Unbiased AI-powered news
The College of European Commissioners met Irish officials in Cork to begin Ireland's six-month rotating presidency. Discussions focused on finalizing the next seven-year EU budget and addressing trade tensions.
rte.ieThe College of European Commissioners met their Irish government counterparts in Cork on Friday to mark the start of Ireland's six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU. High on the agenda is the next EU budget, which the Irish presidency is tasked with finalizing before the end of the year.
Officials said negotiations would be extremely difficult and require significant concessions from all sides.
Designing a seven-year budget means reconciling the irreconcilable, officials stated. Ireland will present a revised negotiating document in October, with special focus on own resources, the EU-wide taxes meant to complement national contributions. Everybody agrees that own resources are necessary to fill the gap, yet nobody can say which ones fit best, officials added.
Irish-made alumina sales to Russia also featured in the talks. Officials said factors such as local jobs, the environment and supply chain should be taken into account before making a final decision. The Taoiseach promised to share the findings of an internal investigation with the Commission and work together to develop an approach to tackle the core issue.
Enlargement, competitiveness, security, rising trade tensions with China and the latest tariff threat from President Donald Trump were also discussed. Officials noted that restrictions on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank still lack a qualified majority to become reality.
As focus turns to the NATO summit scheduled for 7-8 July in Ankara, President Donald Trump said on Thursday it is ridiculous for the U.S. to continue its one-sided relationship with NATO. Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told reporters that Trump's constant gripe with European and Canadian allies is not always best placed.
He said this is not going to be a blow up of a NATO summit because Trump has a good relationship with Erdogan and does not want to rain on Erdogan's parade.
Search and rescue operations continued in Kyiv on Thursday after Russia's massive attack on the capital left 30 dead. Officials urged allies to deliver the promised air defence systems to protect civilians. Ukraine would need at least 140 Patriot missiles to intercept an attack involving around 70 ballistic missiles, officials stated, arguing that Kyiv is not asking for additional commitments but for previously agreed military assistance to be delivered.
theiranproject.comRussian forces attacked Kyiv for more than 11 hours overnight into July 2 with missiles and drones. The strike killed at least 30 people and injured 85 others.
Peru's National Jury of Elections certified Keiko Fujimori as the winner of the June 7 runoff on July 3 with 50.14 percent of the vote. She will take office on July 28 as the country's ninth president in ten years.
theiranproject.comRussian President Vladimir Putin addressed his party's congress in Moscow on June 28, describing the current period as pivotal without mentioning the word war. The remarks came amid Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and high military spending.