Tuesday
30th Jan 2024
The EU Commission is reevaluating its funding to UNRWA in light of allegations of 12 staff involvement in the 7 October attack against Israel. Despite the international pressure, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Denmark and Norway will continue their funding.
EU diplomats have redoubled calls for Iran to free their Swedish colleague, after Iran's prosecutor demanded the death penalty for espionage.
The EU is divided. Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has rightly favoured a more pro-human rights course, as have Spain, Ireland and Belgium, while Germany has looked the other way in the face of manifest violations of international humanitarian law.
As EU leaders gather this week to discuss aid for Kyiv, ordinary Ukrainians continue to face the barrage of indiscriminate shelling, and as Russia ratchets up its war rhetoric, EUobserver reporter Nikolaj Nielsen is traveling across Ukraine, meeting ordinary citizens.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has promised financial support to help African countries become major energy exporters — in exchange for curbing migration, at a summit in Rome on Monday.
By 2030, 35 million buildings in the EU will be either renovated or demolished under the Green Deal — yet there is still no directive to determine the extent of asbestos contamination in Europe, the leading cause of workplace fatalities.
EU's appetite for gas drives €205bn new investments, according to NGO Global Witness analysis, based on Rystad Energy data.
EU leaders will gather in Brussels for an extraordinary council on Thursday (1 February) to try to agree on the €50bn four-year aid package to Ukraine, after Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán blocked all compromises in December.
Italy is considering a new law which will profoundly redefine the country's geographical-administrative organisation — making it more federal, like Spain or Belgium. But is it the League's plan for a separate north, refurbished?
The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to take immediate steps to limit Palestinian deaths in its assault on Gaza, in a major victory for South Africa that sets a legal precedent for future conflicts.
Spain's most senior judicial body has only been operating on an 'interim' basis for the past six years — prompting rule-of-law concerns in Brussels
Germany's pro-business coalition party the FDP now cites "unreasonable bureaucratic hurdles" in the EU's proposed supply chains directive, in a major and unexpected U-turn, writes the associate children's rights director at Human Rights Watch.
Kenya faces a dispute with the EU on whiskey imports just weeks after its agreed trade pact with Brussels came operationally into effect. While the deal still awaits EU ratification, Kenya is already breaking its terms by applying higher tariffs.
Talks about an EU visa-ban on 12 violent Israeli settlers have stalled amid objections this might put them on a moral par with Palestinian 'terror' group Hamas.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen launched this week "a strategic dialogue" on the future of agriculture in the EU. The initiative comes amid discontent and farmers' protests in several countries.
Leading MEPs have confirmed that the member states cannot agree on incluing rape in the directive to combat violence against women. About 15 countries are in favour, but with Germany and France against it, there is no qualified majority.
The Belgian EU presidency wants to implement a recent overhaul of EU asylum laws, amid warnings that detention-like centres will mushroom as a result.
Our role is not to 'judge' the elections, but observation does provide an additional level of transparency, scrutiny and public accountability, writes Matteo Mecacci, director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
EUobserver speaks with Raji Sourani, the director and founder of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and a leading human rights lawyer in Gaza — who has twice survived targeted bombings.
The EU Commission has proposed a new revision of the directive on European Works Councils, the bodies that represent workers at company level, after 15 years without revision, in order to address a number of shortcomings.
The EU must accept the 'new realities' of military regimes in the Sahel region or risk losing what remains of its influence to Russia and China, experts have warned EU lawmakers.
The European Commission tabled a proposal to strengthen so-called 'economic security' in the bloc. These are the most important elements.
French MEP Valérie Hayer has won the group's backing to become the new president of Renew Europe, EUobserver has learned, replacing France's new foreign affairs minister, Stéphane Séjourné.
Ever since the EU Commission published its hazardous chemicals strategy, the industry has lobbied to undermine and dilute its promises — and lobbyists can point to some clear wins.
Thousands of kilometres of decaying asbestos cement water pipes are releasing possibly carcinogenic fibres into drinking water across Europe, but thus far, no EU measurement or reporting standards are in place.
The EU Parliament is expected to see a rise of the far-right after the upcoming elections, according to a new study — but what would the coalitions look like and what would be the policy implications?
Turkey has waved Sweden into Nato, marking a strategic blow to Russia in the High North and Baltic Sea regions.
Amazon refused to participate in an EU parliamentary hearing on working conditions in its warehouses, prompting criticism from MEPs. The hearing came the same day Amazon received a €32m fine over an "overly intrusive" surveillance system in France.
Ukraine received in 2022 more aid in a single year than any country since records began, according to new data published this week.
The EU has entered a "golden age" of relations with Egypt, says the European Commission — as it deepens cooperation with a repressive state known for widespread human rights abuses.
The significance of Germany's nationwide anti-fascist mobilisation cannot be overstated. Authoritarian parties have gained office in many countries by stealth, pretending to be conservative, democratic parties. When they show their authoritarian face, people start to protest — often too late.
What will happen to Ukrainian refugees if they want to stay permanently in the EU countries in which they have been given refuge? Are they free to choose?
The EU aims to launch new Middle East peace talks with Arab states, but doubts remain about how realistic the EU's proposal is, with some observers labelling it "bizarre".
