Euobserver.com

The EU and its leading powers voiced strident criticism of China at a G7 meeting in London on Wednesday, even as Hungary, once again, tried to gag the bloc in Brussels.

The word "gender" was removed from a draft of the Porto Declaration being prepared for Saturday's informal summit of EU leaders on social issues, a source told EUobserver. The declaration will be finalised by EU ambassadors Thursday. But in the latest draft on leaders' commitments, the formulation "to promote gender equality and fairness for every individual" was changed to "equality and fairness for all individuals" on Hungary and Poland's insistence.

Italy will allow tourists to enter quarantine-free as early as this month, prime minister Mario Draghi announced, according to The Guardian. Visitors who have had an EU-approved Covid-19 vaccine, recovered from the disease, or tested negative 48 hours prior to travelling, will be allowed entry without restrictions. "From mid-May tourists can have the Italian pass … so the time has come to book your holidays to Italy," added Draghi.

Germany proposed on Wednesday increasing its emissions-reduction target from 55 percent, to 65 percent, below 1990 levels by 2030, AFP reported. The proposal also foresees a 88-percent emission-cut by 2040, paving the way to reach climate neutrality by 2045, five years earlier than the previous target of 2050. In April, a court said previous targets "irreversibly pushed a very high burden of emissions reduction into the period after 2030".

French fishers are threatening to blockade ports in the Channel Islands, in an escalation of a post-Brexit row in which the French maritime minister has backed calls to cut off Jersey's electricity supply, The Guardian reports. France has accused the UK of breaching the terms of the Brexit deal new licensing system, which kicked in on 30 April, by restricting French fishing boats in Jersey's waters.

Jihadi rebels kidnapped French journalist Olivier Dubois in early April while he was working in Mali's northern city of Gao, Reporters Without Borders chief Christophe Deloire has announced. A video released Wednesday shows Dubois saying he was kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked group JNIM, AP reported. Dubois usually works for LePoint Afrique. The French foreign ministry confirmed his disappearance, saying they are in touch with his family and Malian authorities.

An independent oversight board for Facebook decided to uphold a ban on former US president Donald Trump. But it was also critical of the severity of the ban, noting that it needs to "justify a proportionate response". "We are telling Facebook to go back and be more transparent about how it assesses these things. Treat all users the same and don't give arbitrary penalties," said co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Madrid conservative leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso has become a political phenomenon mainly because of her success in keeping Madrid open during the worst moments of the pandemic. However, critics accuse her of neglecting health services - while only protecting businesses.

Madrid conservative leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso has become a political phenomenon mainly because of her success in keeping Madrid open during the worst moments of the pandemic. However, critics accuse her of neglecting health services - while only protecting businesses.

As the EU wants to assert its "strategic autonomy" from China and the US, the EU Commission has put forward proposals on how to tackle foreign subsidies that harm fair competition within the bloc.

The UAE's international reputation is steadily being shredded by its own leadership, in moves so blatant that no amount of sporting spin can hide them. Like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, China will also discover that sportswashing never works.

The Conference on the Future of Europe must concretely involve our local communities, regions, cities and villages. This is key to avoid a top-down exercise that would only feed the demagogic and anti-European false narrative of populists and eurosceptics.

The EU foreign service has scrapped plans to monitor Ethiopia's June elections over a dispute on secure communications. "They [the EU] said they will come with 'V-SAT' communication equipment, which is out of Ethiopia's communication technology system ... Every election area is accessible by the National Telecommunication system, they can use that," an Ethiopian spokesman said Tuesday. The "independence of the [monitoring] mission" could not be guaranteed, the EU said.

"Very serious" incidents, which violated international regulations, have reportedly taken place involving vessels of the Turkish coast guard and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, Ekathimerini writes. According to the newspaper, the incidents occurred off the eastern Aegean island of Chios when Turkish coast guard vessels violated Greek territorial waters and made dangerous manoeuvres very close to Finnish and a Swedish boats patrolling under the umbrella of Frontex.

As the EU Commission gears up to scrutinise EU government plans, we take a look at how the recovery policy and politics will shape the next months.

As the EU Commission gears up to scrutinise EU government plans, we take a look at how the recovery policy and politics will shape the next months.

Spanish far-right party Vox is expected to help form a regional government in Madrid with the conservative People's party (PP) following local elections Tuesday, in which the PP won 65 out of 136 seats in the regional assembly, but fell short of a 69-seat majority. The main opposition Socialist party won just 24 seats, while the left-wing Más Madrid won 24. Vox got 13 and the far-left Unidas Podemos 10.

The EU is suspending plans for a trade deal with China, while reviving those for a pact with India, in a dispute on Chinese human-rights abuses.

Dried yellow mealworm can now be sold across the 27-nation bloc, after a decision from EU governments and a food safety assessment, the European Commission said, Bloomberg writes. EU officials suggest this insect could be used as a protein boost for cookies, pasta or baked goods. The market for edible insects is set to reach €3.8bn by 2027, according to one report earlier this year.

The European Commission on Tuesday condemned the deaths of those who killed during ongoing protests in Colombia against a proposed tax reform, Reuters reported. "It is really a priority to stop the escalation of this violence and to avoid any disproportionate use of force by security forces," an EU spokesman said. At least 19 people and one police officer have been killed, while hundreds were injured.