Deal announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen follows more than a year of tense negotiations over the "Northern Ireland Protocol".
The bloc, however, allowed Croatia to join the borderless zone as it sped up efforts to integrate the Western Balkans in view of changing geopolitical realities following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
In anticipation of the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Europe, the European Union is holding a one-day summit in Tirana, Albania, with leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
EU lashes out at Washington DC's new green subsidies law asserting that it discriminates against the bloc, raising concerns that the law could trigger fragmentations in the West.
EU countries disagree on proposals to impose a cap on the price of gas to contain the energy crisis.
Points of discussion include a price cap on Russian gas, a windfall levy on non-gas power plants, and a bloc-wide cut in electricity demand.
Azerbaijan currently delivers around 8 billion cubic metres of gas per year to the EU, and is expected to expand its capacity to 20 billion cubic metres by 2027.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledges to support French proposal for North Macedonia to join the EU as well as eliminate Bulgaria’s objections.
The latest initiative by G7 member states could face trouble getting off the ground if climate financing commitments are anything to go by.
The move could open up a years-long path toward Ukraine joining the bloc which requires unanimous approval from all existing EU member nations.
Noting the urgency of giving Ukraine and other EU hopefuls like Moldova and Georgia a place in the heart of Europe, the French president called for the creation of a "European political community".
The new pact, which still needs to be finalised, will almost certainly face intense legal scrutiny that began after revelations by Edward Snowden of mass digital spying by US agencies.
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