Poll of 6,752 people of African descent in 13 countries finds almost half have experienced discrimination Racism is “pervasive and relentless” and on the rise in Europe, with nearly half of black people in member states surveyed by the EU reporting discrimination, from the verbal abuse of their children to being blocked by landlords from renting homes. In every walk of life, from schools to the job market, housing and health, a survey by the EU’s rights agency of people of African descent found high levels of discrimination, with some of the worst results recorded in Austria and Germany, where ..read more

Earlier announcement by Olivér Várhelyi had prompted surprise from member states including Ireland and Spain Israel and Hamas at war – live updates The EU has been plunged into a diplomatic row after an announcement that it was to suspend “all payments” to Palestinians as a result of Hamas’s attacks on Israel led to clashes with several member states including Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands. After six hours scrambling for an explanation, the European Commission appeared to backpedal on an announcement made by the commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, saying: “T ..read more

Coalition talks to begin on Monday after full results show previous Liberal-led coalition no longer has majority The coalition government of Luxembourg’s Liberal prime minister Xavier Bettel has lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s general election, which also saw the Greens routed. That leaves the way open for the biggest single party, the conservative Christian Social People’s party (CSV). The CSV came out on top, as it did at the last elections in 2018, with 29% of the vote, up 0.9 percentage points, according to the full results published on Sunday evening ..read more

In 2020, in a bid to cut carbon emissions, Luxembourg made all its public transport free. But what is it like to use? And why are there still so many traffic jams? I took a trip to find out ... It’s not quite John o’Groats to Land’s End, let alone Florida to Alaska, but undertaking an end-to-end expedition across Luxembourg has its advantages. The first is that you can do it in a morning: it’s about three hours by public transport. The second is the journey won’t cost you a cent. That’s right – total cost for two buses and two trains, travelling about 60 miles: zero euros. Since March 2020, al ..read more

Luxembourg calls proposal by Sweden ‘astonishing’ as energy ministers gather to discuss overhaul A group of EU countries are fighting attempts by Poland to extend subsidies for coal plants, with Luxembourg’s energy minister describing the proposal as “astonishing”. Luxembourg’s energy minister, Claude Turmes, said he could not believe the proposal, which was made on Friday, days before a planned summit of energy ministers from across the bloc, was even on the table given the EU’s commitment to combating the climate emergency ..read more

Nine countries sign declaration to turn North Sea into ‘Europe’s biggest green power plant’ Nine European countries have pledged to multiply the capacity of offshore wind farms in the North Sea by eight times current levels before 2050, turning it into what Belgium’s energy minister called “Europe’s biggest green power plant”. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the plan with the prime ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Luxembourg ..read more

Festive filmBountiful bread sauceTop albumLine of DutyLuxembourg transport May I suggest that during this festive season, Suella Braverman and the cabinet watch the film Paddington. The Brown family exemplifies many of us who welcome refugees into our homes and lives, and recognise the enormous mutual benefits of sharing our lives with those from different cultures. Penelope AlfordLondon • As the recently (self-)appointed chair of the Bread Sauce Preservation Society (Letters, 8 December), I can proudly announce that this year, due to the parlous state of the country, double quantities have be ..read more

Cheap fares alone are not enough. Dutch-style investment, together with price cuts, could be the real game changer After two years of Covid-driven decline in public transport use and increasing automobile traffic globally, what can governments do to entice people out of their cars? In Germany, the response to the effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living and climate crises has been bold and decisive. The federal government introduced a €9 (£7.60) monthly public transport pass, available to everyone and across the network for the months of June, July and August. As soon as the offer was an ..read more

Hungarian leader was criticised by Xavier Bettel in 2021 for introducing homophobic law The dozens of invitees were carefully seated along the lengthy table, flanked by columns fashioned out of Bagnères marble and surrounded by paintings from Spain’s Francisco de Goya. As photos of the Nato dinner at Spain’s royal palace filtered out, many were swift to spot what one Spanish news site described as the image of the summit: the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, seated next to Gauthier Destenay, the first same-sex spouse of a leader of an EU member state ..read more

Former Formula One team boss Gérard Lopez, who gave £400,000 to Conservatives, has been charged after investigation A Tory donor who has been described as a friend of Vladimir Putin, and who donated £400,000 to the party before the Brexit referendum, is facing charges of forgery in Luxembourg. Gérard Lopez, 50, who chaired the Lotus Formula One team in the UK, donated to the Tories in April 2016, two months before the referendum. He has denied the charges ..read more