Sunday
27th Sep 2020
Central European countries were quick to point out to the EU Commission president that they do not like her migration proposal. The asylum overhaul hit its first hurdle just 24 hours after it was announced.
German EU presidency "ready" to go ahead with EU human rights sanctions, but internal bickering could delay them into next year.
The protests in Bulgaria clearly open the debate on whether the rule of law remains the central shared value for all Europeans.
China's pledge to become carbon neutral before 2060 is "good news" for Europe, but it sends a clear message to Washington ahead of the US election - in which climate change has become a significant aspect for voters.
Far-right zealots in Germany are using the pandemic to "build bridges" with mainstream corona-deniers, in a sign of the political damage of Covid-19 in Europe.
Months after Black Lives Matter erupted, for many EU decision-makers the problems of racism in policing and criminal legal systems - the issues that sparked the George Floyd protests - are still 'over there', across the Atlantic.
The EU commission's newest pact on migration and asylum seeks to deter people from claiming asylum by speeding up procedures and sending most of them back home.
The special committee, only created in June, will start its hearings on Thursday with experts from the EU's foreign service on hybrid threats and disinformation.
Recent weeks have seen a sudden flare-up in anti-mask protests and coronavirus-denial - posing questions on how to regulate social media.
A new report details how the Covid-19 pandemic triggered bans on protests and demonstrations, censorship of free speech, and the weakening of democratic oversight on policy making.
Divisions among EU governments remain between those who want to suspend EU funds if rule of law is not respected, and those who want to narrow down conditionality.
EU countries agree on the need to better coordinate their Covid-19 measures, but the issue remains highly sensitive as health competencies belong to member states.
The EPP, S&D, and Renew Europe have all dropped their support for a Belarus dissident with homophobic views, hours after EUobserver published an expose.
The European Commission is being legally pressed to investigate alleged infringements by Greece on migration and asylum - following reports of push-backs and the denial of basic rights for people demanding international protection.
Stockholm's response to Covid-19 has been an unorthodox set of policies, which has received a faire share of analysis and criticism - but not praise.
It has been clear for many years now that the European Union's approach to migration and asylum is not fit for purpose.
The start of the new school year, the lifting of some indoor restrictions, returning holidaymakers plus cooler weather are raising concerns that a second wave of Covid-19 infections is on the way.
Belarus sanctions have turned into a "high-voltage" crisis for EU foreign policy, its top diplomat has admitted.
The Belarus oppositon leader asked the EU not to support the Belarus authorities financially, and not to recognise Lukashenko as the country's president when his term ends in November.
Azimjon Askarov's death in jail should prompt serious questions about judicial and rule of law reforms in Kyrgyzstan funded by taxpayers through USAID and EU grants.
The centre-right EPP, centre-left S&D, and liberal Renew Europe have all nominated a homophobe for the Sakharov prize - the prestigious annual prize handed out by the European Parliament to people who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
EU foreign ministers will have nothing to show Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya when they meet her in Brussels on Monday, after Cyprus blocked sanctions.
The European Commission sealed a second Covid-19 vaccine deal, amid fears over the fair distribution of supplies worldwide. So far Brussels has secured, or is negotiating, a stock of nearly two billion doses.
A German court just heard crucial witness testimony about Syria's state torture programme - in the first such trial of its kind in the world.
Migration and foreign policy will take centre stage next week, as the EU tries to come to a common position on Turkey, China, Russia and the sanctions on Belarus.
Mark Rutte's comment is the first time the leader of an EU country has publicly considered the possibility of the EU integration project continuing without recalcitrant states.
EU focus has moved to returning failed asylum seekers, and a "negative asylum decision will come together with a return decision", Ylva Johansson said. "No more Morias", she pledged.
Buying an EU passport does not give you impunity from visa-bans or asset-freezes, officials have said, as citizenship sales multiply.
The European Parliament has adopted a report calling on the European Commission to propose the first-ever EU law to boost the inclusion of Romani people.
A 60-page internal EU document on Libya seen by EUobserver says its border mission there intends to help draft Libya's national strategy of border security and management.
Spain would be prepared to recognise Kosovo if it clinched a deal with Serbia, Madrid has said, in the first positive signal of its kind since EU-brokered talks resumed.
Commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, would like to win the approval of all EU member states for a new proposal for a common asylum and migration policy - something her predecessors failed to do.
Leuven's Catholic University, one of Belgium's best, has decided to close one of its respected but controversial chairs. And many say that is not because of an academic failure or scandal, but a result of the Turkish government's relentless pressure.
