Poland plays down possible EU budget cuts
Poland on Monday (7 May) played down possible EU funding cuts over its controversial judicial reforms – in addition to sanctions it already faces – saying it sees room for negotiation over financial...
View ArticleMacron wants to treat France’s addiction to public money
In an interview given with the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and the Figaro, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to wean the French off public fund allocations, as he assessed his first year in...
View ArticleEU warms up to plastic waste ‘recycling’ as transport fuel
A proposal to use non-recyclable plastic waste in the production of transport fuels is picking momentum among EU member states and legislators in the European Parliament, despite warnings from...
View ArticleNews agencies hail ‘major step’ by EU to make net giants pay for news
News agencies welcomed Monday (7 May) what they called a "major step" by the EU parliament's legal committee asking internet giants to pay for press articles.
View ArticleEU migration dispute heats up again before June summit
European Union states are wrestling over how to reform their broken migration and asylum system, pushing for a deal at a leaders' summit in June over the highly-politicised issue that has defied...
View ArticleAfghan poverty rises sharply since NATO combat troops’ departure
Poverty has risen sharply in Afghanistan since the departure of NATO's combat troops in 2014, with more than half of the population now living below the poverty line, according to a national survey.
View ArticleNew prosecutor named as Kosovo war crimes court keeps working on first...
The court examining war crimes against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo said on Monday (7 May) it has appointed a new chief prosecutor, who will pick up the court's efforts to issue its first indictments, three...
View ArticleTrump to announce decision on Iran nuclear deal, European allies on edge
US President Donald Trump will announce today (8 May) whether he will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal or stay in and work with European allies who say it has successfully halted Iran’s nuclear...
View ArticleS&D chief tells Greek progressives to rally against New Democracy ‘chaos’
S&D President Udo Bullmann called on progressive political forces in Greece to join forces as the “only way to the country’s future” and not turn to a conservative New Democracy government, which...
View ArticleNGOs tell Commission to listen to science and differentiate biofuels
A coalition of Czech and Slovak NGOs has called on the European Commission to draw a line in the Renewable Energy Directive revision (RED II) between more sustainable ethanol and the high greenhouse...
View ArticleHalt private investment vehicle, development leaders tell EU
A group of leading development NGOs have urged the European Commission to halt plans to expand its External Investment Plan (EIP), which seeks to leverage private investment in developing countries,...
View ArticleTurkmenistan to tap into Southern Gas Corridor
Gas swaps in which Iran plays a central role could open the door for Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country with ample gas reserves, to become an important player on the EU gas market, according to...
View ArticleArmenia’s peaceful revolution yields new leader
Armenia’s parliament voted in favour of a new prime minister on Tuesday (8 May) as the romantically dubbed ‘love and solidarity revolution’ peacefully put the Caucasus republic’s opposition party in...
View ArticleThe Brief: Waiting on a friend
Barely a week after the last-minute drama of will-he-won't-he scrap the tariffs on steel, the EU is once again waiting with bated breath to see whether Donald Trump will dial up tensions in the uneasy...
View ArticleConditionality for protecting the rule of law: Will it fly?
The idea of making EU funding conditional with respect of the rule of law seems logical as legislatives changes adopted in Hungary and Poland are worrisome. But will it tackle the root of the problem?...
View ArticleMontenegro investigative reporter shot and injured
An attacker shot an investigative reporter in Montenegro Tuesday (8 May), police said, prompting calls from the European Union and the United States to protect journalists in the Balkan country.
View ArticleDo new plant breeding techniques have a future in Europe?
The European Court of Justice is expected to decide soon about the future of the so-called new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) in Europe. The term describes a number of scientific methods for the...
View ArticleNew plant breeding techniques concern law interpretation, Commission says
The future of new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) at the EU level lies in the European Court of Justice’s interpretation of existing law, Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com,...
View ArticleRebuilding the European project through apprenticeships
Revamping apprenticeship programmes could play an important part in rebuilding the European project, the President of the Paris Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Didier Kling, told...
View ArticleEuropean luminaries warn about new phase of EU ‘lethargy’
In an open letter, a number of well-known European public figures have asked EU leaders to come up with a clear plan for a "revival of the European Union", saying they feared “a new phase of lethargy”...
View Article