Latest news with #EUmembership
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Moldova's pro-Russian parties unite to press for September election win
CHISINAU, July 22 (Reuters) - Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova said on Tuesday they would form a bloc in order to press for victory in September's parliamentary election and oust the current government committed to seeking European Union membership by 2030. The vote, scheduled for September 28, could see President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity unable to keep a majority in the assembly in the ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and Romania. The bloc brings together the Party of Socialists, headed by former president Igor Dodon, the Heart of Moldova and Future of Moldova parties, as well as the Communist Party. "We are in favour of re-establishing strategic ties with Russia. We want peace, not war ... Our bloc will put an end to foreign interests and NATO," Dodon told a press conference as he introduced the new union. Sandu, who has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accuses the Kremlin of trying to destabilise Moldova, won re-election last year by a razor-thin margin over a Socialist challenger. And a referendum asking voters to back the drive for EU membership only just cleared a 50% majority. Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu, who also leads Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), dismissed the left-wing bloc as a Kremlin invention. "Tired politicians who have swapped places in power and kept Moldova in poverty and a grey zone have been hauled out of mothballs at the Kremlin's behest," Grosu wrote on social media. "What unites all these worn-out politicians? The same sack of money and the same boss behind it. We must keep Moldova on the same path into the European Union." On July 19, Moldova's Central Election Commission refused to register the pro-Russian Victory bloc, formed in 2024 and backed by pro-Kremlin fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, for the vote on grounds of violating electoral financing laws. Moldovan officials have said that Shor has played a leading role in Russian-backed interference aimed at derailing Moldova's EU course. Shor denied the allegations and dismissed the decision as absurd. A poll published last week credited Sandu's PAS with 27.4% of voting intentions ahead of the election, compared to 10.4% for the opposition Socialists and 6.2% for the Victory bloc.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
EU eases Schengen visa rules for Turks; envoy urges further moves
ANKARA: The European Union has eased rules for Turks to use its open-border Schengen area, the bloc's ambassador to Ankara said on Friday, calling for the urgent revival of negotiations on visa-free travel for years, Turks have complained about the EU's visa system. The EU has said the processes — managed by accredited visa agencies — have been slow due to the high number of applications and that it is discussing possible workarounds with Thomas Hans Ossowski said the new rules would help address Turks' complaints over long bureaucratic processes, but warned it was not enough to permanently solve the problems.'It will be much easier and much faster for Turkish citizens,' Ossowski told reporters in Ankara, referring to the European Commission's new decision, in effect since July 15, simplifying the path to multiple-entry visas for who previously used visas correctly will be eligible for a six-month visa as early as their second application, followed by one-year, three-year and five-year multiple-entry has been an EU membership candidate since 1999 but its accession process has been frozen for years over issues ranging from human rights to democratic backsliding. There have recently been signs of increased engagement and economic said the EU had for more than a decade offered Turkiye the prospect of visa-free travel and stressed the need to return to the liberalization process.'Every other candidate country has visa-free travel except Turkiye,' he said. 'It is urgent to re-engage in this process of visa-free travel in the Schengen space and the EU,' he Commission is ready to restart formal negotiations after the summer and work with Ankara on fulfilling the six remaining benchmarks required by the visa liberalization roadmap, he said.'We are ready, the Commission is ready to work closely with Turkish authorities,' he said.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
EU eases Schengen visa rules for Turkish citizens
The European Union has eased rules for Turks to use its open-border Schengen area, the bloc's ambassador to Ankara said on Friday, calling for the urgent revival of negotiations on visa-free travel for Turks. For years, Turks have complained about the EU's visa system. The EU has said the processes - managed by accredited visa agencies - have been slow due to the high number of applications and that it is discussing possible workarounds with Ankara. Ambassador Thomas Hans Ossowski said the new rules would help address Turks' complaints over long bureaucratic processes, but warned it was not enough to permanently solve the problems. 'It will be much easier and much faster for Turkish citizens,' Ossowski told reporters in Ankara, referring to the European Commission's new decision, in effect since July 15, simplifying the path to multiple-entry visas for Turks. Turks who previously used visas correctly will be eligible for a six-month visa as early as their second application, followed by one-year, three-year and five-year multiple-entry visas. Turkey has been an EU membership candidate since 1999 but its accession process has been frozen for years over issues ranging from human rights to democratic backsliding. There have recently been signs of increased engagement and economic cooperation. Ossowski said the EU had for more than a decade offered Turkey the prospect of visa-free travel and stressed the need to return to the liberalization process. 'Every other candidate country has visa-free travel except Turkey,' he said. 'It is urgent to re-engage in this process of visa-free travel in the Schengen space and the EU,' he added. The Commission is ready to restart formal negotiations after the summer and work with Ankara on fulfilling the six remaining benchmarks required by the visa liberalization roadmap, he said. 'We are ready, the Commission is ready to work closely with Turkish authorities,' he said.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
EU advances Ukraine membership talks, EU President says
Ukraine is moving closer to full membership in the European Union, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that Kiev is ready to open the first negotiating cluster of the accession process. Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome on Thursday, von der Leyen stated, "Ukraine stands ready to proceed with the next step on the accession path. Ukraine is delivering on its reforms, now we must too. Because the accession process is based on merit and Ukraine merits moving forward. The Commission is very clear: Ukraine is ready to open Cluster 1, the Fundamentals cluster." Cluster 1, which focuses on core EU values including the rule of law, democratic governance, judicial reform, and public administration, is widely considered the most politically significant of the six clusters in the EU accession framework. The Commission's endorsement follows the successful completion of screening for Clusters 1, 2 (Internal Market), and 6 (External Relations), suggesting a broader momentum behind Ukraine's integration path. Ukraine submitted its EU membership application in February 2022, shortly after the start of the Russian special military operation, and received candidate status just four months later. Accession negotiations formally opened in June 2024. The process, though long and technically demanding, has moved at an unusually rapid pace due to the geopolitical urgency and Ukraine's demonstrated reform progress. Ukraine's pro-EU orientation was constitutionally enshrined in 2019, affirming both EU and NATO membership as strategic national goals. That commitment has only deepened in the wake of the war. Still, Ukraine's progress is facing political resistance from within the Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a vocal critic of EU support for Kiev, reiterated his opposition on July 1: "Ukraine should not join the EU through an accelerated procedure, given that Montenegro had been waiting for 15 years to access the bloc." Orbán has invoked a recent Hungarian referendum and suggested that Ukraine's accession could draw Europe deeper into conflict. Read more: EU military spending hits critical economic limit, Russia warns Despite internal divisions, EU officials and several member states are determined to move forward. Denmark, which assumed the EU Council presidency this month, has pledged to prioritize Ukraine's membership talks and explore procedural solutions to circumvent veto threats. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has outlined a plan to open up to three clusters by mid-2025 and the remainder by the end of the year. Russia, for its part, has consistently warned against Ukraine's NATO ambitions but has taken a more measured stance on EU membership. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that while EU integration is Ukraine's sovereign choice, the militarization of that relationship would be unacceptable. Former President Dmitry Medvedev went further, describing the EU as an "enemy" and warning that Ukraine's accession poses real dangers to Russia's security. As the EU presses forward, critics argue it is ignoring the broader regional consequences of inflaming tensions and undermining the prospect for peace.
The Independent
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Survey finds majority of Europeans favour an independent Scotland being allowed into the European Union
A YouGov Survey found that a majority of Europeans across Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain favour an independent Scotland being allowed to join the European Union. Support for an independent Scotland 's EU membership ranged from 63% to 75% among the surveyed European nations. Conversely, less than half (46%) of people in Great Britain would back an independent Scotland becoming part of the EU, with 32% expressing opposition. The research highlights a divergence in views, particularly as Scotland voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum, unlike the UK as a whole. The Survey was conducted despite Labour leader Keir Starmer's stated position that a second Scottish independence vote is not a priority and he cannot imagine one taking place while he is in Downing Street.
