Analysis
How should the EU handle Russia now?
Should the West help the Russian opposition to try topple the regime, or make new deals with Putin, as France is keen to do?
News in Brief
- Nearly 100 refugees evacuated from Libya to Italy
- Juncker to meet Johnson on Monday
- First Hungary 'Article 7' hearing set for Monday
- Vestager picks Danish EU ambassador as cabinet head
- Commissioner hearings will start 30 September
- Italy says EU countries agree to take in rescued migrants
- Germany to organise Libya conference on arms embargo
- European Parliament to support another Brexit delay
Agenda
Brexit and new commission in focus This WEEK
Jean-Claude Juncker will meet Boris Johnson for the first time, but no breakthrough is expected in Brexit talks. MEPs are preparing to hear from the commission-designates, while Hungary will be grilled at the EU affairs' ministers meeting.
Opinion
As recession looms Europe needs more spending
Brexit may have another victim and it is the EU budget for 2021-2027.
Opinion
Luxembourg's cannabis legalisation is EU opportunity
Luxembourg will be the first European country to legally regulate the production, sale and consumption of cannabis (the Netherlands has a policy of de facto regulation of sale and consumption only), with all the implications this holds.
Opinion
Why I'm voting against the von der Leyen commission
The new migration commissioner's job title, "Protecting our European way of life", rings not of pan-European solidarity or federalism - but is incorporated from the playbook of the extreme right.
Those tricky commissioner candidates in full
Three central European commission nominees can expect to feel the heat from MEPs later this month, with the Hungarian candidate emerging as the most controversial.
EU defence bravado criticised by auditors
The EU's new defence budget might achieve little and loose talk of a joint army could do harm, a European watchdog has warned.
Central European leaders demand EU Balkan accession
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia have demanded to open accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania this year, as Hungary's man prepares to take over the enlargement portfolio.
Column
The benefits of being unpopular
Paradoxically, the lack of popularity may be part of the strength of the European project. Citizens may not be super-enthusiastic about the EU, but when emotions run too high in politics, hotheads may take over.
Opinion
The Catalan National Day has been a success. Why?
Some media - especially those based in Madrid - have emphasised that "the National Day of Catalonia (the 'Diada') has failed". Nothing could be further from the truth.
Yellowhammer: UK report predicts Brexit chaos
A British government report, called Operation Yellowhammer, warns of public disorder, disease outbreaks, and price rises for food and fuel in case of a no-deal Brexit.
Just 5% of Europeans trust Trump
European voters believe that EU's foreign policies should be more coherent and effective in order to remain neutral in potential international conflicts, since most EU citizens no longer rely on the US security guarantee, according to a new report.
Reynders is the new Timmermans on rule of law
Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen wants to see "tighter enforcement" of EU rules, and wants the current Belgian foreign minister to take charge.
Catalonia celebrates national day ahead of trial verdicts
Catalonia celebrated on Wednesday its national day - while awaiting the trial verdict on 12 Catalan separatists, former politicians of Carles Puigdemont's government. That decision is expected for early October.
EU peace plan at risk over Israeli annexations
The EU-backed idea of a Palestinian state will be impossible if Israel fulfils its latest boast to annex parts of the West Bank, Arab countries have warned.
DG defence: Is EU getting serious on joint procurement?
The EU's defence union project is to get its own offices and staff in Brussels, von der Leyen has said, but prospects of a joint armed forces remain dim.
Von der Leyen gives Timmermans green deal
EU Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen announced that Frans Timmermans will coordinate the European 'Green Deal' and climate action policies.
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Latest News
- Brexit and new commission in focus This WEEK
- As recession looms Europe needs more spending
- How should the EU handle Russia now?
- EU defence bravado criticised by auditors
- Central European leaders demand EU Balkan accession
- Luxembourg's cannabis legalisation is EU opportunity
- The Catalan National Day has been a success. Why?
- Why I'm voting against the von der Leyen commission
Von der Leyen leads gender-balanced, 'geopolitical' team
The new EU commission president unveiled her team that includes three executive vice-presidents and eight vice-presidents. She promises a commission that will listen and provides answers.
'Migration' is now 'protecting European way of life'
The upcoming European Commission has shuffled migration policy into a euphemistic new "Protecting our European Way of Life" European commissioner portfolio, headed by former spokesman Margartis Schinas. Some MEPs are not happy.
Von der Leyen unveils EU commissioners' portfolios
EU commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled her new team and their portfolios for the next college of European commissioners.
France calls for EU-Russia reset
The time is right for the EU and Russia to mend ties, but sanctions should stay in place for now, France has said.
Italy's PM Conte: no more anti-EU populism
Italy's anti-EU populism has ended, its prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said on Monday, as far-right MPs tried to shout him down.
UK: light goes out in House of Commons
British MPs again rejected Boris Johnson's call for an early election, as the parliament began its five-week suspension period. The prime minister said he would refuse to ask for a Brexit delay - despite the law demanding it.
Opinion
The EU investment bank's big chance to go green
The European Investment Bank's Board on Tuesday should back its proposal to become the EU's 'Climate Bank' and phase out fossil fuels from its portfolio.
Stakeholder
Transforming the EU's response to forced displacement
Only through joining up external policies to ensure no one is left behind, establishing a humane and predictable asylum system, and recognising humanitarian emergencies are a political emergency, can the EU champion the humanitarian response globally.
EU watchdog vows to keep up pressure, if reappointed
Emily O'Reilly, the European Ombudsman, told EUobserver she would keep up pressure on EU institutions if reappointed in her post.
France calls Russia peace summit on Ukraine
France has called an EU summit with Russia on the Ukraine conflict following a prisoner exchange - but the Dutch are unhappy that Ukraine freed a witness of the MH17 atrocity.
European politicians caught with Russian 'fake likes'
Politicians and political parties in Europe have had bots generate fake 'likes', views, and comments to boost their online popularity, in what has been described as outright voter manipulation.
And the world's heaviest drinkers are ... Europeans
Europeans still drink more alcohol than the rest of the word, according to a recently-released report of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Germany, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania are the heaviest-drinking EU countries.
Agenda
New commission unveiled This WEEK
After weeks of consultations, Ursula von der Leyen will put forward her commission on Tuesday, as London's Brexit drama keeps rumbling on in the background in Brussels.
Merkel urges 'peaceful' end to Hong Kong protests
German chancellor Angela Merkel has urged a "peaceful" solution to the Hong Kong protests on a visit to China designed to boost trade.
Johnson defeated as MPs push anti no-deal Brexit bill
MPs took control of Brexit after pushing through a bill aimed to prevent a no-deal Brexit, while Johnson's call for early elections has also been defeated.
US scorns EU bailout of Iran deal
Gulf tensions have intensified, with Iran to speed up nuclear enrichment after US scorns French-led EU diplomacy.
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