Archive for the ‘European Union’ Category

LIVE: Eurogroup press conference – Video


LIVE: Eurogroup press conference
The finance ministers of the European Union are arriving in Brussels on Monday to discuss the European economy, with issues surrounding Greek debt at the forefront of the agenda. The Eurogroup...

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LIVE: Eurogroup press conference - Video

EU resumes aid to Zimbabwe with $270 million package – Video


EU resumes aid to Zimbabwe with $270 million package
The European Union on Monday unveiled a $270 million aid package to support Zimbabwe #39;s agriculture and health sectors, marking the resumption of direct fundi...

By: Devon Becker

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EU resumes aid to Zimbabwe with $270 million package - Video

Greece Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis not interested in ‘cosmetic changes’ to bailout – Video


Greece Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis not interested in #39;cosmetic changes #39; to bailout
Greece and the European Union fail to reach an agreement on an extension of the Greek bailout programme and ask for a "bridging programme" to support its finances Greece #39;s finance minister...

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Greece Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis not interested in 'cosmetic changes' to bailout - Video

Four years on, some in Europe support talking to Assad

BEIRUT/PARIS: Some European Union countries which withdrew their ambassadors from Syria are saying privately it is time for more communication with Damascus even though Britain and France oppose it, diplomats said.

Those states have become more vocal in internal meetings about the need to talk to the Syrian government and have a presence in the capital. London and Paris reject this, saying President Bashar al-Assad has lost all legitimacy.

This makes a change in EU policy unlikely, but the debate underlines a predicament for Western states which ostracised the government at the start of the crisis, imposed sanctions, and four years on still find Assad in power.

Diplomats say the calls have come from or would be supported by countries including Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Spain, as well as the Czech Republic, which did not withdraw its ambassador. Norway and Switzerland, which are outside the EU, are also supportive.

Although Europe has long faced divisions on Syria, the calls have increased since Islamic State advanced in Syria and Iraq last summer and U.S.-led strikes started against the group.

U.S. officials say there is no shift in their policy regarding Assad, even as their focus is fighting Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot which is also an enemy of Damascus.

"Some states say: Bashar is a reality, we have to take this into account if there are threats to Europe," one European diplomat said, referring to the risk of attacks at home by jihadists returning from Syria.

The EU first imposed sanctions on Assad and his circle in 2011 as authorities cracked down on protests. The crisis has spiralled into a civil war, killing more than 200,000, a level of suffering that some diplomats see as justifying contacts with Damascus in pursuit of a political solution.

While it is generally understood that there will have to be negotiations, diplomats said, Britain and France see Assad's departure as a precondition. But the collapse of his government has become less likely as the war rolls on.

"We've been waiting for it to fall like a house of cards, but the problem is that we've been waiting for that for four years and that isn't happening," a senior EU diplomat said.

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Four years on, some in Europe support talking to Assad

Q&A session with Edgars Rinkvis during the press conference following the General Affairs Council – Video


Q A session with Edgars Rinkvis during the press conference following the General Affairs Council
Questions and answers during the press conference that followed the General Affairs Council, on 10 February 2015, in Brussels. European Union.

By: EU2015LV

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Q&A session with Edgars Rinkvis during the press conference following the General Affairs Council - Video