The Venezuelan people themselves must decide their country's future through free and fair elections — democracy cannot be delivered on the tip of a bayonet, writes MEP Hilde Vautmans of Renew Europe.

The EU’s trade agreement with Mercosur, a bloc of six South American countries, was finally given the green light following a vote by ambassadors in Brussels on Friday — despite continued opposition from France. 

Housing costs across the EU kept climbing in late 2025, new Eurostat figures show, with prices up 63 percent over the past decade, and rents 21 percent higher.

Across Europe, mayors and local councillors are facing a disturbing rise in harassment, threats, disinformation, and even physical violence. These aren’t isolated incidents — they are a growing pattern. And they’re not 'just politics'. They are deliberate attempts to silence, intimidate, and push people out of public life, warns the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.

A French banker inside Euroclear, who flew to Russia 155 times for "private" reasons, allegedly tried to connect the company's CEO, Valérie Urbain, with Russian spies and threatened her when she declined, according to an investigation by EUobserver, Humo, De Morgen, and Dossier Center.

Today, we kick off an anniversary campaign to convince new supporting members to join EUobserver's mission of providing the information citizens need to safeguard EU democracy.