Belgium

BRUSSELS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the bloc has reached a fair and balanced agreement with the United Kingdom, after a prolonged last-minute negotiation over the sticking points regarding the future relationship.

"We have finally found an agreement," she told a press conference at the headquarters of the European Commission.

"It was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it," she added.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union and British negotiators inched their way to within touching distance of a trade deal early Thursday, raising hopes a chaotic economic break between the two sides on New Year’s Day could be averted, officials said.

After resolving a few remaining fair-competition issues, negotiators tussled over EU fishing rights in U.K. waters as they worked right into Christmas Eve to secure a provisional deal for a post-Brexit relationship after nine months of talks.

Brussels, Dec 21 (AP-PTI) Problems increased Monday in the bid to put a trade deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom on the rails before a Brexit transition period ends on New Year's Day, with the EU legislature insisting ever more it will not have time to vet and approve an agreement.

British and EU negotiators were still deadlocked over fishing rights on Monday with only 10 days to go before a chaotic, costly economic break between both sides is to become official.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Monday gave official approval for the coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer to be used across the 27-nation bloc, raising hopes that countries can begin administering the first shots to their citizens shortly after Christmas.

The EU’s executive commission gave the green light just hours after the European Medicines Agency said the vaccine meets safety and quality standards. Brussels had been expected to take two or three days to endorse the market authorization move.

21 Dec 2020; MEMO: The European Union yesterday welcomed the formation of a new government in Yemen, describing it as a "positive step towards a comprehensive political solution for the country".

19 Dec 2020; MEMO: The EU allocates more than $7 billion to Turkey in exchange for receiving refugees.

The European Union (EU) on Thursday disbursed financial aid directed to Turkey amounting to more than $7 billion, in exchange for receiving refugees, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The aid will finance hosting and supporting the refugees, in compliance with the treaty regarding migrants signed between Ankara and Brussels in 2016.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- A host of European leaders are self-isolating after contact with French President Emmanuel Macron, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

Macron "will isolate himself for seven days" but "will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely," the French presidency said in a statement.

The 42-year-old French president attended a European Union summit in Brussels last week and an event organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris on Monday.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.K. and the European Union provided sober updates Thursday on the state of post-Brexit trade discussions, with only two weeks to go before a potentially chaotic split.

While Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union’s executive commission, noted “substantial progress on many issues,” she voiced concerns about the discussions taking place around fishing rights. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned that that a no-deal outcome seemed “very likely.”

17 Dec 2020; MEMO: A letter signed by 40 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) calls for preventing the entry of goods produced in "illegal" Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories into Europe.

MEP Billy Kelleher posted the letter on Twitter with a comment reading: "The EU must use its economic power to ensure adherence to international law."

BRUSSELS, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China remained the European Union (EU)'s top trading partner as of October, said Eurostat on Wednesday.

The EU's trade in goods with China in the first ten months stood around 477.7 billion euros (582.8 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 2.2 percent compared with the same period of 2019, according to Eurostat.

Meanwhile, the trade in goods with the United States in January-October dropped to 460.7 billion euros, down by 11.2 percent year on year.