News about EU
The Milky Way Restaurant in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, serves only wines from vineyards located more than 165 meters above sea level. Guests dining there are at the same altitude.
The French retail real estate market is not developing uniformly. While Paris’s luxury shopping streets are benefiting from the recovery in tourism, the number of vacant retail spaces is rising in most cities.
The Competition Council has drafted a resolution to approve the Guidelines on the Concept of Economic Concentration—a document that will provide detailed guidance on the application of rules governing the control of economic concentrations.
From July 7 to 10, Geneva will host the AI for Good Global Summit 2026—the largest international forum dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence. It will bring together thousands of representatives from governments, international organizations, the business community, academia, and technology companies to discuss global AI policy, international standards, and the practical application of new technologies.
The Republic of Moldova is experiencing a period of steady decline in walnut exports to the European Union. In the first half of 2026, Moldova’s share of the European walnut market fell to 2.2%, with exports totaling just 1,700 metric tons. In 2025, Moldova’s walnut exports totaled just 3,690 metric tons, accounting for 2.5% of the EU’s total imports of this product. This is the lowest level in the past decade.
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) noted Romania’s progress in complying with international standards on combating money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. However, the country will remain under the organization’s enhanced monitoring.
Business associations in Moldova are asking that the introduction of a global minimum tax be postponed for six years following the country’s accession to the European Union. This position is outlined in a document prepared by AmCham, EBA, FIA, and ATIC.
In 60 of the world’s 197 countries, the proportion of the population living in rural areas exceeds that of the urban population. Moldova is among them; 56.4% of its residents live outside cities.
Romania became the largest recipient of the latest tranche of funding from the European Union’s Modernization Fund, receiving 636.9 million euros for investments in the energy sector out of a total of 2.5 billion euros, allocated to 11 EU member states.
“Romanian exporters can transport cherries by truck (from the Republic of Moldova, ed. LP) to Belarus and Russia, but our producers cannot transport (fruit to these countries, ed. LP) directly. That’s the paradox,” notes Sergiu Ștefanco, a member of the Moldovan Parliament from the “Democracy at Home” party, in a short video posted on Facebook.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in Washington on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, declaring that “the American Dream is back.” In his speech, he spoke about American exceptionalism and U.S. foreign policy successes, and once again criticized his political opponents.
One of Georgia’s largest industrial projects—the oil refinery in Kulevi—will completely cease processing Russian crude oil starting in August–September 2026. This was announced by Black Sea Petroleum, the company that operates the facility.
Denmark, Sweden, and Finland have opposed a European Commission initiative that proposes allowing only beverages made exclusively from apple or pear juice to be labeled as “cider,” according to the Financial Times.
The conflict between the Gagauzia authorities and Moldova’s central government has taken a new turn. The People’s Assembly of Gagauzia (PAG) is preparing a petition to the Constitutional Court demanding that certain provisions of the Electoral Code be declared unconstitutional, and on July 7, the Constitutional Court is scheduled to consider a petition from the Ministry of Justice regarding a number of the autonomy’s powers.
Many European Union countries, starting with Germany, believe that increasing defense spending will automatically create the necessary conditions for ensuring Europe’s security.
Slovak citizens will be asked to vote on two issues. The first concerns the abolition of lifetime payments to former prime ministers and other high-ranking officials; the second concerns the reinstatement of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which was dissolved several years ago.
In 2025, Latvia’s trade with Russia accounted for 2.6% of the country’s total foreign trade. The Ministry of Economy reported this while commenting on Russia’s decision to temporarily close a number of railway border crossings on the borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, effective July 1.
According to the mayor’s office press service, the Chisinau authorities have announced the launch of the “Austrian School in Moldova” project. This will be the second Austrian school in the capital.
The Danish shipyard Fayard remains the last facility in the European Union that continues to service specialized Arc7 ice-class gas carriers used to transport Russian liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG project.
The EU agreed to open the sixth negotiation cluster, “External Relations,” with Moldova and Ukraine on July 14. All 27 EU member states supported this decision.
