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European Union

European Union
European Union
The latest breaking news and stories on the European Union (EU), an economic and political union of 27 member states mainly located in Europe, which accounts for around a sixth of global economic output. Also covering the EU’s relationship with the UK (post Brexit), China and the US, plus commentary and updates on EU legislation, the euro and trade.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky after a press conference in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

EU agrees US$106 billion loan for Ukraine, but without Russian assets

EU leaders reach a compromise after plans to use frozen Russian assets failed to gain backing.

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China exports

China confirms issuing of first general licences for rare earth exports

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China-EU relations

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

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Jimmy Lai trial

Beijing, Hong Kong slam G7 over criticism of Jimmy Lai trial verdict

Chinese ministry’s arm in Hong Kong says attempts to pressure nation akin to ‘mantis trying to stop a chariot or ant trying to shake a tree’.

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A national flag flies outside the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong. Photo: Warton Li
Cambodia

Thai-Cambodia border dispute reignites with bombing claims of casino hub

Cambodia accuses Thailand of bombing Poipet amid escalating border disputes, prompting Asean emergency talks and global ceasefire appeals.

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China trade

As trade deficit mounts, is EU selling what China wants to buy?

Traditional European exports like cars are losing their appeal, while restrictions crimp sales of sought-after lithography machines.

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China-EU relations

EU facing crunch talks over Ukraine, China and its economic future

EU leaders are set to meet amid growing concern in Brussels that the bloc’s divisions will impede meaningful action across a range of issues.

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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc had to decide what option it wanted to take to ensure Ukraine received funding. Photo: dpa
China-EU relations

Opinion | A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking shape

For now, both sides still need each other and there is nowhere else to turn. But behind this reliance, irritation and paranoia are rising.

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Britain

‘Big step forward’: UK rejoins Erasmus exchange programme in post-Brexit reset

After a five-year absence, the UK returns to the EU study abroad scheme, with 100,000 people estimated to benefit in the first year alone.

Jimmy Lai trial

Open court, detailed ruling in Lai trial ‘prove Hong Kong rule of law strong’

Lawyers urge members of public to study the court’s judgment before drawing conclusions after Western countries hit out at Lai verdict.

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Jimmy Lai’s national security trial ran for 156 days. Photo: Sam Tsang
Nato

Opinion | As Doha Forum made clear, Europe is losing its seat at the table

Consumed by Ukraine, the EU has effectively retreated from global engagement. An urgent foreign policy recalibration is needed.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani speaks on the first day of the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum in Qatar on December 6. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

EU drops 2035 combustion engine ban in victory for its carmakers

Europe pivots to bolstering its crisis-hit auto sector in a major green policy retreat.

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Ukraine war

Zelensky demands justice as nations back Ukraine reparations; will Russia pay?

US$232 billion in frozen Russian assets are central to a new Hague-based commission managing Ukraine war damage claims.

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Ukraine

As I see it | Russia will end the European Union, not the other way around

The end of history is more history, as Hegel might have said, with the postmodern unified EU potentially reverting back to rival modern states.

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The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas signs an agreement to transfer to Ukraine a tranche of proceeds from frozen Russian assets during a meeting in Lviv, Ukraine, on May 9. Photo: AP
China-EU relations

China slaps anti-dumping duties on EU pork, but lowers final rates

Beijing goes ahead with tariffs of up to 19.8 per cent on pork products from the European Union after intense lobbying by several leaders.

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A customer purchases pork at a supermarket in China’s central Anhui province. China is the world’s largest pork consumer. Photo: Getty Images
Jimmy Lai trial

‘Despicable’: Hong Kong slams Western ‘smears’ as US calls for Jimmy Lai release

‘These biased statements and malicious smears from external forces precisely reflect that the national security risks we face are real,’ government says.

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Ukraine war

US officials say Washington agrees to give Ukraine security guarantees

‘Article 5-like’ security offer emerges at talks in Berlin in a bid to secure an end to the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war.

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Jimmy Lai trial

Jimmy Lai’s conviction in Hong Kong becomes flashpoint between China, West

Western nations unlikely to hit city with more sanctions as they need Beijing’s cooperation to offset unfair US trade practices, experts say.

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The ruling could send Jimmy Lai to jail for life. Photo: AP
Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Hong Kong consumer watchdog finds 1 in 4 face washes fall short on ingredients

Consumers urged to try a small portion on skin beforehand as a precaution when using cleansers that are highly acidic.

Jimmy Lai trial

Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai found guilty on all charges in national security trial

City leader John Lee welcomes conviction, calls it an upholding of justice and a safeguard for Hong Kong’s core values.

France

French farmers spray manure, block roads over cow ‘mass slaughter’ policy

Farmers in southern France are incensed by the government’s mandatory slaughter of herds to contain ‘lumpy skin disease’.

A tractor sprays liquid manure on the facade of Millau’s local government building during a farmers’ protest in the central France town on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Zelensky suggests Ukraine could drop Nato goal for security guarantees

The shift, which includes a call for ‘Article 5-like’ guarantees, comes as Washington presses for an end to the four-year Ukraine war.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a meeting with the US delegation in Berlin. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters
Ukraine war

Europe fears hidden Russian threat in Trump-backed Ukraine peace plan

Europe worries a US plan for a demilitarised zone in the Donbas region may help Moscow to reinvade Kyiv.

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The Philippines

Asian Angle | Is the new Philippines-Germany defence pact built to last?

Rising anxieties over Beijing and Moscow have united Berlin and Manila in an axis that must now be institutionalised to ensure it endures.

Lithuania

Belarus agrees to stop balloon flights into Lithuania amid hybrid attack fears

The incidents have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months, prompting Lithuania to declare a state of emergency.

An undated image shows an officer inspecting a balloon used to smuggle cigarettes into Lithuania. Photo: State Border Guard Service via AP
Ukraine war

EU indefinitely freezes Russian assets so they can be used to help Ukraine

Hungarian PM Orban, a Putin ally, accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, ‘of systematically raping European law’.

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Ukrainians hold placards during a protest demanding the use of the frozen Russian assets in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday. Photo: EPA
China-EU relations

EU fears China’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine is deepening

Multiple sources confirm increase in Beijing backing before China-Russia ties are discussed by ministers from the EU’s 27 members on Monday.

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China-EU relations

EU targets China’s Shein and Temu with new fees on low-value parcels

Tariffs’ impact may be limited given the Chinese e-commerce companies’ extensive warehouse and logistics networks across Europe.

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