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FRANKFURT, March 1 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank's top three shareholders charted different paths for interest rates on Wednesday, in a preview of the difficult debate awaiting the ECB in the coming weeks. Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel appeared to back those expectations, anticipating "further significant interest rate steps" after March, when the ECB has already pencilled an increase worth half a percentage point. "The interest rate step announced for March will not be the last," Nagel, a policy hawk who favours higher rates, said in a speech. "Further significant interest rate steps might even be necessary afterwards, too." Based on national data out already, Barclays predicted that underlying inflation could accelerate to 5.4% from 5.3%.

☆ ECB's Villeroy sees inflation peak in first half of year, no risk of recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Paris, March 1 (Reuters) - Inflation in France is likely to reach its peak in the first half of the year and, barring a major world event, the risk of recession could be ruled out, French European Central Bank policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday. Villeroy, who is also governor of the French central bank, said inflation should be back to around 2%, the ECB's target, by the end of 2024 to the end of 2025. "It will be longer - we must not claim victory too quickly - but more gradual and more pragmatic in the pace of the next hikes," Villeroy told French lawmakers. While it is too early to tell when rates would reach their peak, Villeroy said it would be "desirable" by summer, at the latest by September. Reporting by Marine Strauss Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Benchmark EU carbon permit prices hit 100 euros per tonne of CO2 on Tuesday, the highest since the scheme launched in 2005. The largest project being developed in the Netherlands secured national funding to bridge the gap between costs and the CO2 price. The United States does not have a nationwide carbon price, although states including California do. An EU carbon price of 100 euros adds 30-40 euros to the cost of a tonne of primary steel production, according to Eurofer. For example, blast furnace-based steelmakers were given around 80% of their CO2 permits, commodity industry analysis firm CRU said.

☆ French Senate to open commission of inquiry into TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The French Senate will open a commission of inquiry into Chinese social media company TikTok to look into its use and strategy of influence, according to a statement from senator Claude Malhuret's office. The commission of inquiry will aim to shed light on whether TikTok promotes certain content in some parts of the world, excluding China, in order to undermine its foreign users or not, according to Claude Malhuret, the lead senator on the topic. It will also look into the platform's obligations in terms of protecting personal data. The commission, approved last night by a conference of the presidents of political groups in the Senate, will start working from March 1 with 19 members of the Senate. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Blandine Henault; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Syria requests EU support for the first time after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"We have received a request from the government of Syria for assistance through the civil protection mechanism," European Commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic said. Lenarcic told reporters that EU member states were being encouraged to contribute with assistance as requested. An EU official said the 27-member bloc would need enough safeguards to ensure that the aid provided effectively reached those in need and that the provision of any future EU assistance would not go un-monitored. A country can request assistance through the EU mechanism when the scale of an emergency or disaster overwhelms its response capabilities. Once activated, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinates and finances assistance provided by EU member states and eight additional participating nations.

☆ France moves to block access to pornography sites for minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - France will present this week a digital-certification mechanism to oblige pornography websites to effectively control the age of viewers on their sites from September, French digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday. Sites which do not comply will risk being banned from publishing in France. In 2023, it is the end of access to pornography websites for our children," Barrot said in an interview with French daily Le Parisien. Under current legislation in France and most European countries, users have to 18 to be able to access pornography. But there is no effective control mechanism and users can simply enter a fictional birth date on their screens.

"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.

The plan is partly a response to multi-billion-dollar support programmes of China and the United States, including the latter's Inflation Reduction Act. Many EU leaders are concerned that the local content requirements of its $369 billion of green subsidies will encourage companies to relocate, making the United States a leader in green tech at Europe's expense. RESISTANCEThe European Commission is hoping member states will back its plan at a Feb.9-10 summit but huge chunks are likely to be hotly debated among member states. There is also clear opposition from some EU members to previous suggestions that the plan could entail further joint borrowing. The bloc is heavily reliant on China for rare earths and lithium, which are vital materials for the green transition.

Rooted in the Middle Ages, the Binche carnival, a UNESCO World Heritage event, is one of Europe's oldest surviving street carnivals and the biggest in Belgium. The costumes include ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs, bells and wax masks, elements which the Kersten family have been designing and making for five generations. "This year, we are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the start of the 'Gilles de Binche' costumes production", said 57-year-old Fanny Kersten, who has been making costumes with her father for 33 years. The Binche carnival's cancellation in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a "black hole" for the business, Kersten said, adding "we couldn't even imagine a future for the carnival." It was the first time the carnival was cancelled since World War Two, significantly reducing costume makers' income from renting out their pieces.

☆ Explainer: How to correctly re-export German tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The following explains defence export rules in Germany and other countries and the way such deals have been handled previously:HOW DO GOVERNMENTS CORRECTLY RE-EXPORT GERMAN TANKS? The same goes for cases where the weapons may be used to wage a war of aggression or the re-export approval might violate Germany's obligations under international law. As defence exports are a touchy issue in Germany, foreign countries usually do not directly submit a formal request for re-export to the German authorities. If not, the foreign country abstains from submitting a formal re-export request, and no diplomatic harm is done. GERMANY'S HIGH HURDLES FOR DEFENCE EXPORTSGermany has one of the toughest defence export regimes in the world – largely due to its bloody pre-1945 past.

☆ Thousands protest in Brussels demanding release of Belgian aid worker in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] People hold pictures of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele during a protest against his detention in Iran, as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves HermanBRUSSELS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to protest against the detention in Iran of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison on charges including spying. "His life is in danger, contribute to his freedom," "#Free Olivier Vandecasteele," read banners held by protesters who included Vandecasteele's family, friends and colleagues. Belgium's constitutional court will next month hold a hearing on the legality of a Belgian prisoner exchange treaty with Iran. Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, Clement Rossignol Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French city asks Madonna to lend it a painting lost in 1918
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The "Diana and Endymion" painting by Jerome-Martin Langlois, which depicts Roman goddess Diana looking lovingly at the handsome Endymion, was once on display in an Amiens museum but was lost after Germany bombed the city in 1918. Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. "We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting," Amiens mayor Brigitte Foure said in a video posted on Facebook. Foure said the painting was probably lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War One, after which Amiens lost trace of it.

☆ Most EU countries back COVID pre-departure testing for flights from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Most European Union countries favour introducing pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as Beijing plans to lift travel restrictions on its citizens despite a wave of COVID infections. The common EU approach emerged after a meeting on Tuesday of the Health Security Committee, an EU advisory body of national health experts from the EU-s 27 countries and chaired by the Commission. "The overwhelming majority of countries are in favour of pre-departure testing," a Commission spokesman said. The spokesman said all EU countries agreed they needed a coordinated approach to the changing situation in China and to deal with implications of increased travel from China to Europe after China lifts its stringent pandemic polices on Jan 8th. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last week it did not currently recommend measures on travellers from China.

☆ EU agrees coordinated approach in wake of changing COVID situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union Health Security Committee said on Tuesday EU member states agreed on a "coordinated approach" to the changing COVID-19 situation, adding that included implications for increased travel from China. EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said the committee worked on targeted measures including pre-departure testing for travellers from China, stepped up wastewater monitoring and increased domestic surveillance. Talks of the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) meeting continue tomorrow. Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU at odds over gas price cap as 12 countries criticise latest proposal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EU countries are holding emergency negotiations on Saturday as they attempt to line up a deal to cap gas prices at a Dec. 13 meeting of their energy ministers - but states remain split over the plan. Twelve of the EU's 27 member states have circulated a paper demanding that the price cap be "significantly" lower than the latest compromise being negotiated by countries. EU countries have wrangled for months over whether to cap gas prices, but have so far failed to bridge the gap between their divergent views. Gas prices in Europe have soared this year after Russia slashed gas deliveries following its invasion of Ukraine, pushing up fuel costs and stoking inflation. That is lower than the 275 eur/MWh limit proposed by the |European Commission, but the 12 countries said it was still not low enough.

☆ EU court rejects WhatsApp challenge against EU Data Protection Board
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed as inadmissible an action brought by WhatsApp against a decision of the European Data Protection Board, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Following complaints about Whatsapp's (META.O) use of personal data in Ireland and a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ruling on the issue, the Irish Data Protection commission in 2021 imposed corrective measures on Whatsapp and fines totalling 225 million euros. WhatsApp had challenged that decision before an Irish court and also requested that the European Court of Justice annul the EDPB's ruling, but the court ruled that Whatsapp's action was inadmissible. It added that the validity of the EDPB's decision could be challenged before a national court. Reporting by GV De Clercq, editing by Marine Strauss, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - European Council President Charles Michel will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in China on Dec. 1 to discuss a range of global challenges including the war in Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan and EU concerns about imbalanced economic ties. The visit comes after European leaders jointly expressed concern at a meeting last month about economic reliance on China. Michel was likely to stress the need to rebalance the EU-China economic relationship and the importance of abiding by global trading rules. Since 2019, the European Union has regarded China more warily, describing it then as a partner, an economic competitor and a system rival. Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ EU sanctions to target Iran Guards 'inner circle', Germany says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Fresh European Union sanctions will target the "inner circle of power" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Germany said on Monday as the bloc convened to respond to what it has condemned as Tehran's widespread use of force against peaceful protesters. So far, 336 demonstrators have been killed in the unrest and nearly 15,100 detained, according to the activist HRANA news agency. "New sanctions will target in particular the inner circle of power of the Revolutionary Guards and the structures financing them." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the decision on talks was up to Ukraine. EU foreign ministers will discuss increasing support for Kyiv during the winter and also touch on a ninth package of sanctions on Russia, though diplomats say no decision is expected yet.

☆ Decision on negotiations with Russia is up to Ukraine, EU top diplomat says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 14 (Reuters) - It is up to Ukraine to decide when to enter negotiations with Russia, the European Union's top diplomat said on Monday, commenting on speculations the West might push Kyiv to start talks with Moscow. "Ukraine will decide what to do. Our duty is to support them", EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said as he arrived for a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Microsoft's $69 bln Activision bid faces EU antitrust probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The preliminary investigation suggests that Microsoft may have the ability, as well as a potential economic incentive, to engage in foreclosure strategies vis-à-vis Microsoft's rival distributors of console video games," it added. Microsoft said it would work with the EU antitrust watchdog to address valid marketplace concerns. The EU competition enforcer said it would decide by March 23, 2023 whether to clear or block the deal. Reuters reported on Oct. 31 that Microsoft would face an extensive EU probe after declining to offer remedies during the preliminary EU review of the deal. Britain's antitrust watchdog is also investigating the acquisition, with similar concerns to its EU peer.

☆ EU to back climate compensation talks at U.N. summit - document
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The European Union will support discussion of financial compensation for vulnerable nations bearing the brunt of climate change at next month's U.N. climate summit, a draft document showed, a potential breakthrough for countries pushing for such talks. The EU and United States, the world's third and second-biggest polluters respectively, have historically resisted steps that could assign legal liability or lead to compensation for climate impacts including droughts and floods that are disproportionately hurting poor nations. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIt remained vague, however, on what these talks would deliver, and whether the COP27 summit should launch the climate compensation fund that dozens of developing countries have called for. "Action and support for vulnerable countries, populations and vulnerable groups needs to be further scaled up," the document said. EU countries' climate ministers meet on Monday to attempt to approve their final negotiating position.

The previous day, the 27 EU leaders locked horns over a joint response to the acute energy crunch that has engulfed the bloc since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Smaller countries also appealed for a united EU front vis-a-vis Beijing, pointing to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's planned visit to China next month. "Germany's industrial strategy, and its economic model that feeds it, is toxic for the EU," Eurointelligence said in a commentary on Thursday. Germany, the EU's biggest economy, also leads the small EU camp opposed to capping gas prices, with Scholz defending himself on Thursday against accusations from other EU leaders that Berlin is pursuing selfish and unfair energy policies. Some EU countries want wider sanctions imposed on Iran, and the summit will also condemn Tehran's use of force against protests.

☆ Russian attacks on Ukraine infrastructure are war crimes - EU's von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russia's missile and drone attacks on power stations and other infrastructure in Ukraine are "acts of pure terror" that amount to war crimes, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. "Yesterday we saw again Russia's targeted attacks against civilian infrastructure. These are war crimes," von der Leyen said in a speech to lawmakers in the European Parliament. "Targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure with the clear aim to cut off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with the winter coming, these are acts of pure terror and we have to call it as such." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Marine Strauss and Philip BlenkinsopOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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