Euractiv.com

While efforts to combat disinformation and voter manipulation are in full swing in Europe ahead of the June 2024 EU elections, in the US, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová told Euractiv.cz that the authorities are “calm” about hybrid threats before November’s federal polls, with no apparent evidence they have any preparations in place.

In this episode of Today in the EU we’re looking at how the EU is responding to Israel’s attack that hit 7 humanitarian workers in Gaza.

Poland and Finland have resisted pressure to support the divisive Nature Restoration Law and instead switched to becoming explicit opponents, seriously limiting the Belgian EU Council Presidency’s options for moving the file forward.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wants to turn GIFT City into a global centre for the new age of global financial and technology services. Modi’s ambition needs to be matched with cash investments and European investors.

The EPP is still the only party to directly address diabetes in its 2024 election manifesto. The European Diabetes Forum is now asking all of Europe’s politicians to pledge their manifesto support to fight diabetes in Europe.

Although 5G network coverage looks good in the Czech Republic, construction is facing administrative hurdles. Czechia’s biggest problem is the pace of building fibre networks, where it is unlikely to meet its 2030 target.

The last Slovak mobile operator, O2, began switching off its 3G network at the beginning of the year. Regular customers with mobile phones will not be restricted, older devices that communicate via 3G may have problems.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is determined to appoint an EU lawmaker from her own party for a high-level job in her institution, despite a backlash from the European Parliament and demands by her senior commissioners to review the decision.

The US and European market-based economies are struggling to survive against China’s "very effective" alternative economic model, a top US trade official warned on Thursday (4 April).

To bring Germany's ailing armed forces back on track, the government is reorganising its operative command and making cyber and IT a full-fledged military branch on par with the navy, air force and ground forces, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Thursday.

A European Parliament vote in favour of revising the European Works Councils Directive before June is seen as imperative, and as a safety net in the event of a political shift in the European elections, says industriAll Europe head.

Growing mistrust among European political groups, who are supposed to form a pro-EU majority after the June European election, is prompting some in Brussels to consider a written national government-style coalition agreement. 

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and the Italian financial police have jointly uncovered an alleged fraud scheme involving €600 million related to the Next Generation EU recovery fund, and extensive raids are underway across Italy, the EPPO said on Thursday (4 April). 

Belgium's national health agency has endorsed a European Commission proposal to loosen rules on gene-editing techniques, underscoring its potential to improve sustainability in agriculture in a report published on 21 March.

The EU’s emissions trading scheme sectors, industry and power, saw emissions drop by 15% in 2023, putting them on track for their 2030 targets, but experts question whether this was because of - or despite - Europe's carbon trading framework.

The world is preparing for a phase-out of fossil fuels following the historic COP28 agreement, but what does the energy mix of the future look like? According to Japanese engineering company IHI, interest in green ammonia in Europe is growing as heavy industries make the transition to greener technologies.

Turning 75 on Thursday (4 April), NATO will celebrate the success of its open-door policy that has charmed many over the decades but will remain keenly aware that it is facing possibly the biggest security challenges since its inception.

The European Commission played down fears that the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) could succumb to a Donald Trump presidency as pressure on high-level officials from both sides increased ahead of their meeting in Leuven, Belgium, on Thursday (4 April).

With two months until June’s EU election, the Parliament has gone into alert mode as pressure piles up to respond to a new cash-for-influence scandal rocking the institution, with new reforms back on the table. 

Portuguese Justice Minister Rita Júdice has been tasked with drawing up a package of anti-corruption measures requiring her to hold talks with all parties, including members of parliament, justice sector workers and civil society, the government decided on Wednesday.