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ISLAMABAD: &nbsp;The European Union (EU) and Pakistan pressed Afghanistan&rsquo;s de facto authorities to take &ldquo;constructive&rdquo; steps on regional security as cross-border tensions rose in October, according to a joint communiqu&eacute; issued this week by Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office following the seventh EU&ndash;Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Brussels.&nbsp;Co-chaired by Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, the meeting reviewed progress under the 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan and reaffirmed what both sides called a &ldquo;shared commitment&rdquo; to regional peace, stability and the rules-based international order.&nbsp;Dar said Pakistan remained committed to &ldquo;resolving issues through dialogue between neighbors,&rdquo; while Kallas underscored the EU&rsquo;s emphasis on &ldquo;peaceful solutions, full respect for international law and close cooperation on security challenges.&rdquo;&nbsp;Both sides urged Afghanistan&rsquo;s de facto authorities to help &ldquo;root out terrorism from Afghan soil,&rdquo; warning that regional stability hinged on effective counterterrorism efforts.&nbsp;The communiqu&eacute; noted concern over Afghanistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;deteriorating socio-economic conditions&rdquo; and backed a &ldquo;credible political process&rdquo; aligned with the UN-led Doha framework and the Taliban&rsquo;s previous commitments to the international community.&nbsp;Acknowledging Pakistan&rsquo;s decades-long role in hosting millions of Afghans, the EU stressed that any returns must be &ldquo;safe, dignified and in line with international standards.&rdquo;&nbsp;Both sides also called on Kabul to ensure protection of human rights, &ldquo;especially for women, girls and vulnerable communities.&rdquo;&nbsp;The dialogue also covered trade, migration, climate, food and energy security, and education cooperation through Erasmus Mundus and Horizon Europe.&nbsp;Both reaffirmed strong political commitment to the Generalized Scheme of Preferences, described as a key pillar of EU&ndash;Pakistan relations, while the EU briefed Pakistan on the process toward adopting a new GSP framework.&nbsp;The delegations exchanged views on Ukraine, Jammu and Kashmir and the Middle East.&nbsp;They welcomed the agreement on the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza conflict, urging all parties to respect the ceasefire, implement subsequent phases and allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.&nbsp;According to the Foreign Office, the EU and Pakistan agreed to hold the eighth round of the Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad.

Foreign Affairs

Two sides urge Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to curb terrorism, protect rights and support regional stability, the Foreign Office says after their Brussels strategic dialogue.

EU, Pakistan push Afghanistan to curb terrorism, safeguard human rights commitments

BRUSSELS: The European Union&#39;s 27-member states struck a deal Wednesday on the bloc&#39;s next big emissions-cutting targets, after making overnight concessions to win over reluctant capitals in time for the UN&#39;s COP30 summit. EU countries have been haggling for months over two separate targets for slashing greenhouse-gas emissions: a 2040 goal intended as a milestone towards carbon-neutrality, and a related target that they must bring to the climate talks next week in Brazil. In marathon negotiations that ran most of the night, the bloc finally agreed to target a 90% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2040, compared to 1990 levels, but countries will be allowed to count international carbon credits towards up to 10% of that goal. Major polluter&nbsp;Behind only China, the United States, and India in terms of emissions, the EU has been the most committed of the major polluters to climate action and has already cut emissions by 37% compared to 1990 levels. But after blazing a trail, the EU&#39;s political landscape has shifted right, and climate concerns have taken a backseat to defense and competitiveness -- with concerns in some capitals that greening Europe&#39;s economy is harming growth. Denmark, which holds the bloc&#39;s rotating presidency, worked through the night to win over the countries most skeptical of the proposed targets -- notably Italy. Unanimous deal&nbsp;The EU needed to win the support of a weighted majority of capitals for the 2040 climate target set out by the European Commission -- which implies sweeping changes to industry and daily life at a time of growing concern over adverse impacts on Europe&#39;s economy. Ministers also needed a unanimous deal on the EU emissions target for 2035, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which Paris Agreement signatories are supposed to bring to the COP30. That objective, set at between 66.25% and 72.5%, was also agreed overnight. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Not pretty&rsquo;&nbsp;</h2>To win over the staunchest skeptics, Tuesday&#39;s talks covered a range of &quot;flexibilities&quot; for member states, including letting countries count carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe. A commission offer for credits to account for up to three percent of a nation&#39;s 2040 emission cuts failed to win over hardliners, with countries eventually securing a higher threshold of 10%. Countries including Poland and Hungary also secured backing for a one-year delay, from 2027 to 2028, to the launch of a new EU carbon market for the road transport and industrial heating sectors -- which critics fear will drive up fuel prices. And in a further big concession, EU countries agreed for the overall 2040 objective to be reassessed every two years. &lsquo;Muddy, messy, nasty real world&rsquo;Environmental groups have accused countries of undermining the bloc&#39;s climate ambitions by pushing for a series of loopholes. But an EU diplomat, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive deliberations, had defended the compromise taking form in Brussels, although it was &quot;not necessarily pretty&quot;. &quot;In the muddy, messy, nasty real world out there, we are trying to achieve something good,&quot; said the diplomat.

Europe

In marathon negotiations, the bloc finally agreed to target a 90% cut in emissions by 2040, compared to 1990 levels, but countries will be allowed to count international carbon credits towards up to 10% of that goal.

EU strikes last-ditch deal on climate targets as COP30 looms

BRUSSELS: EU countries on Monday agreed to phase out their remaining gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027, breaking a dependency the bloc has struggled to end despite Moscow&#39;s war on Ukraine. Energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg approved a plan by the European Commission to phase out both pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, subject to approval by the bloc&#39;s parliament. Lars Aagaard, energy minister of Denmark, which holds the European Union&#39;s rotating presidency, called it a &quot;crucial&quot; step to make Europe energy independent. The plan is part of a broader EU strategy to wean the bloc off Russian energy supplies. &quot;Although we have worked hard and pushed to get Russian gas and oil out of Europe in recent years, we are not there yet,&quot; Aagaard said. The commission is in parallel pushing for LNG imports to be phased out one year earlier, by January 2027, as part of a new package of sanctions aimed at sapping Moscow&#39;s war chest. But sanctions need unanimous approval from the EU&#39;s 27 nations, which has at times been hard to reach. Trade restrictions like those approved Monday instead require the backing of a weighted majority of 15 countries. All but Hungary and Slovakia, which are diplomatically closer to the Kremlin and still import Russian gas via pipeline, supported the latest move, according to diplomats. &quot;The real impact of this regulation is that our safe supply of energy in Hungary is going to be killed,&quot; Budapest&#39;s top diplomat, Peter Szijjarto, told reporters. His government says the landlocked country needs to import gas from Russia due to geographical constraints. Under the proposal approved Monday, which is expected to win the support of the European Parliament, Russian gas imports under new contracts will be banned as of January 1, 2026. Existing contracts will benefit from a transition period, with inflows under short-term contracts allowed until June 17 next year and those under long-term contracts until January 1, 2028. Although gas imports from Russia via pipeline have fallen sharply since the invasion of Ukraine, several European countries have increased their purchases of Russian (LNG) transported by sea. Russian gas still accounts for an estimated 13 percent of EU imports in 2025, worth over 15 billion euros annually, according to Brussels.

The EU approved a plan to end all new Russian gas imports by 2026, with full phase-out of existing contracts by 2027. Hungary and Slovakia opposed the move, citing energy supply concerns.

EU states to end Russian gas imports by end 2027

BRUSSELS: The European Union will Wednesday restart a civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of a US-brokered ceasefire deal, the bloc&#39;s top diplomat said Monday. &quot;The EU stands ready to do its part,&quot; EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, posted on X after Hamas released a first group of Israeli hostages as part of the agreement.&nbsp; &quot;This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire,&quot; she said. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 611px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1977624674449391943&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=79f3e8bbfb6998ee9f3d17259b8297858543e04e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>The 27-nation bloc set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the Rafah crossing, but it was suspended two years later after Hamas took control of Gaza. Neutral, third-party presence&nbsp;The EUBAM monitoring mission aims to provide a neutral, third-party presence at the key crossing and involves police from Italy, Spain and France. It was briefly redeployed in January but suspended again in March. Welcoming Monday&#39;s hostage release, Kallas highlighted US President Donald Trump&#39;s role in this &quot;crucial milestone towards peace&quot;, saying the leader &quot;made this breakthrough possible&quot;. In a separate statement, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday&#39;s Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh finalizing the agreement to end the war would be &quot;a historical milestone.&quot; Bloc fully supports peace plan&nbsp;The bloc &quot;fully supports the peace plan brokered by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye,&quot; she wrote. &quot;We stand ready to contribute to its success with all tools at our disposal,&quot; she said, including by &quot;providing support on governance and for the reform of the Palestinian Authority&quot;. The EU is represented in Sharm el-Sheikh by Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council of the bloc&#39;s member states.

Middle East

The EU will restart its Rafah border monitoring mission to support a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire. Officials praised recent hostage releases and pledged full support for the peace plan and Palestinian Authority reform.

EU to restart Gaza-Egypt border monitoring mission

BRUSSELS: The EU Friday demanded digital giants including Snapchat and YouTube explain how they are protecting children from online harm, as member states explore restricting minors&#39; access to social media at a European level. The European Union has stringent rules regulating the digital space, including what children should be able to see, but there is increasing concern that more needs doing to tackle the issue. Inspired by Australia&#39;s social media ban for under-16s, Brussels is analyzing whether such a measure could work in the 27-country bloc after several states, including France and Spain, pushed for limits on minors&#39; access to platforms. Digital Services Act&nbsp;Europe&#39;s biggest weapon for ensuring platforms tackle illegal content and keep children safe online is the Digital Services Act, which has sparked censorship claims from the US tech sector and retaliation threats from President Donald Trump. Now, as part of &quot;investigative actions&quot; under the DSA, the European Commission has sent a request for information to Snapchat about what steps it is taking to prevent access for children under 13. The commission has also asked Apple&#39;s App Store and the Google Play marketplace to provide details on measures taken to prevent children downloading illegal or harmful apps -- for example, those with gambling services or sexual content. The EU wants to know in particular how Apple and Google stop children downloading tools to create non-consensual sexualized content as well as how they apply apps&#39; age ratings. &quot;Privacy, security and safety have to be ensured, and this is not always the case, and that&#39;s why the commission is tightening the enforcement of our rules,&quot; tech chief Henna Virkkunen said before EU ministers met in Denmark. A request for information can lead to probes and even fines, but does not in itself suggest the law has been broken, nor is it a move towards punishment. Winds of change&nbsp;Regarding Snapchat, Brussels wants to know how the messaging app stops users from buying drugs and vapes, a claim echoed by Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen on Friday. It also wants YouTube to provide details on its recommender system, &quot;following reporting of harmful content being disseminated to minors&quot;, the commission said.The demands are not the first under the DSA. The EU is also probing Meta&#39;s Facebook and Instagram, as well as TikTok, over fears they are not doing enough to combat the addictive nature of their platforms for children. In a parallel push on child protection, EU telecoms ministers will Friday discuss age verification on social media and what steps they can take to make the world online safer for minors. They are expected to agree on a joint statement backing EU chief Ursula von der Leyen&#39;s plans to study a potential bloc-wide digital majority age, according to a draft document seen by AFP. Ban on social media&nbsp;Von der Leyen has voiced personal support for such a move, and said last month she would establish an experts&#39; panel &quot;to assess what steps make sense&quot; at the EU level. Denmark, in charge of the rotating six-month EU presidency, has been pushing the bloc to take more collective action through new rules. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday Denmark planned to introduce a ban on social media for children under the age of 15. France already has a law requiring parental consent for social media users under the age of 15.

Viral

The EU is pressuring tech giants such as Apple, Snapchat, and YouTube to explain how they protect children online, amid rising concerns and proposals for age restrictions and stricter enforcement under the Digital Services Act.

EU grills Apple, Snapchat, YouTube over risks to children

Reuters

BRUSSELS: The EU expects to mobilize over 400 billion euros ($464.5 billion) by 2027 in investments for Global Gateway, its program to boost investments in the Global South, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday. Global Gateway was originally designed to invest 300 billion euros, half of it in Africa, from 2021 to 2027, as an alternative to China&#39;s rival scheme. The projects are in areas such as energy, transport, education and research, along with partnerships to help the European Union secure minerals critical for its green transition and reduce reliance on China. She added that the EU today is launching a Global Gateway Investment Hub, a single-entry platform for companies to propose investments.

Business

The bloc plans to mobilize over €400 billion by 2027 through Global Gateway, investing in energy, transport, education, and minerals, aiming to reduce reliance on China and support development in the Global South.

EU aims for over €400B in Global Gateway investments: von der Leyen 

STRASBOURG: The European Union will take a page out of US President Donald Trump&#39;s tariff playbook on Tuesday with a plan to hike levies and slash quotas for imported steel -- to protect the bloc&#39;s struggling industry from cheap Chinese competition. Urged to act fast to rescue European steel from decline, the EU executive will propose doubling levies on steel imports to 50%, and almost halving the volumes allowed in before tariffs apply. &quot;The European steel industry was on the verge of collapse -- we are protecting it so that it can invest, decarbonize, and become competitive again,&quot; said the bloc&#39;s industry chief, Stephane Sejourne. &lsquo;Trump-style politics&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re not doing Trump-style politics,&quot; he told reporters ahead of presenting the plan at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. But the EU strategy mirrors the one embraced by Trump, who likewise imposed 50% tariffs to keep out cheap metals from China, producer of more than half the world&#39;s steel.&nbsp; Canada&nbsp;has taken similar steps. Subject to approval by the EU&#39;s member states and parliament, the proposal would permanently replace the current safeguard scheme, which imposes 25% duties beyond set import quotas, but ends next year. Sejourne, who will present the measures alongside the bloc&#39;s trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, said Europe&#39;s sovereignty was at stake, as the only major market still so open to steel imports. The EU&#39;s trade chief is hoping, meanwhile, to team up with Washington to tackle Chinese overcapacity and has been in talks with his US counterparts to agree on steel import quotas. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Millions of jobs at risk&nbsp;</h2>After the US-EU tariff deal agreed in July, Sefcovic said the European and American steel and aluminium sectors suffered from the same problem. Alongside the proposal being presented on Tuesday, the EU is seeking a &quot;metals alliance&quot; with the United States to ring-fence their respective economies from over-capacity. As the 27-nation EU pushes ahead with decarbonizing industry, steel is critical for renewable energy equipment, from solar panels to wind turbines, and for electric cars. &lsquo;EU needs to act now&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;The European Union needs to act now, and decisively, before all lights go out in large parts of the EU steel industry and its value chains,&quot; said industry group Eurofer&#39;s president Henrik Adam. Even before the formal announcement, one Belgian trade union welcomed the &quot;ambitious and necessary plan&quot;, while the world&#39;s second-largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, saw its shares rise by nine percent in the past week. The steel sector employs around 300,000 people in Europe, and nearly 100,000 jobs have been lost in the past 15 years, the industry says. The current crisis puts those workers at risk as well as 2.3 million indirect jobs, according to Eurofer.

The bloc plans to double steel import tariffs to 50% and cut quotas, mirroring Trump-era policies, to protect its struggling steel industry from cheap Chinese imports and prevent massive job losses across the European Union.

EU channels Trump with tariffs to shield steel sector

Reuters/AP

COPENHAGEN: European leaders meeting in Copenhagen warned that Russia is escalating a hybrid war across the continent and moved to bolster air defenses, including a proposed &ldquo;drone wall,&rdquo; while weighing a loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets. Europe &ldquo;is in the middle of a hybrid war waged by Russia,&rdquo; Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said as she hosted the summit. &ldquo;I hope that everybody recognizes now that there is a hybrid war and one day it&rsquo;s Poland, the other day it&rsquo;s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or we see drones flying,&rdquo; AP reported. &nbsp; Drone incursions prompt defense pushThe meeting followed a string of drone incidents at Danish airports and military sites. A special radar system was set up at Copenhagen airport after unidentified drones forced a closure last week. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom sent aircraft, ships, and air defenses to Denmark. At the same time, Ukraine dispatched a mission to share expertise on combating drones, according to the AP.&nbsp; Reuters reported Frederiksen calling for a European network of anti-drone measures to &ldquo;protect and, of course, also neutralize intrusion from outside.&rdquo; He went on to add, &ldquo;Europe must be able to defend itself.&rdquo; EU considers frozen assets planLeaders discussed preparing Europe to deter Russian aggression by 2030 amid concerns about the United States&rsquo; focus elsewhere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the gathering by video as leaders considered ways to sustain military and financial support.&nbsp; A European Commission proposal for a &ldquo;reparation loan&rdquo; to Ukraine, backed by frozen Russian assets, was a central topic. &ldquo;We are not confiscating the assets, but we are taking the cash balances for a loan to Ukraine,&rdquo; Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.&nbsp; Rising security concernsRecent airspace incidents sharpened urgency. Several Russian drones breached Poland&rsquo;s airspace on Sept. 10, prompting North Atlantic Treaty Organization aircraft to intercept some devices in what officials described as the first direct encounter with Moscow&rsquo;s hardware since 2022. Days later, NATO jets escorted three Russian warplanes out of Estonia&rsquo;s airspace.&nbsp; Call to rearmAP reported Frederiksen urged Europe to &ldquo;rearm,&rdquo; buy capabilities, and innovate on drones. &ldquo;When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the Second World War,&rdquo; she said.

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's President Emmanuel Macron prior to an informal summit in the Danish parliament at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

European leaders meeting in Copenhagen warned that Russia is escalating a hybrid war across the continent and moved to bolster air defenses, including a proposed “drone wall,” while weighing a loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets.

EU leaders in Denmark call for drone defense, Ukraine funding

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BRUSSELS: The European Union will set new climate targets for 2035 and 2040 ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil this November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, after the bloc missed a United Nations deadline earlier this month.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Von der Leyen announced the plan in a video message to an EU event in Brussels, stressing that the commitments&mdash;known as nationally determined contributions under UN rules&mdash;would be ready in time for the high-profile negotiations in Belem. Other major economies, including China, submitted their targets by the UN deadline.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The move highlights the EU&rsquo;s challenge of balancing ambition with internal divisions. Several member states, including France, Germany and Poland, have urged that the targets be debated at a late October summit, leaving only weeks to finalize positions before COP30. A senior Polish official acknowledged uncertainty, saying it was unclear if agreement could be reached in time.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Von der Leyen acknowledged the political challenges, saying Europe must show flexibility but remain firm on its overall trajectory. &ldquo;The world has changed. Global competition is fierce and not always fair,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We need more flexibility, more pragmatism, but by staying the course, we provide stability for workers, clarity for businesses, and certainty for investors.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She said the European Union was cutting bureaucratic hurdles for businesses, investing in power grids, and ensuring consumers would see benefits from cheaper renewable energy.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The announcement comes as economic strains, a renewed focus on defense spending, and shifting political winds&mdash;particularly in the US&mdash;have complicated climate policy worldwide. Analysts say COP30 will be a critical test of whether major economies remain committed to climate action.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Europe&rsquo;s climate strategy, long seen as a global benchmark, will now depend on whether its member states can bridge their divisions and deliver new targets before the summit in November.

FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers the State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 10, 2025.

Climate

The European Union will set new climate targets for 2035 and 2040 ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil this November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, after the bloc missed a United Nations deadline earlier this month.

New climate targets for EU by COP30 summit, Von der Leyen says

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LJUBLJANA: Slovenia on Thursday said it was banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the European Union country to underscore its defense of international law. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decision was linked to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Israeli prime minister, Foreign Ministry official Neva Grasic said, according to the official STA news agency. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The EU nation of some 2 million people, which recognized a Palestinian state last year, has been a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza and Thursday&rsquo;s move against Netanyahu was apparently designed to underscore the country&rsquo;s policies. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slovenia had already barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country and imposed an arms embargo on Israel. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;All countries that are bound by the international court, including Slovenia, must not recognize the situation resulting from Israel&rsquo;s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and must not offer any support in maintaining this situation,&rdquo; she added. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Slovenian government said on X that the decision sends &ldquo;a clear message to the state of Israel that Slovenia expects consistent respect for the decisions of international courts and international humanitarian law.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By doing so, Slovenia &ldquo;confirms its commitment to international law, universal values of human rights and a principled and consistent foreign policy,&rdquo; the government added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacts at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, in Jerusalem

Slovenia on Thursday said it was banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the European Union country to underscore its defense of international law.

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