Muscat's one-man rule poses challenge for EU
Malta's PM already enjoys the kind of one-man rule Hungary and Poland are trying to build, but can the EU afford another political confrontation in sensitive times?
News in Brief
- 3,500 UK troops on standby for no-deal Brexit
- Brexit: Opposition disagrees over no confidence vote
- EU court confirms suspension of Polish judges law
- France to tax Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon
- EU negotiators agree CO2 targets for cars
- May: Brexit vote will be week of 14 January
- Rome finds extra budget funds to fit EU demands
- Polish climate talks end in agreement on rulebook
Opinion
Fiscal discipline rules in eurozone are devastating
New rules are needed that do not place the heaviest burdens on a few countries, but ensure that all countries benefit from the euro. Avoiding imbalances in trade between countries can do this.
Agenda
Fishing quota and no-deal Brexit preparation This WEEK
The last working week before Christmas will see a flurry of ministerial activity in Brussels, with debates on agriculture, fisheries, energy, and environment.
Orban protests target state media in new front
Unprecedented protests against Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's "illiberal" style mark a rare united front of opposition parties, amid new violence against opposition MPs.
Opinion
Brexit and the Queen Sacrifice
Sometimes in chess, a sacrifice brings victory. Theresa May should pay heed to the example of Slovakia's premier, Iveta Radicova, who sacrificed her job in order to get difficult euro bailout legislation through the Bratislava parliament.
EU capitals see weekend of tear gas and water cannon
Ninety people were arrested and six are to face criminal charges following rowdy anti-immigrant protests outside the EU institutions in Brussels.
EU gives Switzerland another six months for a deal
The EU commission is giving more time to the Swiss government to endorse a deal that would put various sectorial agreements to access the single market under one deal. Nevertheless, after Brexit, the EU has had enough of exceptions.
Interview
Bulgarian 'EU passports' whistleblower wants justice
Katya Mateva, a former director in Bulgaria's ministry of justice turned whistleblower, says high-ranking politicians behind a scam leading to Bulgarian citizenship are likely to go unpunished.
No more Brexit talks, despite May's pleas
EU leaders said they can do no more than reassure the UK they do not want to trap it over Ireland, but May might need more than that to get the Brexit deal through parliament.
EU leaders stuck on asylum reform
Migration was overshadowed by Brexit at the EU summit, with leaders stuck on key legislation. Some warned that free movement could be at risk.
Orban and other PMs spread fake news, says Juncker
European Commission president said EU leaders should also look at their own responsibility in spreading disinformation.
Kosovo has right to own army, Germany and US say
Germany and the US have defended Kosovo's "sovereign right" to create an army, despite Serbia's abhorrence of the move.
Opinion
EU needs election-meddling stress tests
As Europe heads into election year, EU leaders need to secure the vote from social media manipulation and foreign attacks.
Interview
Russian and US obstruction was 'insult' to climate scientists
Professor Richard Betts led an EU-funded research project into global warming. Although he sensed an increase in determination at UN climate talks in Poland, he condemned as an "insult" the refusal of several countries to welcome a new report.
EU-27 unimpressed by May, offer little on Brexit
British PM asked for a legally binding guarantee on the backstop and for it to end no matter what in 2021, but did not reveal a strategy on how to sell the Brexit deal to her parliament.
Rutte: New EU sanctions are informal 'Magnitsky law'
New EU human rights sanctions ought to be named after Russian activist Sergei Magnitsky - but only informally, the Dutch PM has said, in what some see as Russia "appeasement".
EU summit hits asylum fatigue as deadlock continues
Leaders at the EU summit are unlikely to discuss migration, preferring instead to rubber-stamp pre-cooked conclusions. Recent proposals by the European Commission to get some of the reforms finalised are also unlikely to get broad support. The two-year deadlock continues.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Kyrgyz authorities have to immediately release human rights defender Azimjon Askarov
- Seminar on disability and user involvement
- International appetite for Nordic food policies
- New Nordic Innovation House in Hong Kong
- Nordic Region has chance to become world leader when it comes to start-ups
- Theresa May: “We will not be turning our backs on the Nordic region”
- Open letter to Emmanuel Macron ahead of Uzbek president's visit
- Raising key human rights concerns during visit of Turkmenistan's foreign minister
- State of the Nordic Region presented in Brussels
- The vital bioeconomy. New issue of “Sustainable Growth the Nordic Way” out now
- The Nordic gender effect goes international
- Paula Lehtomaki from Finland elected as the Council's first female Secretary General
Latest News
- Muscat's one-man rule poses challenge for EU
- Orban protests target state media in new front
- Brexit and the Queen Sacrifice
- EU gives Switzerland another six months for a deal
- Fiscal discipline rules in eurozone are devastating
- EU capitals see weekend of tear gas and water cannon
- Bulgarian 'EU passports' whistleblower wants justice
- No more Brexit talks, despite May's pleas
Battered May seeks Brexit 'assurances' from EU
Having just survived a leadership challenge 24 hours ago in London, Theresa May is back in Brussels for the EU summit in a hope of getting 'guarantees' from the EU on the Irish backstop. But could they be enough?
Opinion
Lost in Brexit chaos - abortion rights in Northern Ireland
Labour MP Diana Johnson has brought a private members bill to Westminster that proposes to decriminalise abortion in the whole of the UK, which means that, if successfully passed, current provisions for Northern Ireland will also be repealed.
Analysis
Court confirms EU illegally relaxed diesel emission rules
An EU commission official already worried in 2015 that a more lenient emissions limit could be illegal - but the EU went ahead anyway.
Orban defies EU with 'rubber-stamp' court
Political control of a new supreme court in Hungary puts leader Viktor Orban in the vanguard of an anti-EU rebellion.
Opinion
Raw materials: 'holy grail' of 21st century industrial policy
Europe must make sure that its current dependence on fossil fuels is not replaced by another one: on primary raw materials coming from outside our continent.
COP24: Vanuatu in 'constant state of emergency' on climate
Ralph Regenvanu, foreign minister of the Pacific island Vanuatu, said at the COP24 talks in Poland it was disappointing the host country was promoting coal - but was happy with EU contributions to tackle climate change.
EU rules out Brexit renegotiation, again
EU officials have warned they will not reopen the UK withdrawal text no matter what happens on Britain's political scene. The EU summit is expected to give a statement on backstop, but no legal assurances.
Deja vu: Bulgaria pipeline to face EU scrutiny
Bulgaria is to face renewed EU scrutiny over a Russia gas pipeline, four years after its previous project, South Stream, failed.
MEPs and EU staff hid from Strasbourg gunman
MEPs and others hid in restaurants and alleys in Strasbourg during a gunman's rampage on Tuesday which left at least three dead and France on emergency alert.
Opinion
'Trumped Up': The curious case of Babis' conflicts of interest
It is obvious that Babis´s family is benefiting from the economic success of Agrofert, which in turn is influenced by its receipt of EU funds and subsidies, even if Andrej himself is not named.
EU rules out Brexit changes, but could help May
EU top officials and German chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU would not renegotiate the Brexit deal, but talks are underway to design a clarification that could help the British prime minister get her parliamentary majority.
UN text not yet ready for ministers, says EU climate czar
EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete gives a state of play of talks at Katowice COP24 summit. The yellow jackets protests are merely "internal French politics".
Russian propaganda prompts alarm in Ukraine and France
Russian propaganda activity has raised alarm of further escalation in Ukraine, amid other concern on Moscow's role in French rioting.
May on whistle-stop EU tour to seek new backstop pledges
The British prime minister dramatically delayed a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal at the last minute, as she faced defeat. Theresa May will now speed-tour EU capitals to try to secure further political guarantees.
Opinion
How EU agriculture policy endangers migrants' lives
Most migrants, like most European citizens, would rather have proper contracts, pay taxes and benefit from the social services rather than toil in the fields for up to 15 hours a day, in dangerous conditions, for meagre pay.
EU aviation agreement with Morocco in legal hot water
The European Commission is struggling to respond to questions on how it can include the disputed territory of the Western Sahara into its aviation agreement with Morocco - following a recent order from the General Court of the European Union.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Nordic design sets the stage at COP24, running a competition for sustainable chairs
- In Kenya, a motorway funded by the European Investment Bank runs over roadside dwellers
- Company Law Package: Making the Best of Digital and Cross Border Mobility,
- Civil Society Worried About Shortcomings in EU-Kyrgyzstan Human Rights Dialogue
- The European Soft Drinks Industry Supports over 1.7 Million Jobs
- Jointly Building Belt and Road Initiative Leads to a Better Future for All
- Civil society asks PACE to appoint Rapporteur to probe issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan
- Social Mobility – How Can We Increase Opportunities Through Training and Education?
- Energy Solutions for a Greener Tomorrow
- What Kind of Europe Do Children Want? Unicef & Eurochild Launch Survey on the Europe Kids Want
- Nordic Countries Take a Stand for Climate-Smart Energy Solutions
- China: Work Together for a Better Globalisation
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Nordics Could Be First Carbon-Negative Region in World
- Life Is Possible for Patients with Severe Asthma
- Common-Sense Approach Needed for EU Energy Reform
- Nordic Region to Lead in Developing and Rolling Out 5G Network
- China-EU Economic and Trade Relations Enjoy a Bright Future
- Empowering Businesses to Engage with Sustainable Finance and the SDGs
- Cooperation in Nordic Electricity Market Considered World Class Model
- Green Stadiums at the 2018 Fifa World Cup
- China and EU Work Together to Promote Sustainable Development
- European Ombudsman Requests More Lending Transparency from European Investment Bank
- Recycling at the FIFA World Cup in Russia
- European Parliament takes incoherent steps on climate in future EU investments
