EU Council grants full Schengen membership to Bulgaria, Romania from January 1

The #EU Council agreed to fully integrate #Bulgaria and #Romania in the #Schengen Area from January 1, 18 years after they joined the bloc. "EU member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025," the council said in a statement. In March, Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area partially, as passport control was lifted at air and sea borders. The final approval for the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen must be given by EU leaders at an EU summit taking place from December 19-20 in Brussels, but this is a mere formality, as interior and justice ministers endorsed this decision in the EU Council at the direction of country leaders.

Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, but their admission to Schengen was postponed pending resolution of some issues in such areas as the fight against corruption. However, the process dragged on and was paused after the start of the EU immigration crisis in 2015.

The Schengen Area was created in 1985 by #Belgium, #France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Its borders do not coincide with the borders of the European Union, although each group now includes 27 countries. Non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are Schengen members. But EU members Ireland and Cyprus do not have Schengen membership, while Bulgaria and Romania will only fully join in January.

Dutch king says his nation failed Jewish community during football fan attacks – like during Second World War

Speaking to Isaac #Herzog, Israel’s president, King Willem-Alexander expressed “deep horror and shock”. Mr Herzog quoted him as saying: “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during the Second World War” – a reference to Nazi occupation – “and last night we failed again.” King Willem-Alexander also said: "We cannot turn a blind eye to #antisemitic behavior in our streets" — adding that history "has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse, with horrific consequences".

Exit polls in EU elections - Right wing parties take top spots all across the EU
Right-wing has grown stronger in all of #Europe, according to the European Parliament election models.

Marie Le Pen's party in France wins 31.5% while current leading Macron's party wins only 15.2%
Le Pen's party may be the largest in the European Parliament

In #Germany, the Afd, the far-right party in Germany, wins second place in the German elections while the leading socialists are far behind in third place.

In #Austria the Freedom Party is leading

Right-wing parties also won in #Cyprus, #Greece and the #Netherlands. To summarize: the center-right bloc in the European Parliament will be the largest by a significant margin over second place

French President #Macron announced snap parliamentary elections on June 30. Second round on July 7.

NATO’s Eastward Expansion

On April 4, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization marks 75 years since its inception. The alliance was established by the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed in Washington in 1949 by foreign ministers from 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the U.S..

There are now 32 #NATO members, including Sweden, which joined the organization on March 7. Bosnia and Herzegovina also aspires to become a member. To join the organization, a country must execute a membership action plan that is tailored to its individual needs, have no territorial disputes and bring its armed forces in line with the alliance's standards.

EU countries unable to come to terms on further weapons supplies to Ukraine

Leaders of European countries meeting at a Brussels summit cannot agree on the terms for further financing of arms supplies to Ukraine, the European edition of Politico said in an article.

According to Politico, the only consensus that has been reached among the EU heads of state and government on Thursday, namely instructing the European Investment Bank (EIB) to adapt its lending policies for the needs of the defense industry, is evidence that the bloc’s members are unable to come to terms. "Let's be honest: Nothing real is decided on financing defense," a European official told Politico.

The authoritative publication notes that the bloc’s countries are divided in their opinions on some profoundly important measures, in particular support for European financing of weapons supplies to Ukraine via joint defense obligations. Poland, France and Estonia favor the release of Eurobonds, while Austria, Germany and the Netherlands oppose it. According to some European diplomats, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and acting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated their disagreement with this proposal during the summit.

A regular two-day EU summit in Brussels kicked off on Thursday. Within this event, the EU leaders intend to discuss the urgent and intense need for additional military support for Kiev. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, following the meeting, said that the EU did not decide to float defense Eurobonds for financing and reinforcing the EU defense industry. The final statement notes that the EU leaders did not agree on any decision to expropriate investment income earned on Russia’s frozen sovereign assets held at European financial institutions. The relevant ministers were instructed to continue working on the proposals made by the EC and EU diplomatic department.

#Gas price in #Europe falls below $250, first time since April 2021

The price of gas in Europe fell below $250 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time since April 2021, according to data from London’s ICE. The price of March futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands fell to $249.9 per 1,000 cubic meters or €22.34 per MWh (based on the current exchange rate of euro to dollar, prices for ICE are presented in euros per MWh).

Gas prices in Europe continue to decline amid large gas inventories and expectations of warm weather in the region in the coming week. European UGS facilities are currently 64.69% full (16.76 pp higher than the average for this date over the past five years), containing 71.3 bln cubic meters of gas.

Macron, Zelensky to sign security deal in Paris on February 16 — AFP

The Presidents of France and Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Zelensky, will sign a bilateral agreement on security guarantees at the Elysee Palace on Friday, the AFP news agency reports citing the French president’s administration.

"This agreement follows from the commitments made by the Group of Seven on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023," the agency quoted a statement from the Elysee Palace.

The Telegram channel of the office of the President of Ukraine reports that Zelensky will visit Germany and France on February 16 to hold talks with Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and on February 17 he will take part in the Munich Security Conference in person. Zelensky is scheduled to hold talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and other countries on the sidelines of the conference. Earlier, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that Zelensky plans to travel to several Western European countries in a bid to get more aid for Ukraine.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, 2023, the Group of Seven adopted a declaration on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Then some other countries joined this declaration. The document, in particular, states that Kiev should receive significant military help. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this decision a mistake and Zelensky's trip potentially very dangerous.

A Joint Statement from the Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

"The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways."

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/03/a-joint-statement-from-the-governments-of-the-united-states-australia-bahrain-belgium-canada-denmark-germany-italy-japan-netherlands-new-zealand-and-the-united-kingdom/

20-Plus Countries Have Joined U.S.-Led Red Sea Coalition, Pentagon Asserts

More than 20 countries have signed on to join a U.S.-led naval coalition tasked with protecting Red Sea maritime traffic from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

“We’ve had over 20 nations now sign on to participate,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said at a Dec. 21 press briefing. “The nations that have agreed to publicly discuss their participation, we’ve put those out there,” he told reporters. “We’ll allow other countries and defer to them to talk about their participation,” Mr. Ryder added.

Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the launch of the multinational coalition, dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian.”

The operation’s stated aim is to protect Red Sea traffic from attacks by the Shiite Houthi militia, which overran much of Yemen—including the capital Sanaa—in 2014.
In announcing the launch of the coalition, Mr. Austin listed its members as the UK, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Bahrain, and Seychelles.

In his remarks on Dec. 21, Mr. Ryder said Australia and Greece had also “highlighted their participation in this operation.”