Austria
Austria lifted its veto on the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The decision was made after a significant reduction in illegal border crossings from 70,000 to 4,000 cases.
Bundestag MP Jens Spahn offered to pay 1,000 euros each to Syrians who agree to return from Germany to Syria. He also suggests organizing a conference on the reconstruction of the country together with Austria, Turkey and Jordan.
Ukrainian athlete Andriy Mandzi won a bronze medal at the second stage of the nations luge Cup in Austria. The Ukrainian lost to German David Nossler and Slovak Josef Ninis, 0.299 seconds behind the winner.
A regional court in Vienna has refused to extradite Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash to the United States. The prosecutor's office plans to appeal the decision by December 16 in the case of bribes for titanium mining in India.
Six winners of the Radio Dictation 2024 were announced, including one participant who wrote a text without errors. A total of 12,000 entries were submitted from Ukraine and 33 countries.
Austrian Chancellor Ne Hammer, in a conversation with Trump, suggested his country as a place for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Trump showed interest in ending the war and was well aware of Austria's position.
Hungarian Foreign Minister calls US sanctions against Gazprombank an attempt on the country's sovereignty. Hungary is discussing the situation with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Serbia over the threat to energy security.
The HACCU Appeals Chamber left Tetiana Krupa in custody until December 3 with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 300 million.
Requests for golden visas from Americans increased by 400% in the week after Trump's victory. The most popular program among Americans is Portugal's Golden Residence Permit Program with a minimum investment of €250,000.
Austria will provide Ukraine with EUR 2 million for the Grain from Ukraine program, EUR 5 million for the restoration of energy infrastructure, and EUR 3 million for humanitarian aid. The decision was announced following a meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers.
The minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine called changes in the nuclear doctrine of the Russian Federation another blackmail. Sibiga urged not to succumb to intimidation and stressed the need to force the Russian Federation to peace.
Russia's Gazprom says it maintains stable gas transit through Ukraine at 42. 4 million cubic meters. Supplies to Austria increase by 6%, despite the suspension of supplies to OMV due to a contract dispute.
Russia halted gas transit to Austria via Ukraine after OMV offset €230 million in arbitration fees. Von der Leyen announces that the EU is ready for winter and that gas storage facilities are fully filled.
Gazprom has stopped gas transit through Ukraine to Austria. Minister Sybiha called this the use of energy as a weapon.
On November 16, Russian Gazprom halts gas transit through Ukraine to Austria. The Austrian authorities say they are ready for such a step and have alternative sources of gas supply.
Gas prices in Europe hit a one-year high after OMV warned of a possible supply disruption from Russia. The Austrian company received 230 million euros in arbitration against Gazprom and plans to deduct them from its accounts.
Volunteers developed 63 projects for communities free of charge.
Special rooms for children with special educational needs have been set up in schools and kindergartens in the Brovary community. The rooms are equipped with equipment for psycho-emotional relief and correctional and developmental classes.
Ukraine invited Austria to join the Coalition for Demining and to invest in the production of missile defense equipment. The parties also discussed training of the Ukrainian military.
Coca-Cola is recalling 28 million half-liter bottles of beverages in Austria due to possible contamination with metal particles. This is the largest recall of consumer goods in the country in the last 25 years.
Due to russian aggression, Ukraine has suffered large-scale environmental damage. The conference in Helsinki discussed environmental challenges and mechanisms of liability for environmental damage.
The conference in Helsinki discussed the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine. Yermak called for united efforts to overcome environmental challenges and develop mechanisms of responsibility for the damage caused.
Australia is planning to transfer 49 Abrams M1A1 tanks that are being decommissioned to Ukraine. This is part of a $245 million military aid package to be announced by the Minister of Defense Industry at a NATO meeting in Brussels.
12 EU countries have called on the European Commission to support the creation of energy associations to reduce energy prices. They presented a joint document at a meeting of EU energy ministers, emphasizing the importance of cross-border cooperation.
More than 60 foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine received anonymous bomb threats. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is stepping up security measures and cooperating with law enforcement to conduct inspections.
Members of the European Parliament approved the allocation of more than €1 billion from the EU Solidarity Fund for 5 countries affected by floods in 2023. Slovenia, Italy and Greece will receive the largest amounts.
Almost $6 million in cash was found on the person of the head of the Khmelnytsky Regional Center for Medical and Social Expertise. She was served with a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment, a sanction that provides for up to 10 years in prison.
The European Asylum Agency (EUAA) recently released data on asylum trends in the European Union for the first half of 2024.
The investigation revealed that the privet bot Telegram account was used to recruit Europeans for espionage and sabotage. European security services suspect that Russian special services are involved in these activities.
Austria is holding parliamentary elections. The right-wing radical AfD, which criticizes aid to Ukraine, and the current chancellor's AfP, which supports Kyiv, but more moderately than other EU countries, are in the running.