Euobserver.com

The EU commissioner for energy Kadri Simson said Wednesday that "regions are crucial partners when it comes to implementing our climate and energy policies and finding concrete, practical solutions". Simson called for further cooperation between regions and the commission on the so-called renovation wave. Enrico Rossi, the rapporteur of the Committee of the Regions on the policy, estimated the strategy could generate four million jobs by 2050.

France's Europe minister, Clement Beaune, added his voice to the chorus of EU criticism on Britain's plan to renege on parts of its Brexit withdrawal agreement on Wednesday. "Respect for the agreement is non-negotiable," he said. "Between friends and allies, we need to keep our word, and respect the law," he added. "Agreed deals must be honoured," German economy minister Peter Altmaier said the same day.

The leaders of seven Belgian political parties decided on Wednesday to stop face-to-face meetings for two weeks, after one of the two 'pre-formateurs', Flemish liberal Egbert Lachaert, tested positive for Covid-19. All other people around the table tested negative, as well as Belgian King Philip, who met with Lachaert the day before the test. The seven parties include the Francophone and Flemish socialists, liberal, greens and the Flemish Christian Democrats.

EU diplomats are keeping a round-the-clock guard at the home of Svetlana Alexievich, the Belarusian writer and opposition activist, amid fears for her safety.

The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has paused global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to an "unexplained illness" in a study participant, Reuters reported on Wednesday. "This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials," the company said. Earlier, the European Commission signed a contract with the British company to ensure 300m doses for Europeans.

Britain was preparing to violate international norms by reneging on parts of the Brexit withdrawal treaty, Brandon Lewis, Britain's Northern Ireland secretary, told MPs Tuesday. "Yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way ... in a certain very tightly defined circumstance," he said. "How can the government reassure future international partners that the UK can be trusted?", former British prime minister Theresa May also said.

Production of "[computer] processors, vital medicines, and other essential products" ought to be brought back to Europe from overseas, EU Council president Charles Michel told a congress in Brussels Tuesday. "The strategic independence of Europe is our new common project for this century," he said at the Brussels Economic Forum, after the coronavirus pandemic exposed the reliance of EU supply chains on China.

Carbon-trading permits were not the right way to curb emissions in the car-making sector, Frans Timmermans, the EU's climate commissioner, told an online NGO event Tuesday. "I, personally, am not convinced," he said. The EU already forces some industries to buy permits to emit CO2, but not the shipping, construction, or road transport sectors. A "more efficient" way would be to produce cars which emitted less carbon, Timmermans said.

The Norwegian foreign ministry has voiced support for a small news agency trying to get back online in Russia after a long ban.

Poland is preparing to throw out the last independent judges from its Supreme Court, a Polish judges' association fears.

Poland is preparing to throw out the last independent judges from its Supreme Court, a Polish judges' association fears.

Mairead McGuinness's nomination will have to be signed off by the European Parliament, where the Irish MEP is a well-respected first vice-president of the assembly.

Air and noise pollution, extreme weather conditions or high exposure to chemicals are key drivers of terminal diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, pulmonary disease and stroke.

Russian government propaganda likes to pretend the post-Soviet space is a harbour of stability compared to the tumultuous politics of central and western Europe. The facts show the opposite.

In recent weeks, we have seen worrying news that Poland is now planning to withdraw from the Convention. There is an ongoing debate in Turkey which might lead to withdrawal. This development puts women's safety at high risk.

Polish climate minister Michal Kurtyka said on Tuesday that Warsaw aims to accelerate phasing-out coal, by investing billions in renewable energy and the country's first nuclear power unit, Reuters reported. In an update of its energy strategy, which still needs to be approved by the Polish government, Kurtyka said coal's share in electricity production is expected to fall to 37-56 percent in 2030 and 11-28 percent in 2040.

Some 30 migrants are being forced to quarantine against coronavirus for two weeks in buses in Udine, a city in north-eastern Italy, reports La Repubblica. Local authorities in Udine said that there was no more room for migrants arriving from the Balkan route. "We sleep on the seats," said one migrant.

Nine Covid-19 vaccine manufactures on Tuesday committed to "uphold the integrity of the scientific process as they work towards potential global regulatory filings and appeals of the first vaccines," Reuters reported. The companies include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, which are currently negotiating with the European Commission. The commitment follows global concerns about safety and liability rules being skipped in the rush to find a vaccine.

Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko has said he did not rule out holding fresh elections, in an interview with Russian news agency Interfax. Lukashenko acknowledged he may have "overstayed" his time in office. "We are ready to carry out the reform of the constitution," he said, adding "after that I do not exclude early presidential elections." He also refused the offer from the EU to talk with the opposition.

Under the controversial Energy Charter Treaty, a British gas company, Ascent Resources, officially begun procedures on Tuesday to start an investor dispute against Slovenia, for protecting its groundwater from fracking. The UK firm is expected to demand over €50m from Slovenia in damages, news portal Litigation Finance Journal report. A total of 16 EU countries have banned or introduced a moratorium on fracking.