Belgium

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will likely impose new sanctions on Belarus as soon as later this month, diplomats and officials said, after President Alexander Lukashenko cracked down on protests triggered by a disputed election.

Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden have spoken publicly in favour of sanctions and Austria was another hawk, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of emergency talks between EU foreign ministers on Friday.

BRUSSELS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Brussels-Capital Region Minister-President Rudi Vervoort decided to make mask-wearing compulsory in public places throughout the region starting from Wednesday.

The regulations came as the incidence rate in the region has passed the threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last seven days.

Wearing a mask covering the nose and mouth is therefore now obligatory for any person aged 12 and over in public places and private places accessible to the public.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday withdrew preferential market access to Cambodian products such as garments and footwear, hitting about a fifth of the country’s exports to the bloc over “serious and systematic concerns related to human rights”.

The EU first announced the move in February and the bloc’s Brussels-based executive said on Wednesday Cambodia made no amends since then, meaning the decision was now effective.

BRUSSELS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has agreed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with eight non-EU partners to help their businesses limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, MoU have already been agreed with Albania, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine, the Commission said in a press release. Four of them, namely Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine, have formally signed the documents.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union said on Tuesday recent developments in the eastern Mediterranean are “extremely worrying” and warned of escalating tensions between Turkey and Greece, who are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region.

“The latest developments are extremely worrying,” European Commission foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told a regular news conference.

BRUSSELS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Sunday voiced concern over the resumed energy exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean by Turkey.

"Latest naval mobilizations in Eastern Mediterranean are extremely worrying. They will not contribute to finding any solutions. On the contrary, they will lead to a greater antagonism and distrust," Borrell said in a statement.

09 Aug 2020; MEMO: EU countries decided to remove Morocco from its free travel list granting entry to non-EU nationals to the bloc’s territory, reports Anadolu Agency. 

The decision came a week after Algeria was removed from the green list.

Residents of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay can travel without restrictions to the EU.

BRUSSELS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) starts on Saturday to allow travelers from eleven non-EU countries to enter its external border, after removing Morocco from its latest "safe list".

According to the COVID-19 situation monitored by the World Health Organization, as of Saturday Morocco reported 30,662 cases, with 1,018 new infections. A total of 461 people have died due to the virus in the country, 12 of them being newly confirmed.

BRUSSELS, Aug 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union announced that it had released 33 million euros to finance emergency aid for Lebanon and mobilized material resources, including an Italian hospital ship, to help relief efforts in Beirut after this week’s devastating explosions.

A donor conference is also planned to mobilise additional funding for reconstruction after an assessment of what is required, said a EU source.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brussels will require people to wear masks in public spaces and in private spaces accessible to the public if the uptick in coronavirus cases continues, the regional government said on Thursday.

The order will kick in when the daily average of cases per 100,000 inhabitants reaches 50 over seven days, Rudi Vervoort, the minister-president of the Brussels region, said. The daily average in the region was 38.4 last week.

Belgium imposed sharp curbs on social contacts on July 27 after coronavirus infections surged in recent weeks.