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European Union Tag

President Donald Trump criticized Europe's open border policy, saying that mass immigration was permanently changing the continent for the worse. The UK is "losing" its culture as a result, he added. "I think it changed the fabric of Europe and, unless you act very quickly, it’s never going to be what it was and I don’t mean that in a positive way." Trump said in an interview with the British newspaper The Sun. The comments came on the first day of his visit to the UK.

The left and Resistance lost their minds when President Donald Trump had the nerve to say that because of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline "Germany is captive of Russia ". Former Secretary of State John Kerry lashed out at Trump for his "disgraceful" comments. Weird...only two years ago, Kerry expressed concern over this exact same pipeline as he sat with high-level European Union officials! Former Vice President Joe Biden made similar remarks around the same time.

Thousands of Turks took to the streets in Germany to celebrate Turkish President Recep Erdogan's election victory. Erdogan supporters waved Turkish flags, chanted the Islamic battle cry 'Allahu Akbar' and hailed the Turkish leader as their 'Führer,' German newspapers report. On Sunday, Erdogan declared victory in the presidential election, extending his 15-year reign in the Muslim-majority NATO member country.

Just three months into her fourth term, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel faces the biggest crisis of her career. Her Catholic conservative Bavarian ally, the CSU, has threatened to abandon the coalition government over immigration policy. Germany's Interior Minister and long-time CSU leader, Horst Seehofer, wants to push for tougher immigration laws, which will include refusing entry to illegal immigrants at the border. According to German newspaper reports, if the country's Interior Minister goes ahead with the new restrictions without Merkel's consent, she will be forced to fire him, putting an end to her freshly-baked coalition government. Her political future hangs in the balance, as CSU leaders meet on Monday to decide the future course of action.

The recently concluded summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un provoked sharp responses from the mainstream media in Germany and France. The official European Union's response to the historic meeting was muted, with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, an avid Twitter user, refraining to comment on the meeting. The sharpest reaction came from Germany, where the country's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas took the opportunity to undermine the US President.

Italy’s new government has declared victory in a standoff over a German-owned rescue boat that brought hundreds of migrants to its shores. Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini refused MS Aquarius, which carried 629 migrants on board, to dock over the weekend. Spain’s newly elected Socialist government accepted the boat, which ended the impasse. "Saving lives at sea is a duty, but transforming Italy into an enormous refugee camp is not," Minister Salvini wrote on Facebook. "Italy is done bowing its head and obeying. This time there's someone saying no."

The European Union has called on the U.S. not to punish European firms that trade with Iran, German daily Die Welt reported Thursday. In a letter to the U.S. officials, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini "appealed to the U.S. not to undertake any action" against European companies likely hit by U.S. sanctions following President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last month. The letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was also signed by foreign and finance ministers from Germany, France, and Britain, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle disclosed. According to media reports, President Trump is considering imposing secondary sanctions against foreign companies which continue doing business with Iran.

Islamist groups have adopted new strategies to gain influence in Germany, a report by the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Württemberg disclosed. Instead of taking on the powerful government establishment or law enforcement head on, they have adopted a 'legalistic strategy' to achieve their political objectives.

President Donald Trump's move to impose tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Europe has triggered sharp response from the EU, Germany and France. President Trump's decision to apply the duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum was in response to long-standing European customs duties on U.S. imports.

President Donald Trump's administration failed to reach a deal with Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, which led the president to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Trump gave these three an extension when he brought up tariffs last month, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the administration will not renew the tariffs. Imported steel will receive a 25% tariff while aluminum will have a 10% tariff.

Israel called on the European Union (EU) to stop funding organizations supporting terrorism against Israeli civilians and the boycott campaign against the state of Israel. A study published by Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs singled out more than a dozen European and Palestinian non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, that have received millions of euros from the EU despite their links to internationally designated terrorist groups and the anti-Israel boycott movement. A copy of the study was handed to the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, British newspaper Daily Mail confirmed.

The European Union is considering laws to protect European companies trading with Iran in the wake of new U.S. sanctions. The EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced plans to enact a set of laws that "seek to prevent European companies from complying with any sanctions the US may reintroduce against Iran," Germany's state-run broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported on Friday.

The European Union's deal with Turkey is failing to stop migrants from crossing into Europe, German media reports suggest. "The number of refugees coming into Europe through Turkey has risen sharply," writes the German weekly Der Spiegel citing EU officials. In the early months of 2018 over 15,000 migrant crossed over from Turkey into Greece--a "nine-fold increase compared to last year's figures," Austrian newspaper Heute reported.

Following President Donald Trump's decision to no longer abide by the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, has urged the German businesses to stop trading with the Islamic Republic of Iran. "US sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy. German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately," Grenell tweeted on Tuesday.