UN annual meeting plus Poland in focus This WEEK
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.
News in Brief
- EU to propose universal phone-charger law
- Russian bomber-planes cause alarm in Baltic Sea
- French EU official bemoans 'broken' US relations
- Lithuania issues warning on spiked Chinese phones
- Pandemic saw rise in threats to civil society NGOs
- German Social Democrats' lead narrows
- Mediterranean sea-level rising 2.5mm a year
- Litvinenko was killed by Russia, European court rules
Column
Long ago, there was another Angela Merkel
There is one female leader in European history whom Merkel resembles much more than the fiery, authoritarian Catherine the Great, who once staged a coup with her lover against her husband. Instead, it is the Habsburg empress Maria-Theresia.
Trust in Dutch government drops, but not for Rutte
New polling found Dutch voters have rapidly started losing trust in all levels of government. 15 percent of those surveyed have "lost all confidence" in the government. The loss of trust does not extend to prime minister Mark Rutte.
Recovery and rule of law are back This WEEK
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will continue to travel to member states to "personally hand over the assessment" of the EU executive on national Covid-19 recovery plans.
Slovenia's Janša in MEPs' crosshairs This WEEK
The European Parliament will debate in Strasbourg the breaches of EU law and of the rights of LGBTIQ people in Hungary, and adopt resolutions on the issues.
Slovenia takes the EU steering wheel This WEEK
While Slovenian prime minister Janey Janša will not have an impact on the day-to-day operations on the presidency, the platform it gives to the increasingly bellicose PM has been a cause for concern.
All eyes on von der Leyen's state of the EU This WEEK
MEPs expect the EU Commission president to also address issues such as the economy, climate change, digital transformation, the EU's role in the world, migration policy, and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
EU bubble prepares for state of the union This WEEK
One of the topics for the keynote speech will certainly be the Covid-19 recovery fund - with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal having already received their pre-financing.
EU leaders discuss Turkey, Russia, migration This WEEK
EU foreign affairs ministers will try to sort out a new round of sanctions on Belarus, and EU affairs ministers will hold intergovernmental conferences with two candidate countries, Serbia and Montenegro.
Tax avoidance and AI in focus This WEEK
The European Parliament's special committee on artificial intelligence and the internal market committee will discuss the commission's AI proposals with vice-president Margrethe Vestager.
Summit on climate and Russia This WEEK
Italian prime minister Mario Draghi said he would raise the issue of the onward redistribution of migrants landing on the southern shores of Europe at the summit.
Israel-Palestine and travel certificates in focus This WEEK
Negotiators from the European Parliament, the council of member states, and the EU Commission will push for an agreement this week on the Covid-19 travel certificate so that safe travel can pick up during the summer.
Vaccine fairness plus Russia on table This WEEK
Attention will return to vaccines, after US president Joe Biden put the EU in a tight spot when he backed waiving the Covid-19 vaccine patent.
Social affairs and India in focus This WEEK
EU leaders will focus on a social summit in Porto this weekend, where they will hold a video conference with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
Brexit is back, and vaccine certificates in focus This WEEK
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel will give their versions of events that took place at their visit to Ankara earlier this month, in a plenary debate at the European Parliament.
Online 'Future EU Conference' and AI strategy This WEEK
As tensions heat up at the border of Ukraine and Russia, EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the Russian military build-up and will talk with their Ukrainian colleague, Dmytro Kuleba.
Travel certificates back on the agenda This WEEK
On Thursday, MEPs in the Democracy, Rule of Law, and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group meeting will hear from Polish judges, prosecutors, and government representatives on the situation of the judiciary in Poland.
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Latest News
- French MEPs lead bogus EU monitoring of Russia vote
- Europeans think new 'Cold War' is here - but not for them
- Spain wants energy price discussion at next EU summit
- Trust in Dutch government drops, but not for Rutte
- Long ago, there was another Angela Merkel
- The first anniversary of the Abraham Accords
- First refugee deaths confirmed on Belarus-EU border
- EU kept in dark on ex-commissioner's new lobby job
Turkey on EU leaders' plate This WEEK
Ahead of the EU summit, on Monday foreign affairs ministers are set to approve a new package of sanctions on individuals in several countries, including China and Russia, over human rights abuses.
EU plan for vaccine 'certificates' This WEEK
MEPs in the environment committee will also hold a discussion on Covid-19 variants - and the vaccines' efficacy against them.
EU 'Future' Conference plus Covid recovery talks This WEEK
MEPs will give the green light for a more united EU health policy, a new investment plan, and debate the Covid recovery fund, which is yet to be unleashed. Lawmakers will also debate media freedom in Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia.
Women fighting Covid-19 in focus This WEEK
To help bridge the stubborn gender pay gap, the EU Commission will present pay transparency measures so that differences in wages and salaries do not remain hidden from employees.
EU summit on vaccine problems This WEEK
EU foreign affairs ministers will meet in Brussels and are expected to agree to visa-bans and asset-freezes on Russian officials involved in the jailing of opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny.
Recovery goals and Visegrad in focus This WEEK
Outside of Brussels, Visegrad prime ministers will come together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the central European cooperation within the V4 group. European Council president Charles Michel will join them.
Von der Leyen to defend EU vaccine policy This WEEK
After the damaging performance by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Moscow last week, MEPs will grill the EU foreign affairs chief on his visit to the Russian capital following the jailing of opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
Vaccine row and Borrell's Moscow trip This WEEK
The EU's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell will travel to Moscow on Friday, raising eyebrows because leading opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is in prison. Borrell argues this is the reason why talking is necessary.
Vaccine delay and Russia sanctions debates This WEEK
The director of the European Medicine Agency, Emer Cooke will be quizzed by MEPs in the parliament on vaccine authorisation on Tuesday. EMA is expected to give the green light to the third vaccine at the end of the week.
EU leaders seek to speed up vaccinations This WEEK
EU leaders talk vaccines, while the Portugues EU presidency introduces itself to MEPs. Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president of the United States, and the EU hopes this will mark a new beginning for EU-US relations.
Vaccines in focus in the EU This WEEK
The European Parliament's environment committee will hear from the person who negotiated the vaccine contracts, commission director-general of health and food safety, Sandra Gallina.
Brexit and digital services overhaul This WEEK
On Wednesday, MEPs will vote on the seven-year EU budget file as a whole, and also on the rule-of-law conditionality.
Brexit, Budget, Turkey on summit agenda this WEEK
Any post-Brexit deal achieved needs to be ratified by the European Parliament before the end of December (and then by national parliaments), while some member states want to see the agreement translated before they can agree to it.
Unblocking Brexit and budget in focus This WEEK
With only five weeks to go before the UK severs all ties with the EU, chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned that the "same significant divergences persist" between the two sides in post-Brexit talks.
MEPs prepare for another virtual plenary This WEEK
Ahead of the next European summit in mid-December, MEPs will address the EU's long-term budget and rule-of-law conditionality in another virtual plenary session. Discussions will also focus on consumer rights, pharmaceutical strategy and the pandemic.
Brexit and EU online summit in focus This WEEK
Talks between the EU and the UK have moved little, with only seven weeks left until the UK breaks ties with the EU. Negotiations are expected to resume on Monday in Brussels.
