Euractiv.com

Hundreds of European lawmakers and staff travel to Strasbourg next week for the European Parliament's first session since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, though many think it is too early to return.

Commission unveils the European Semester, the EU is not the sound canon tester and Viktor Orban finds that he’s the court jester.

A Czech prosecutor said Thursday (3 June) that the case of the billionaire prime minister's conflict of interest as an entrepreneur and politician has been forwarded to the new EU prosecutor's office.

The top European Union court dismissed on Thursday (2 June) Hungary's challenge against the opening in 2018 of a disciplinary procedure against Budapest for undermining democracy in the formerly communist country.

Spain plans to reopen nightlife venues in regions with fewer COVID-19 cases in time for the summer season as the country eyes an international tourism sector badly hit by the pandemic, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. 

Romania will exit coal by 2032 at the latest and pass a law by mid-2022 to address the closure of mines and adopt socio-economic measures to support coal communities and reskilling of worers, according to the country's official recovery plan.

Greek police on Thursday (3 June) said they plan to send out a high decibel message designed to deter would-be migrants after setting up two controversial "sound cannons" at the Evros border post with Turkey.

Denmark on Thursday (3 June) passed a law enabling it to process asylum seekers outside Europe, drawing anger from human rights advocates, the United Nations and the European Commission.

National control mechanisms will be responsible for ensuring that the EU recovery funds are not affected by corruption or fraud, although the European Commission is also getting ready to use the new rule of law mechanism as soon as possible.

The growing phenomenon of labourers coming into Europe from south-east Asia and elsewhere is fuelling a dangerous rise in exploitative labour practices that requires urgent EU action, labour unions and civil society groups have warned.

“Borrowing in times of crisis to stabilise the economy makes sense, as long as the question of repayment is not forgotten.” So says Bundestag president and former German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, a welcome, if unlikely, convert to Keynesian economics.

Organic farmers protested in Paris on Wednesday (2 June) against a potential cut in aid for organic farmers in the future CAP. But the French agriculture minister insists their calculations are “biased”.  EURACTIV France reports.

The European Union plans to impose carbon emission costs on imports of goods, including steel, cement and electricity, according to leaked documents obtained by EURACTIV.

The global digital race is on and the EU is on the list of participants. Do we dare bet on winning? Three European lawmakers explain how Europe should proceed.

It has been a year since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking global protests and renewed demands for the recognition of equality. What progress has Europe made on diversity? Corinna Horst, Audrey Flore-Ngomsik and Emma Rainey take a closer look.

The European Union must assert itself as a full-fledged political entity with economic, social, cultural dimensions and take internal and external actions that are decided democratically by its own citizens, writes Maria Joao Rodrigues.

  This week our podcast takes us to Berlin, where a spying deal between Denmark and the US is shaking German politics ahead of elections in September. To find out more we spoke with Oliver Noyan and Niko Krumayer from...

EU lawmakers will battle over whether online platforms should be required to open their algorithms to scrutiny, making them accountable for fundamental rights violations, after the European Parliament published its initial revisions to the planned Digital Services Act. The new blueprint also includes stronger opt-in and enforcement measures.

Eleven countries, including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, were set to reject a plan to prolong EU support for cross-border natural gas projects, and instead push for rules to exclude fossil fuels, according to a document seen by Reuters.

There is a growing disparity in the progress central and eastern Europe's regions have made to transition away from coal, often influenced by how willing the state is to rescue increasingly unviable companies. Some regions are beginning to close polluting mines while others plan to keep them open for decades.