European Union

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic Europe has been discussing the long-term impact the crisis could have on work and life, and whether working from home, for example, should be the rule - at least for those who can do their work from home. This could be between 20 and 40 percent of the workforce, depending on the country. After more than a year, commentators give a clear yes to telework.

China, Russia and India are among countries resisting a timeline to phase out coal power generation, leaving it to leaders to resolve the impasse later this year. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.

The EU called on Tuesday on Lebanon political leaders to form a government without delay, following the nomination of businessman Najib Mikati as prime minister. "It is now of crucial importance that a credible and accountable government is formed in Lebanon without delay, one that is able to address the severe economic and social crises the country is facing," the EU said in a statement.

The US decided not to lift travel restrictions for visiting EU nationals, given the spike in Covid-19 infections.

At least 57 migrants died in a shipwreck off the Libya coast on Monday, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration. "According to survivors brought to shore by fishermen and the coast guard, at least 20 women and two children were among those who drowned," said IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli, in a tweet.

The European Commission has requested 23 EU member states - including France, Italy, Spain and Poland - to explain their delay in transposing EU copyright rules into national law, as the deadline for enacting EU rules was 7 June 2021. The EU executive sent on Monday letters of formal notice, the first step of infringement proceedings, to the group of countries. They have now two months to respond.

The European Commission and national consumer authorities, led by Dutch and Belgian agencies, asked Google on Monday to be more transparent in the way it presents search results of flights and hotels, making clear when payments influence such rankings. Google Flights and Google Hotels results are expected to display final prices, including fees or taxes. The multinational is expected to communicate improvements within two months.

The EU on Monday urged Tunisian authorities to respect the country's rule of law, after the president sacked the government and shut down the parliament with the help of the army, Reuters reported. "We call on all Tunisian actors to respect the constitution, its institutions and the rule of law," an EU commission spokesperson said, urging authorities to avoid any further violence to preserve the stability of the country.

Hundreds of Hungarians took the streets of Budapest on Monday to protest against the alleged surveillance carried out by their government with the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, according to Reuters. Journalists, businessmen, lawyers and critics of the Viktor Orban government were among those targeted for surveillance. Hungarian prosecutors have opened an inquiry into the allegations. During the protests, some chanted "Victator" - referring to the prime minister.

Energy poverty could be exacerbated ad prices rise under the European Commission's proposed revamped emissions trading scheme, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has warned, with other stakeholders raising similar misgivings. 

China said on Monday that the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), unveiled by the European Commission earlier this month, violates international trade rules and undermines global prosperity, Reuters reported. "CBAM is essentially a unilateral measure to extend the climate change issue to the trade sector," a ministry of ecology and environment spokesman said. As the world's main manufacturer of steel and cement, China could face high border tariffs.

Russian authorities have blocked access to the website of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, and his allies, ahead of the country's parliamentary election in September, The Guardian reported. Russia's state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, argued the internet sites were being "used for propaganda" of extremist groups. Russian president Vladimir Putin introduced constitutional changes in 2020 to stay in power until 2036. Navalny was arrested in January, after recovering from a poisoning attempt.

A draft of a new report from the European Parliament's beating cancer committee does not distinguish between cigarettes and novel tobacco products on key points, signalling a tighter position on tobacco control, but some EU lawmakers are already mobilising to challenge this.

In today's edition of The Capitals, find out more about Poland considering making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for healthcare workers, Macron discussing the Pegasus spyware case with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and so much more.

Parliament’s former speaker, Trajko Veljanoski, two former ministers Mile Janakieski i Spiro Ristovski and the former head of the intelligence service Vladimir Atanasovski, all from right centre opposition VMRO-DPMNE Party, were sentenced on Monday to prison terms of up to...

The majority of Serbian citizens are in favour of joining the EU and see it as the leading donor and trade and investment partner, an opinion poll unveiled Monday and conducted by Ninamedia for the EU Delegation in Serbia shows....

Bulgaria is pushing for an end to “discrimination” against the Bulgarian minority in North Macedonia, with Bulgarian Rumen Radev discussing the topic with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Belen on Monday in Vienna. Until now, Sofia has insisted on...

Most Slovak MEPs are consistently critical of Russia and China and supportive of EU foreign and disinformation policy, a new study by the Political Capital Institute that analyses voting patterns has found. “The spectre of authoritarian regimes is haunting Europe”,...