Latest news with #Luxembourgish
Euronews
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
EU Parliament Conservatives expel Luxembourgish MEP for trip to Moscow
The European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament is set to expel Luxembourgish MEP Fernand Kartheiser from its ranks for arranging a trip to Moscow. Kartheiser, a former diplomat and ambassador to several European countries, is currently in Moscow where he was invited by the Russian Parliament, or Duma, to discuss bilateral relations, Russia's relations with international organisations and the current situation in Ukraine. 'Given that the European Parliament is blocking MEPs' diplomatic efforts to meet with the Russian Federation, I am funding this mission to Moscow myself,' he told Euronews before the two-day trip to meet members of the Russian government and Parliament. But fellow MEPs from the right-wing group were unimpressed. "By travelling to Putin's Russia, Fernand Kartheiser has crossed a red line for the ECR Group. We will take decisive action to terminate his group membership as soon as possible,' said ECR co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki in a statement shared with Euronews. Kartheiser could be formally expelled as soon as next week during a group meeting, according to a source familiar with the party, as few MEPs are in Brussels this week. An absolute majority of votes among the group's members is required to exclude him. The ECR group has a firm stance on the Russian war in Ukraine, condemning the invasion and demanding full support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. 'We continue to emphasise our backing for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, defence and independence of Ukraine,' an ECR spokesperson told Euronews in a written statement on the matter. Kartheiser is not the first MEP to embark on a trip to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. While the European Parliament has suspended any ties with its Russian counterpart and no official delegation has been sent to Russia since the invasion, some of its members have travelled there in a personal capacity. For example, five MEPs took part in the Victory Day's parade in Moscow on 9 May: Michael von der Schulenburg and Ruth Firmenich from Germany's radical left BSW party, Ľuboš Blaha from Slovakia's ruling Smer party, Czech independent MEP Ondřej Dostál and Cypriot independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou. Slovenia's president Nataša Pirc Musar called for renewed dialogue between the EU and Russia in a recent interview with Politico, saying that EU Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen is 'working on that'. On the matter, a spokesperson from the Commission said on Monday: "We are interested in bringing all the parties concerned together at the table, and to discuss a ceasefire, in view of achieving peace". Long-term unemployment across the EU is now 1.9%, according to the latest Eurostat data, the lowest level since data collection began. The Netherlands (0.5%), Malta (0.7%), the Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland (all at 0.8%) reported the lowest rates of people out of work for twelve months or more. The highest proportion was found in Greece, 5.4%, followed by Spain (3.8%) and Slovakia (3.5%). At the same time, these three countries all reported lower long-term unemployment rates compared to the previous year. Down 0.8% in Greece, 0.5% in Spain and 0.2% in Slovakia. General unemployment also declined to the lowest rate on record, now down to less than 5.9%: A drop of 0.2% from 2023. The data, however, paints a mixed picture. Unemployment is going down among all age groups, except for the youngest generation. Among people aged 15 to 24, it reached 14.9%, up 0.4% from 2023.
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Von der Leyen, Costa and Mesola took private jet to Luxembourg event
Ursula von der Leyen, António Costa and Roberta Metsola flew together on a private plane from Brussels to attend an event in Luxembourg last week, an extraordinary, high-cost decision made due to scheduling constraints between the three presidents, a spokesperson for the Commission said today. The trio were expected to appear jointly in the city to commemorate Europe Day. The trip took place on Friday and saw the presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament visit the Robert Schuman house, accompanied by Luxembourgish Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The rationale for flying rather than driving to Luxembourg - roughly 200 km from Brussels - was mainly prompted by the appearance of Friedrich Merz, the new Chancellor of Germany, in the Belgian capital. Merz chose Europe Day to make his first visit to Brussels since taking office. He met separately with Costa, von der Leyen and Metsola, in that order, and held press conferences with Costa and von der Leyen, taking questions from journalists. The bilateral meetings stretched over the entire morning, leaving the three presidents with an extremely tight itinerary to move to Luxembourg City and attend the commemorative event, pencilled for early afternoon, at the same time. The teams in Brussels then chose to ditch the car option and resort to air charter, the costs of which were shared among the three institutions. "Due to the scheduling constraints of the three presidents and the prime minister, the only travelling option to allow all of them to attend the commemoration of the Schuman Declaration together and on time was to take a charter flight," Paula Pinho, the Commission's chief spokesperson, said on Monday. "This is the reason why, exceptionally, this was the option taken to get there." The offices of Costa and Metsola voiced a similar message. The event in Luxembourg, hosted at the prime minister's invitation to mark the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, started in the early afternoon and lasted about two hours. The four leaders visited the house where Robert Schuman, the French politician who delivered the declaration on 9 May 1950, grew up. Schuman's proposal to create a new authority to manage the production of coal and steel from France and West Germany paved the way for the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and kick-started the project of European integration. Luxembourg was one of the six founding members of the ECSC and served as host of the independent High Authority, the precursor of the European Commission. During Friday's trip, the four leaders also visited the old seat of the High Authority. Once the event was over, von der Leyen and Costa returned to Brussels using the rented plane while Metsola and her team flew commercial to Cyprus. Although air flights are frequent for long-distance travel, using the same option for such a short-distance trip is likely to raise eyebrows, given the EU's commitment to sustainability and the pressure from member states to control expenses.
Euronews
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
This is the EU country where babies born to migrants outnumbered local newborns
ADVERTISEMENT The number of newborns in the EU has never dropped so sharply. The latest Eurostat data point to a 5.4% fall in new babies, only 3.67 million in 2023, the deepest decline on record. In other words, the EU had almost two times fewer newborns than six decades ago. Migrants' children however seem to be slowing down the continent's demographic decline by going against the general trend. The rate of babies born to a foreign mother between 2014 and 2023 grew across most EU member states, by an average of 5.3%. Poland reports highest growth in migrant newborns Over the 2014-2023 period, the number of newborns to migrant mothers grew by 645% in Poland, with a steep jump in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Poland has the second-highest Ukrainian refugee population in Europe. Rates rose sharply also in Malta, +159%, Estonia, +92%, and Portugal, +91%. The only EU members where migrant children rates fell were Croatia, -41.3%, Greece, -33.7%, Italy, -27.5%, Latvia, 19.1% and France with -0.5%. Migrant newborns outnumber locals in Luxembourg Nearly a quarter of newborn babies (23%) in the EU in 2023 had a foreign mother. In Luxembourg, they significantly outnumbered children born to two Luxembourgish parents (67% vs 33%). Percentages of at least 30% were also reported in Germany, Spain, Austria, Sweden and Belgium, among others, while in France, newborns to foreign mothers were 25%. On the other side of the spectrum, the lowest rates - all below 5% - were recorded by Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Which EU countries have the highest and lowest fertility rates? In terms of new births overall - migrants and locals - the fertility rate in the EU dropped to 1.48 live births per mother. The EU's highest fertility rate was in Bulgaria (1.81 live births per woman), followed by France (1.66) and Hungary (1.55). The lowest fertility rates were seen in Malta (1.06 births per woman), Spain (1.12) and Lithuania (1.18).
The Independent
29-03-2025
- The Independent
Will my daughter need an ETA to fly from Cork to Edinburgh?
Q A question regarding the UK's ETA (electronic travel authorisation) scheme. I am planning to meet up with my daughter in Edinburgh. She is Luxembourgish but lives in the Republic of Ireland and will be flying from Cork to Edinburgh and back. My understanding is that the ETA is not required for travel within the common travel area. But I am concerned about airlines being overzealous in their interpretation of the rules at the boarding gate. What are your thoughts? Martin D A From Wednesday 2 April, most foreign visitors to the UK will need an ETA. This online permit, which costs £10 (soon to be £16), is required by those who currently do not need a visa to visit the UK. Fortunately your daughter is one of relatively few people who are exempt. As you say, the common travel area – comprising the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands – confers extra rights on anyone who has the good fortune to be Irish, as well as foreign visitors who are resident in Ireland. The Irish government says: 'Legal residents of Ireland, from a nationality that does not usually need a visa to visit the UK (eg European and US nationals), do not need an ETA when traveling within the common travel area, if they can show proof of legal residency.' I understand your concern about airlines being overzealous in their interpretation of the rules – we have seen many such cases in the context of post-Brexit passport arrangements. In my experience, though, checks for flights between Ireland and Great Britain are much more relaxed – as they should be, given the freedom of movement the common travel area confers. Your daughter could usefully take proof of her residence in Ireland, but I would be surprised if she is asked to show it. Incidentally, one concern of the UK government is that many holidaymakers in Ireland will stray across the border into Northern Ireland, even though they don't have an ETA. There will be no routine checks. Q I saw you say on BBC Rip Off Britain that when you check luggage in for a flight, you have to assume that you'll never ever see it again. Why did you say that? Rhianna J A I urge passengers to presume their checked-in bag will vanish. That advice aims to put them in the right mindset when packing for a trip by air. When you check in a bag for a flight, you are reliant on the airline and the ground handlers transporting it safely and securely to your destination. Your luggage is very likely to travel on the same flight as you and appear on the baggage carousel at the far end. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen: a leading budget airline tells me that one in 2,000 of its passengers' bags goes astray. That is on a 'point-to-point' carrier; when you book a connecting flight via a big hub airport, the chances of your possessions being misrouted multiply. According to the latest report by the aviation data specialists at Sita, seven bags go missing for every 1,000 checked in. When luggage fails to appear on cue, there is no need to panic. Most passengers are reunited with their stray bags within a few days, with the airline delivering it to their home or holiday location. Sometimes, though, baggage can simply disappear. The bag's label and all other identification might be torn off while passing through the baggage system. (I urge people to tape a label with their contact details inside their case because at least then baggage handlers can open it and trace the owner.) Or the bag may be stolen from the carousel; at most airports there is no need to 'reconcile' each item with the passenger's luggage tag, so villains can swipe a suitcase and scarper. Whatever the cause, every day thousands of people learn their possessions are presumed lost forever. That is annoying if all the bag contains is unwashed laundry; for priceless possessions, the experience can be heartbreaking. I almost always travel with cabin baggage only – especially on a trip involving a change of plane. If you have to check stuff in, then choose a direct flight if one is available and is not too expensive. And keep everything important in your hand luggage. Q I am travelling with friends to Seoul, South Korea, next month. They are really keen on making a day trip to Busan. It's recommended online but most of the bloggers say you need at least two days. Unfortunately, we only have time for a day trip. Should we go for it? Olivia C A For anyone who loves cities, Seoul is an excellent choice: startling modern architecture, tranquil temples and a huge number of dining possibilities, almost all serving excellent food at implausibly low prices. All of this applies equally to South Korea's second city, Busan, which has the advantage of being a port city thereby increasing the allure by a couple of notches. But I side with the bloggers: it is more than 200 miles away, and the very fastest train takes two and a half hours each way, meaning the trip will subtract five hours of your precious sightseeing time in Korea and give you no time to enjoy the nearby beaches that are an essential part of the Busan experience. That's not to say a day trip would be unrewarding. You can absorb the metropolitan energy and enjoy the diversity of the waterfront (Busan is much closer to Japan than to Seoul). Be hypnotised by the hyperactive harbour. Then go a short way east to Oryukdo Skywalk, sticking out from a cliff. Eating is an essential part of the Busan experience: try the excellent seafood or dwaeji gukbap (a pork soup). Perhaps, though, I can steer you towards an easier (and much cheaper) day trip that you can do on city transport from Seoul. It is a triangular excursion that you should start with a half-hour train journey south to Suwon: a smaller city, with an impressive fortress offering walks along the walls. Look out for street art, and walk back to the station along the canal path. Suwon station is on the extremely expansive Seoul Metro, and you can skirt around the capital on your way to the city of Incheon – a journey of around 80 minutes. The older parts of the city are scenic and include a substantial Chinatown. Once you have had your fill of serenity, back on the Metro and the ride into Seoul. Q We were stuck in Madeira last month when the inbound plane from Belfast diverted to Gran Canaria, where it stayed overnight. We finally got home 30 hours late. Jet2 has rejected our compensation claim, citing 'extraordinary circumstances'. Should we fight on? Malcolm D A Bluntly, no. Anyone tempted to fly to or from this exquisite Portuguese island should be aware that there is a small but significant chance that their flight may not keep to schedule. Every month or so, in my observation, Madeira's spectacular airport closes to arriving aircraft due to adverse Atlantic weather. The runway is partially built on stilts and is exposed to high winds from the ocean. Holding on the ground for hours before departure to Madeira is not unknown, and neither is diverting to the Canary Islands or mainland Portugal. In your case, the aircraft waited in Belfast for the Madeira weather to improve, then flew to the island – only for the pilots to find conditions exceeded the permitted maxima for a landing. A lightning strike on the aborted approach necessitated a thorough technical check on arrival at the chosen diversion airport, Gran Canaria. Meanwhile, you were provided with a hotel in Madeira's capital, Funchal. You contend that, had the inbound flight LS317 not been held at Belfast, 'this unfortunate malaise would not have occurred'. You may be right – but trust me, Jet2 would have done all it could to try to ensure people reached their holiday destination on the outbound flight and were brought home as close to the original schedule as possible. I appreciate it was a frustrating experience for you – who wants to spend a day out at the airport rather than enjoying the island? – but I cannot see any claim succeeding. You can argue that adverse weather in Madeira is hardly 'extraordinary', but the law lets Jet 2 of the hook. In any event, the ariline will have spent tens of thousands of pounds on customer care, and will not be inclined to hand out any more. Check your travel insurance, though: mine hands out £25 for each eight hours in delayed arrival. In your case that would be a handy £75.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corpay Cross-Border Grows in Europe with Launch of Luxembourg Office
Expansion aims to enhance service offering for institutional clients and bolster European growth through an increased market presence TORONTO, March 18, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corpay, Inc.*, (NYSE: CPAY), a global leader in corporate payments, is proud to announce its entry into Luxembourg with the establishment of a new office for its Cross-Border business. As part of Corpay's ongoing expansion in Europe, this significant move aligns with the company's strategy to enhance its presence in key financial markets worldwide and supports its growth ambitions in the institutional investor and private funds space. "The new Luxembourg office underscores our commitment to supporting the sophisticated needs of this global client base and enables us to provide a localized solution set for our institutional clients that establish their international investment structures in Luxembourg," says Andrew Shortreid, SVP, Global Institutional Sales, Corpay Cross-Border Solutions. "Luxembourg's status as a major financial hub in the EMEA region, with nearly 50% of its workforce engaged in financial services or related activities, makes it an ideal location for us. This new branch will enable us to better serve our cross-border clients in the investment industry globally." The Luxembourg financial centre is the largest in the Eurozone and the third largest in Europe, after London and Zurich. Recognized as the leading jurisdiction in Europe for cross-border international fund setups, Luxembourg is also the second-largest market for fund assets under management, following the US. As a global investment base, local funds commonly transact across a diverse range of currencies, including yen, Hong Kong dollars, pounds and euros. The robust development of Luxembourg's financial industry presents substantial opportunities for service providers facilitating the operations of various financial entities, such as fund managers raising capital from European investors through Luxembourgish entities and utilizing local administrative agents and legal professionals. In light of this, Corpay is introducing a range of institutional solutions strategically targeted for this market including global multi-currency accounts, global payments, and other services focused on transaction support. This approach addresses the complexities of establishing financial relationships within Luxembourg's conservative market and provides clients with an alternative to banks. "Luxembourg represents a pivotal market for Corpay with its advanced financial sector, and we are thrilled to establish our presence here," said Mark Frey, Group President, Corpay Cross-Border Solutions. "This expansion is a testament to our commitment to global growth and our dedication to meeting the needs of our clients in key financial markets. We look forward to leveraging our robust architecture and regulatory compliance to help our clients navigate Luxembourg's stringent banking industry." "We are excited to welcome Roman Sokolowski as the branch manager for our new Luxembourg office. Roman brings a wealth of experience in the local market and a proven track record in the financial industry. His extensive network and proactive approach will be invaluable as we expand our presence and enhance client-centric solutions in this key jurisdiction," added Andrew Shortreid. About Corpay Corpay, Inc. (NYSE: CPAY) is a global S&P500 corporate payments company that helps businesses and consumers pay expenses in a simple, controlled manner. Corpay's suite of modern payment solutions help its customers better manage vehicle-related expenses (such as fueling and parking), travel expenses (e.g. hotel bookings) and payables (e.g. paying vendors). This results in our customers saving time and ultimately spending less. Corpay Cross-Border refers to a group of legal entities owned and operated by Corpay, Inc. Corpay – Payments made easy. To learn more visit *"Corpay" in this document primarily refers to the Cross-Border Division of Corpay, Inc. a full listing of the companies that are part of Corpay Cross-Border is available here: View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Keera HartVice President(905) Corpay Contact: Brad LoderVP, Cross-Border Marketing(647) Sign in to access your portfolio
