EURACTIV News
EU institutions agree on a definite phase-out of mercury in dental procedures
The Council and the European Parliament agreed on Thursday (8 February) on the proposal to completely phase out the use of mercury in dental amalgam as part of the commitments from the EU’s Zero Pollution Ambition.
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In new wave of protests, Polish farmers stage blockades over Ukrainian imports
Polish farmers on Friday (9 February) blocked roads and staged protests at border checkpoints with Ukraine, in a new wave of protests against farming imports from the neighbouring war-torn country.
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Hydrogen for industry: Germany gets serious with Algeria
The German government is looking beyond Europe to supply hydrogen in coming years, and has agreed a task-force with Algeria to facilitate the framework for imports.
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TikTok and Meta sue EU Commission over DSA, Gigabit Infrastructure Act deal found
Welcome to Euractiv’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.
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In sharpest criticism to date, Biden says Israel’s response in Gaza ‘over the top’
US President Joe Biden said Israel's military response in Gaza was "over the top" and that he was seeking a sustained pause in fighting as diplomats sought to salvage ceasefire talks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Hamas proposal.
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US officials defend LNG pause, say EU exports unaffected
A top US Department of Energy (DOE) official on Thursday (8 February) defended President Joe Biden's pause on approvals of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports at a Senate hearing called by a fellow Democrat who said he will investigate the decision.
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Czechia to abstain during EU Migration Pact vote
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Bulgaria's Constitutional Court rejecting the far-right's referendum plans about the eurozone, Czechia saying it will abstain in the upcoming Migration Pact vote, and so much more.
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Scientists in UK set fusion record
Scientists in Britain announced Thursday (8 February) they had smashed a record for generating fusion energy in the final experiment using the Joint European Torus (JET) machines.
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Baltic, Nordic lawmakers visit US, express alarm at stalled Ukraine aid
Senior Nordic and Baltic lawmakers visiting Washington on Thursday (8 February) expressed alarm at what they called a lack of urgency and a clear strategy by the US to help Ukraine defeat Moscow's invasion.
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Vucic refuses to sign EU agreements with Kosovo during showdown at UN Security Council
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti again called on Serbian President Aleksander Vucic to sign the EU-mediated Brussels agreement during a face-off at the UN Security Council on Thursday, but Vucic refused and was scolded by the council president for interrupting and shouting in the assembly.
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Unions issue ‘urgent’ call for EU industrial policy to respect workers’ rights
“When we give vast amounts of taxpayers’ money to private industry, we should be ensuring they are creating quality jobs that make this collective investment worthwhile."
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EU Parliament calls for investigation into Serbian elections
The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for an independent international investigation into election irregularities in Serbia, with reactions in Serbia spanning between criticism and suggestions that the EU is actually keen to see democratic processes at work in Serbia.
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AI Act accomplished, Germany left with unanswered questions
With Klaus Landefeld, Vice Chairman of the Management Board at the Association of the Internet Industry (eco), we discuss the outcome of the AI Act and its implications for Germany. One point of discussion is real-time biometric surveillance, which was previously excluded by the federal government in its coalition agreement.
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Slovakia eyes national food quotas in the constitution
The Slovak minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč wants the constitution to require retailers to stock a minimum proportion of Slovak food on their shelves, in spite of the precedents of the Czech Republic and Romania which were forced to abandon similar efforts due to the lawsuit threats from the European Commission.
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Putin sweettalks Tucker Carlson, says Russia has no interest in attacking Poland or Latvia
Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Thursday (8 February) that Russia will fight for its interests "to the end" but has no interest in expanding its war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia.
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Romania allows rapid NATO deployment in case of highly serious threats
Romania has allowed the deployment of the high-readiness NATO rapid deployment forces on Romanian territory this year, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis informed parliament in a letter sent on Wednesday evening.
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Bulgarian Constitutional Court rejects far-right’s Eurozone referendum
Bulgaria's Constitutional Court rejected the far-right initiative on Thursday to hold a referendum to delay the country's accession to the eurozone for at least twenty years.
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Slovakia greenlights divisive crime law reform, presidential veto imminent
After more than two months of obstructions and eight rounds of weekly protests across Slovak cities, the Criminal Code reform of Robert Fico’s government, which means dissolving the Special Prosecutor’s Office, reducing penalties and weakening whistleblower protection, has passed.
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Council of Europe delegation visits Spain over amnesty law, rule of law
A delegation from the Council of Europe's Venice Commission arrived in Madrid on Thursday to discuss details of the controversial amnesty law that would pardon Catalonian separatists involved in the unsuccessful and illegal 2017 independence bid, which Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to push through in exchange for separatist votes in parliament.
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Poland is sceptical about 90% emission reduction target, cites economic concerns
Poland is unlikely to back the European Union’s new climate target of cutting CO2 emissions by 90% by 2040, citing the economic and social risks that come with speeding up the green transitions, Polish media reported.
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