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☆ 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.

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Some European Union foreign ministers on Monday called for new sanctions against Iran if Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine is proven. Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. "We will look for concrete evidence about the participation (of Iran in the Ukraine war)," Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, adding Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba would take part in the gathering. Additional EU sanctions on Iran will not be limited to blacklisting some individuals should Tehran's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine be proven, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said. "Then it will be no longer about some individuals to be sanctioned," he told reporters as he arrived for the EU meeting.

☆ Germany, 13 NATO allies aim to jointly procure air defence systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht speaks at a news conference, on the day of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence German-led battle group inauguration ceremony, in Rukla, Lithuania October 8, 2022. REUTERS/Ints KalninsBRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Germany and 13 NATO allies on Thursday signed a letter of intent for the joint procurement of air defence systems in the category of systems such as Arrow 3 (ISRAI.UL) and Patriot (RTX.N). The signing ceremony took place at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. The participating countries are Germany, Britain, Slovakia, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sabine Siebold, Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

EU energy ministers meeting in Prague will attempt to provide clearer instructions on what the European Commission should propose as the bloc's next emergency energy measure. With gas prices almost 90% higher than a year ago, most EU countries say they want a gas price cap, but disagree on its design. Those discussions "went in all directions", one EU diplomat said - referring to the numerous options being floated, including a price cap on all gas, pipeline gas, or just gas used to produce electricity. Some countries, including Germany, Europe's biggest gas consumer, oppose a broad gas price cap, fearing it would leave Europe struggling to attract supplies from price-competitive global markets this winter. Norway's energy minister Terje Aasland, who joined Wednesday's meeting along with other European non-EU members, said his country "doesn't recommend" a gas price cap.

Firefighters work in the field near the Druzhba pipeline where an oil leak was detected, near the village of Zurawice, Poland, October 12, 2022. Poland said the leak in one of the Druzhba pipelines on the main route for oil to Germany was probably caused by an accident. EU nations have been seeking to reduce their reliance on Russian energy in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. EU energy ministers were meeting in Prague on Wednesday to try to agree new measures to tackle the crisis. Rocketing gas prices across Europe and Britain have driven up the cost of electricity.

☆ Attacks against NATO allies critical infrastructure to be met with determined response - NATO chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that a deliberate attack against allies' infrastructure would be met with a determined response, following what it called acts of "sabotage" on the Nord Stream pipelines. "All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage," NATO said in a statement. "We, as Allies, have committed to prepare for, deter and defend against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors. Any deliberate attack against Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response," it said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Marine Strauss Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows disturbance of well over one kilometre diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he discussed the "sabotage" of the pipelines at a meeting with Danish Defence Minister Morten Bødskov in Brussels. "We addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries," the chief of the Western military alliance that also includes most EU countries said on Twitter. The EU, meanwhile, issued a strong warning to anybody attempting to attack the energy backbones of the 27-nation bloc. Borrell announced the bloc would step up the protection of its energy infrastructure following the incidents.

☆ EU preliminarily approves Italy's request for 21 bln euro disbursement
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA flag of Italy and a flag of European Union flutter ahead of the virtual G20 summit on the global health crisis at Villa Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Yara NardiBRUSSELS, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The European Commission has approved a positive preliminary assessment of Italy's request for a disbursement of 21 billion euros under the recovery fund on Monday. "The Commission found that Italy has achieved all 45 milestones entirely related to this request," an EU spokesperson told reporters. "The commissioner will then adopt a final decision after which the disbursement can take place." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU's von der Leyen delivers veiled warning to Italy's right wing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attends the 77th United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoBRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has warned Italy of consequences should it veer away from democratic principles, issuing a barely veiled threat ahead of Sunday's election that a rightist bloc led by Giorgia Meloni is expected to win. Matteo Salvini, the head of the League and a part of Meloni's conservative alliance, denounced her comments as "shameful arrogance". "Respect the free, democratic and sovereign vote of the Italian people!" Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Commission, told reporters in Brussels that von der Leyen had not been looking to interfere in Italian politics.

☆ EU executive says Putin's "reckless" nuclear gamble must stop
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEuropean Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves HermanBRUSSELS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The European Union executive on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of a "very dangerous nuclear gamble" and said the international community had to put pressure on him to "stop such reckless behavior." A foreign policy spokesman for the European Commission, Peter Stano, also told a news conference, the "sham, illegal referenda" Moscow backed in Ukrainian regions it occupies would not be recognised. "Putin is doing a nuclear gamble. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Three EU leaders urge calm over Putin's nuclear rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

His rhetoric on nuclear weapons is something we have heard many times before, and it leaves us cold," said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHis Belgian peer, Alexander de Croo, also urged a calm response between not provoking Russia, and supporting Ukraine. We must be clear in our position and continue to support Ukraine." The EU leaders' chairman, European Council President Charles Michel, said the bloc would not be scared away from supporting Ukraine. 'RECKLESS'While there have been no immediate comments from the leaders of Germany or France, the EU's executive European Commission said Putin's "reckless" nuclear gamble had to stop.

☆ Meta's privacy obligations may be added to German antitrust probe, court adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At issue is whether the German antitrust agency overstepped its authority by using its antitrust power to address data protection concerns, which are the remit of national data protection authorities. A German court subsequently sought guidance from the CJEU. "A competition authority may, in exercising its powers, take account of the compatibility of a commercial practice with the General Data Protection Regulation," he said in a non-binding opinion. He said antitrust watchdogs however need to consult with the lead privacy enforcers as well, which in Meta's case is the Irish data protection agency as its European headquarters is based there. In May, it was designated by the German authority as of "paramount importance for competition across markets" subject to tougher rules.

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