open up its economy and warned of “very negative consequences” if Beijing goes ahead with a new security law on Hong Kong that the West says will curtail basic rights.Speaking after video calls with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the EU’s chief executive and chairman said they had repeated accusations that Beijing has spread disinformation about the coronavirus.“The relationship between the EU and China is simultaneously one of the most strategically important and one of the...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday pushed to reopen internal borders and restart travel, although the prospects of reviving tourism ahead of the summer season were mixed as public fears over health and safety weigh heavily during the coronavirus pandemic.With the tourism sector, which usually accounts for about a tenth of the bloc’s economy, now decimated by the pandemic, the EU’s executive Commission urged a return to “unrestricted free movement”, albeit with safety measures such as face masks on airplanes.“Our thoughts are now turning toward summer and to the places...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday pushed to reopen internal borders and restart travel, although the prospects of reviving tourism ahead of the summer season were mixed as public fears over health and safety weigh heavily during the coronavirus pandemic.With the tourism sector, which usually accounts for about a tenth of the bloc’s economy, now decimated by the pandemic, the EU’s executive Commission urged a return to “unrestricted free movement”, albeit with safety measures such as face masks on airplanes.“Our thoughts are now turning toward summer and to the places...WW…

By , GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked Venezuela from proceeding with its dispute over Washington’s sanctions at the World Trade Organization, seizing on the issue to underscore its rejection of Nicolas Maduro as the country’s legitimate president.Slideshow Venezuela had planned to request the formation of a WTO panel to rule on whether sanctions the United States imposed in 2018 and 2019 breached global trading rules.The United States asked for the request to be removed, which Venezuela refused to do, prompting the trade body to suspend a meeting about this and other...…By , GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked Venezuela from proceeding with its dispute over Washington’s sanctions at the World Trade Organization, seizing on the issue to underscore its rejection of Nicolas Maduro as the country’s legitimate president.Slideshow Venezuela had planned to request the formation of a WTO panel to rule on whether sanctions the United States imposed in 2018 and 2019 breached global trading rules.The United States asked for the request to be removed, which Venezuela refused to do, prompting the trade body to suspend a meeting about this and other...WW…

By , GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked Venezuela from proceeding with its dispute over Washington’s sanctions at the World Trade Organization, seizing on the issue to underscore its rejection of Nicolas Maduro as the country’s legitimate president.Slideshow Venezuela had planned to request the formation of a WTO panel to rule on whether sanctions the United States imposed in 2018 and 2019 breached global trading rules.The United States asked for the request to be removed, which Venezuela refused to do, prompting the trade body to suspend a meeting about this and other...…By , GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked Venezuela from proceeding with its dispute over Washington’s sanctions at the World Trade Organization, seizing on the issue to underscore its rejection of Nicolas Maduro as the country’s legitimate president.Slideshow Venezuela had planned to request the formation of a WTO panel to rule on whether sanctions the United States imposed in 2018 and 2019 breached global trading rules.The United States asked for the request to be removed, which Venezuela refused to do, prompting the trade body to suspend a meeting about this and other...WW…

By , , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU topping 550,000 and less than a 10th of the bloc’s population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation was worsening.“We are in the crisis of the century,” she told reporters.“We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states,...…By , , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union threatened on Wednesday to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens facing a third wave of the pandemic that would jeopardise plans to restart travel this summer.With the number of COVID-related deaths in the EU topping 550,000 and less than a 10th of the bloc’s population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the epidemiological situation was worsening.“We are in the crisis of the century,” she told reporters.“We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states,...WW…

By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union launched legal action against Britain on Monday for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.Slideshow The bloc has sent a letter of formal notice to kick-start an “infringement procedure”, which could lead to fines being imposed by the EU’s top court, although that could be at least a year off, leaving time for a solution to be found.Britain’s withdrawal agreement with the EU leaves the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland in the EU single...…By BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union launched legal action against Britain on Monday for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.Slideshow The bloc has sent a letter of formal notice to kick-start an “infringement procedure”, which could lead to fines being imposed by the EU’s top court, although that could be at least a year off, leaving time for a solution to be found.Britain’s withdrawal agreement with the EU leaves the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland in the EU single...WW…

By , BRUSSELS/BARCELONA (Reuters) - The European Parliament has voted to waive the immunity of the former head of Catalonia’s regional government and two other separatist lawmakers, taking them a step closer to extradition to Spain, where they are charged with sedition.The chamber announced on Tuesday that EU lawmakers had voted clearly in favour of stripping the immunity from prosecution of Carles Puigdemont and two former cabinet members, Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati.The three told a news conference at the parliament in Brussels that they would appeal against the vote at the European...…By , BRUSSELS/BARCELONA (Reuters) - The European Parliament has voted to waive the immunity of the former head of Catalonia’s regional government and two other separatist lawmakers, taking them a step closer to extradition to Spain, where they are charged with sedition.The chamber announced on Tuesday that EU lawmakers had voted clearly in favour of stripping the immunity from prosecution of Carles Puigdemont and two former cabinet members, Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati.The three told a news conference at the parliament in Brussels that they would appeal against the vote at the European...WW…

By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The brother of Belgium’s king joined a swelling debate about its past on Friday by saying that King Leopold II, under whose rule millions of Congolese were killed or maimed, could not have “made people suffer” because he never visited his colony.Slideshow Statues of Leopold, who ruled over what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo for 23 years until 1908, have been defaced by activists since anti-racism protests against the police killing of black American George Floyd turned global.Prince Laurent, brother of King Philippe, told the Sudpresse agency that abuses...…By , BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The brother of Belgium’s king joined a swelling debate about its past on Friday by saying that King Leopold II, under whose rule millions of Congolese were killed or maimed, could not have “made people suffer” because he never visited his colony.Slideshow Statues of Leopold, who ruled over what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo for 23 years until 1908, have been defaced by activists since anti-racism protests against the police killing of black American George Floyd turned global.Prince Laurent, brother of King Philippe, told the Sudpresse agency that abuses...WW…