4 countries agree to take on task of assessing glyphosate
France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden have agreed to take over from Germany as the lead countries responsible for assessing the safety of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used pesticide. The...
View ArticleDonors pledge billions for Syria but politics hinder aid effort
EU officials this week hosted a major conference to rally international aid for Syria, but seem to be confronting two problems: President Bashar al-Assad remains in power, posing an obstacle to any...
View ArticleTop Belgian lawmaker condemns Council over Libya payments
A top Belgian parliamentarian has slammed the Council of the EU for failing to explain why it told EU countries in 2011 that they are free to release interest payments from frozen Libyan funds. The...
View ArticleConcerns over glyphosate pass from human health to the soil
When François Peaucellier talks about soil, he sounds like a sommelier. “It’s full of little leaves,” says the French farmer, holding up a clod from his field. “The earth is supple and beautiful. There...
View ArticleBrussels to Africa: Don’t cry over our spilt milk
Europe and West Africa know they have a milk problem — but they can’t agree on how to solve it. Multibillion-euro dairy multinationals — from Danone and Lactalis in France to Glanbia and Ornua in...
View Article5 fizzing farm grenades for the next EU legislature
Food has never been so political. Marine Le Pen wants to ax the Common Agricultural Policy. Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister, is campaigning with farmers against “a Europe that fills tables...
View ArticleBayer shareholders vote against management amid glyphosate fears
Shareholders at the chemical giant Bayer voted massively against the company’s board today at a meeting that revealed intense frustration over the German company’s acquisition of glyphosate-maker...
View ArticleGlyphosate revolt rocks Germany Inc.
You can’t blame the Americans at Monsanto any more. Europe’s most politically inflammatory chemical — the ubiquitous weedkiller glyphosate — is now well and truly a German problem. Shareholders of the...
View ArticleThe EU’s 7 post-election green priorities
The European election didn’t produce a decisive winner when it comes to political groupings — it’s a different story when it comes to climate policy issues. It’s pretty clear that issues that had once...
View ArticleBelgian prince fights own government over Libya cash
Belgium’s Prince Laurent has a beef — with his own government. The younger brother of King Philippe, Laurent has been feuding with Prime Minister Charles Michel and his ministers since at least 2017,...
View ArticleEthiopia plays Europe off China in bid to boost investment
This article is part of the occasional series EU in Africa. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — For the past four years, Welibuw Buzenehe watched as China built a new national sports stadium in the heart of the...
View ArticleAn all-Africa free-trade deal to warm the EU’s heart
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Consistent standards. Coherent regulation. Level playing field. Sound familiar? No, it’s not Michel Barnier laying out goals for a trade deal with the U.K. — it’s leaders of the...
View ArticleAfrican leaders call for home-grown counterterrorism force
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — African leaders from the violence-scarred Sahel region agreed to work to create their own joint counterterrorism capabilities — an initiative that highlights the growing...
View ArticleUK’s hold on Chagos Islands is ‘wrongful act,’ say African leaders
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — African leaders condemned the U.K.’s ongoing hold on the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean as a “wrongful act” that must be reversed. The U.K. continued its administration...
View ArticleMike Pompeo woos Africa, but it’s a tough sell
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s whirlwind tour of Africa in recent days had hoped to revamp America’s business interests on the continent and counter years of Chinese...
View ArticleIn search of allies, EU turns to Africa
It’s not as if it wasn’t right next door the whole time. In the space of four years, the EU has gone from internal ambivalence over how much attention to pay Africa to making it a top focus for...
View ArticleAfrican Union to EU: We’ve got our own strategy, thanks
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The African Union had a clear message for Brussels: We appreciate your interest, but we can solve our own problems, thanks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen...
View ArticleTo be top gun on foreign affairs, Borrell says EU must buy weapons
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — It’s the Borrell Doctrine: The EU must be “less angelic” and supply lethal weapons to African allies if there is any hope of defeating terrorists. On his first visit to Africa...
View ArticleAfrica’s coronavirus outbreaks seeded from Europe
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Just a few weeks ago, the gaze of African governments and health officials was fixed firmly on China as the likely source of the new coronavirus coming to their countries. But...
View ArticleCoronavirus hits Africa’s mega trade deal plans
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Wamkele Mene’s first days at work were a huge anticlimax. Last week, as he was sworn in as Africa’s new trade czar, the continent was becoming engulfed in the global fight...
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