EU fails to deliver on Albania and North Macedonia
Denmark, France and the Netherlands opposed opening talks on EU accession with Albania and North Macedonia in a blow that may invite greater Russian influence in the Balkan region.
News in Brief
- Catalan president blames clashes on 'infiltrators'
- US imposes €6.7bn new tariffs on European products
- G7: Libra should not operate until all risks addressed
- Kurds agree with US-Turkey ceasefire but not safe-zone
- US to host 2020 G7 summit at Trump golf club
- Turkey's pension fund buys stake in Finnish defence firm
- Turkey agrees to Syria ceasefire, says US
- EU leaders endorse revised Brexit deal
Crucial summit: last EU-28 format?
The EU summit will be crucial for the future of the EU, but especially for the UK. The next EU summit will not be the same since the UK's withdrawal will have consequences for the power relations within the council.
EU parliament quietly hoards visitors' wi-fi data
The European Parliament is retaining the data of everyone who uses their wi-fi network, including journalists and visitors, and providing access to national authorities in case of investigations.
EU envoy sheds light on weird US diplomacy
Remarks to Congress by the US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, have shed light on the unusual nature of American diplomacy under president Donald Trump.
Opinion
Europe's empty fortress
It is too easy only to criticise the rightists and their fixation with barbed wire, Trump for his wall on the border with Mexico, Orban for his xenophobia.
EU leaders back Brexit deal as Johnson faces Westminster
EU leaders on Thursday night endorsed the deal reached by EU and UK negotiators - now it is up to British PM Boris Johnson to convince a majority of MPs to ratify the agreement in a showdown on Saturday.
Opinion
Catalonia shows dangers of jail terms for non-violence
Time and again, across the world, efforts to "decapitate" non-violent movements, and refusals to engage in political dialogue with them, have led to situations like we are seeing today in Catalonia.
New Brexit deal drops Irish border backstop
The EU and the UK has agreed to a revised Brexit deal that drops the contentious backstop on the island of Ireland, and "sqaures the circle" of keeping the Irish border open. EU leaders are expected to endorse it Thursday.
Macron warned on danger of Balkans veto
France's veto on North Macedonia enlargement will endanger the Serbia-Kosovo peace process, a senior EU official has warned, but diplomats do not expect Macron to change his mind.
Brexit deal now hinges on Northern Irish unionists
Brexit negotiators held marathon talks but the Northern Irish unionists appear to be axing UK prime minister Boris Johnson's revised deal, as EU leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss Brexit but also other divisive, long-term issues.
EU leaders to warn von der Leyen over 'giving in' to MEPs
The new commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen will meet for the first time with EU leaders who nominated her for the job. She will be asked to lay out her plans for getting her commission through parliament.
Balkans row to hit EU summit after French veto
Thursday's EU summit could see French and German leaders butt heads on enlargement after France blocked new Western Balkans talks.
Opinion
Polish election: analysing why PiS won
Support for democracy was particularly low in Poland with only 19 percent consistently supporting democracy - only Hungary and Bulgaria scored lower.
Catalonia demands EU intervention, as crisis deepens
No amnesties and no pardons, Spain insists, on the jailed Catalan leaders, whilst figures from the Spanish region in Brussels called on the EU to intervene in the escalating crisis.
France keen to pause EU enlargement
France wants to pause EU enlargement pending major reforms, in what some fear could "destabilise" the Western Balkans.
Opinion
Threat to Unesco park mars Montenegro's EU bid
The site contains Europe's second largest natural pasture and hundreds of local families depend on it, but part of it has been slated to become a military training ground.
EU countries to halt arms sales to Turkey
EU states have agreed to stop arms sales to Turkey over its invasion of Syria, marking a nadir in relations with their Nato ally. In response, Ankara mocked the decision as a "joke".
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Latest News
- EU envoy sheds light on weird US diplomacy
- EU fails to deliver on Albania and North Macedonia
- Europe's empty fortress
- EU leaders back Brexit deal as Johnson faces Westminster
- Catalonia shows dangers of jail terms for non-violence
- New Brexit deal drops Irish border backstop
- Macron warned on danger of Balkans veto
- Crucial summit: last EU-28 format?
Nine Catalan separatist leaders given long jail terms
Spain's Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition and misuse of public funds over their role in Catalonia's 2017 bid for independence. The possible legal immunity of some MEPs remains unanswered.
Poland's right-wing ruler wins four more years
Poland's conservative ruling party has won four more years in office, with attacks on courts and LGBTI values auguring badly for EU relations
EU powerless in new Syrian mayhem
EU foreign ministers are meeting to find a common position on the Turkish invasion in Syria. However, events are evolving quickly, as Kurdish forces asked the Syrian army to protect them.
Hungarian opposition wins Budapest in blow to Orban
Budapest joins Istanbul and Warsaw by having an opposition mayor to a strongman illiberal leader, after a united opposition serves a shock blow across several towns in local elections in Hungary.
Opinion
New Dutch terror bill must not target aid workers
A controversial counterterrorism bill could end up criminalising aid workers in the Netherlands if they enter conflict hotspots when assisting the world's most vulnerable people.
Agenda
Brexit nail-biter and EU nominations This WEEK
British prime minister Boris Johnson will meet the 27 other EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday to try to clinch a last-minute Brexit deal.
EU stands alone against US and Russia on Syria
EU diplomats stood alone against the US and Russia on Syria at the UN on Thursday, painting a bleak picture of transatlantic relations.
Commission takes Poland to court on eve of election
As Poland's combative Law and Justice party faces elections this Sunday, the commission once again sends a case on its domestic judiciary reforms to the European Court of Justice for breaking EU rules.
Hungary faces EU court for starving migrants
The European Commission is one step away from taking Hungary to court if it does not offer a credible explanation for why it denied detained migrants food in its transit zones along the Serbian border.
Opinion
Let girls own the future
While our politics is dominated by old and bullying alpha males and the negativity they have injected into our times, there is at least one day of hope - and it is through unleashing the power of young girls.
French EU nominee loses vote and is out
France's nominee for EU commissioner lost the vote on her candidacy, with 82 MEPs against and 29 in favour, after hard questions in a second hearing.
NGOs expose rights abuses in EU supermarket supply chains
A new report from Oxfam reveals that many of the people producing the food on sale in European supermarkets are victims of poverty pay, harsh working conditions, gender discrimination, and human rights abuses.
Turkish attack on Syria might revive Isis
The EU has told Turkey to stop its attack on Syria, but Trump seems to be less worried about the 12,000 Isis fighters walking free, saying "they will be escaping to Europe".
European Jews call for 'united front' after German attack
Jewish leaders have raised alarm on the climate of hate in Europe after an antisemitic killing in Germany on Wednesday.
Opinion
From Brexit to Irish reunification?
Brexit puts the reunification of Ireland centre stage.
Timmermans to end EU climate 'contradictions'
Fossil fuel subsidies should end and there is "no future in coal", the EU's would-be green commissioner, Frans Timmermans, has said in his pledge to make the EU carob neutral.
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