European Union

Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, his former deputy Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president in the parliament in Caracas. Rodríguez condemned the "kidnapping" of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, only to declare her willingness to cooperate with Washington shortly afterwards.

An arson attack on Saturday has left tens of thousands of households in south-west Berlin without electricity, heat or hot meals. A far-left activist group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) has claimed responsibility, saying its aim was 'to cut off the power feeding the powerful'. The power supply is expected to be restored gradually today. What does the attack say about the state of the country?

Left-wing feud erupts over responsibility for blackout

The co-chair of the left-populist BSW party argues that von der Leyen only partially and belatedly answered his formal request for information

REPORT on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2009/43/EC and 2009/81/EC, as regards the simplification of intra-EU transfers of defence-related products and the simplification of security and defence procurement
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection
Committee on Security and Defence
Anna-Maja Henriksson, Pekka Toveri

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

As geopolitical tensions intensify and the far right advances, Europe must act. In this article, industriAll Europe calls for organising around democratic values, internationalism, and a bold industrial renewal - mobilising investment, solidarity, and workers’ power to secure peace, resilience, and shared prosperity.

Plus Greenland looms large on the European stage

In today's edition: Pfizer taxes, biotech financing, and sick leave in Germany.

In today's edition: Mercosur, CAP budget, CBAM

In today's edition: Child protection panel delay, digital tax deal, US chips plans

In today's edition: Steel imports, drinking water pollutants, plastic recycling

Written by Györgyi Mácsai and Nadejda Kresnichka-Nikolchova, Members’ Research Service (EPRS) with Raffaele Ventura, GlobalStat, EUI.

This infographic provides insight into the economic performance of China compared with the European Union (EU) and examines the trade dynamics between them. In 2024, China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate was recorded at 5%, while the EU experienced a growth rate of 1.1%. Chinese inflation rates remain stable at 0.2%. The exchange rate of the renminbi-yuan continues to rise, reaching 7.8 units per euro in 2024. Trade in goods and services between the EU and China has remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from the previous year. The EU is China’s largest trade partner in goods, accounting for 12.7% of China’s total imports and exports. Conversely, China is the EU’s second-largest trade partner, representing 14.6% of the EU’s trade, while the United States ranks first at 17.3%.

Read this ‘infographic’ on ‘China: Economic indicators and trade with EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

EU imports of services from China (2024)

In Wednesday's edition: Green(back)land, Mercosur momentum, farm safeguards