Euobserver.com

Russian firm Gazprom said Saturday that it was fulfilling European contracts after a German pipeline operator, Gascade, reported that flows via the Yamal-Europe pipeline from Russia through Poland had stopped, Reuters reports. Gazprom also signed a new five-year deal on supplies to Moldova, ending a potential energy crisis in the EU-aspirant state, amid earlier reports Russia had made political demands from Chișinău to water-down EU relations in return for fuel.

The European Parliament on Friday launched a lawsuit against the European Commission at the bloc's top court for failing to use a 'rule-of-law conditionality mechanism' on withholding EU funds for backsliders such as Hungary and Poland. "The Parliament's legal service today submitted the lawsuit against the European Commission for its failure to apply the Conditionality Regulation to the Court of Justice," the parliament said in a statement.

The US and EU agreed to end a trade dispute on steel and aluminium tariffs at a G20 summit in Rome Sunday, while taking aim at China. "The US and the European Union have reached a major breakthrough that will ... [protect] American jobs and American industry," US president Joe Biden said. They would also "work to restrict access to their markets for dirty [Chinese] steel", the White House said.

A cargo ship with some 382 Afghan refugees arrived in Greece on Sunday following a four-day standoff with Turkey. The Afghans are now on an Aegean island to seek asylum after having set sail from Turkey. It is the largest single number of arrivals in Greece in years. "We have notified the EU that Turkey has refused to take their vessel back," said Greece's migration minister Notis Mitarachi.

A report to the UN obtained by the Guardian newspaper warns Bosnia is at risk of breaking apart and possibly even conflict. The report references comments made by the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt, who warned Bosnia was facing "the greatest existential threat of the postwar period". He also noted that there was a "very real" prospect of a return to conflict.

Six Belarusian officials responsible for shuffling refugees to Poland and Lithuania should be tried in Germany for crimes against humanity, the Geneva-based World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) and the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights said Monday. "There is clear evidence that torture was used [by Belarus authorities] intentionally and that it was widespread and systematic," OMCT secretary general Gerald Staberock said in the groups' statement.

North Macedonia's prime minister Zoran Zaev, who had steered Skopje toward EU and Nato accession, stepped down Sunday after his Social Democrats party lost in local elections including in Skopje. "I take responsibility for these developments. I resign from the post of prime minister and party president," he said. His defeat "was partly ... due to failure of EU to deliver" on enlargement promises Florian Bieber from Graz University said.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, came to office with a commitment to "pave the way for the development of a multiparty system" - but there is little sign of progress two years later.

In the meantime, the dispute between Warsaw and the EU insitutions is escalating, with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week offering a way out of the conundrum.

The Czech Republic and Poland have blunted EU calls for climate action at the 'COP26' summit in Scotland.

Europol, the EU's police agency, has cited a number delays and "major risks" when it comes to hooking up to Etias - an upcoming entry-exit system aimed to automate the screening of travellers to the EU.

The European Commission has adopted new cybersecurity rules for wireless devices like smartphones and tablets, but also toys, fitness watches and baby monitors.

France and the UK have issued rival ultimatums in a dispute on fishing rights as talks continue to avoid a trade war.

In total 50 financial centres around the world were targeted on Friday to usher in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, also known as COP26, with Greta Thunberg in the City of London.

The UK has voiced anger over France's seizure of a fishing vessel with the wrong paperwork in a row on post-Brexit licences. France's ambassador to Britain was also ordered to explain "disproportionate threats made against the UK and Channel Islands" by British foreign minister Liz Truss after France threatened new customs checks and island-electricity cuts. "It's not war, but it is a fight," French seas minister Annick Girardin said.

Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilița has declined to confirm reports of Gazprom blackmail, but thanked her EU "friends" for their support in dealing with Russia.

MEPs are going to Taiwan next week despite Chinese threats of new sanctions over EU contacts with Taipei.

A group of 12 EU countries on Thursday called on Israel to reverse its plants to build 3,000 new settler homes in the West Bank, Reuters reported. "We call on both parties to build on steps taken in recent months to improve cooperation and reduce tensions," says the joint statement signed by the foreign ministries of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

French president Emmanuel Macron told Australian PM Scott Morrison that the scrapping of a multibillion-dollar submarine contract "broke the relationship of trust" and said Canberra should propose "tangible actions" to heal the diplomatic rift, The Guardian writes. In mid-September, Australia announced that, instead of French submarines, it would work with the US and the UK to acquire at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines in a partnership to be known as Aukus.

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that the reform of the Polish disciplinary system for judges is a "conditio sine qua non" to receive the recovery funds. "We want to put into that recovery and resilience plan a clear commitment to dismantle the disciplinary chamber, to end or reform the disciplinary regime and to start a process to reinstall the judges," she said.