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Novaya Gazeta Europe
10 hours ago
- Business
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
EU renews sanctions against Russia but fails to pass new package after Slovakia veto — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Flags of the European Union in front of a building at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 2 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK EU leaders gathered in Brussels have agreed to renew existing sanctions against Russia for another six months, Reuters reported on Thursday, though they failed to pass a new raft of sanctions after Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico made clear he would veto such a proposal. The decision means that the proposed 18th package of sanctions, which would further target Russia's energy and finance sector and the so-called 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to bypass the G7 price cap on Russian oil exports, will have to be agreed upon at a later date. On Thursday, Fico said he would not agree to a new sanctions package until Slovak concerns over gas supplies are resolved. According to Reuters, Fico believes that further sanctions against Russia will lead to supply issues and legal issues for Slovakia concerning its existing long-term contract with Russian gas company Gazprom. In mid-June, the European Commission unveiled a legislative proposal, according to which EU countries would be required to phase out the import of Russian energy by 2027, part of Brussels' RePowerEU plan aimed at ending the EU's dependency on Russian fossil fuels. 'Russia has repeatedly attempted to blackmail us by weaponising its energy supplies. We have taken clear steps to turn off the tap and end the era of Russian fossil fuels in Europe for good,' Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said when introducing the initiative on 17 June. Commenting on Slovakia's opposition, Polish Minister for European Affairs Adam Szłapka said at the summit that he hoped Bratislava's support could be secured: 'As with the previous sanction packages, I am optimistic here; we are working on it,' he said. 'I hope that it will be possible to close it by the end of Poland's [EU] presidency, and as we know, there are four days left.' Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has imposed punitive sanctions against over 2,400 Russian companies, politicians, military figures, and business people. The EU's sanctions must be renewed every six months and require unanimous agreement from all 27 member states. The EU's existing sanctions were set to expire on 31 July. With the latest deal, they will now remain in effect until 31 December. Also on Thursday, the European Council, which is holding a special summit in Brussels this week, failed to adopt a unanimous statement of support for Ukraine's accession to the EU after Hungary refused to endorse the measure. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who organised a widely criticised opinion poll in his country in which 95% of respondents rejected the prospect of Ukraine's EU accession, says he will continue to oppose the process.
New York Post
01-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
2 dead, police officer in a coma as Paris descends into chaos after PSG's Champions League win
Two fans died and a police officer is in a coma after mass nationwide celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory, European soccer's biggest prize, French authorities said Sunday. The fatalities marred what started as a night of exuberance after PSG clinched its first — and long-awaited — Champions League title, in a 5-0 win over Inter Milan. The Eiffel Tower glowed in team colors, and fans partied through the night in celebrations that were largely peaceful but degenerated into violence in some areas. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a PSG street party after Saturday night's final in Munich, the national police service said. A man in his 20s was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations, the interior minister's office said. The circumstances of both are being investigated. 7 PSG supporters block traffic in Paris, celebrating their team's Champions League title on June 1, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 7 Riot police descend on the Champs Elysees avenue during the riots after PSG's May 31, 2025 win. REUTERS A police officer was hit accidentally by fireworks at a PSG gathering in Coutances in northwest France and placed in an artificial coma because of grave eye injuries, the national police service said. A total of 192 people were injured around the capital, four of them seriously, the Paris police chief said. The team is expected to return to a big victory parade on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday afternoon, with up to 110,000 people allowed along the iconic, tree-lined avenue to see the victorious players. Later, the team will join fans packed into PSG's home stadium, the Parc des Princes, on the city's western edge, for a concert and light show and official presentation of the Champions League trophy. A wide swath of central Paris was closed to traffic for the exceptional day. The security measures are also impacting the French Open unfolding nearby. 7 Police shield themselves from an explosion thrown at them. REUTERS 7 PSG fans hold flares as they take over the streets of Paris in celebration. AFP via Getty Images 7 PSG's Joao Neves hoists the Champions League trophy after the final on May 21, 2025 in Munich, Germany. RONALD WITTEK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Thousands of police are being deployed to keep order, and will employ similar tactics as they did Saturday night, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told reporters. AP reporters saw tear gas used near the stadium and and water cannons used near the Arc de Triomphe to disperse rowdy crowds. In addition to the injuries and arrests, Nunez said four stores were looted overnight. Firefighters were so busy extinguishing garbage can fires in the middle of celebrations and dealing with other emergencies that the fire hotline was saturated. By 2 a.m. Sunday, a total of 294 arrests had been made, including 30 people who broke into a shoe shop on the Champs-Élysées. Two cars were set alight close to Parc des Princes, police added. 7 Masked individuals take over a street in Paris. AFP via Getty Images 7 Security was tightened up in anticipation of potential post-match violence and 5,400 police officers were deployed on the Champs-Élysées, other key parts of Paris, and its nearby suburbs. At the Place de la Bastille, there were joyous scenes as fans climbed onto the base of the famous column, singing, dancing and letting off flares, while those around joined in. At one point, motorbikes loudly revved their engines and the crowd cheered as they did laps around the column. There were no police nearby and, by 1 a.m., the atmosphere was upbeat with no tensions and plenty of singing. Nunez blamed the scattered troubles on ″thousands of people who came to commit acts of violence″ instead of watching the match. He noted similar unrest on the sidelines of prior celebrations in the capital, such as after France's World Cup win in 2018.
