Новости за 21.06.2016

Systematic border controls would cost €53 to €130 for every European citizen, according to estimates, but the transport industry is already feeling the pain of border checks within the EU.

It was the first time that the European Commission officials appeared on the witness stand, but their lack of clear answers left MEPs frustrated and disappointed.

The British prime minister said there would be no turning back and warned of economic consequences of a vote to leave the EU.

The college of commissioners "will have a political discussion on the UK referendum" during its weekly meeting on Wednesday morning, an EU commission spokesman said Tuesday. He said it was not a surprise "that in a political commission the highest instance of political steering will discuss an issue of that importance" and that it will "look ahead at the days to come." Sunday's Spanish election will also be discussed.

France, Sweden and the UK have delayed EU formalities on extending Russia economic sanctions but agreed to the decision in principle.

European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said that 1,700 asylum seekers have been relocated from Greece to other EU countries since the scheme was launched last autumn and that efforts should be made to reach an objective of 6,000 a month. He was speaking in Athens after a meeting with Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras.

The fears of a Brexit show that the idea of a Grexit, a Greek exit from the eurozone, was "stupid", Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras told journalists in Athens on Tuesday. Speaking next to him, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he sometimes "fought alone" against this idea in a "pernicious debate". Greece "has turned a page" in the crisis and "everybody accepts it", Tsipras said.

Constitutional judges ruled OMT programme to buy states' bonds was not against German law, but said it should be limited in scope and monitored by authorities.

France Tuesday said it wanted to confer with its parliament prior to formally extending Russia economic sanctions for another six months, but agreed to the move in principle. The other 27 EU states also agreed due to "Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine", an EU official said. The sanctions expire on 31 July. The Dutch EU presidency hoped to conclude the extension prior to the EU summit next week.

Number of people going by train between Denmark and Sweden dropped 12 percent since Sweden introduced anti-migrant ID controls. After 60 years of Nordic free travel, people hate the scheme.

The tobacco industry just sold its anti-smuggling system to a French firm to comply with EU rules. But critics say the track-and-trace system still lacks independence and transparency.

A popular shopping mall was evacuated, two metro stations closed and roads blocked on Tuesday morning in Brussels after a bomb alert. A man, wearing a suspicious belt, was arrested. Police later said he was not wearing explosives. “The situation is under control,” prime minister Charles Michel said as senior security officials convened. The Brussels central train station was evacuated earlier on Sunday due to a false bomb alert.

There is a "growing frustration" with the EU commission in the European Parliament's inquiry committee into the dieselgate scandal, the committee's chairwoman Kathleen Van Brempt said Tuesday. She spoke after MEPs Pablo Zalba and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy presented their interim report, which Gerbrandy noted was "a procedural one". Documents the committee requested in April from the commission have still not been delivered, Gerbrandy said.

At the end of a campaign, in which hyperbole, exaggeration and flat-out lies have masqueraded as debate, it’s still not too late for a positive case for EU membership or leaving the bloc to be made.

The two countries vows to protect their minorities and define their border

EU ambassadors still planning to roll over Russia sanctions on Tuesday morning, but France wants broader Russia debate at the EU summit.

A knitted pink elephant, wellington boots and EU speech-making "clones". EUobserver spoke to EU anti-trust chief Vestager at Denmark's yearly political jamboree - the Folkemodet.

Varoufakis and 2,000 other people gathered in Brussels to call for Assange's release. But he is unlikely to profit from the EP's upcoming report on whistleblowers.

A shopping mall in the centre of Brussels was evacuated Tuesday morning after a bomb alert. A man was arrested and Belgian media reported he was suspected of wearing an explosive belt. Prime minister Charles Michel left a radio interview to organise a crisis meeting. He said the situation was "very suspicious". Last Friday, three men were arrested and charged on suspicion of organising an "imminent" attack.

The US supreme court found on Monday that American laws on racketeering don't apply to US companies' conduct abroad. The case of RJR Nabisco Inc. was brought by the European Union and 26 member states, who accused the company of being part of a sprawling cigarette smuggling enterprise that deprived the EU of billions of euro in customs and tax revenues.

George Soros, the hedge-fund billionaire that made a fortune speculating against the British economy, warned voters of grossly underestimating the costs of leaving the EU. A 'Leave' vote would decrease the pound's value "precipitously", the banker predicted in the Guardian ,with dramatic effects on the financial markets, investment, prices and jobs. Soros also warned the EU's downfall would open the way for Russia as a global power.

EU environment ministers have agreed on a five-year plan that would define illegal wildlife trafficking as a serious crime for the first time. The initiative aims to undermine criminal industry, estimated to be worth €20 billion, by toughening existing laws, combatting organised crime and boosting cooperation between countries. It comes amidst a surge in poaching that could threatens to extinguish elephants and rhinos in the wild.