Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), has spent a lifetime standing up for the rights of workers across Europe. Quietly forceful and deeply committed, she sees unions not only as a mechanism for negotiation, but as pillars of democracy itself.

A Ukrainian nurse and martial arts expert, who has treated both the fallen of her own country — and that of its enemy.

This week, European and UK leaders meet in London to finalise a defence agreement and aim to improve post-Brexit trading ties, while EU foreign ministers are set to officially adopt the 17th sanctions package against Russia. Meanwhile, MEPs are expected to approve the simplification of the carbon levy.

Legal scholars have dubbed it a "sleeping beauty" — a potent yet practically unused EU Parliament instrument akin to the EU's own Article 7, designed to safeguard the rule of law and the integrity of its institutions.

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.

Russian spies are still active in the EU capital and have a "higher risk appetite" than before the Ukraine war — despite Belgium's efforts to push back against their plots.