Monday
28th Sep 2020
The loudest applause from MEPs during Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union speech came for her call to move to Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in foreign policy - at least on human rights and sanctions implementation.
A recent report noted apparel and footwear as the leading exports from the Uighur region - with a combined value of $6.3bn [€5.3bn] representing over 35 percent of total exports.
It's time for the EU Commission to get its house in order and close the doors to tobacco lobby influence once and for all.
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.
This is a critical moment. The UAE-Israel agreement, welcomed by the European Union, represents a severe blow to the Arab Peace Initiative, writes the diplomatic affairs' adviser for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
After a little over a year in Brussels as an MEP, and closely following the EU's foreign affairs, it astonishes me how ineffective the European Union leverages its power on the world stage.
The EU is expected to soon, perhaps this week, to release its renewed Sahel strategy, which was in dire need of a revamp and which will no doubt reflect some of the words of foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
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 protests in Bulgaria clearly open the debate on whether the rule of law remains the central shared value for all Europeans.
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.
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.
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.
Let us be clear: without this new financial windfall, cities, towns and regions will not be able to overcome a crisis of colossal proportions like the current one.
For too long we have defined our relationship with China solely on trade, in which Europe mainly regarded China as an interesting export market and low-cost producer.
The micro-targeting of narrow, homogenous groups of people with very specific messages that exploit their vulnerabilities, makes it easier than ever to distort political debate, pushing people deeper into their echo chambers and stimulating single-issue voting.
With the EU's support, Belarus has a chance to shed its 'oldest dictatorship' title and become instead, the youngest democracy in Europe.
Russian government propaganda likes to pretend the post-Soviet space is a harbour of stability compared to the tumultuous politics of central and western Europe. The facts show the opposite.
In the last months, there has been a very concerning rise of racist attacks of the far-right in Portugal.
The lockdown period of this pandemic was an important reminder of the value of clean air and proof that it's still possible to achieve.
There are two avenues available for states to ensure that evidence of the abuses by Belarus authorities is collected, analysed, and preserved by impartial and independent international experts.
If Europe wants to have a chance to bring back some stability and keep some ground against other powers, it must learn to be a better partner. Doing what we are doing is not an option.
As the European Union prepares for the 6th African Union summit, set to take place in Brussels in October, EU leaders should wake up to the tragic reality unfolding beyond the Mediterranean sea.
For many workers, jobs have been decoupled from location. Now, the European Union must recognise that fact and adjust to it by adopting new rules.
Concerning the op-ed "Sudan asylum decision signals Dutch moral collapse", we would like to rebut statements made in this article and signal that it contains factual mistakes and misleading statements about the use of EU funds in Sudan.
Hezbollah has flagrantly violated the UN mandate, as it continues arms-smuggling via Syria with Iran and digging tunnels along the Israeli border.
Many European politicians have praised Russia for keeping a neutral line toward developments in Belarus. However, this is not the case at all.
First and foremost, do no harm: The danger of a rebound in greenhouse gas emissions after the coronavirus crisis is looming on the horizon.
Nordic and Baltic states need alternatives to their current security architecture, as events in Belarus and beyond show fragility of Nato structures.
Not only must the issue of missing persons be understood as a moral and social catastrophe - which it certainly is - but as a threat to global security.
Kosovo will do its part, but it needs help from Germany to realise its potential as a member of the Euro-Atlantic community.
It is time to show Poland's homophobic ruling party that it isn't possible to erode human rights and our common European values without a price.
It is time for France, Germany, and the UK to send the world's most dangerous man - Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei - a message on the price of treaty violations.
Instead of taking sides, the EU can benefit the most from simultaneous engagement with China and India, as tensions between the Asian giants grow.
