Bulgaria Leads EU in Retail Growth with 7.4% Annual Increase in October
Bulgaria continues to show strong performance in retail trade
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Photo EPA/BGNES
Moscow has issued a list of European Union politicians barred from Russia in response to EU’s own sanctions and travel bans on Russian officials imposed over the annexation of Crimea and the Kremlin's alleged role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said.
AFP quoted Rutte as saying on Friday that Russia had submitted a list of people, who might not enter Russia any longer, to “diverse EU embassies”.
Two Dutch MPs and a Dutch MEP were on the list, according to Rutte.
Former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the Liberal group in the European Parliament, was also on the list, the newswire quoted his spokesman Jeroen Reijnen as saying. Reijnen added that Verhofstadt was banned after calling for an independent international investigation of the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.
Eighty-nine names are on the list, according to a letter from Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders. The letter also said that Russia had asked for the list not to be made public, AFP said.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected claims that it has issued a ruling blocking Bulgaria’s planned entry into the eurozone
Public support for the euro in the eurozone remains robust
EU legislators have reached a landmark agreement to end reliance on Russian gas by 2027, marking a decisive shift in Europe’s energy policy.
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands have confirmed they will not take part in Eurovision 2026 after the European Broadcasting Union decided Israel can remain in the competition
The deadline for submitting entries to the European Press Prize is approaching, with the window remaining open until 23:59 CET on December 14
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