Euractiv.com

Initiatives like the Baltic Sea Region combine the unusual and predictable in developing people’s sense of shared responsibility for the development of their home regions, writes Jerzy Kwieciński.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday (12 December) he would stand firm against what he called "inflammatory" Catalan separatist rhetoric, hardening his stance towards the region and upping the stakes in a broader political game.

With the European Parliament set to end its term on April 8 2019, EU citizens will be called to the ballot boxes to take part in European Parliamentary votes between 23-26 May 2019, in which 705 MEPs will stand for seats in the EU's legislative chamber.

Italy has admitted defeat and agreed to change its “beautiful” budget plan to avoid the opening of a disciplinary procedure against Rome.

Theresa May will not be the only Prime Minister coming to the two-day summit starting on Thursday (13 December) after having won a confidence vote the previous day.

Norway is getting closer to building the world’s first carbon-free cement plant, a move that could reverberate across the globe as 197 countries meet for the UN's annual climate conference in Katowice, Poland.

Rare scenes of chaos gripped the Hungarian parliament Wednesday (12 December) as it passed a controversial judicial reform, as well as labour legislation that critics call a "slave law".

As the EU's multi-annual budget is being negotiated, the amounts and efficiency of spending matter but also priorities and European values when disbursing programmes. Smarter conditionality is needed, triggering less political backlash, and, where needed, direct payment to beneficiaries, argue Benedek Jávor and Laszlo Andor.

After almost five years of negotiations, the European Parliament ratified the EU-Japan trade deal on Wednesday (12 December), sealing the biggest ever trade agreement negotiated by the European Union.   

A chapter of eurozone history will come to a close Thursday (13 December), with the European Central Bank widely expected to withdraw a key element of support for the economy while reassuring observers fearful of the growing risks.

Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday night (12 December) but it came at a heavy price, as she lost the support of nearly 40% of her Conservative MPs and the opposition hinted it may soon mount its own challenge against her.

EU leaders will discuss late on Thursday (13 December) how to address the UK's concerns about its withdrawal agreement from the EU, but discussions on contingency plans are gathering pace as the chances of an orderly divorce continue to wane.

EU social security coordination will make it easier for EU citizens looking for work to seek employment in another member state. EURACTIV France reports.

The first reports of the Strasbourg shooting attack arrived on smartphones just as EU staff were heading to dinners and pre-Christmas parties. The European Parliament immediately triggered its emergency containment procedure and turned into a bunker, grids lowered, doors locked.

The European Commission will fine Bulgarian Energy Holding as early as this month for hindering rivals’ access to key gas infrastructure, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday (12 December), based on information from three sources familiar with the dossier.

Voters who are aware of EU support in their region vote in larger number for pro-Europe politicians. However, EU structural funds remain largely unknown - and often inefficient. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European Commission will conclude in May whether France’s deficit slippage caused by new spending measures represents a limited and temporary deviation allowed by the rules.

Shadow rapporteurs on the controversial copyright directive are frustrated that the European Parliament does not have a unified position on disputed Articles 11 and 13, with one MEP telling EURACTIV that Parliament has been conducting institutional negotiations without a text fully agreed on by shadows.

Recent polling evidence shows that public appetite for yet more measures to clamp down on smoking has been exhausted, says Guillaume Périgois.

Despite Theresa May's efforts to salvage her "more than imperfect Brexit deal", any serious business or government should now consider a no-deal exit as a real possibility and prepare for it, British MEP Julie Girling told EURACTIV.com.