Luxembourg

Jailed Catalan leader was entitled to immunity as lawmaker: EU court

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - A Catalan leader jailed for his role in an independence referendum deemed illegal by Spain was entitled to immunity as member of the European Parliament despite not having being able to take up his seat, the EU’s highest court ruled on Thursday.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in respect of Oriol Junqueras marks a likely boost for the Catalan separatist movement and potentially puts judicial authorities in Brussels and Madrid at loggerheads.

France loses diesel pollution fight in EU court

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The EU’s top court ruled on Thursday that France has persistently exceeded the threshold limit for nitrogen dioxide, a polluting gas from diesel motors that causes major health problems.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, referred the matter to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in May 2018 after almost a decade of warnings that went unaddressed.

EU approves sanctions framework for Nicaragua

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The European Union adopted a sanctions framework for Nicaragua over human rights abuses and repression in the Central American country under President Daniel Ortega.

The move, validated in a meeting of EU foreign ministers, does not immediately enact punishment on Nicaragua but allows targeted travel bans and asset freezes to be quickly imposed at a later stage.

EU’s Barnier says Brexit deal still possible this week

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — The European Union’s Brexit negotiator says a divorce deal with the United Kingdom is still possible this week but that the British government needs to come forward with a legal text.

Michel Barnier said ahead of a meeting with EU foreign ministers that the main challenge now is to turn British proposals on the complex issue of the border on the island of Ireland into something binding.

Barnier said Tuesday that it is “high time to turn good intentions into a legal text.”

Luxembourg: EU should give Turkey extra financial aid

29 Sep 2019; MEMO: Luxembourg’s foreign minister called on the EU on Saturday to provide further financial assistance to Turkey to support projects for Syrian refugees in the country.

Jean Asselborn told German daily Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung that Turkey has been shouldering an enormous burden by hosting more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees since the eruption of civil war in Syria in 2011.

Apple embarks on EU court battle over 13-bn-euro tax bill

LUXEMBOURG, Sept 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Apple embarks on an epic court battle with the EU on Tuesday, fighting the commission’s landmark order that the iPhone-maker reimburse Ireland 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in back taxes.

Lawyers for the world’s biggest company will face EU officials in a Luxembourg court, challenging a decision that CEO Tim Cook slammed at the time as “total political crap”.

Johnson, Juncker meet in search of a Brexit deal

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have his first meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday in search of a longshot Brexit deal.

The two men are scheduled to hold talks over a lunch of snails and salmon in Luxembourg, amid claims from the U.K. — though not the EU — that a deal is in sight.

Tornado leaves trail of destruction in Luxembourg

10 August 2019; DW: A police spokesperson said the twister left a "swathe of desolation" over a large area. Elsewhere, a vortex hit central Amsterdam as awestruck observers caught the incident on video.

A rare tornado ripped through southwestern Luxembourg on Friday, injuring 19 people, including two seriously.

Officials said around 160 buildings were damaged by the twister, which struck the towns of Petange and Kaerjeng, near the border with France and Belgium.

The 28th Session of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly opens in Luxembourg

LUXEMBOURG, July 4. /TASS/: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday will open its 28th session, in which a delegation of Russian parliamentarians will also take part.

The session will be held in Luxembourg On July 4-8. Following the session, the Luxembourg Declaration is expected to be adopted, which will contain recommendations to all 57 OSCE member states on political, economic, security, counter-terrorism, environmental protection, technology development, human rights and humanitarian issues.

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