EU – European Neighbourhood Monitor

Malaysia and the European Union Near Completion of Free Trade Agreement

Malaysia and the European Union are in the final stages of concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), alongside a broader partnership framework intended to enhance economic cooperation and bilateral relations. Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Mohamad Hasan, indicated that progress has accelerated as the EU increasingly views Southeast Asia as a strategically important region. This shift comes […]

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Europe’s Energy Policy Reckoning

Energy / ENM

By Pieter Cleppe Europe’s energy strategy is no longer sustainable. What once passed as long-term planning has collided with geopolitical reality, and the consequences are now impossible to ignore. The war in Iran has merely accelerated a crisis that was already years in the making: a system built on fragile assumptions, increasing dependency, and political

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EU Reassesses Russian Oil Ban Timeline

Eastern Europe / ENM

Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are increasing concerns about global energy supply, particularly following disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Industry leaders, including Wael Sawan, have warned that Europe could face shortages of key fuels such as diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline in the near term. These developments have contributed to heightened

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India Balances Brussels and Washington in Parallel Trade Deals

Indopacific / ENM

India has moved to deepen its economic ties with both the European Union and the United States, advancing two significant but structurally different trade arrangements within weeks of each other. While both initiatives signal New Delhi’s intention to expand global trade partnerships, the agreements differ in ambition, scope and political context. Great news for India

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France and Italy push for temporary exemption of fertilisers from EU carbon border levy

Environment, Uncategorized / ENM

France and Italy are urging the European Union to temporarily exempt fertilisers from its carbon border levy, arguing that the measure risks further straining Europe’s agricultural sector at a time of low crop prices and high input costs. According to documents seen by Reuters, the two countries are seeking a delay or suspension of the

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EUDR delay seen as exposing the limits of the “Brussels effect”

Environment / ENM

The European Union’s decision to delay the implementation of its deforestation law is increasingly seen as a stark illustration of how difficult it has become for Brussels to project its regulatory power beyond its borders. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), first proposed in 2021, was intended to prevent products linked to deforestation from entering the bloc’s

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EU Finalises Delay to Deforestation Rules

European Union / ENM

The European Union has reached a political agreement to delay and amend its flagship Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), thereby also confirming that books, newspapers and other printed materials will no longer fall under the law’s requirements. After intensive trilogue negotiations on December 4, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission agreed

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EU governments back one-year pause and potential reopening of deforestation law

Environment / ENM

EU governments have endorsed a proposal to postpone the implementation of the bloc’s deforestation rules for an additional year and to introduce a mechanism that could allow the legislation to be revised as early as next spring, according to diplomats briefed on the talks. The decision, taken during negotiations on Wednesday, opens the door to

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India–EU Tensions Rise Over CBAM

India / ENM

Tensions between India and the European Union have intensified in recent weeks as New Delhi raises concerns about the growing number of EU environmental regulations affecting trade, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). India’s commerce minister warned at the end of October that complying with the expanding list

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COP30 Highlights the Environmental Damage Inflicted by Brazil’s Soy Industry

Americas / ENM

As Brazil prepares to host COP30 in Belém in 2025, attention is focusing on a complex paradox at the heart of its climate policy: how to present itself as a leader in forest protection while remaining one of the world’s largest producers of soy — a crop closely linked to deforestation in the Amazon. A

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