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Poland withdrew last-minute objections to a global minimum corporate tax, unblocking a whole package of linked agreements that includes the loan to Ukraine, invaded by Russia almost 10 months ago. "The next six months will demand even greater efforts from us," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the 27 EU leaders gathered in Brussels, asking them for more support from air defences to energy equipment. EU leaders also agreed a ninth package of sanctions against Russia for waging the war against Ukraine, diplomats said. The decision, which requires unanimity, came after EU Russia hawks Poland and Lithuania had warned that proposed exceptions for food security might in fact benefit Russian oligarchs in the fertilizer business. Poorer EU countries want a coordinated response and warned richer member states like Germany against supporting their industries without showing solidarity with the rest of the bloc.

☆ ICE warns it could relocate gas trading out of EU if bloc caps price
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Intercontinental Exchange has warned it will consider relocating its gas trading hub to outside of the European Union, if Brussels agrees a plan to cap gas prices. The European Commission, which drafts EU policies, has termed the gas price cap a "market correction mechanism". "It is the responsibility of ICE as the market operator to consider all options if this mechanism is agreed, up to and including whether an effective market in the Netherlands is still viable," ICE said. The TTF is the most liquid gas futures market in Europe, attracting a wide range of gas suppliers, wholesalers and speculators. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on ICE's statement.

☆ EU could face gas shortage next year, IEA warns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The European Union has enough gas for the winter but could face a shortage next year if Russia cuts supplies further, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Monday, urging governments to act faster to save energy and expand renewables. Despite Russia slashing gas deliveries this year, Europe has averted a severe shortage and started the winter with brimming gas storage tanks - thanks in part to emergency EU measures to fill storage, plus a lucky spell of mild weather and high gas prices that dampened demand for the fuel. If Russia was to cut the small share of gas it still delivers to Europe, and Chinese gas demand rebounded from COVID-19 lockdown-induced lows, the EU could face a gas shortfall of 27 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2023, the IEA said. Total EU gas consumption was 412 bcm in 2021, according to EU data. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc's gas supply was "safe for this winter" and the 27-country EU was preparing for the next one.

☆ EU's Borrell: European Parliament corruption probe is "very worrisome"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A Belgian investigation into alleged corruption at the European Parliament is "very worrisome", European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday after raids and arrests linked to alleged money and gifts from Qatar. The European Parliament said at the weekend it had suspended the powers and duties of one of its vice presidents, Greek socialist Eva Kaili, in light of the Belgian investigation. "Certainly the news is very worrisome," Borrell told reporters as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "We are facing some events, some facts that certainly worries me as a former president of the European Parliament, also." The European Parliament was due to vote this week on a proposal to extend visa-free travel to the EU for Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Ecuador.

☆ Dutch prosecutors won't appeal in MH17 case, making verdicts final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dutch prosecutors said on Thursday they would not file an appeal regarding the outcome in the trial over the 2014 downing of Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, making the verdicts final although the suspects remain at large. A Dutch court last month convicted three men and sentenced them to life in prison for the shooting-down of the Malaysian airliner as it flew over eastern Ukraine on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. The three convicted were former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian separatist leader. Prosecutors said on Thursday they were satisfied with the "clarity" the case had brought to relatives of the victims about what had happened to MH17. Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU seeks tribunal to probe possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialised court," von der Leyen said. Ukraine has been pushing for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian military and political leaders it holds responsible for starting the war. The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) launched its own investigation into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes days after Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion, but it does not have jurisdiction to prosecute aggression in Ukraine. The G7 agreed on Tuesday to set up a network to coordinate investigations into war crimes as part of a push to prosecute suspected atrocities in Ukraine. There are several forms the special aggression tribunal could take but legal experts say the most likely is a so-called hybrid tribunal, operating under Ukrainian law with support from the international community.

☆ Decision over sending Patriot air defence to Ukraine lies with nations - NATO
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The decision whether to send Patriot air defence units to Ukraine lies with the specific nations, NATO's chief said on Friday when asked about Polish demands for Germany to pass on Patriot units to Kyiv. The decisions over specific systems are national decisions, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters, adding that end user agreements and other arrangements sometimes meant that consultations with other allies were required. Patriot is produced by the U.S. company Raytheon (RTX.N). Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"We are talking with our allies about how to handle Poland's ... suggestion," a German government spokesperson told reporters in Berlin. Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead. Stoltenberg's comments came after German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Thursday said sharing Germany's Patriot units outside NATO territory would require prior discussions with NATO and the allies. Duda later said that Germany could send the Patriot units to Ukraine without NATO troops to operate them, something he says Kyiv has been asking for for a while.

☆ NATO will not back down but continue supporting Ukraine - Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - NATO will not let down in its support of Ukraine and also ramp up non-lethal aid for the country, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. "NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down," he told reporters in Brussels ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting of the alliance in Bucharest next week. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB's Schnabel pushes back on smaller rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However Schnabel, the most influential voice in the hawkish camp, said this was premature and could even prove counter-productive. "Incoming data so far suggest that the room for slowing down the pace of interest rate adjustments remains limited, even as we are approaching estimates of the 'neutral' rate," she told an event in London. "The extraordinarily large degree of uncertainty surrounding such estimates implies that they cannot serve as a yardstick to inform the appropriate pace of interest rate adjustments. Dutch governor Knot expressed doubts over market expectations for the ECB's deposit rate, currently at 1.5%, to peak at 3%. In all honesty, I'm not sure about that," Knot told a hearing at the Dutch parliament.

REUTERS/Yves HermanSummary Attack followed EU declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorismBRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament's website was unavailable for several hours on Wednesday due to a denial-of-service attack by "Pro-Kremlin" hackers, after its lawmakers designated Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, the institute's president said. The parliament's website was up again shortly after 1700 GMT, around two hours after the institution had reported the outage. "The European Parliament is under a sophisticated cyberattack. A pro-Kremlin group has claimed responsibility," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a tweet shortly after the website went down. The move is largely symbolic, as the European Union does not have a legal framework in place to back it up.

☆ European Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Wednesday designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, arguing Moscow's military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law. European lawmakers voted in favour of a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the United States and other countries to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far refused to list Russia despite resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging him to do so. In the EU, the parliaments of four countries have so far designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

☆ Seven European World Cup captains ditch One Love arm band under FIFA pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"You don't want the captain to start the match with a yellow card. "This is completely against the spirit of our sport, which unites millions of people," the KNVB said in a statement. According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA". Wales said the countries involved had been prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations, but sporting sanctions had been a step too far. "As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings, so we have asked the captains not to attempt to wear the armbands in FIFA World Cup games."

☆ Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove armband following FIFA pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

FIFA has threatened to issue yellow cards to any player wearing the multi-coloured armband which was introduced to support diversity and inclusion. England captain Harry Kane spoke on Sunday of his desire to wear the armband in Monday's Group B opener against Iran. "I will not carry the confrontation created by FIFA onto the back of (Germany team captain) Manuel Neuer." FIFA launched its own captain's armband campaign ahead of the tournament to promote different causes for each round. According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".

☆ Seven European World Cup captains ditch OneLove arm band following FIFA pressure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

England captain Harry Kane spoke on Sunday of his desire to wear the armband in Monday's Group B opener against Iran. FIFA launched its own captain's armband campaign to promote different causes for each round during the tournament. "This is in line with Article 13.8.1 of the FIFA Equipment Regulations, which state: 'For FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each Team must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA.'" According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during FIFA Final Competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA". Wales captain Gareth Bale had been planning to wear the OneLove armband against the United States later on Monday.

BRUSSELS/BELGRADE, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The European Union on Monday warned of "escalation and violence" after Kosovo and Serbia failed to agree in emergency talks on a solution to their long-running dispute over car licence plates used by the ethnic Serb minority in Kosovo. Kosovo has attempted this year to require its Serb minority to change their old car plates that date before 1999 when Kosovo was still part of Serbia. The dispute over licence plates has stoked tensions for almost two years between Serbia and its former breakaway province, which declared independence in 2008 and is home to a Serb minority in the north backed by Belgrade. Around 50,000 ethnic Serbs who live there refuse to recognise Pristina's authority and still consider themselves a part of Serbia. Additional reporting by Bart Meijer; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Netherlands protests 'despicable' Russian response to MH17 verdict
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Dutch government said on Friday it had summoned the Russian ambassador in the Netherlands over what it called Moscow's "utterly despicable" response to the verdict in the trial over the 2014 downing of Flight MH17. Russia said on Thursday the Dutch court's decision to convict two former Russian intelligence agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader for shooting down the Malaysian airliner "neglected impartiality". Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said these remarks by Russia, which invaded Ukraine nine months ago, were "utterly despicable" and totally removed from reality. We can't let this pass ... and have to show that we do respect the rule of law and do have an independent judiciary," Hoekstra told Dutch newspaper AD. Reporting by Bart Meijer and Stephanie van den Berg Editing by Mark Potter and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch court confirms that MH 17 was shot down by Russian-made missile
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] Lawyers attend the judges' inspection of the reconstruction of the MH17 wreckage, as part of the murder trial ahead of the beginning of a critical stage, in Reijen, Netherlands, May 26, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool/File PhotoAMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 by a Russian-made missile fired from a field in eastern Ukraine, the Dutch court handling the trial of four suspects in the downing of the plane said on Thursday. "The court is of the opinion that MH17 was brought down by the firing of a BUK missile from a farm field near Pervomaisk, killing al 283 passengers and 15 crew members," presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis said. Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg, Toby Sterling and Bart Meijer; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch court convicts three men for MH17 downing and acquits one
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A Dutch court on Thursday convicted three suspects of murder for their role in shooting down Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014 and acquitted one. The convicted men, two Russian former intelligence officers and a Ukrainian separatist leader, were found guilty of downing the plane and killing all 298 people on board. The fourth suspect on trial was acquitted. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch court says Russia had 'overall control' of separatists in Ukraine at time of MH17 downing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis inspects the reconstruction of the MH17 wreckage, as part of the murder trial ahead of the beginning of a critical stage, in Reijen, Netherlands, May 26, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/PoolAMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Dutch court handling the trial of four suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on Thursday said Russia had overall control of the separatist forces in eastern Ukraine at the time when the plane was shot down. "From half May 2014 Russia had so called overall control over the People's Republic of Donetsk," presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis said referring to the region where the passenger flight was show down on July 17, 2014. In the ongoing ruling, the court had earlier said the plane was shot down by a Russian-made missile. Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg, Toby Sterling and Bart Meijer; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch court hands life sentences to men convicted of MH17 downing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A Dutch court on Thursday handed down life long jail sentences to three suspects it convicted of murder for their role in shooting down Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. The convicted men, two Russian former intelligence officers and a Ukrainian separatist leader, were also ordered to pay at least 16 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation to relatives of the victims. The men remain fugitives. They are all believed to be in Russia, which will not extradite them. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU to discuss migration problems at extraordinary meeting on Nov 25
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 17 (Reuters) - EU home affairs ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss current problems with migration on Nov. 25, the Czech EU Presidency said on Thursday. "Ministers will address the current situation in all migratory routes," the Presidency said in a tweet. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dutch economy shrank 0.2% in Q3 as inflation bites
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The Dutch economy shrank 0.2% on a quarterly basis in the third quarter as rising interest rates slowed down the housing market and surging inflation put a brake on consumption, a first estimate released on Tuesday showed. The euro zone's fifth largest economy performed worse than expected in the July-September period, as economists in a Reuters poll on average had predicted 0.0% growth. Investments fell 1.7% as rising mortgage rates cooled the years-long boom in the Dutch property market, while consumption growth slowed to 0.1%. The Dutch economy was 3.1% larger than in the third quarter of 2021, when consumption was still limited by COVID-19 restrictions. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU agrees law to remove CO2 with woodlands and other carbon sinks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The law sets a target of removing 310 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 through the use of soil, trees, plants, biomass and timber. Binding targets are to be set for all 27 EU members, aimed at progressively increasing absorptions and reducing emissions so that the EU-wide objective is reached. Currently, EU countries have to ensure they compensate emissions from land use and forestry with at least an equivalent amount of carbon removal. Under the new law, from 2026 removals of CO2 need to exceed emissions. The bloc struck a deal last month on a law effectively banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 and on Tuesday agreed to a law that sets national targets to reduce carbon emissions.

☆ ArcelorMittal's Q3 profit beats expectations on energy savings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal (MT.LU), the world’s second-largest steelmaker, reported higher-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Thursday as cost cutting and energy savings offset declining demand. The Luxembourg-based company said third-quarter core profit (EBITDA), the figure most watched by the market, was $2.7 billion. This was less than half the year-ago figure, but higher than the average forecast in a company poll of $2.34 billion. ArcelorMittal said it had cut its gas consumption in Europe by 30% in a bid to counter surging energy prices, as a slowdown in economic growth across the globe weakened demand for steel. The company said that in the face of weaker demand and higher energy costs, it had cut capacity accordingly, adding that demand should pick-up once industry destocking was completed.

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