Trump and Kurz: not best friends, after all
The visit of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz to the White House on Wednesday showed that the current rift in transatlantic relations is deepening by the day.
News in Brief
- Juncker pledges climate action alongside Swedish activist
- Swedbank brings in external help on money laundering revelations
- No-deal Brexit danger 'very serious', Corbyn says after Brussels meeting
- Tusk to back pro-EU candidates in Polish EP vote
- Germany rejects UK appeal on Saudi arms sales
- French senators decry 'dysfunction' on Macron security aide affair
- France to ban far-right groups over antisemitism
- Swedish climate activist to face Juncker in Brussels
Microsoft warns EU on election hack threat
Russian hackers posed a threat to EU elections, US tech giant Microsoft has warned, amid fresh revelations of cyber-attacks against European targets.
Interview
'No thanks!' to EU and Nato, Iceland PM says
Eurozone failures mean Iceland should stay out of the EU, its prime minister told EUobserver. She would also quit Nato if she had her say.
Opinion
Trump right for once: Europe should take back foreign fighters
EU countries and US should take every opportunity to shrink the group of wandering Islamist fighters in the Middle East and neighbouring regions.
Italy gags EU on Venezuela crisis
Italy has vetoed an EU statement on the Venezuela crisis amid political confusion in Rome.
Interview
Ukraine spy chief: sanctions hurting Putin's war chest
EU and US economic sanctions on Russia had a much bigger impact than previously thought, Ukraine's spy chief has told EUobserver.
Merkel defends Russia ties, ridicules Trump on cars
Russia could be a Cold War-type "partner" for Europe, German leader Angela Merkel has said, but Donald Trump's car tariff ideas were "scary".
Belgian spy scandal puts EU and Nato at risk
A Belgian intelligence officer has been accused of working for Russia, amid long-standing security fears in Brussels - the home to EU and Nato institutions.
EU Parliament demands Saudi lobby transparency
A resolution demanding Saudi Arabia release prisoners and stop gender-based violence was passed by over 500 MEPs on Thursday in Strasbourg. They also demanded greater transparency over Brussels-based lobbying for the Saudis, following an EUobserver exclusive.
Saudi Arabia, but not Russia, on EU 'dirty money' list
The EU has stigmatised Saudi Arabia and four US territories on "dirty money" - but let Azerbaijan and Russia off the hook.
Rutte warns EU to embrace 'Realpolitik' foreign policy
'The EU needs a reality check; power is not a dirty word," Mark Rutte declared, in a speech on foreign policy in which he explicitly ruled out a European army.
Germany bound to apply EU rules to Russia pipeline
Germany will need to make sure EU rules are being followed by Russia's controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, currently under construction, it was decided in negotiations between EU institutions on Tuesday evening.
Opinion
Brussels and Washington need clarity from Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko's contradictory politics raises questions about the direction she would lead Ukraine if she is elected president in March 2019.
MEPs maul Italian leader for 'ugly' politics
Italy's new leaders have behaved in an "idiotic ... spiteful ... [and] ugly" way, MEPs told "puppet" prime minister Giuseppe Conte in Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Saudis paying College of Europe to lobby MEPs
The Bruges-based College of Europe is setting up private meetings with the EU institutions for seven ambassadors plus seven high-level officials from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
US warns Hungary on Chinese and Russian corruption
The US has warned Hungary that Chinese and Russian "corruption" posed a national security threat, but Budapest hit back with accusations of "hypocrisy".
Rights watchdog warns MEPs on Morocco trade deal
MEPs are set to rubber-stamp a trade deal with Morocco to fish off the disputed coastline of the Western Sahara. Human Rights Watch have stepped in to point out the deal could be in breach of international law.
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Latest News
- Microsoft warns EU on election hack threat
- Brexit talks to continue after May-Juncker meeting
- Trump and Kurz: not best friends, after all
- EU commission appeals Dieselgate ruling
- 'No burning crisis' on migrant arrivals, EU agency says
- 'No evidence' ECB bond-buying helped euro economy
- Juncker: Orban should leave Europe's centre-right
- College of Europe alumni ask rector to cut Saudi ties
Germany to keep final say on Russia pipeline
Germany alone will decide whether to enforce EU law on its new gas pipeline with Russia, after France caved in during last-minute talks.
France in U-turn on Russian gas pipe
EU law should govern Russia's new gas pipeline to Germany, France has said, heaping doubt on the project.
Nato to add Macedonia despite Putin warning
Macedonia is on its way to join Nato next year - despite a Russian push-back in the Western Balkans and beyond.
Iran: EU and Trump mark divorce on world stage
Europe's split with the US on foreign policy has widened after three EU states created a new company designed to skirt US sanctions on Iran.
No EU cost for Israeli 'apartheid' in West Bank
Palestinians face "systematic legal discrimination" by Israel, EU diplomats said in a confidential report seen by EUobserver, but Israel is unlikely to pay a "real cost".
EU steps up pressure on Russia over Ukraine
Europe has stepped up pressure on Russia to free Ukrainian sailors, amid concern of a potential flare-up in Russian violence, ahead of elections in March.
European Space Force should only be for defence, says MEP
German centre-right MEP Monika Hohlmeier said it was up to defence ministers to give shape to the idea introduced at a space conference this week.
Opinion
The demise of the INF treaty: can the EU save arms control?
It is especially Europe, geographically placed between the US and Russia, that is within the range of the missiles which the INF treaty prohibits.
EU commissioner floats idea for European space force
Space is becoming weaponised in a race between China and the US. Now EU commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska says it is time for Europe to debate wether to follow suit.
Interview
Turkish NBA star takes on Erdogan
Turkish NBA basketball star, Enes Kanter, gave up joining teammates in a London match over fears of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reach into the EU.
Germany led way on EU rights protection
Germany led the way on protection of human rights this year, but Hungary, Italy, and Poland "undermined the EU's moral standing" on the world stage, a leading NGO said.
EU parliament backs Morocco deal despite row
A trade deal with Morocco was endorsed by the European Parliament but is likely to end up challenged at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
Opinion
On Morocco, will the EU ignore its own court?
If the European parliament votes in favour of the new Morocco agreement without knowing that it complies with the European Court of Justice judgement, how can it demand that other countries respect international law and their own courts?
Germany scorns 'unusual' US threat on Russia pipeline
Germany has reacted with disdain after America's "unusual" ambassador to Berlin threatened sanctions against its new Russian gas pipeline.
Liberal leader blocks public debate on EU-Morocco deal
The leader of the liberal Alde group, Guy Verhofstadt, has denied the public a debate on a controversial trade deal between the EU and Morocco, EUobserver has learned.
Iran blamed for four terror plots in EU
Iran ordered four terrorist attacks in Europe in recent times, the EU has said, while imposing new sanctions.
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- Civil Society Worried About Shortcomings in EU-Kyrgyzstan Human Rights Dialogue
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