European Union

EU states have imposed asset-freezes and visa-bans on Belarus' interior minister and 39 other officials, after Cyprus dropped its veto in return for tough talk on Turkey.

The European Commission will launch a ‘comprehensive review’ of EU competition rules in early 2021, Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday (2 October).

A ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds was welcomed in the UK yesterday, prompting praise as a win for the environment and a signal that the government means business when it comes to plastic. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak by videoconference on Saturday (3 October) in an eleventh-hour bid to “intensify” talks on a post-Brexit trade agreement.

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned Friday "the epidemiological situation [in Europe] is worrying," saying progress on vaccines was key for a long-term solution for the crisis. The commission has sealed two vaccine agreements while five more are under negotiations. Von der Leyen also urged EU leaders to agree on common standards for the previously proposed Covid-19 colour map, to ensure better coordination.

The Commissioner-designate for financial services, Ireland's Mairead McGuinness, promised on Friday (2 October) a “full investigation” into the Wirecard fraud that has thoroughly shaken up Germany, to see why supervision failed.

British prime minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will speak on Saturday, for the first time since June, in a last push to find common ground on a post-Brexit trade deal. The UK and the EU will continue talks next week and until the next EU summit on 15-16 October in an effort to clinch a deal before the end of the year.

Welcome to EURACTIV's AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU.

Plenary Session, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

The European Union’s Green Deal could be a glue that brings us together: it should be used to build peace in neighbouring countries, writes Peter Läderach.

The EU has launched legal action against the UK after London failed to meet its ultimatum to withdraw its controversial Internal Market Bill. If signed into law the bill would override key sections of the existing Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels. Europe's press is divided on whether this will escalate the tensions or whether it is just a formality.

The Polish government is being restructured and reduced in size. There will now be 14 instead of 20 ministries. Jarosław Kaczyński, head of the national-conservative governing party PiS, will become deputy prime minister. The new minister of science and education will be Przemysław Czarnek, who is being criticised for his anti-LGBT statements. What impacts will the restructuring of the cabinet have on relations with the EU?