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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for a defence of democracy in the European Union ahead of the EU parliamentary elections in June. "Within our European Union, fundamental democratic values, indeed the European project, are being called into question by irresponsible populists," Steinmeier said on Tuesday in Prague at a conference on the accession of the Czech Republic and nine other states to the EU 20 years ago. "Let us realize what is at stake, especially now," he said. Once

Katarina Mathernova, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, believes that Ukraine is ready to start negotiations on joining the European Union and hopes these will begin by the end of June. Source: European Pravda, citing Mathernova in an interview with Ukrainian Radio The ambassador emphasised that the EU sent a political signal regarding the start of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova as early as December last year.

With an energy crisis and record high inflation in the EU's rearview mirror, Brussels believes the time has come for the bloc to focus on ensuring sound public finances.The indebted countries -- for example, Italy whose debt is 140 percent of GDP -- believed the pact was a straitjacket that penalised public investment. 

The European Union on Friday pledged a 270-million-euro ($290-million) financial package for Armenia, seeking along with Washington to boost ties with Yerevan as its relations with Russia crumble. Von der Leyen said the four-year "resilience and growth" package of financial grants for Armenia showed the EU stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Yerevan. 

The EU is confronted with 821 very dangerous criminal gangs, whose bosses issue orders from as far as Dubai or South America, Europol said Friday in a comprehensive report.Crime bosses were most often located in the country where their gangs operated, "but in six percent of cases the leaders are outside the EU," De Bolle said, with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Morocco and South America cited as favoured places.