Latest news with #JorgeLiboreiro
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Can the EU afford to phase out imports of Russian fuel?
Europe began to wean itself from its dependence on Russia after the full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to a spike in energy prices. Sanctions have led to significant cuts in imports over three years: oil fell from 27% in 2022 to 3% in 2025, gas fell from 45% to 19% in the same period and coal, which at the time accounted for 50% of EU consumption, stopped entering the EU altogether. However, the EU continues to contribute significantly to Russia's budget, with energy imports in 2024 bringing €23bn into Moscow's coffers. The EU executive now wants to phase out all such imports by 2027, with measures set out in the RepowerEU Roadmap. 'The logic is to use trade and energy policies, which do not require a unanimous vote, as is the case with sanctions,' says Jorge Liboreiro, a Euronews reporter who has been following developments. The bloc has been pursuing a strategy of diversifying its suppliers and importing more gas from the US could be an option. However, the current tariff antagonism with the US has made the EU wary of replacing one dependence with another. 'This is one of the traps we cannot fall into. Diversification and risk reduction means that we really need to have many more suppliers and not put all our eggs in one basket,' argues Svetelina Penkova, a Socialist MEP from Bulgaria and one of the vice-chairs of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). 'I will give the example of a country that has been very receptive: Azerbaijan. It was the first to proactively offer additional supplies of natural gas and it also increased production to meet the growing demand from the EU,' she said. The roadmap proposes a ban on new short-term contracts for pipeline gas and LNG by the end of 2025 and a ban on imports of these gases under existing long-term contracts by the end of 2027. There will also be new restrictions to phase nuclear materials, such as enriched uranium. Market analysts warn forcing companies to stop contracts for the import of fuels could lead to court disputes and high fines, but "the Commission says that companies can invoke the legal argument of force majeure," says the Euronews reporter. "This argument would allow a company to terminate the contract without suffering any penalty because there is a circumstance that is beyond its control," he added. The ITRE vice-chair thinks that the addition of nuclear energy to the mix could help with the phase out process too. 'A balanced energy mix means renewable energy sources and baseload energy. I am very happy that the climate towards nuclear energy in the EU is changing in a positive way because the Union should be investing in nuclear energy in the future", MEP Penkova said. Watch the video here! Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva Content production: Pilar Montero López Video production: Zacharia Vigneron Graphism: Loredana Dumitru Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones The prospect of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine being mediated by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican is unlikely due to the influence of Russian Orthodoxy and Moscow's mistrust of the Catholic Church, according to political analysts and religious figures. Shortly after being elected, Pope Leo XIV said that the Vatican could act as a mediator in global conflicts, without specifically mentioning Russia's war against Ukraine. He later confirmed it to Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying the Vatican was indeed willing to host the next round of negotiations to try to put an end the war between Russia and Ukraine. After Kyiv and Moscow's direct talks in Istanbul yielded almost no progress, US President Donald Trump also mentioned the Vatican as a possible venue, following a conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. According to a recent statement by the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pontiff plans to "if necessary, provide the Vatican, the Holy See, as a direct meeting (place) between the two sides". Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to the Vatican earlier this month and met Pope Leo XIV following his inaugural Mass. Zelenskyy is in favour of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow being held at the Vatican, Ukraine's foreign minister confirmed to Euronews last week. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised the idea, saying that it would be "a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform" for talks. Moscow's wariness of mediation by the Vatican predates Pope Leo XIV, according to Pasquale Ferrara, the director general for political affairs at Italy's foreign ministry, and a professor of diplomacy and negotiation at the LUISS University in Rome. "I don't think Putin sees the Vatican as having the necessary neutrality," Ferrara told Euronews. "This scepticism existed even under Pope Francis and is rooted in the long-standing coolness between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church." That tension has deep historical roots, stretching back to the Great Schism of 1054, when Christianity split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. In August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament passed a bill banning activities of religious organisations connected to Russia and those that have administrative centres there. The legislation specifically targets the activities of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which is legally subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church, the leading church in Russia and a close ally of the Kremlin, fully supporting Moscow's war in Ukraine. All UOC-MP communities were given nine months to fully break ties with the Russian church. Ukraine's Security Service accused a number of clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate of collaborating with the Krmelin and justifying Russian aggression. Over 100 UOC-MP clergy members have come under criminal investigation since the outbreak of the full-scale war, the Security Service of Ukraine said. Once a dominant religious group in Ukraine, the past few years have seen many Moscow Patriarchate communities switch allegiance to independent churches, namely the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Founded in 2018 as an institution representing Ukrainian Orthodoxy fully independent of Moscow, it was granted the tomos of autocephaly — a document signifying canonical independence — by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the most senior priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate hasn't recognised the decision and later tried to portray the Ukrainian government's steps against the Moscow-linked church as "persecution of Christians." The head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Patriarch Kirill, has been an ardent supporter of the war and a vital ally for Putin. Patriarch Kirill's vocal support for Putin's war has drawn criticism from the likes of Pope Francis and was dubbed a 'heresy' by other religious authorities. Dubbed the Tobacco Metropolitan for his alleged profiteering off of duty-free cigarettes in the 1990s, Patriarch Kirill fiercely maintains his pro-war stance, blaming the invasion on "gay parades" and making unproven claims that Ukrainians have been "exterminating" Russian civilians in the Donbas. In early May 2022, attempts by Brussels to add Kirill to the EU's list of sanctioned Russian nationals led to tensions among European leaders after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked the move. The ROC's stance has seen some Orthodox Churches cut ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, including one in Amsterdam. Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate, expressed his doubt about Russia's willingness to genuinely engage in peace talks or accept the Vatican as a mediator. "Pope Leo XIV has no influence over Russia. They don't recognise our Church at all," he told Euronews. The Vatican has a long history of mediating wars, conflicts and political disagreements, although it tends to work behind the scenes and avoid publicising its efforts. One of its greatest achievements in recent history was facilitating the talks between the US and Cuba in 2014 that ultimately resulted in the resumption of diplomatic relations. The Vatican has also often hosted far less secret diplomatic initiatives, such as when it brought together the rival leaders of war-torn South Sudan in 2019. The encounter was made famous by the image of Pope Francis kissing their feet to beg them to make peace. However, for the Kremlin, the idea of Pope Leo XIV mediating peace talks may be seen as an extension of the Catholic Church's Western legacy, according to Ferrara of the Italian foreign ministry. Ultimately, successful mediation depends less on the identity of the mediator and more on the parties' genuine willingness to seek peace, he said. "Russia has not shown the kinds of signals that would indicate a real desire to negotiate," Ferrara added. On 16 May, Russia and Ukraine held their first face-to-face discussions since shortly after Moscow's full-scale invasion. During the talks in Istanbul, the two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, in what is the biggest such swap to date. The discussions delivered no wider breakthrough on resolving Russia's war, and no further direct peace talks are scheduled, the Kremlin said last week. Moscow has had no issues with Ankara playing the host. Nonetheless, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga said last week that he believed that the Vatican could still act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. "It is very difficult, yes, but everything is possible with Pope Leo XIV — he enjoys the trust of global leaders," he told the Italian newspaper La Stampa. Ferrara also said that the Vatican may have a role to play, despite the challenges. "We should not be too sceptical about the constructive role religion can play in building a new international order," he added.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The EU's path forward on Trump tariffs
How is the EU responding to 20% US tariffs? Is there still an opportunity for negotiation? Today Radio Schuman analyses the situation in conversation with Euronews reporter Jorge Liboreiro. The EU has already formulated a response to the US decision to impose a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium, proposing import duties on American goods valued at €26 billion. EU officials have stated that the bloc aims to respond with a unified package addressing both the proposed 20% tariffs on European exports and the 25% tariffs on imported cars and car parts. Is there still room for negotiation, or is a full-fledged trade dispute inevitable? In other news, Radio Schuman analyses which countries have the most job vacancies across Europe. Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas.
Euronews
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Will deportation hubs help speed up migrant returns?
ADVERTISEMENT The revised regulation fills a gap within the Pact on Migration and Asylum to be implemented from July 2026 and aims to address the fact that only about 20% of yearly deportation orders are carried out, according to EU institutions. Lists of safe countries of origin and safe third countries to which rejected asylum applicants may be sent should be defined. In some of those countries so-called "return hubs" may be built with financial support from interested EU states. "The Commission has put forward several articles that establish the legal basis for member states to build these deportation centres outside of the European Union, but the Commission will not be involved in their managing," says Jorge Liboreiro, who covers asylum and migration policy for Euronews. Such outsourcing of migration has been supported by right-wing parties and was deemed unacceptable by the EU executive in 2018 when it first tried to revise the regulation for returning rejected asylum applicants. © Euronews "It is really a normalisation of a policy that used to be considered extreme," says Jorge Liboreiro. Greater representation of nationalist and conservative politicians in the European Council and the European Parliament in the last couple of years has brought the powerful groups including the centre-right European People Party (EPP) to accept the idea. Javier Zarzalejos, president of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee in the European Parliament is one that sees value in the eventual bilateral agreements for the hubs. "The European Union will impose certain provisions on these agreements, specifically to ensure respect for fundamental rights, in particular for those most vulnerable in the centres," says the Spanish EPP lawmaker. A Belgian Green colleague on the committee, Saskia Bricmont, is less convinced, however. "There will be no monitoring of fundamental rights. How will the EU check it in third countries when we see today, even without this official hubs, human rights violations all over the place?" she asks. Obligations and penalties © Euronews The European Commission has stressed that the return hubs are not the central aspect of the legislative proposal, saying the emphasis is on measures to gain more cooperation from refused applicants to leave the bloc voluntarily. The regulation states that the rejected asylum seeker must cooperate with the authorities, including providing ID and biometric information, as well as not absconding to another member state. If the person does not cooperate, the consequences can include reduction or refusal of benefits and allowances, seizure of identity documents and longer entry bans. It will probably take long months of negotiations to get an agreement between the co-legislators and the final regulation may be subject to many amendments. "On the one hand, I understand people who migrate to other countries because they are escaping very difficult and delicate situations. On the other hand, we need more regulations, as especially in Italy, there is currently too much confusion," says a Roman citizen quizzed by Euronews on the issue, flagging the trickiness of striking a balance. EU member states signalled the intention to implement a paradigm shift in policy last October, in a letter signed by 12 countries. ADVERTISEMENT "Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands have been leading the political discussions around outsourcing, bringing other countries in a sort of coalition. I think these three countries might also push to actually build the centres, now that regulation is on the table," says Jorge Liboreiro. National and European courts may raise questions about legality, as happened with an asylum processing centre built by Italy in Albania, the result of a bilateral agreement. The infrastructure has been paralysed by legal action, but Meloni's government may now consider turning the centre into a "return hub". Watch the video here! Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva ADVERTISEMENT Content production: Pilar Montero López Video production: Zacharia Vigneron Graphism: Loredana Dumitru Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones ADVERTISEMENT
