A new EU-funded project was launched yesterday with the aim of supporting regional dialogue and integration between civil society actors from Iraq and its neighbours.

In attempt to further bring North Macedonia and Albania to the EU, majority of EU governments led by Italy urged last Tuesday deliver on a promise to open membership talks with both countries, news wires reported. Meeting in Luxembourg almost a year to the day since they unexpectedly postponed a decision to open talks with the two countries, Europe ministers tried to change their position.

Greece and Cyprus will push their EU partners to penalise Turkey, including the possible option of sanctions, if Ankara is verified to have started drilling for gas west of Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday. The discovery of lucrative energy reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has drawn into sharper focus long-standing tensions between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot government.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pledged on Tuesday to clear up Switzerland's concerns about a draft treaty to govern ties so that Bern can endorse it by 18 June and allow the Swiss stock exchange to maintain access to the bloc's markets, news wires reported. In a letter to the Swiss president, Juncker said he was ready to clarify any doubts but that the November 2018 draft treaty "will not be renegotiated."

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has arrived in Tehran to hold talks with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhanion today, as part of a concerted European effort to preserve Iran’s nuclear pact with world powers and defuse rising US-Iranian tensions. His trip was thus coordinated with France and Britain, and also discussed with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The European Union on Tuesday urged China to lift the veil of silence it has dropped over the Tiananmen Square crackdown and to acknowledge those killed or imprisoned in the bloody events of 1989, news wires reported. On the 30th anniversary of the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests in Beijing, the EU called for the release of human rights activists detained by the Chinese authorities.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, in cooperation with the Albanian authorities, launched the first ever joint operation on the territory of a neighbouring non-EU country, EU press service reported. As of 22 May, teams from the agency will be deployed together with Albanian border guards at the Greek-Albanian border to strengthen border management and enhance security at the EU's external borders.

Talking at the joint meeting between European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and EP Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (DLAT), EU High Representative Federica Mogherini acknowledged once again the agreement reached between North Macedonia and Greece, announcing that, as already promised, North Macedonia and Albania's opening EU accession negotiations will start in June.

EU support to refugees and host communities in Turkey remains tangible and vital, according to the third annual report on the implementation of the EU Facility. The results include: monthly transfer to 1.5 million refugees for their basic needs, five million primary health care consultations, access to school for 470,000 children.

With more than €74.4bn, the EU and its Member States continued to be the world's leading provider of official development assistance in 2018, according the latest report on preliminary figures of OECD's Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). European development assistance represents almost 57% of the total global assistance by all OECD-DAC donors.