Wednesday
30th Nov 2022
Over the last 10 years, Portugal has given 1,470 golden visas to people originating from countries whose tax-transparency practices the EU finds problematic. But unlike common practice in other EU states with similar programmes, Portugal has not implemented "due diligence".
Victims of the widening spyware scandal in Spain are demanding justice and reparations, following the revelations that journalists, lawyers, civil society and politicians had been targeted.
The EU Commission has watered-down a broad political initiative —but now governments of member states hold the key to what the EU should do. Some member states and regions have adopted asbestos strategies of some kind, from Poland to Flanders.
Ukraine and a looming economic recession is set to dominate the upcoming Swedish EU presidency, which takes over at the start of next year. Sweden's ambassador to the EU, Lars Danielsson, laid out some of its priorities.
We're asking the EU to stop hiding behind pinkwashed slogans and finally walk the talk by providing all necessary legal tools to guarantee women their rights, say two Left MEPs, for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
An investigation by COE reveals oil and gas lobbyists have enjoyed unprecedented access to EU decision-making. As a result, a series of critical decisions on tax, energy-infrastructure, and regulation put fossil-fuel industry profits above millions at risk of energy poverty.
EU sanctions' policies have one notable omission — they do not include corruption as an offence warranting restrictive measures, explains the Open Society Foundation.
A senior French official is being accused of conflicts of interest for spearheading a leading role in Europeche, a fishing-industry lobby group based in Brussels. The hire comes as the EU Commission threatens a lawsuit against France over fishing.
None of the four top EU officials are going to the Qatar World Cup amid a stink on human rights, but some are more brave than others in criticising the gas-rich emirate.
It should be clear that the EU cannot remain silent. It must send a clear signal that the Turkish actions are unacceptable and will have consequences for EU-Turkey relations.
European banks and investors have invested heavily in Qatari sovereign bonds, and construction and hospitality companies — with scant attention to well-documented human rights violations.
The Ocean Viking operated by SOS Mediterranee is mentally preparing for a new lengthy standoff with Italy's right wing government. Louise Guillaumat, its deputy director of operations, told EUobserver that the ship will soon be heading out to sea.
Turkey deported 44,768 Afghan nationals in the first eight months of 2022, a 150-percent increase from the first eight months of 2021 — *before* the Taliban takeover.
It was the first time auditors checked such goals as a whole — and found major differences in how these priorities were incorporated into the 2021-2027 budget.
Recent research by the Bruegel think-tank warned that freelancers are, on average, at a much higher risk of poverty in old age than traditional employees. Here's how to fix this.
The EU will do Bosnia and Herzegovina no favours by moving them forward on a candidacy track that they are not prepared for — and itself no favours by abandoning its own values.
As the principal author of the OECD's new 2023 draft regulation on lobbying, I'd like to see many meaningful comments and suggestions from all kinds of stakeholders.
The new rules, seemingly inspired by the Covid-19 recovery fund's structure, would have governments negotiate a four-year debt reduction path with the commission — and then have EU ministers give their green light on it.
The European Commission wants to raise some €18bn for Ukraine. But the proposal is already being challenged by Hungary, which remains unhappy it has yet to receive Covid-pandemic recovery funds from Brussels.
Through a mechanism to be discussed on Wednesday, member states would permanently be able to derogate at will from their obligations under EU asylum law — de fact creating a cherry-picking system between EU member states.
If Musk's trajectory is towards multiplying political dog-fights and opening the gates to far-out opinions, the promise is not a better Twitter. The promise is MySpace — which fizzled out when users started to share obscene, nasty, and outrageous content.
Brexit has curtailed Britain's role within European internal security, presenting new risks. The greatest impact comes from the loss of UK influence — and the newfound reliance on informal influence and the goodwill of its European counterparts.
60-year-old cleaner José Antonio González died of a heart attack after being forced to sweep the Madrid streets in a 40 degree heatwave — just one example of workers losing their lives because labour law hasn't changed with the climate.
If parts of Europe are cold and hungry while others are able to protect themselves, there will be a political backlash that could tear the EU apart — a solidarity mechanism can prevent this.
In a report, EU auditors found that only 20 of 40 examined EU agencies considered any potential revolving-doors cases of their senior staff.
Norway opposes the EU proposal to set a dynamic price ceiling for natural gas transactions, instead strongly advocating for commercial agreements to tackle the energy crisis, the country's minister of oil and energy Terje Aasland said.
"Our friends from other political parties and groups in the European Parliament are well too aware of their inconsistencies. They claim righteousness but are hypocritical."
As part of efforts to achieve zero pollution by 2050, the European Commission unveiled stricter rules to tackle air and water pollution.
EU lawmakers agreed to reconsider the costly renovation of the Spaak hemicycle in Brussels, but they are moving ahead with talks to acquire a new building in Strasbourg.
"The idea is not bad", said one minister, with others arguing that the parliament's proposals on transnational lists, common constituency, and possibly voting on a weekday are steps too far for the voters.
Some see the UK's turmoil as a result of Brexit. The UK and the EU are still locked in negotiations after London, under Truss' leadership, planned to upend existing agreements on post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland.
Spain, Portugal and France reached a deal to create a submarine "green corridor" between Barcelona and Marseille to transport natural gas, and, at a later stage, green hydrogen.
The EU is gathering intelligence on right wing extremist threats for a wider assessment, said the European Commission. The comments come amid a debate on Russia's influence on far-right parties and politicians in Europe.
