Rappler's latest stories on EU
EU chief makes bid to break recovery fund deadlock
Finland, Sweden, Hungary, and the Netherlands all voice concerns over the European Union's proposed 750-billion-euro fund to recover from the coronavirus pandemic's economic impact

Merkel calls for swift agreement on EU virus package
'Our common objective is to find a quick agreement as time is running out due to the economic crisis. We must not waste time. The poorest are paying the price,' says German Chancellor Angela Merkel

EU sees eurozone economy crashing 8.7% in 2020
'The economic impact of the lockdown is more severe than we initially expected,' says European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis

Merkel kicks off EU presidency with Brexit warning
(UPDATED) The veteran leader is speaking on the first day of Germany's six-month EU presidency, set to be dominated by the pandemic and its economic fallout

EU excludes PH travelers, reopens to 'safe' countries
The bloc allows travelers from 15 countries that meet health criteria showing the coronavirus is under control

EU reopens borders to 15 countries but U.S. excluded
China makes it to the list, which will be updated every two weeks, but on the condition that Beijing does the same for Europeans

Britain has to accept weaker economic ties with EU – Merkel
'If the United Kingdom does not want regulations comparable to that of Europe in terms of the environment, the labor market or social norms, our relations will lose intensity,' says German Chancellor Angela Merkel

U.S. considering new taxes on $3.1 billion in European products
The United States lists products from France, Germany, Spain, or Britain, ranging from olives to decaffeinated coffee, as possibly subject to the new tariffs

Microsoft chief says EU 'most influential' on tech rules
The implementation of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation in 2018 has helped create awareness worldwide for the importance of one's digital privacy
TikTok joins EU code of conduct on hate speech
Tech giants are eager to demonstrate the success of the code of conduct as they fear far more direct oversight by Brussels on the everyday operations of their platforms
With ties in the balance, EU and China hold tense summit
China and the EU both say they want to strengthen ties, but the relationship is tangled in a thicket of disagreements on topics ranging from trade and investment rules to human rights and national security

More 'oomph': UK's Johnson eyes Brexit trade deal by July
(UPDATED) Both sides hope the intervention of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen could revive proceedings

Stalemate after 4th round of post-Brexit talks
The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier reports 'no significant progress this week,' accusing London of backtracking on divorce terms agreed in 2019

Post-Brexit trade talks resume but little sign of breakthrough
With the sides camped out in conflicting visions of the way ahead, few experts expect this week's talks to bear fruit

Google cautions EU on AI rule-making
Google says that the EU's current definition of AI is so broad that it 'effectively puts all contemporary software potentially in scope'
'Starting point': EU's frugal members cool on recovery plan
Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden want emergency help for countries badly hit by the coronavirus to take the form of one-off loans

New turbulence in high-stakes Lufthansa rescue drama
Lufthansa says its supervisory board is currently 'unable to approve' the aid package from Germany, as conditions must be 'analyzed intensively'

Battle ahead for EU's massive virus recovery plan
If passed, this proposal would be the biggest European Union stimulus package in history. But Germany predicts talks would drag on until the end of 2020.

European auto market hit by record sales plunge
New car registrations in the 27 European Union markets fall by 76.3% in April 2020

Macron, Merkel agree 500-billion-euro virus recovery plan for Europe
The Merkel-Macron plan now faces a potentially painful negotiation with all 27 member states of the European Union and then a vote in European Parliament

EU, Britain restart push on post-Brexit ties amid virus gloom
The EU side accuses Britain of focusing only on issues dear to them and ignoring those essential for EU members, such as fishing, or on agreeing on minimum standards for health and the environment

Euro ministers back crisis credit, split on next steps
A plan to allot 240 billion euros ($260 billion) for credit lines gets approval from eurozone ministers

Europe's 'historic' recession threatens eurozone survival
The European Union estimates that the eurozone economy would shrink by 7.7% in 2020, a 'recession of historic proportions'

Virus lockdown measures hammer EU economy in Q1 2020
The European Union suffers its sharpest quarter-on-quarter drop in gross domestic product since statistics agency Eurostat began compiling the figures in 1995

Europe races to shield virus-hit firms from bargain hunters
European Union nations seek to bolster their defenses against hostile takeovers that could see key technologies and know-how being lost to countries like China and the United States

Virus lockdowns send European car sales down 55%
All carmakers suffer, but Fiat Chrysler sees the worst drop in March 2020 as it is heavily dependent upon its home market of Italy

EU aims to bar 'predatory' takeovers of weakened firms
A statement from European Union trade ministers does not identify potential threats, but participants later make it clear China is the main source of concern

Brussels eyes 1.5-trillion-euro virus recovery fund
The European Commission is 'working on new financing instruments' to fight the 'unprecedented' coronavirus pandemic

The EU's 500-billion-euro coronavirus emergency deal
Here's what European Union finance ministers agreed on during a crunch meeting on their economic response to the coronavirus pandemic

EU finance ministers agree on coronavirus rescue deal
The package agreed is worth about 500 billion euros ($546 billion), short of what many observers believe is necessary to restart the European economy when the health crisis recedes

EU rescue talks fail as Netherlands blocks virus compromise
Bickering European Union finance ministers are unable to bridge differences on how to rebuild their economies

EU inches towards economic virus plan after infighting
Here is a summary of the ideas being talked about ahead of a crunch meeting of European Union finance ministers on Tuesday, April 7

EU scraps import duties for medical equipment
The European Union moves to make medical equipment more accessible as it battles the coronavirus pandemic

EU suspends slot rules for airlines
The European Council suspends the requirement that airlines use 80% of their slots – takeoff and landing authorizations – or lose them the following year

Eurozone given 2 weeks to find economic response to virus
European countries have yet to agree on a unified way to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus

EU warns virus could expose firms to foreign buyouts
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says 'critical assets and technologies' must be protected

EU finance ministers split on coronavirus rescue plan
Italy, with the backing of France and Spain, wants a massive response from European Union partners. But northern countries, led by Germany and the Netherlands, are not in a hurry.

Coronavirus sparks 'unprecedented collapse' in eurozone economy
Figures show a slump in eurozone activity in March 2020 'far exceeding that seen even at the height of the global financial crisis'

EU ministers suspend budget rules to fight virus impact
The escape clause will allow European Union countries to spend without limit on medical equipment, enforcing containment measures, and expanding hospitals

Italy's Conte calls for EU's 'full firepower' against virus
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte urges the EU to adapt its European Stability Mechanism – the war chest for eurozone countries with serious debt problems – to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the bloc

EU limits medical equipment exports in virus fight
'This is the right thing to do because we need that equipment for our health care system,' says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

EU chief warns against unilateral virus travel bans
'Certain controls may be justified, but general travel bans are not seen as being the most effective by the World Health Organization,' says EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen

Erdogan vows to keep border open for refugees until EU meets all demands
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he opened the gates in order to pressure Europe into providing greater assistance with the Syrian conflict

EU to stop 'ghost flights' in coronavirus fightback
As passenger numbers drop, many airlines are forced to fly empty planes to ensure they do not lose their slots. The European Commission says this should not be the case.

Clashes as migrants seek to break through Turkey-Greece border
The clashes came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues a fresh call to Europe to support the country with a new influx of migrants that have amassed along the Greek border

UK rejects EU trade demands, threatens to walk away
Two days after EU ministers approved their own joint approach to the negotiations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government sets out its own red lines

EU threatens tougher rules on hate speech after Facebook meeting
Mark Zuckerberg lobbies for leniency but top EU officials warn that bigger consequences for Big Tech may be coming
Romania's liberal government falls after 3 months in office
A total of 261 of 465 MPs vote in favor of a motion against the minority government led by Ludovic Orban, which took over in November

Huawei promises 'Made in Europe' 5G for EU
Huawei says it plans to set up manufacturing hubs in Europe as part of its efforts to curb US pressure to prevent it from operating in the region
Johnson, Barnier trade blows over post-Brexit ties
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier formally offers a deep future relationship but only as long as Britain makes guarantees to trade fairly
