Med & South

More infringement procedures for Italy
Est. 3minTwo new infringement procedures have been opened against Italy by the European Commission, which has also taken further action in three cases that are already active. EURACTIV Italy reports.

Spain’s Leganés lends a hand to the world’s most vulnerable
Est. 7minSPECIAL REPORT / For the citizens of the Spanish municipality of Leganés, in the autonomous community of Madrid, solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable populations is second nature. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Commission considers flying refugees to Europe
Est. 4minThe European Union executive is drafting a plan to fly limited numbers of refugees from Turkey direct to Europe, EU officials said yesterday (1 December), following a weekend deal under which Ankara promised to help cut chaotic mass inflows.

UN decries stopping refugees at borders
Est. 5minThe United Nations yesterday (24 November) condemned new restrictions on refugees that have left around 1,000 migrants stuck at the main border crossing into Macedonia from Greece, denied entry due to their nationalities in violation of international law.

France halts push for Syria coalition with Russia
Est. 5minDuring a visit to the US yesterday (24 November), French President François Hollande abandoned plans to include Russia in an international coalition against Islamic State, following the Paris attacks, in which 130 people lost their lives.

Conditions worsen for refugees stranded at Balkan borders
Est. 4minNew border controls in the Western Balkans are leaving refugees stranded behind barbed wire as temperatures start to plunge, and aid agencies warned that the clampdown would lead to a rise in smuggling.

Ex-President of Mauritania: There is no development without security
Est. 7minEly Ould Mohamed Vall, former President of Mauritania, told a Brussels audience that the first prerequisites for the development of Africa are the fight against terrorism and corruption.

US, Russia and EU should work together to combat ISIS, says Juncker
Est. 7minCommission President Jean-Claude Juncker has team up with French President François Hollande in seeking a 'rapprochement' with Russia to fight Islamic State, described by both as the biggest threat to the EU.

France and Russia fight as allies in Syria
Est. 7minFrance and Russia bombed Islamic State targets in Syria yesterday (17 November), punishing the group for attacks in Paris and against a Russian airliner that together killed 353 people, and made the first tentative steps toward a possible military alliance.

Turkey calls on the EU to envisage ‘a new beginning’
Est. 7minAn official close to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told EURACTIV that the summit between Turkey and the EU expected by the end of this month could be “a new beginning” in the relations.

26 US states refuse to take in Syrian refugees following Paris attacks
Est. 3minAt least 26 of the 50 US states said yesterday (16 November) they won't accept Syrian refugees following Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris.

Obama and Putin discuss Syria at G20 summit in Antalya
Est. 5minUS President Barack Obama vowed on Sunday (15 November) to step up efforts to eliminate Islamic State and prevent more attacks like those in Paris, while urging Russia's Vladimir Putin to focus on combating the jihadist group in Syria.

France launches airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria
Est. 7minFrench warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in Syria on Sunday (15 November) as police in Europe widened their investigations into coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people.

Islamists kill more than 120 in multiple Paris attacks
Est. 5minGunmen killed more than 120 people in a wave of attacks across Paris on Friday (13 November), shouting "Allahu Akbar" as they massacred scores of diners and concert-goers and launched suicide attacks outside the national stadium.

Bulgaria warns Germany against returning refugees
Est. 3minBulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov warned Germany yesterday (12 November) against returning refugees to countries where they first registered.

Norway demands answers from Moscow over Arctic migrant route
Est. 4minAn increasingly popular route for migrants to cross Russia and into Norway has Oslo angered and worried as winter approaches, while commentators suspect Moscow is deliberately creating problems for its neighbour.

EU turning blind eye to violence against women migrants
Est. 6minThe crisis in Syria has drastically increased the proportion of female migrants making the journey to Europe. The UN High Commission for Refugees, NGOs and researchers are increasingly concerned about the violence these women face. EURACTIV France reports.

Germany’s Schäuble and Weidmann on collision course over migrants
Est. 4minGermany needs to send a message to the world that it is reaching the limit of its capacity to help Europe's flood of migrants, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on Sunday - while the head of the Bundesbank said the country can handle the costs of the refugee crisis without risking its balanced budget.

Moscovici: 3 million migrants won’t harm EU economy
Est. 4minThree million migrants fleeing war and poverty are seen entering the EU by 2017 in a development likely to have a marginal positive impact on the economy, the European Commission said yesterday (5 November).

German government reaches compromise, will speed up deportations
Est. 3minThe leaders of Germany's ruling coalition, struggling with the biggest influx of migrants in decades, clinched an agreement on Thursday (5 November) on speeding up the asylum process for those with little chance of being allowed to stay.

EU expects G20 countries to commit to taking refugees
Est. 3minThe European Union wants world leaders to help tackle the refugee crisis, which has seen more than half a million asylum seekers enter the EU since the start of the year.

Tusk calls migration summit number 5
Est. 4minEuropean Council President Donald Tusk has called another EU summit on the migrant crisis, the fifth this year, this time in Valletta, on 12 November. The summit of the EU leaders will be held back-to-back with an EU-Africa summit on migration, which will start the previous day.

All eyes on Germany as refugee exodus continues
Est. 12minMember states are affected in very different ways by the refugee crisis. But all of them worry about what will happen when Germany’s capacity to absorb asylum seekers reaches saturation point. The EURACTIV network reports.

Juncker: Member states should pay for refugees
Est. 7minEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made an appeal to the European Parliament, and to member states, to find innovative ways of financing the migrant crisis, as the EU coffers are running dry.