Rather than lowering social standards and undermining rights, the EU should defend, promote, and expand its social model.

Belgium is threatening to block an EU plan to fund Ukraine with frozen Russian assets, as prime minister Bart de Wever draws a red line over risks to Euroclear and national financial security ahead of a decisive European summit. "I'm not giving up,” he told Belgian MPs on Thursday morning.

Belgium's prime minister will start his EU summit morning under pressure to say 'no' to using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, whatever the legal guarantees.

EU states are struggling with upcoming border rules that critics say could led to detention-like centres. Under the new regime authorities will have only seven days to screen a prospective asylum seeker.

A French banker inside Euroclear, who flew to Russia 155 times for "private" reasons, allegedly tried to connect the company's CEO, Valérie Urbain, with Russian spies and threatened her when she declined, according to an investigation by EUobserver, Humo, De Morgen, and Dossier Center.

Today, we kick off an anniversary campaign to convince new supporting members to join EUobserver's mission of providing the information citizens need to safeguard EU democracy.