european union

Agriculture at a Crossroads: Rich Lands, Closed Borders

Lebanon’s land still gives, but the market no longer answers. At a recent Cabinet meeting, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani issued a stark warning: Lebanese agriculture is at a breaking point. With distribution in crisis, export routes to the Gulf shut down and a stifling economic climate, the sector is being pushed to the edge. “Maritime ...

EU Foreign Ministers Weigh Options on Gaza as Humanitarian Deal with Israel Takes Shape

EU foreign ministers on Tuesday will discuss a raft of options for action against Israel over the war in Gaza -- but likely will not agree on any. The bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has put forward 10 potential steps after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds. The measures ...

Israeli, Palestinian Foreign Ministers to Attend EU Meeting

Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers were due at a meeting in Brussels between the EU and its southern neighbors on Monday, but the Palestinian Authority denied the two would meet. It would be the first time since the Gaza war began in October 2023 that Israeli and Palestinian ministers attended a high-level meeting in the same room. The ...

EU Ministers Weigh Response to Latest Trump Tariff Threat

EU ministers on Monday will debate the bloc's approach to trade talks with the United States, as Brussels scrambles to head off 30-percent tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. The US leader Trump threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray on Saturday by announcing he would hammer the bloc with sweeping 30-percent tariffs if ...

Bitcoin Rallies Past Record $120,000 as Asian Markets Rise

Bitcoin surged past the $120,000 mark for the first time on Monday, setting a new record as optimism grows around potential regulatory breakthroughs for the cryptocurrency industry this week. The digital asset peaked at $122,571.19 before easing slightly, trading 2.4% higher at $121,952.61. Most Asian markets rose Monday as investors digested ...

EU Chief Delays Retaliation for US Tariffs in Search of Deal

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with sweeping 30-percent ...

Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU and Mexican Imports

Donald Trump announced on Saturday the imposition of 30% tariffs on products imported into the United States from the European Union and Mexico, a new escalation amid ongoing negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline, which has raised alarm across Europe. The U.S. president justified the decision in a new letter published on his Truth Social ...

EU 'Locked and Loaded' to Conclude Trade Deal with US

The EU said Friday it was ready to strike a deal with Washington to avoid swingeing tariffs, after US President Donald Trump sowed doubt over reaching an accord. "We remain on our side fully locked and loaded to conclude an agreement with the US," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill told reporters. "Let's see what happens when our friends in Washington ...

EU Says Israel Has Agreed to 'Expand' Gaza Aid Access

The EU on Thursday struck a deal with Israel to increase aid access to Gaza that should see more food trucks entering and the opening of additional crossing points, the bloc's top diplomat said. "Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "This ...

Macron and Starmer Seal Defense Pact 'Reboot' at UK Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron wraps up a three-day state visit to Britain on Thursday with a summit aiming to "reboot" defense ties with a focus on joint missile development and nuclear co-operation. Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are also expected to discuss maintaining support for Ukraine and curbing undocumented cross-Channel ...

EU Aims to Reach Trade Deal with US in 'Coming Days'

The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday. If the EU does not clinch an agreement with the United States, higher tariffs will return and risk unleashing a bitter trade war. US President Donald Trump's sweeping levies were due to snap back into force ...

German Chancellor 'Cautiously Optimistic' on EU-US Tariff Deal

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday he was "cautiously optimistic" about the prospects of a deal between the European Union and the United States to avert increased tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. "I am cautiously optimistic that we may succeed in reaching an agreement with the United States in the next few days or at ...