Monday
4th Dec 2023
Inter-institutional negotiations on the EU directive to combat violence against women have stalled over the inclusion of rape in the text — which member states such as Germany and France say is outside the EU's remit.
Since last week, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta corporation is forcing its European users to either accept their intrusive privacy practices — or pay €156 per year to access Facebook and Instagram without tracking advertising.
After working with people in unusual employment situations for a decade, I thought I had seen it all as a union organiser. Then I began dealing with Uber.
The Food Information to Consumers package would have finally regulated the health or nutrition claims companies make on their products, claims like "heart-healthy" "30-percent less fat" or "no added sugar". Legislation on these claims is now 15 years overdue.
More than two years after the EU Commission first proposed a law on forced labour, inter-institutional negotiations have not started because member states cannot reach agreement — risking the text's adoption before the 2024 European Parliament elections.
The platform workers directive, currently under negotiation, could create "ambiguity" on the processing of personal data by the platform and would also violate the GDPR by including the use of so-called robo-firing, research shows.
After months of intense and often volatile debate, the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is near completion. What are the key battlegrounds?
On one of its most profitable retail days of the year, Black Friday, online giant Amazon faces a wave of protests and demonstrations in more than 30 countries demanding better wages, fair tax payments and greater accountability for the planet.
Denmark witnessed this week its first 'greenwashing' litigation, against pork producer Danish Crown A/S, in what seems to be the first lawsuit against a European food producer over climate claims.
MEPs across the political spectrum united on Thursday to send a clear message: a robust directive on violence against women is needed — and the Council must unblock the negotiations before the end of the mandate.
I completely agree with the Berlin government's concern about anti-Semitism in Germany — but I think its approach to the war in Gaza and developments in the West Bank is morally wrong, politically damaging, rigid and likely to break soon.
This week the pesticide reduction law will be voted on in Strasbourg. It has become severely hollowed-out by the centre-right European People's Party, writes Brussels-lobbying watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory.
The richest 10-percent of European citizens are responsible for as much carbon pollution as half of Europe's poorest people, according to a new Oxfam report.
The EU Commission has proposed a platform that would bring together EU employers and non-EU workers. The aim? To address the pressing labour shortages facing the EU-27, but also to boost competitiveness — and discourage illegal migration.
In the wake of emerging litigation and regulation on so-called forever chemicals, there are growing worries among investors that PFAS could be the 'new asbestos.'
MEPs agreed on new rules for online service and hosting providers to improve the protection of children online, but also to ensure the privacy of internet users — a balance that was missing from the EU Commission's proposal.
The European Investment Bank is one of 22 of the world's 50 most important multilateral organisations which have never been led by a woman, writes ex-PM of New Zealand Helen Clark.
Despite its higher than average income, the Netherlands is no exception to the cost of living crisis, which is at the forefront of political parties' and trade unions' messages ahead of the 22 November election.
The Socialists & Democrats are gathering in Málaga to prepare their manifesto for the 2024 European elections. With house prices doubling in countries like Latvia, Luxembourg, Czechia, and Austria, the S&D is calling for affordable housing for young Europeans.
The PiS gained support by lowering the retirement age. For the Polish opposition, which is now likely to form the new government, the pension system will be a great challenge — but change is only a matter of time.
The European Court of Justice has dismissed Chemours' appeal challenging the classification of so-called 'GenX' chemicals as a "substance of very high concern" by the EU chemical agency.
The 'presumption of employment' crux continues to hold up agreement on a final text to improve conditions for digital platform workers. On Thursday, the EU institutions will meet again on the technical aspects of the agreement.
There is an urgent conversation to be had about implementing policies to safeguard job stability, working conditions, and privacy. The Forum on 16-17 November is an opportunity to discuss how to ensure that legislation works for the benefit of workers.
EU unemployment remains low at six percent, but food and energy prices remain high and wages are not keeping pace, meaning workers are losing purchasing power, the latest data shows.
At present, the ECJ considers documents about ongoing proceedings to be confidential and only makes them available once the proceedings have concluded. Arguments submitted by parties are never published, blinding the public to the full picture.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, EUobserver talked to the Socialists & Democrats spokesperson for employment, Dutch MEP Agnes Jongerius, about past 'successes' on the minimum wage and platform workers, and future challenges on quality traineeships and AI in the workplace.
Migration, sustainability, and energy transition: are local authorities able to combat Europe's pressing issues by surpassing national governments by taking matters into their own hands or will they get lost in a bureaucratic labyrinth built by favouritism?
The EU commission has condemned antisemitism as Jews in Europe grapple with a spike in attacks after Hamas gunmen slaughtered over 1,400 people on 7 October in Israel.
Preventing cardiovascular disease — a cost or an investment in EU health resilience?
The Spanish plan aims to reduce the working week to 38.5 hours next year and 37.5 hours by 2025. In EU countries such as Greece or Bulgaria the average working week is over 40 hours.
The Horizon scheme funded 95 projects related to critical raw materials since 2014. Millions of euros went to businesses tied to environmental abuses, others to oligarchs, a Chinese state-owned firm, and another based in a Caribbean tax haven.
MEPs vote to help consumers repair products, as EU garbage-mountain of viable phones, bicycles, and vacuum cleaners grows by 35 million tonnes a year.
The EU Gender Equality Index records the biggest-ever jump in its overall score, but there are major nuances behind it — such as the unpaid care burden between men and women, and the gender pay-gap.
