Euobserver.com

Russia's Investigative Committee on Tuesday opened a criminal case against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and eight of his closest allies, most of whom have already fled the country, The Moscow Times reports. On Monday, Navalny was nominated by the European Parliament for its prestigious Sacharov prize. He could face up to 10 more years in jail on the charges of running an extremist organisation.

A study of more than 270,000 people recovering from coronavirus in the US found out that 37 percent of patients had at least one long Covid symptom diagnosed three to six months after infection. The most common symptoms were breathing problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, pain and anxiety or depression. Anxiety or depression was the most common of nine core long Covid symptoms reported.

Poland has drafted a list of EU projects it could block unless the European Commission unfreezes its post-pandemic recovery package, a government source told the Gazeta Prawna newspaper Tuesday. "We have a catalogue of [EU] initiatives we could block especially where unanimity is required, for instance, on taxation," they said. The commission held up Poland's funding due to concerns on rule of law and EU values in the country.

Spain classified La Palma island as a disaster zone on Tuesday, pledging financial assistance for those affected by the volcanic eruption, Reuters reported. Lava has destroyed over 600 houses and crops over the last nine days. The government announced a package of €10.5m in financial aid, nearly half of which will be used to buying houses, and the rest for furniture and other essential household items.

EU auditors warned on Tuesday that "the EU has funded farms and projects that undermine the sustainable use of water". Farmers, one of the major consumers of freshwater, benefit from many exceptions under the EU water policy, undermining efforts to ensure an effective use of this limited resource. EU auditors also pointed out that farmers tend to pay less than the actual volume of water they use.

Unlawful residency and unfounded asylum claims from some western Balkan states, plus Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, is triggering discussions on suspending visa-free travel to the EU - led by Germany, France and Italy.

The EU Commission demanded the German carmaker compensate purchasers in all member states for misleading them about vehicle emissions. Until now, Volkswagen has only compensated consumers in Germany.

An EU plan to get Afghan's neighbouring countries to cooperate on fallout from the war is facing difficulties as it mulls a return to Kabul.

The MEPs will meet with Hungary's justice minister Judit Varga, interior minister Sándor Pintér, opposition politicians, including Budapest mayor, Gergely Karácsony, NGOs, and organisations that are critical and also those which support the government led by Viktor Orbán.

MEP in the energy committee reached a common position over the revision of the controversial TEN-E regulation, which governs funding for energy infrastructure - paving the way for negotiations with member states to agree on a final law.

As US-China rivalries heat up, Europeans will be asked to join all kinds of new and exciting macho military alliances to show the world just who is boss. The temptation to join the bandwagon should be resisted.

Europe has Fermo shoes, Como silk, Bohemian crystal, Limoges porcelain, Toledo steel, Donegal tweed, Solingen cutlery - the list goes on. These products and the local artisans who craft them are an essential part of European history and identity.

Panama is to stay on an EU list of "non-cooperative" tax-havens - but three micro-states are to get off in a decision due next week.

The European Parliament has formally nominated Russian dissident Alexei Navalny for this year's 'Sakharov' human-rights prize. "It is vital that we in the European Parliament confirm our relentless support for Navalny and stress that his wellbeing is the responsibility of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Peter van Dalen, a Dutch centre-right MEP said in plenary Monday. Putin tried to kill Navalny with poison then jailed him in a remote penal colony.

Nato forces in Kosovo have increased their patrols on the northern border near Serbia, Deutsche Welle writes. It comes after Serbia deployed armoured vehicles by a border crossing and ethnic Serbs in Kosovo protested a decision by Kosovo's government concerning license plates. Nato said it was "closely monitoring the situation across Kosovo" and working "to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities."

European lorry drivers will not flock back to the UK on short-term visas to help fill up shops for Christmas under a British plan, Edwin Atema, from the Dutch-Based FNV road-hauliers' union told the BBC Monday. "The EU workers we speak to will not go to the UK for a short-term visa to help the UK out of the shit they created themselves," he said, referring to post-Brexit arrangements.

Moldova's prime minister, Natalia Gavrilița, gets more excited when she talks about fighting corruption than about EU enlargement.

The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, who cycles to work in The Hague, has reportedly been given extra personal security in response to raised fears of a kidnapping or attack by organised crime, The Guardian writes. The decision was made after "spotters" were seen scoping out Rutte's movements, raising concerns about a possible move by one of the country's drug gangs.

Berliners voted in favour of expropriating apartments owned by big real-estate companies, with 56 percent of voters in the German capital saying 'yes' in the non-binding referendum at this weekend, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Now Berlin's new municipal government has to decide how to proceed, since the expropriation of housing units could be legally challenged as against the German constitution.

Polish interior minister Mariusz Kaminski called on Monday for a 60-day extension of the state of emergency along the border with Belarus, claiming that material linked to Islamic extremism was found in phones of migrants trying to cross the border, Reuters reported. Polish officials found extreme content in 50 out of 200 migrants questioned. Poland and the EU have accused Belarus of using migrants in retaliation against EU sanctions.