European Union

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

The pace of German greenhouse gas emissions cuts slowed further in 2025, putting in jeopardy climate goals in Europe’s biggest economy, a think tank warned Wednesday. Emissions fell by 1.5% in 2025 from the previous year, according to a study by Agora Energiewende, compared to a 3% drop in 2024 and 10% the year before […]

European leaders say Washington already has broad military access to Greenland under a long-standing agreement

General Sir Rupert Smith reflects on Washington’s attack on Venezuela, past Western interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia – and why soldiers sometimes have to disobey orders

Conservative religious groups, US-linked think tanks and faith-based organisations are increasingly using the EU capital to push hardline anti-abortion views – blurring the line between belief, lobbying and politics

Trump’s Greenland gambit has exposed Europe’s deepest vulnerability: its dependence on an ally that now poses the most explicit threat to its security

On 6 January 2026, the members of the Coalition of the Willing convened in Paris. Declaration on ‘Robust Security Guarantees for a Solid and Lasting Peace in Ukraine’ was issued by France.

Zelenskyy hailed the deal as 'substantial documents, not just words'

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Berlin’s burgeoning left-wing ecosystem gave birth to a more problematic cohort of activists

The suspension sent ripples through the Belgian police force

Farm ministers will seek support for tightening safeguards, changing a deal reached in December

Landry's remarks on the same day as eight European leaders have urged Washington to respect the territorial integrity of Greenland and Denmark

The EU has taken a key step to tighten controls on chemicals used in drinking water materials

Italy and France have been pushing the Commission to grant more concessions on the agricultural policy budget

French, Irish and Polish farmers will take to the streets to oppose the signing of the trade deal on Sunday

While backing the Danish Realm, the leaders provide no details on the potential consequences of a hostile challenge to Greenland’s status

Karystianou said the party would not adhere to a specific ideology but would instead focus on “cleansing the country” from corruption

EU leaders will participate in an informal meeting in Alden Biesen (Belgium) on 12 February 2026.