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☆ EU aims to team up with defence industry to speed up ammunition output
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The European Union aims to join forces with the bloc's defence industry to speed up and scale up the production of ammunition badly needed on the battlefield in Ukraine and to replenish military stocks at home, its chief said on Saturday. "We could think of, for example, advanced purchase agreements that give the defence industry the possibility to invest in production lines now to be faster and to increase the amount they can deliver," she said. Von der Leyen underlined that the bloc could not wait for months and years to be able to replenish its own military stocks or send munitions such as 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine. "It is now the time, really, to speed up the production, and to scale up the production of standardized products that Ukraine needs desperately, for example standardized ammunition," she said. Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Matthias WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The talks follow weeks of media speculation that a deal was close with the EU to revise the Northern Ireland protocol, which was agreed when Britain left the bloc three years ago. Speaking earlier in Munich, Sunak said a new deal was "by no means done," adding that Brussels and London had an understanding of how the problems could be resolved. "We're working through them (the issues) hard and we will work through them intensely with the EU, but we are by no means done." Sunak reassured the audience at the conference that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with the bloc. Reporting by Muvija M and Kate Holton; Editing by Jane Merriman and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The comments by Wang Yi further clouded the prospects of a meeting between Wang and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the sidelines of the gathering. "To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable, almost hysterical," said Wang. "There are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them, so is the United States going to shoot all of them down?," he said. The balloon spat had prompted Blinken to postpone a planned visit to Beijing. China is as a permanent member of the UN Security Council obligated to use its influence to secure world peace."

☆ 'Unthinkable' that Russia does not pay for Ukraine's reconstruction, EU chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has dubbed it 'unthinkable' that Russia not pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday it would be "unthinkable" for Russia not to pay for Ukraine's reconstruction. The EU chief told CNBC that she was "disappointed" by a decision that Swiss authorities took last week against using seized Russian assets to assist with Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. "It's unthinkable that, in the very end, the international community will reconstruct Ukraine, and Russia does not contribute. Von der Leyen described the ruling as putting business interests ahead of political justice.

☆ Britain's Sunak touts EU protocol progress in Northern Ireland, no deal yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Amanda Ferguson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

After weeks of intense London-Brussels talks, momentum has been building towards a deal to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol - the arrangements agreed to avoid a hard border with EU member Ireland when Britain exited the EU in 2020. "I had positive conversations with political parties in Northern Ireland," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters. In Belfast, Sunak focused his attention on the Democratic Unionist Party, whose opposition to the protocol must be overcome to make any deal work. The other political parties that met Sunak on Friday said detail from the prime minister on a potential deal was "scant". Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the militant Irish Republican Army that wants Northern Ireland to split from the UK and unite with Ireland, became the province's largest party for the first time at elections last year.

☆ In EU car data tussle, insurers and others brace for delays, disappointment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Companies in Europe and beyond are vying for control of the crown jewels of the connected car era, namely car manufacturers' data covering everything from driving habits, to fuel consumption and tyre wear which can be used to target cash-generating services. Although the EU is currently haggling over the Data Act, a draft law governing the use of consumer and corporate data, insurers and others are pushing for auto sector-specific regulation. A proposal is expected soon after the European Commission launched a consultation last year. Ten industry groups also wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in January urging an end to "repeated delays". A spokesperson for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said the Data Act would guarantee fair access to car data, so "additional legislation on access to in-vehicle data is unlikely to achieve more".

London CNN —The European Union is setting up a working group to examine whether frozen Russian assets can be used to rebuild Ukraine. The statement added that part of this work would involve obtaining a “clearer picture” of where Russian state-owned assets are located and their value. “In principle, it is clear-cut: Russia must pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. A senior EU official estimated earlier this month that the European Union and Western allies had frozen more than $300 billion in Russian central bank assets that could potentially be used to rebuild Ukraine. The European Union is also working on a tenth package of sanctions against Russia.

☆ Russian banks and invasion leaders in focus as EU debates new sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet on sideline of the Libya summit in Berlin, Germany January 19, 2020. "We will impose sanctions on a number of politicians and military leaders," the head of EU executive European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week after a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "We will target (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's propagandists because their lies are poisoning the public space in Russia and abroad." This will further starve Russia's military machine and continue to shake the foundation of its economy," she said. The Commission also put forward further restrictions on European joint ventures with Russia and Russian nationals sitting on boards in Europe, they added.

☆ Moscow's decades-old gas ties with Europe lie in ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Vladimir Soldatkin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Washington has long criticised Germany's policy of reliance on Russian energy, which until last year, Berlin had said was a means to improve relations. In October, he mooted an idea of a gas hub in Turkey to divert the Russian gas flows from the Baltic Sea and North-West Europe. The 20-year supply deal is worth about $30 billion in current gas prices. In Europe, gas prices hit record levels and international oil prices shortly after the special military operation began spiked close to their all-time high. Domestic gas prices are regulated by the government and there have been discussions about liberalising the gas market, a sensitive issue for Russian households.

☆ EU leaders agree targeted, temporary support for green industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed on Friday they should allow "targeted, temporary and proportionate" support to ensure Europe's future as a manufacturing base for green tech products and counter U.S. and Chinese competition. The European Commission has proposed loosening rules on state aid for investments in renewable energy, decarbonising industry, hydrogen or zero-emission vehicles, partly in response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). EU leaders have expressed concern that local content requirements of much of the $369 billion of subsidies in the IRA have will encourage companies to abandon Europe for the United States. The International Energy Agency estimates the global market for mass-produced clean energy technologies will triple to $650 billion a year by 2030. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said they would be presented before the next time EU leaders meet on March 22-23.

☆ Zelenskyy completes a tricky charm offensive in Europe as Ukraine prepares for next phase of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, visited the European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Weapons, weapons, weaponsZelenskyy was direct in his message to European leaders asking for long-range artillery and ammunition, air defense systems, missiles, fighter jets and battle tanks. He pressured EU leaders to start the process this year. He has a sharp focus and is committed to the Ukrainian cause — he is a very sensible man," one EU official said regarding the Ukrainian president. The official working for a Nordic nation said: "Seeing him in person made [an] impact after a year of video addresses."

☆ Hydrogen is elemental to U.S.-EU green compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Heated trade tensions could cool if the United States and the European Union make concessions on hydrogen. Right now, 99% of the near 100 million tonnes of annual commercial hydrogen output comes from old-fashioned fossil fuel energy sources. By 2030, the International Energy Agency envisages over 175 million tonnes of global production, with 35% coming from green hydrogen. Both Europe and the United States understand the role green hydrogen can play in decarbonising tricky areas like heavy industry and steelmaking. Yet Europe needs to import the same amount again as the 10 million tonnes it aims to produce domestically by 2030.

The gathering of the 27 national EU leaders was called after Austria and the Netherlands led a growing choir of complaints about increasing arrivals. In a call ahead of the summit with his Polish, Belgian, Finnish, Maltese and Bulgarian counterparts, Orban called for EU financing for such projects, saying that "fences protect all of Europe", according to his press chief quoted by state news agency MTI. In a joint letter ahead of the summit, the leaders of Malta, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria and Slovakia said the EU's "current asylum system is broken." "Irregular migration has once again become one of the most pressing issues in the EU," they said. "Without renewed and successful efforts ... irregular migration to Europe can only be expected to continue and increase in the coming years."

☆ Germany has evidence of war crimes in Ukraine 'in three-digit range' - prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Germany has collected evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, the country's prosecutor general said in a newspaper interview published on Saturday, adding that he saw a need for a judicial process at international level. So far, prosecutors have pieces of evidence in the "three-digit range", he added, without elaborating. Germany began collecting evidence in March 2022 to prosecute possible war crimes, including by interviewing Ukrainian refugees and evaluating publicly available information, Frank said, adding that German prosecutors were not yet investigating specific individuals. Ukraine is pushing for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian military and political leaders it holds responsible for starting the war. Moscow has rejected allegations by Kyiv and Western nations of war crimes.

☆ War in Ukraine Tips Power Balance Inside EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Laurence Norman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine—When Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and intervened in the country’s east, France and Germany led Europe’s response and officials in Brussels played a side role. Today the positions have flipped, placing the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, in a central leadership role. The EU’s new muscle was evident Thursday when commission President Ursula von der Leyen brought 15 EU commissioners to Kyiv. The commission is overseeing billions of euros of economic aid to Ukraine, funneling military assistance to its military and planning its postwar reconstruction.

☆ Air raid sirens sound across Ukraine as EU summit begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv and across Ukraine on Friday as a summit of European Union and Ukrainian leaders was due to begin in the country's capital. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was hosting top European Union officials, who were visiting Kyiv with promises to support Ukraine "as long as it takes" but denying the country at war with Russia a quick path to joining the Western bloc. Zelenskiy was hosting EU chairman Charles Michel and the bloc's chief executive, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Moscow's invasion that has devastated cities, killed tens of thousands of people, forced millions from their homes and shaken global food and energy supplies. "The EU will support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Russia's ongoing war of aggression for as long as it takes," the three leaders will say in a joint statement, a draft of which was seen by Reuters in advance. Reporting by Max Hunder and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ There's a buzz about green hydrogen. But pink, produced using nuclear, may have a huge role to play too
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In this article EDF-FRNG.-GBTSLA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTBoth pink and blue have been used to differentiate between different methods of hydrogen production. Indeed, according to a Sept. 2022 tracking report from the International Energy Agency, low-emission hydrogen production in 2021 accounted for less than 1% of global hydrogen production. These include green hydrogen, which refers to hydrogen produced using renewables and electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen. "But splitting water takes energy, so what pink hydrogen is about is splitting water using energy that has come from nuclear." This needed "supportive policies which encourage investment in early hydrogen production projects and encourage users to switch from fossil fuels to low carbon hydrogen."

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend an EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 2, 2023. The United States and its Western allies stepped up pledges to deliver more weapons to Ukraine in January. Authorities were investigating senior military officials in two separate cases of suspected corruption, officials said on Thursday. EASTERN BATTLEGROUNDThe EU-Ukraine summit coincides with an intensification of Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern battlegrounds but also in the northeast and south. The refrain from Ukraine officials and military analysts is that the Russians are exploiting the main resource they have - superiority in manpower.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Race to find survivors after deadly Kramatorsk attack; Russia preparing for offensive in Donbas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is preparing new reforms as it prepares for a summit with top EU officials at the end of the week. "We are preparing new reforms in Ukraine. "This week will be a week of European integration in every sense of the word," Zelenskyy said. Ukraine applied to join the 27-member political and economic bloc last year, just days after Russia invaded last February, and wants its application fast-tracked. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said earlier this week that Kyiv hopes it can join the EU within two years.

☆ Biden's IRA has left Europe blind-sided. And playing catchup could lead to 2 big mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"U.S. legislation doesn't pass overnight," Emre Peker, director at the consultancy group Eurasia, told CNBC, adding that the EU could have acted faster. Luisa Santos, deputy director at BusinessEurope, a group of business federations, told CNBC that "it is still a bit early to say who will invest where." watch nowBelgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo told CNBC that more state aid "is not a good answer." Several other experts have also raised concerns about easing state aid rules. Slow to respondIn addition to challenges with state aid relaxation, timing is also a risk.

[1/2] Local residents remove debris from a house of their neighbour damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlevakha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine January 26, 2023. "It is a very strong signal that we are in Kyiv during the war. Instead of committing to dates, EU officials have listed multiple conditions to join from political and economic stability to adopting EU laws from climate to social to health standards. Ukraine underlined its determination to meet the necessary requirements in order to start accession negotiations as soon as possible," according to the document. Ukraine's calls for long-range rockets or fighter jets will equally be left unanswered by the EU this week.

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will build a $3-billion chip plant and a research and development centre in Germany, it said on Wednesday, expecting to start construction within months provided it receives subsidy approval from the European Union. Automotive supplier ZF (ZFF.UL) will invest $185 million for a stake in the chip fab and will take a majority stake in the research centre, the companies said. Wolfspeed expects to receive 20% of the investment amount in subsidies, Chief Executive Gregg Lowe told German newspaper Handelsblatt. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. The company announced in September a new plant in the United States due for completion in 2030.

☆ Wolfspeed to build $3-bln EV chip plant in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will build a $3-billion chip plant in Germany, with automotive supplier ZF (ZFF.UL) investing $185 million for an equity stake, company officials said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier Reuters report. ZF's share of the factory's chip output will be defined by a separate contractual agreement, the companies said. "This is an important sign that Germany continues to be attractive even in difficult circumstances for high-tech investments," he said. "Amid the concerns that the U.S. wants to divert investments from Europe with its Inflation Reduction Act, we're showing that a U.S. firm wants to invest in Germany," a German government source said. The company announced in September a new plant in the United States due for completion in 2030.

"Major economies are rightly stepping up investment in net zero industries," von der Leyen told a news conference. And we want to be an important part of this net-zero industry that we need globally," von der Leyen said. RESISTANCEThe European Commission is hoping member states will back its plan at a Feb.9-10 summit but it faces a hot debate. Solar sector industry group SolarPower Europe said it was concerned by what it called a "lack of focus" on specific technologies in the EU plan. The bloc is heavily reliant on China for rare earths and lithium, which are vital materials for the green transition.

☆ Wolfspeed to announce EV chip plant in Germany, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Feb 1 (Reuters) - German chip supplier ZF Friedrichshafen (ZFF.UL) and U.S. chipmaker Wolfspeed (WOLF.N) will announce plans on Wednesday to build an electric vehicle chip plant in the Saarland region, according to three sources close to the matter. "This is an important sign that Germany continues to be attractive even in difficult circumstances for high-tech investments," he said. "Amid the concerns that the U.S. wants to divert investments from Europe with its Inflation Reduction Act, we're showing that a U.S. firm wants to invest in Germany," a German government source said. Volkswagen, Europe's top carmaker, earlier this month warned that the chip squeeze meant 2023 would remain volatile and challenging, but expected supplies to improve. Wolfspeed specialises in silicon carbide chips, which have been gaining traction with electric car makers as they can handle high voltages and are more power efficient.

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