Latest news with #Euronews
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
Time for EU to show its gun in US tariff spat, says ex-trade chief
The EU needs to deploy its 'bazooka' anti-coercion trade weapon and show it means business, since tariff negotiations with the US won't lead to a balanced outcome, the European Commission's former chief of trade has told Euronews in an interview. 'Trump isn't looking for an agreement — he's engaging in mafia-style extortion,' said former Director-General of DG Trade Jean-Luc Demarty, adding: "In addition to the €93 billion in retaliatory measures, I would add the triggering of the anti-coercion instrument. What Trump is doing is clearly coercion. It would be a way to show that we've put our Colt on the table for the negotiation.' On 12 July, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 30% tariffs on EU imports if a satisfactory agreement is not reached with the EU on tariffs by 1 August. Since mid-March, the US and the EU have been embroiled in a trade dispute, with EU steel and aluminium imports facing a 50% US tariff, cars 25%, and all other imports 10%. The EU has adopted an initial list of retaliatory measures, currently suspended, targeting €21 billion worth of American products. A second list, covering €72 billion, is in the process of being adopted. But Demarty said the EU executive needs to go further, by contrast with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said on 13 July that the situation did not yet amount to coercion. Anti-coercion instrument offers stronger trade defences The anti-coercion instrument, adopted by the EU in 2023, allows the EU to restrict the right to participate in public procurement tenders, restrict licences and adopt restrictions on trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, once coercion by a third country has been established. According to the former senior EU official, since the negotiations stand no chance of resulting in a balanced deal, the EU will have to target US services — and that will require political courage. 'Measures will need to be taken on services, digital and financial sectors, to rebalance an asymmetric deal. Because by targeting US goods, the EU cannot significantly exceed around €100 billion without shooting itself in the foot — since the rest are imports it depends on,' he said. 'It's an existential political moment,' he added. 'If we aren't capable of doing this, then why would the Chinese hesitate to exert coercion against us? Or others ? It would prove that Europe has the courage to take the risk of a trade war, which in my opinion is inevitable. It will be costly for us, but much more costly for the United States, and it will push Trump back.'
Euronews
18 hours ago
- Health
- Euronews
Can the EU establish common rules to limit sperm and egg donation?
Society is increasingly opting for children later in life, and more individuals choosing to become parents alone or with same sex partners. Combined with greater access to advances in assisted reproductive technology, this has led to a rise in Europe in births conceived through donor contributions. Regulation of sperm and egg donation falls entirely under the jurisdiction of each individual country. And the legislation varies from one to another. The maximum number of children that can be conceived from a single donor varies from one in Cyprus to 15 in Germany. And some member states prefer to limit the number of families that can use the same donor. Sweden and Belgium cap it at six families, while Denmark allows up to 12. For their part, commercial sperm banks set their own limits, which has resulted in some donors fathering up to 75 children. A recent high-profile case involved a Danish donor who unknowingly carried a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer and who helped conceive at least 67 children in Europe, 10 of whom were diagnosed with cancer. These "super donors" increase the risk of unintentional incest and the spread of genetic abnormalities. Additionally, there's the issue of donor anonymity. 'Sperm donation is anonymous in Italy, but not in the Netherlands. And in some countries, like Austria, it is semi-anonymous, which means that sperm donation is only anonymous between the donor and the recipients," said Amandine Hess, who has covered this topic for Euronews. "Due to DNA testing and social media, donor anonymity can no longer be guaranteed 100%, so it's increasingly common for children to connect with their half-siblings or donor, which can be challenging for them and also for their families,' she added. A European Donor Registry Because of these ethical concerns, eight EU health ministers—Belgium, Finland, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden—joined forces to propose the establishment of common regulations on sperm donation in Europe. The proposal includes the possibility of creating a European donor registry, as regulatory differences lead patients and donors to travel to countries with more lenient rules. Spain, for example, carries out 50% of egg donation treatments and even receives patients from Latin America. "I believe it is more than necessary to create a European registry," said MEP Elena Nevado del Campo, and vice-chair of the public health committee. 'Many national laws already provide for the creation of such registries, but in reality, many have not been implemented, and more needs to be done for ethical reasons. International registries should be established, since these donations also cross borders beyond the European Union itself,' she told Euronews. According to the Oviedo Convention, an international treaty from the Council of Europe that sets ethical principles for biomedicine, the human body and its parts must not give rise to financial gain. But commercial cryopreservation banks make profits through the handling, freezing, and storage of sperm and eggs, as well as through the screening of potential donors. This cross-border business will likely continue to grow, along with the ethical and public health issues it raises. Watch the video here! Journalist: Mared Gwyn Jones Content production: Pilar Montero López Video production: Zacharia Vigneron Graphism: Loredana Dumitru Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones
Euronews
19 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
What MEPs and Parliament's parties want from the EU budget
As the European Commission prepares to publish on Wednesday its proposal for the next seven-year EU budget, political groups in the European Parliament are preparing to fight tooth and nail to defend their funding priorities. Since the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) has required the regulatory consent of the European Parliament in addition to the unanimous consent of the EU member states. This means that a majority of Members of Parliament must approve the final text, giving the largest political groups some leverage to push for their demands to be included. The European Social Fund: a red line for Socialists The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group were the first to enter the fray last week. Socialists claimed they had received reassurances from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the European Social Fund (ESF) would remain a cornerstone of the next EU budget. This promise led them to vote against a no-confidence motion promoted in the European Parliament, which was eventually defeated by a large majority. The ESF is a fund designed to support employment, social inclusion, education and skills across the EU's member states, accounting for almost €100 billion in the current financial framework. It is indeed the top priority for Socialists, which deems its inclusion in the EU budget fundamental. 'We cannot accept an MFF without the European Social Fund. It's very important to support health, education, employment, [workers'] skills,' MEP Carla Tavares, the S&D's budget negotiator, told Euronews. Beyond this, the group is pushing for a larger percentage of member states' gross national income to be devoted to the EU budget, with the current figure at approximately 1.2%. An EU levy on digital companies and another on small parcels sent to the EU are also among the Socialists' demands, several MEPs told Euronews. EPP to defend agricultural and cohesion funding The European People's Party (EPP), the largest group in the Parliament, also wants the ESF to be included, according to its lead MEP for budget talks, Siegfried Mureșan. 'The Parliament as a whole will defend the European social fund,' he told Euronews. 'Security and competitiveness need to be the new priorities of the budget, with special attention given to research and innovation,' the Romanian MEP argued. But the EPP does not want these aspects to be financed at the expense of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and cohesion funds—two budget lines that could be significantly reduced. A separate budget for farmers is needed, according to Mureșan, as well as direct allocations for regions under cohesion policy. The EPP opposes the idea of merging agriculture and/or cohesion policy into a broader fund—a concept pivotal to the Commission's proposal, as reported by Euronews. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) are also championing the CAP and cohesion funds as stand-alone instruments. They support investments in critical defence infrastructure such as transport connections, power grids, and communication networks that also improve military mobility, as stated in the group's position paper on the MFF. Liberals oppose the idea of 'national cash pots' The liberal Renew Europe group strongly opposes the idea of dividing the EU budget by merging different programs into a single national cash pot. This idea, which has also been circulating ahead of the proposal's unveiling, could sideline EU regions by granting power over expenditure to national governments alone. 'This is wrong. It threatens the very fabric of the union and risks severing the link our regions have with the EU institutions,' Renew's lead negotiator for the MFF, French MEP Fabienne Keller, wrote in a position paper. Liberals also want more and stable 'own resources'— revenues that the EU collects directly from citizens, complementing national contributions — and oppose any funding for 'autocrats', as the party labels leaders including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The proceeds of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the benefits of an OECD agreement on tax evasion, and a tax on small parcels delivered from outside the EU could be good candidates for revenues at EU level, the group believes. 'If we do not find new own resources for our budget then we will only be left with cuts', said Keller in a statement to Euronews. Far right against funding defence and Ukraine The far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group claims that the European Commission wants to set up a 'wartime budget' by cutting funding for European farmers. PfE doesn't support EU financial aid to Ukraine and rejects any EU-level taxation. Cracking down on irregular migration and scrapping climate policies are the key goals for the group. 'EU funds must support [...] the strongest possible external border protection. The Green Deal must be scrapped: its agenda is destroying farmers, crippling industries, and burdening families,' the head of PfE's Hungarian delegation, Tamás Deutsch, wrote in an internal booklet for his fellow MEPs. Protecting external EU borders is also the top priority of the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group, followed by tax relief, funding innovative research initiatives, safeguarding farmers' incomes and what they call 'a consistent, results-oriented use of funds". 'Every euro of the MFF has to deliver a clear benefit for citizens; costly prestige projects are out of place,' ESN German MEP Alexander Jungbluth told Euronews. Greens and The Left for climate and social justice The Greens/EFA group advocates that at least half of the next EU budget be spent on green objectives, co-president Terry Reintke said during the plenary debate on the topic last week in Parliament - 30% of the current MFF is earmarked for climate-related projects. This group also wants the Commission to introduce a tax on digital services to finance new budget needs. The Left's Portuguese MEP João Oliveira outlined his group's priorities in a statement to Euronews: the housing crisis, social and economic cohesion, full employment across member states, improved living conditions for workers and the fight against poverty. 'The Commission must resist its worst instincts of ramping up defence spending at the expense of policies with a direct impact on livelihoods and public services,' he said. The Left opposes any cuts to cohesion, agriculture and fisheries policies and calls instead for a €20bn European Child Guarantee, to fight against child poverty and social exclusion. If Parliament's demands are ignored, MEPs have the right to return the proposal to the Commission and reject it as a basis for negotiation. When negotiations start, political groups' priorities will be closely intertwined with the tug-of-war between the Parliament and the member states, which often have different priorities for funding. One thing has already been made clear in a resolution adopted in May: the current level of contributions granted to the EU by member states is not enough.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Syrian Druze leader accuses government of breaking ceasefire
A leader of Syria's Druze religious minority has accused the government of violating a ceasefire agreement aimed at halting deadly fighting between local militias and factions in the country's southern Sweida province. The clashes began over the weekend with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between members of local Sunni Bedouins and Druze armed factions in Sweida, a hub of the Druze community. Dozens of people have died and thousands have been displaced. Government security forces that were deployed to the city of Sweida — the provincial capital — on Monday to restore order also clashed with Druze armed groups. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said on Tuesday that at least 100 people had died in the fighting, including two children and 16 members of the security forces. In the early hours of Tuesday, the Druze spiritual leadership called for armed factions that have been clashing with government forces to surrender their weapons and cooperate with authorities as they entered the city. The initial statement called for armed factions in Sweida to "cooperate with the forces of the Ministry of Interior, not to resist their entry, and to hand over their weapons". The commander of Internal Security in Sweida Governorate, Ahmad al-Dalati, welcomed the statement and called for "all religious authorities and social activists to adopt a unified national stance". However, just hours later, influential Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri — who has been opposed to the new government in Damascus — released a video message saying that the minority's previous statement had been "imposed" on them by Damascus. "They broke the promise and continued the indiscriminate shelling of unarmed civilians," al-Hajri said in the video message. "We are being subjected to a total war of annihilation," he said, urging Druze "to confront this barbaric campaign with all means available." Videos shared on social media showed armed fighters with Druze captives, inciting hateful slogans and beating them. Euronews could not independently verify the videos. Shortly after al-Hajri's video message was published, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra issued a statement announcing that a total ceasefire was in place, saying "we will respond only to the sources of fire and deal with any targeting by outlaw groups". Israeli intervention Clashes have on several occasions broken out between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in early December in a lightning rebel offensive led by Sunni insurgent groups. The latest round of fighting has raised fears of another spiral of violence, and also fuelled concerns about escalating Israeli intervention. The Israeli army said in a statement on Tuesday that it had struck several military vehicles in the Sweida region. An earlier joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country was committed to protecting the Druze in Syria and was taking action to "prevent the Syrian regime from harming them". Israel has previously intervened in Syria in defence of the Druze minority. In Israel, Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces. The Druze — a group that split from Ismaili Shi'ism in the 10th century — are concentrated in Sweida and in certain Damascus suburbs such as Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya. During Syria's 14-year civil war, Druze factions formed their own militias and have remained largely self-governed. While many Druze in Syria have said they do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf, factions from the minority have also been suspicious of the new authorities in Damascus.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Panama did not cede sovereignty to the US, foreign minister says
Following US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take control of the Panama Canal, arguing that the US-built trade passage is key to national security, a memorandum has allowed Washington to carry out a series of military exercises with the Panamanian police. Three helicopters arrived in the area on Sunday to train for a possible scenario to protect the canal. Amid concerns over a possible US takeover, Panama has defended the security agreement reached with Washington and denied that sovereignty has been ceded. "There will be no permanent presence of foreign forces in our territory. This is temporary," Panama Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha told Euronews. "We have no presence of troops of any nationality. We have signed a memorandum of understanding, as we have with other Latin American countries, to carry out joint exercises to prepare ourselves for asymmetric threats, to prepare ourselves in case we have to act jointly to contain organised crime, drug trafficking," Martínez-Acha said in an interview. Relations with Washington were strained after Trump accused Panama of ceding control of strategic infrastructure to China. However, the foreign minister claims that the tensions have dissipated. "We understand that we have a privileged region with the United States. At times it has been complex, but today we are cooperating very well based on respect for Panama's integrity and sovereignty," Martínez-Acha said. Some 6% of the world's maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal each year. More cooperation on tax matters Martínez-Acha has travelled to Brussels to take part in the European Union-Central America Association Council on Monday. One of the issues that has caused the most controversy over the years is the inclusion of Panama on the list of non-cooperative countries in tax matters. Martínez-Acha denied that his country is a tax haven and pointed out the assurances he has given to Brussels. "We are a responsible country. We are a country committed to transparency and tax cooperation", he explained, while acknowledging that there is still work to be done. "We will do them. We are considering reforms in the way tax cooperation is transmitted," Martínez-Acha said. Following a vote in the European Parliament ratifying a European Commission proposal, Panama has now been removed from the blacklist of countries with weak controls on illicit money flows. However, the Central American country remains on the list of non-cooperative states for tax purposes, which also includes Russia and Trinidad and Tobago. Among the pending tasks is the elimination of preferential tax regimes to avoid the existence of offshore structures without genuine economic activity. "We have to make a reform from a tax point of view so that if these multinational companies have economic substance in Panama, or if these foreign incomes are repatriated to Panama, they are subject to tax," Martínez-Acha explained. "If they are repatriated to third countries, then they will not be subject to tax". For Europe, Panama is not only strategically important economically, but also essential in preventing sanctions violations against countries such as Russia.
