Zelenskyy says EU unblocking of €90bn loan for Ukraine is 'the right signal' as Hungary drops opposition – Europe live

 16:25

Meanwhile, the Hungarian government has confirmed to Hungarian media outlet Telex that it “has agreed to the adoption … by written procedure,” which seems to imply there will no be last minute surprises and the process should be a mere formality then.

Technically, the outgoing prime minister Viktor Orbán said earlier this week that “once oil deliveries are restored, we will no longer stand in the way of approving the loan,” and they appeared to be (in the process of being) restored this afternoon, so…

16:22Jakub Krupa

… and so on that note, it’s a wrap for today!

The European Union is in the process of formally approving a €90bn loan for Ukraine after the restart of the Druzhba pipeline and reports that Hungary has dropped its longstanding veto (15:16), finally clearing the way for the funds to be disbursed (13:14, 15:45).

The formal written procedure for voting on the loan is due to be completed by Thursday afternoon, just as EU leaders are expected to meet in Cyprus (13:28).

The process should be a mere formality at this stage (17:21).

The Hungarian oil giant MOL reported earlier that its Ukrainian counterpart started receiving crude oil form Belarus around midday, with first deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia expected tomorrow (10:03, 10:40, 12:27).

Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico warned Ukraine against any attempts to disrupt the flow of Russian oil once the money is approved (12:02).

Meanwhile,

Russia has confirmed plans to suspend the shipment of Kazakh oil to Germany from 1 May, citing “technical reasons” (14:38, 15:09,

The EU will cut electricity taxes and provide consumers with fresh incentives to ditch fuel-burning cars and boilers, the European Commission has announced, as the energy crisis from the Iran war speeds a shift to a clean economy.

Related: EU plans to cut electricity taxes to shield households from Iran war energy crisis

British holidaymakers face new rules when taking their pet into the EU involving paperwork costing up to £200 (16:15).

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EU plans to cut electricity taxes to shield households from Iran war energy crisis

15:45Ajit Niranjan

European environment correspondent

The EU will cut electricity taxes and provide consumers with fresh incentives to ditch fuel-burning cars and boilers, the European Commission has announced, as the energy crisis from the Iran war speeds a shift to a clean economy.

The plan, which foresees tweaking rules so that electricity is taxed less than oil and gas, aims to bring down bills while encouraging the move away from polluting devices that prolong reliance on foreign fuels.

The commission said it would adopt temporary state aid rules to allow member countries to directly shield consumers and businesses from high energy prices, but it warned that any support must be “targeted, timely and temporary”.

It stopped short of measures introduced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such as a windfall tax on oil and gas companies, which five EU finance ministers had called for earlier this month. The commission also ruled out a cap on gas prices, which energy experts had warned would be counterproductive.

“By investing in clean energy and electrification, we unlock more money for our economy,” said Dan Jørgensen, the energy and housing commissioner. “In the future, instead of buying something and burning it to get energy and buying it again, we need to produce our own homegrown clean energy.”