The EPP Group is urgently calling for Frontex to be deployed in Ceuta and Melilla – Spain’s autonomous cities on the North African coast – to help protect the EU’s southern border.
The European Commission has proposed new rules to help Member States apply the safe third country concept more effectively. The aim is to speed up asylum procedures and ease pressure on national systems, while upholding legal safeguards for applicants and ensuring full respect for fundamental rights.
Christophe Bigot will take up his duties on 2 June 2025 for a period of 12 months. He is a Middle East and North Africa specialist and senior French diplomat with extensive experience.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council with defence ministers discussed EU support to Ukraine and defence readiness. Foreign affairs ministers discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, including Syria. Delve into the detailed results of the meeting.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council has announced the political decision to lift its general economic sanctions on Syria, aiming to support national reconciliation and reconstruction. However, sanctions tied to the Assad regime and security concerns will remain in place, alongside new targeted measures against human rights violators and those destabilising the country.
The European Commission welcomes yesterday’s provisional political agreement by the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal for a progressive rollout of Europe’s new digital border system, the Entry/Exit System (EES).
In a joint statement, 23 countries and senior EU officials have urged Israel to allow the immediate, full resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza. They reject a newly proposed aid delivery model that sidelines the UN and humanitarian principles, warning it endangers both civilians and aid workers. The signatories call for an urgent ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access, and progress towards a two-state solution.
At a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised the need for close cooperation to tackle pressing issues. Their meeting at the Federal Chancellery focused on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and possible paths to peace. Migration, European security, and defence were also high on the agenda.
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to gather feedback to help shape the EU’s external digital policy. This evidence will feed into the upcoming Joint Communication on the International Digital Strategy, developed with High Representative Kaja Kallas.
The European Union (EU) and its 27 Member States unequivocally condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April and the murder of innocent civilians. Terrorism can never be justified. Those responsible for the attack must be brought to justice. Every state has the duty and the right lawfully to protect its citizens from acts of terror.
The EU Council today adopted an assistance measure worth €15 million under the European Peace Facility (EPF). The objective is to strengthen defence capacities and capabilities of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, and its operational readiness.
The decision was taken on the basis of the annual review of the restrictive measures and in view of the continuing grave situation in Myanmar, including actions undermining democracy, as well as serious human rights violations.
Schengen has evolved into a robust and comprehensive system, in which Member States, supported by the EU, are effectively managing external borders, security and migration. The report adopted today reviews the functioning of the Schengen area ahead of the June Schengen Council, which will celebrate 40 years since the signature of the Schengen Agreement.
Civil Liberties Committee MEPs adopted a draft position on the proposed gradual launch of the Entry-Exit System (EES) at EU external borders by 54 votes in favour, 2 against and with 10 abstentions. Once operational, the system will register data of third‑country nationals, including biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints, as they enter and leave the Schengen area on short-stay visas.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi outlined the consensus reached at the inaugural China-Indonesia Joint Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue, speaking to the press after the meeting. The dialogue underscores China’s ambition to strengthen its diplomatic and military ties across Asia.
The specter of nuclear weapons in space—once confined to Cold War nightmares—has reemerged as a pressing geopolitical and security crisis. Recent reports from The New York Times and Germany’s Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) warn of potential Russian plans to deploy nuclear-armed satellites, raising alarms over orbital EMP attacks, escalation risks, and the collapse of arms control.
During the discussion, the participants reiterated that NATO remains concerned about recent developments and their adverse implications, including for the country’s constitutional order and the functionality of state institutions. Against this backdrop, the Deputy Secretary General reaffirmed: “The Dayton Peace Agreement must be respected”.
The EU Commission is proposing to frontload two key elements of the Asylum Procedure Regulation with the aim of supporting Member States to process asylum claims faster and more efficiently for applicants whose claims are likely to be unfounded.
Extensive cooperation between Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium in a Eurojust-supported joint investigation team (JIT) into crimes against Ezidi victims in Syria and Iraq has led to the first two convictions of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs).
The EU assistance will bolster Jordan’s economic stability and support its ongoing reform agenda in the face of mounting internal and external challenges. It will help the country meet its outstanding external financing needs while creating the fiscal space necessary to sustain reform efforts.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council exchanged views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East including Syria, EU-Africa relations and Western Balkans. Learn more about their conclusions.
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