How do sanctions really work, and who do they hurt most?
Sanctions are one of the most powerful foreign policy tools that countries use to influence international behaviour, short of going to war. But how do...
Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.
Romania and Bulgaria may become full members of Europe's borderless Schengen travel zone in January 2025, Hungary said on Friday, adding a final decision would be made at next month's meeting of EU interior ministers.
Romania and Bulgaria, both European Union and NATO members, partly joined Schengen in March, after an agreement with Austria which initially opposed their joining on the grounds they needed to do more to prevent illegal immigration.
While air and maritime border checks between them and the other 27 countries in the travel zone were lifted, negotiations with Austria over land entry have continued through 2024.
"The two countries have made significant steps to gain full membership," Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter told a news conference after talks with his Romanian, Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts.
"We are...one step closer to Bulgaria and Romania becoming full members of Schengen."
Pinter said a package of security measures would be presented at a meeting of EU interior ministers on Dec. 11, including arrangements for at least 100 border guards to protect the border between Turkey and Bulgaria.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday that the two countries would join the Schengen area next year but described the Budapest meeting, where the four interior ministers would agree the final document, as "crucial".
Ciolacu said the Dutch parliament - which has opposed Bulgaria's joining - would also need to approve the document.
Romania and Bulgaria are on major routes for the illegal trade in arms and drugs as well as human trafficking, but the European Commission said after a thorough investigation they met all Schengen requirements.
Romania has described Austrian opposition as unjustified, citing data from border agency Frontex showing illegal migrants have mainly entered the EU from the Western Balkans, not Romania.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Sanctions are one of the most powerful foreign policy tools that countries use to influence international behaviour, short of going to war. But how do they actually work? Who imposes them? And who ends up paying the price? Let’s break it down.
Türkiye and Britain signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to allow Ankara to become a user of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, marking a step toward finalising a long-discussed deal for the aircraft, while Germany approved the delivery of 40 jets.
China has begun building a $170 billion hydropower complex on the Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet, a project meant to outsize the Three Gorges Dam but one that downstream India and Bangladesh fear could throttle the Brahmaputra river that sustains tens of millions.
Flooding has struck Thailand’s northern Nan province on Wednesday after torrential rains triggered by Tropical Storm Wipha inundated streets and disrupted transportation.
At least seven people have died on Wednesday after relentless rains have flooded parts of the Philippines, affecting more than 1.4 million people, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, with Manila declaring a state of calamity.
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