Belgium

BRUSSELS (AP) — In a ruling hailed as a boost to democratic values, the European Union’s highest court said Wednesday that the 27-nation bloc can suspend support payments to member states if they breach rule of law principles.

The right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland, which had challenged the EU’s right to take such action, responded by arguing the rule lacked a proper legal basis and would fundamentally interfere with their running of national business.

14 Feb 2022; MEMO: The European Union has called for Israeli settler violence and irresponsible provocations against Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem to be stopped, Anadolu reported.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has outlined a 15 billion-euros plan to boost its semiconductor industry for a desired green and digital transition, and a leading position in chips manufacturing.

The European Commission will "enable 15 billion euros (17.11 billion U.S. dollars) in additional public and private investment until 2030" in semiconductor production, senior EU officials said here on Tuesday as they presented the Commission's "European Chips Act."

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union announced a $48 billion plan Tuesday to become a major semiconductor producer, seeking to curb its dependency on Asian markets for the component that powers everything from cars to hospital ventilators and game consoles.

At a time when natural gas shortages and Europe’s reliance on Russia for energy shows the political risks of economic dependency, the 27-nation bloc is moving to boost its economic independence in the critical semiconductor sector with its Chips Act.

BRUSSELS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - NATO is considering a longer-term military posture in eastern Europe to strengthen its defences, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, as tensions remained high over Russia's military build-up near Ukraine.

"We are considering more longer-term adjustments to our posture, our presence in the eastern part of the alliance. No final decision has been made on that but there is a process now going on within NATO", he told reporters in Brussels.

BRUSSELS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The European Union imposed sanctions on Mali's transitional prime minister and members of interim president Assimi Goita's inner circle, after the military ditched a plan for elections in February, the bloc's official journal said.

The travel bans and asset freezes hit five individuals. They include top military commanders who ousted former Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, the first of two coups. A second coup followed in May 2021.

BRUSSELS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States have agreed to resume trade in mussels, clams and oysters from the end of February after they were halted more than a decade ago, marking another step in improved transatlantic relations.

Trade in bivalve molluscs, also including cockles and scallops, came to a halt in 2011 due to differences in food safety rules, but transatlantic exports will initially resume for the Netherlands and Spain and the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Washington, the two sides said on Friday.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that there was "insufficient evidence" for it to recommend the administration of a second booster vaccine against COVID-19.

"At the moment, there is insufficient evidence from clinical trials or real-world evidence that could support our recommendation for the general population," said Marco Cavaleri, who heads the EMA's Biological Health Threats and Vaccines Strategy Office.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Natural gas and nuclear energy are included in the European Union's (EU) taxonomy as sustainable investments for the private sector, European Commissioner in charge of Financial Services Mairead McGuinness said on Wednesday.

In a Taxonomy Complementary Climate Delegated Act on climate change mitigation and adaptation, the European Commission includes natural gas and nuclear energy in its plan for building a climate-friendly future, labeling investments in natural gas and nuclear projects sustainable under certain conditions.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern Thursday that Russia is continuing its military buildup around Ukraine, and that it has now deployed more troops and military equipment to Belarus than at any time in 30 years.