This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission issued positive preliminary assessments of the Netherlands’ payment request for €1.18 billion and Denmark’s payment request for €128 million under NextGenerationEU, the centrepiece of Europe’s recovery efforts to build a greener, more digital and competitive Union. The Commission preliminarily concluded that the Netherlands […]€1.18 billion and €128 million payments to the Netherlands and Denmark move forward under NextGenerationEU with Commission’s positive preliminary assessments
February 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission issued positive preliminary assessments of the Netherlands’ payment request for €1.18 billion and Denmark’s payment request for €128 million under NextGenerationEU, the centrepiece of Europe’s recovery efforts to build a greener, more digital and competitive Union. The Commission preliminarily concluded that the Netherlands […]Belarus: Violations remain ‘widespread and systematic’, says independent expert group
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A new report from UN Human Rights Council-mandated experts monitoring Belarus on Friday said that authorities have been committing widespread human rights violations, some amounting to crimes against humanity, as part of a systematic campaign to silence political opposition. The Group of Independent Experts on the Human […]France: BNP Paribas signs an agreement with the EIB to generate up to €8 billion in wind energy investments
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. BNP Paribas has signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) that will stimulate up to €8 billion of funding for wind energy projects across the European Union. This initiative will unlock key investments to support new wind farm projects, supply chain efficiency and improved […]Medical education: where do we go now?
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Khalil Bilani, a 4th-year medical student at Saint George’s University of Beirut. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view […]Scaling up or losing steam? Parliamentarians debate the future of the SDGs
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the clock ticks toward 2030, parliamentarians gathered at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday to assess the state of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and the verdict was anything but unanimous. Amid deepening global debt, taxation disputes and a widening gap between ambition and […]EBRD and Citi Ukraine sign revolving credit facility to support Ukrainian clients
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Citi Ukraine have signed a US$ 100 million revolving credit facility in Ukrainian hryvnia to increase the availability of the national currency to local businesses affected by the war. This follows a similar facility agreed a year […]Sudan, ‘the most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis in the world’
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Sudan’s ruinous civil war is approaching its third year, leaving a legacy of malnutrition, massive population displacement and chronic insecurity. As the UN system prepares to launch a call for record funding of $4.2 billion to support aid operations in the country, here are some of the […]Strike on Chernobyl: ‘No room for complacency’ says atomic energy watchdog
February 17, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Ukrainian authorities said on Friday a Russian drone strike with a high explosive warhead struck the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant overnight, damaging a protective shield which was built following the 1986 disaster in order to prevent further radiation leaks. Russia has denied any responsibility for the […]European Commission issues €11 billion in its 2nd syndicated transaction of 2025
February 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The European Commission has yesterday raised €11 billion of EU-Bonds in its 2nd syndicated transaction for 2025, of which €5 billion in the form of NextGenerationEU Green Bonds. The dual-tranche transaction concerned a €6 billion tap of the EU-Bond maturing on 4 December 2031, […]Humanitarians uphold commitment to support civilians in eastern DR Congo
February 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Despite significant challenges, humanitarians “plan to stay and deliver” in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 Movement and national forces continues, a senior UN aid official said on Tuesday. Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for the […]Statement by the European Commission on potential imposition of US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium
February 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. At this stage, we have not received any official notification regarding the imposition of additional tariffs on EU goods. We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports. […]Gaza: Return to war must be avoided at all costs, insists UN chief
February 12, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A return to war in Gaza must be avoided at all costs, UN Secretary-General António Guterres insisted on Tuesday, amid fears that the three-week-old ceasefire agreement between Hamas fighters and Israel is about to end. “We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza […]DR Congo crisis: Thousands flee clashes in South Kivu
February 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Continued clashes in South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are triggering mass displacement and causing civilian casualties, UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said on Friday. Escalating fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese troops has caused thousands of people to flee, with many […]Palestinians’ rights matter, says UNRWA chief
February 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA underscored its commitment to assist a population whose rights “continue to be violated”. In a social media post on Friday, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that “people in Gaza have undergone systematic dehumanization” since the war there began. He emphasized […]After years of conflict, Timor-Leste turns peacemaker
February 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. During the turbulent early years of Timor-Leste’s independence, the UN was a constant presence, helping to maintain peace and stability. Twenty-four years on, the country has made the successful transition from a host nation for UN peacekeeping operations, to one that contributes to supporting missions elsewhere. Timor-Leste’s […]Baltic States join the European continental electricity grid after fully disconnecting from Russian and Belarussian networks
February 10, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. As of today, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are fully independent from Russia’s and Belarus’s electricity systems. They successfully integrated into the EU internal energy market by joining the European continental network via Poland. This allows the Baltic States to operate their own energy systems […]Czech Republic to step up railway improvements with EIB loan of €466 million
February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending the Czech Republic €466 million (11.75 billion Czech korunas) to upgrade key railway lines across the country, highlighting a push for safer, faster and cleaner transport. The EIB loan will cover technological and design improvements on Czech rail routes […]Italy: EIB provides €30 million to improve water service efficiency and resilience in Pescara
February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced a €30 million loan to Azienda Comprensoriale Acquedottistica S.p.A (ACA), the utility company providing integrated water services to around 450 000 people in the Italian provinces of Pescara, Chieti and Teramo. The first €20 million tranche was signed by the Head of the […]EBRD backs Ulusoy Un’s green transition in Türkiye
February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing an €80 million loan to Türkiye’s Ulusoy Un to finance the company’s long-term renewable energy capex and energy efficient capacity expansion. The EBRD loan includes US$ 9.5 million (€9 million) from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) […]Gaza: UN health agency urges rapid scale-up of medevacs as thousands remain in critical condition
February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 12,000 critically ill and injured patients, including at least 5,000 children, urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza, amid the crumbling health system, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s top official in the region said on Thursday. Speaking from Gaza, WHO Representative Rik Peeperkorn described […]It’s official: January was the warmest on record
February 7, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The world has just experienced the hottest January ever recorded, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday, citing data crunched by UN partner the Copernicus Climate Service. Last month was 1.75 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level and 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average, despite expectations that […]Accrual Accounting and Transition Economy Countries
February 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with IMF. Accounting reform is a ‘hot topic’ and pressure exists from international organisations like the World Bank and IMF and consultants, for countries to adopt the international accrual standards of public sector accounting (IPSASs). Countries are attracted by the broad promises of accrual accounting, including increased transparency, better decision […]UNRWA delivers bulk of aid in Gaza, as destruction mounts in West Bank
February 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 30,000 residents from Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have fled their homes after large swathes of it were destroyed in a series of controlled detonations by the Israeli security forces (ISF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday. UNRWA’s communications […]US funding pause leaves millions ‘in jeopardy’, insist UN humanitarians
February 5, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN agencies on Tuesday offered a dire assessment of the global impact of deep cuts to grassroots humanitarian funding by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader. The development follows the pause announced to billions of […]Relief chief in Israel and Palestine: ‘We must be practical, innovative and persistent’
February 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The top UN aid official arrived in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Monday for a week-long visit, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has reported. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher is in the region as a fragile ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and […]World News in Brief: WHO chief asks US to reconsider withdrawal, gender parity remains distant goal, call for rethink on Nordic alcohol law change
February 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday he would “welcome constructive dialogue” with the United States Government over the decision made by President Donald Trump to withdraw. President Trump’s executive order of 20 January is regrettable “and we hope the US will reconsider,” […]Spain: EIB finances GreenLight Biosciences with €35 million to invest in research and production of RNA based biological pesticides
February 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a loan of up to €35 million with GreenLight Biosciences España to support research and production of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi)-based biocontrols. RNAi based biocontrols constitute a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical pesticides, with benefits to biodiversity through low or […]Haiti: ‘I was deported to a country I never lived in’
February 4, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Migrants who have been deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti – the two Caribbean nations that share the island of Hispaniola – have been talking to the UN about the challenges of returning to a crisis-ridden country they barely know. Mireille Pregnant and exhausted and clutching […]Sudan: UN rights chief ‘alarmed’ by summary executions, attacks on civilians
February 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has voiced deep alarm over reports of summary executions of civilians allegedly carried out by fighters and militias allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the city of Khartoum North, calling for an immediate halt to the […]Poland: EIB contributes €400 million to building the EU’s largest offshore wind farm
February 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an agreement to support Poland’s largest utility Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) with a €400 mln loan towards the design and construction of Baltica 2, the European Union’s largest offshore wind farm to date. Baltica 2 will feature innovative technology for […]EBRD and EU support for flood recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina
February 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with EBRD. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are supporting small businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina to bounce back after the 2024 floods by providing them much-needed funding for repairs and new investments. Recognising the difficult situation that local businesses face after […]EIB Group achieves record results in 2024, targets €95 billion in investments for 2025
February 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group signed €89 billion in new financing last year. The Group made more investments than ever before to strengthen EU energy security, mobilising over €100 billion for projects in new and upgraded infrastructure such as grids and interconnectors, renewables, net-zero industries, efficiency and […]UN agencies warn of worsening humanitarian and human rights crisis in eastern DR Congo
February 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. United Nations agencies on Friday called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between Government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group expands. The rebels have already seized the provincial capital, Goma, and reports indicate that they […]
