Opinion
Why the EU asbestos directive revision ... needs revising
The lead rapporteur on asbestos, Danish MEP Nikolaj Villumsen, responds to EUobserver's two-part investigation.
Column
Is the overwhelming critique of Qatar hypocritical?
Let us be clear, Qatar is not a democracy, it is a conservative Muslim country that does not give foreign workers the rights and protection these workers deserve.
Opinion
How EU banks underwrote the Qatar World Cup
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.
News in Brief
- 'Pro-Kremlin group' in EU Parliament cyberattack
- Ukraine will decide on any peace talks, Borrell says
- Germany blocks sale of chip factory to Chinese subsidiary
- Strikes and protests over cost-of-living grip Greece, Belgium
- Liberal MEPs want Musk quizzed in parliament
- Bulgarian policeman shot dead at Turkish border
- 89 people allowed to disembark in Italy, aid group says
- UN chief tells world: Cooperate on climate or perish
Investigation
EU lawmakers under pressure to act on 90,000 asbestos deaths
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.
Investigation
Asbestos — two to three times more deadly than known
Where once working men in heavy industry were diagnosed with cancers related to a more direct exposure to asbestos, now women in professions such as teaching, nursing and other occupations are being diagnosed, as well as young people.
Feature
Shock gives way to division after Slovak gay bar shooting
Despite the immediate shock and outburst of solidarity after the recent terrorist attack by a 19-year-old sympathiser of far-right conspiracies, Slovak society appears to be absorbed in even deeper ideological divisions on issues related to gender and sexual orientation
Opinion
Enough talk, only rights can eliminate patriarchal violence
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.
Done 'asking nicely', EU adopts rules for more women on boards
The new rules aim to have at least 40 percent of non-executive director posts, or one-third of all director posts, on publicly-listed firms filled by women by July 2026.
Gender equality least-included goal in EU budget, auditors find
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.
Opinion
Post-2008 austerity has made EU citizens €3,000 per year worse off
By focusing on achieving arbitrarily set low-debt objectives rather than responsible investment, the EU's economic policy has damaged public services, living standards and our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. It's time for change.
Feature
Are Italy's picturesque prison islands a rehab blueprint?
As Italy's new government eyes plans for more humane jails aimed at rehabilitating convicts, there are two unconventional spots that are successful case studies.
UK conspiracy theorist David Icke denied entry to Netherlands
Renowned British conspiracy theorist David Icke has been denied entry to the Netherlands for two years.
Opinion
Cut 'red tape' — and watch EU workplace deaths rocket
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.
Opinion
Poland's ruling party's attempts to censor LGBTQ+ artists
The spike in violence against the LGBTQ+ community directly reflects the proliferation of hateful, ultra-nationalist rhetoric — often perpetrated by Poland's PiS party leaders.
Opinion
Lula's other problem — not the Amazon, the wetlands
Much has been made of how the fate of the world's eco-system depends on the Amazon — and the Brazilian election. But there's another problem in Lula's in-tray: the destruction of the wetlands.
Podcast
The Decolonisers
In this episode: a look at when top EU diplomat Josep Borrell branded most of the world a jungle — and then got away with making only a grudging apology.
Opinion
European energy solidarity is both a necessity and an opportunity
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.
Stakeholders' Highlights
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- A lot more needs to be done to better protect construction workers from asbestos
Latest News
- EU Commission proposes suspending billions to Hungary
- EU: Russian assets to be returned in case of peace treaty
- Frontex leadership candidates grilled by MEPs
- Portugal was poised to scrap 'Golden Visas' - why didn't it?
- Why the EU asbestos directive revision ... needs revising
- Nato renews membership vow to Ukraine
- Catalan spyware victims demand justice
- Is the overwhelming critique of Qatar hypocritical?
EU anti-Muslim hatred post still vacant
An EU office for combatting anti-Muslim hatred has stood empty for over a year, in what risks smelling of neglect.
France and Germany seek EU ban on killing male chicks
Nine EU countries are pushing for a Europe-wide ban to the systematic extermination of male chicks in farms.
Opinion
Will EU Commission capitulate to toxic chemicals industry?
The sharks are circling around the REACH proposal on 'forever chemicals' and there are rumours that it could be dropped from the commission's agenda. If true this would be a major coup for the chemicals industry and its political allies.
Opinion
Big-Agri is pushing for loopholes to keep caged animal farming
Despite citizen mobilisation and political support for the upcoming EU ban on cages for farmed animals, the lobbyists of Big Agri-food industry are now asking the EU for delays and loopholes that would make the new law ineffective in practice.
Investigation
How Europe's pension funds are gambling with food prices
Some of Europe's largest pension funds are investing billions of euros in volatile commodity markets, risking the hard-earned income of millions of workers while fuelling a global hunger crisis caused in part by such investments, a new investigation has found.
Opinion
Whatever happened to the EU's 'citizens' panels'?
Citizen panels can contribute to what the European Union has lacked for so long: a European public sphere. Democracy requires democratic debate.
EU adopts common charger law, forces iPhone redesign
The days of pilling up obsolete chargers in drawers and groping around to find the correct one are coming to an end. MEPs adopted new rules forcing all phone manufacturers to offer a common charging solution by autumn 2024.
Deregulation of new GMO crops: science or business?
Academics and biotech research organisations with corporate interests have been leading the lobby campaign to deregulate new genomic techniques in the EU — using 'climate-friendly' and 'science-based' narratives, according to a report.
Netherlands tops EU social safety net for the poor
The Netherlands is the only EU state where the minimum income is above the poverty line. A minimum income is not a wage but rather a social safety net to ensure people do not end up destitute.
New EU rules to make companies liable for their AI failures
As more-and-more AI-operated tools surround us — think of package-delivery drones, self-driving lorries, cleaning robots — the EU executive set out a bill to alleviate the burden of proof for consumers.
EU countries stall new pesticide rules, blame Ukraine war
EU countries are stalling on plans to halve pesticide use amid concerns it could hinder agricultural production in Europe and harm global food security.
Opinion
How the EU is failing to help the hippo
The European Union and its 27 member states will play a decisive role in deciding the fate of the hippo.
Germany sued over air pollution levels
German citizens are suing their government over its failure to bring air pollution levels down.
EU sanctions hamstrung by threat to food security
The EU has lifted some restrictions on the trade and financing of Russian coal and chemical to avoid an energy and food security crisis in poorer countries, but the upcoming ban on oil may have an even deeper impact.
EU's top court overturns German data-retention law
Germany's data-retention law — aimed at combating major online crime — is not compatible with EU law, the European Court of Justice ruled.
Food shortage fears prompts call to de-regulate GMOs in EU
Climate change, food insecurity and seasonal shortages have triggered calls to loosen regulation for genetically-modified food and seed technologies in the EU.
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- Nordic prime ministers: “We will deepen co-operation on defence”
- Construction workers can check wages and working conditions in 36 countries
- Nordic and Canadian ministers join forces to combat harmful content online
- European Anti-SLAPP Conference 2022
