Tuesday
21st Sep 2021
Phil Hogan, the former European commissioner for trade, was this month hired by US-law firm DLA Piper, where he will work out of the Brussels office. Critics say the hire poses questions on weak EU ethics oversight rules on lobbying.
There were a total of 1,056 fraudulent irregularities in 2020, with a combined financial impact of €371m. Currently, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain do not have domestic anti-fraud plans.
The European Court of Auditors called for more consistent EU action on sustainable finance. The European Commission, by its own estimation, will need to invest €1 trillion a year to transition to a zero-carbon economy by 2050.
East Germany's Angela Merkel, understanding the history and complexity of the region, stuck to her 'open door' policy. Nobody expects her successors to be as accommodating.
Poland has confirmed the first fatalities among people trying to enter the EU via Belarus, as the onset of cold weather heightens risk.
EU foreign ministers were expected to discuss the implication of a security deal between the US, UK, and Australia on the margins of the UN general assembly. The deal has cast a shadow on the bloc's trade talks with Australia.
To estimate the economic footprint, the research takes into account both the costs associated with education, €2.46bn, as well as the potential loss in GDP growth due the loss of the countries' youth.
A leaked Council document provides a partial overview of member state positions on a new EU strategy on voluntary returns and reintegration. The Dutch are concerned any new legal framework on voluntary returns could lead to greater rights.
The EU fishing fleet receives up to €1.5bn from tax breaks each year - despite emitting the same amount of CO2 as Malta in a year from burning fuel, according to a new report.
In order to download the green Covid pass, Italy's online national health system requires users to key in their national health card code. As such, migrants might be vaccinated, but they are unable to prove it.
The Polish Constitutional Tribunal is holding a hearing on the issue of whether EU law has primacy in the country. It is not clear whether the tribunal will deliver a ruling.
Libya's political disarray and the internationalisation of its civil war are profoundly concerning, not only morally but also for Europe's security and dignity.
MEPs from across the political spectrum suspect Russian gas giant Gazprom manipulates market prices. They have written to the EU Commission asking for an investigation. According to the signatories, Gazprom is pressuring Europe to open the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
With the drive for lower prices and emergence of more and more 'fast-fashion' brands, durability is inevitably compromised. However, through new regulation, selling durable products shall no longer be a design option - it will be a legal requirement.
We are setting the standard for many years to come. Rest assured; I have a clear mandate from my group and I am doing everything in my power to kick out fossil fuels from EU financing.
The European Commission has blocked the recently-created European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) from using their budget to hire the specialised personnel they need. It has not explained why.
Around 90 centre-right European People's Party (EPP) lawmakers abstained in a vote to list gender-based violence a crime under EU law, while almost as many voted in favour.
Climate change has not been slowed down by the pandemic and the world remains off-track to meet 2015 Paris Agreement climate targets, the UN has warned- just weeks ahead of the COP26 summit.
The EU is planning to firm up criticism of Russian aggression at its next Ukraine summit, as low-intensity fighting continues to claim lives.
EU commission vice-president Věra Jourová said the commission will pressure member states to do more, but without legal tools, the commission has little say.
The Commission president hailed the EU's scientific capabilities at providing the most vaccines to the world, and the speed at which the bloc rolled out its digital Covid-19 vaccine certificate, as examples of the EU's resources and capacities.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen praised the EU's vaccination roll-out as a success and announced that the EUn will donate 200 million additional doses to low-income countries - doubling its current pledge.
The European Commission chief has called for EU "political will" to send joint forces into combat in a rough new world.
Ursula von der Leyen launched a global investment operation directed at infrastructure and transport. Its aim is to compete with the China's Belt and Road. "We want to create links and not dependencies," she said.
EU diplomats have raised concerns about the scope of the new forest strategy - and its implications for member states' national competencies, according to draft conclusions seen by EUobserver.
The European Commission wants to help vulnerable Afghans to reach the EU, while seeking to resettle thousands of others. But an internal document also says those not welcomed should be returned to transit or so-called third countries.
Russia's leaders have been fully aware of the reasons for its underlying economic weakness for more than two decades. Dependency on energy exports and the lack of technological innovation were themes of Vladimir Putin's first state-of-the-nation address back in 2000.
Millions in Afghanistan are at risk of hunger, but shadows of the 2015 migration crisis hang over EU sympathy for those trying to flee.
A year ago, 40 percent of German voters supported the CDU and 16 percent the SPD. Now the CDU has lost 20 percent and the SPD gained 10 percent. The CDU was strong because Merkel was popular, not the party.
Romanian socialist MEPs joined right-wing nationalist Polish and Hungarian counterparts to vote against LGBTIQ rights, in a non-binding European Parliament resolution.
High energy bills are already affecting businesses and households across the bloc. But only about one-fifth of the price increase can be attributed to the CO2 prices rising, EU's climate chief Frans Timmermans told lawmakers
"It is the opportunity she has to seize now to set the course for the remainder of her mandate," said Georg Riekeles from the European Policy Centre.
Connectivity has become a major foreign policy tool in today's international relations – from transport, trade, and environmental technologies to standards and people-to-people contacts.
