Friday
29th Sep 2023
Poland in 2020 imposed a near-total ban on abortion, triggering mass protests — and today the demands for access to safe abortion continue. On International Safe Abortion Day, dozens gathered in Brussels calling for solidarity among member states.
The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.
International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.
Political parties facing multiple corruption charges are hoping for a grand comeback at Saturday's snap elections in Slovakia —which could also lead to a reversal of the central European country's position on Ukraine and Russia.
The EU is urging Big Tech platforms to act against the Kremlin's "war of ideas" ahead of the 2024 elections, as Russia's disinformation is flowering on Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Vasco Alves Cordeiro, president of the European Committee of the Regions, is advocating a revamp of the EU's regional policy so that it better supports all regions in addressing major challenges such as the green and digital transitions.
Germany has announced an increase in police checks on its border with Poland and the Czech Republic — in a bid to respond to irregular migration along smuggling routes.
The EU's trade chief travelled to China to send a clear message: the EU does not want to cut off ties, but fair competition is needed and more action is necessary to rebalance the current Brussels-Beijing €400bn trade deficit.
An EU-China high-level economic is scheduled on Monday amid renewed tensions. Later this week, EU home affairs ministers will discuss the EU-Tunisia deal and the state of play of the EU pact on asylum and migration.
Poland's ruling party has swerved even further right as elections approach, auguring badly for EU relations.
MEPs are seeking an extra €10bn between 2024-2027, compared to the proposal of the European Commission. EU countries are expected to oppose the top-up request.
Socialists in the EU Parliament have pushed for a ban on lobbying by MEPs, but their own vice-chair says his consultancy side jobs are just fine.
Spain's sexual consent law sparked raw emotions in the European Parliament on Tuesday, with mike-cuts, screams, and cries of "shame!".
Spain's request to make Catalan, Galician, and Basque official EU languages has been put on hold by EU affairs ministers, making it harder for PM Sánchez to stay in power.
At a two-day "pilgrimage" of finance ministers to Santiago de Compostela, Spanish economy minister Nadia Calviño called for agreement on new spending rules by the end of the year.
While the heads of EU institutions are in New York for the UN high level meeting, Spain's EU presidency will try to convince ministers to make Catalan, Basque, and Galician official EU languages.
The European Parliament adopted a report calling on the European Commission to draw up common guidelines to guarantee minimum rights for people in prostitution. MEPs also urged member states, which have the power to regulate prostitution, to review existing laws.
Von der Leyen's speech focused on labour and skills shortages, inflation and improving the business environment. Some trade unions, political groups, and organisations felt that there were missed opportunities to outline a roadmap for a social Europe.
The EU's political season is back in full swing after the summer break, with the EU Commission president's State of the Union address on Wednesday. Meanwhile, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will also address the European Parliament.
Tech companies have increased their lobbying power and are now spending some €113m a year to influence EU decision-making, up more than 16 percent since 2021, according to a report from NGOs Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyFacts.
When European Endowment for Democracy was established in 2013, there was scepticism about its raison d'être, and concerns were voiced about the potential for duplicating existing EU efforts. Nearly a decade later, EED has defied these doubts.
MEPs adopted, among other measures, an obligation to publish online all meetings with third parties, a declaration of financial assets at the beginning and end of each MEP's mandate, and better regulation of unofficial groups.
The EU Commission asserts there have been no cuts in programmes in the proposal for next year's annual budget. While this is true, reality is a bit more nuanced and, as we know, the devil is in the details.
The EU Media Freedom Act, to be voted on by MEPs, could provide crucial protections to journalists and trigger a wave of lawsuits against governments. If the law fails, the decline in media freedoms sweeping Europe could become ever worse.
Catalan former separatist leader and current MEP Carles Puigdemont has set out preconditions for negotiations to support Pedro Sánchez as next prime minister of Spain — seeking a "historic agreement" for Catalonia.
Raymond Aron, the French philosopher, once said that at the end of the day, "I think democracies will win. On one condition, however: they must want it." In today's Europe, there is again reason to doubt this.
Britain's Labour Party does not want to discuss Europe before next year's election — but it will still need to make some difficult choices.
Robert Schuman who died on Monday (4 September) 60 years ago, was the rarest of creatures. A subtle subversive. An individual who changed the course of history without much personal power. A revolutionary without weapons.
EU agriculture commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has backed extending the temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports in five frontline countries until the end of 2023 — and proposed providing subsidies for Ukrainian grain exporters.
The primary victims of abusive subcontracting practices and unregulated labour intermediaries are mobile and migrant workers who, while indispensable to European agriculture, food processing, hospitality, and domestic work sectors, still struggle to attain equal treatment in the workplace.
The appointment of Dutch foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra as EU climate commissioner has raised eyebrows — given his little experience in green policies and background at Shell.
Bulgaria and Romania's accession to Schengen will again be put to a vote later this year. Another veto would not only represent a missed opportunity to strengthen the border-free zone, but one that could inflame inter-EU tensions.
From providing legal support to victims of racial profiling, to funding an LGBT+ organisation playing a key role in the decriminalisation of consensual homosexuality in Romania, the Open Society Foundaion has played an outsized role in buttressing Europe's civil society.
