European Union

This week, we talk to the Eurasia Group’s Xiaomeng Lu about how Beijing and Washington DC view EU regulations, such as the AI Act and the DMA, as well as the key differences in their implementation apparatuses.

The European Parliament and Council on Thursday reached a deal on new €6 billion facility to support Western Balkan countries who are on the path to European Union membership, with the funds earmarked for strengthening the rule of law and boosting their economies.

Russia is "very likely" behind a series of disturbances affecting GPS navigation in the Baltic region, the German Defence Ministry said on Thursday (4 April), pointing to the Kaliningrad exclave as a source of the problem.

The Romanian government is set to approve a memorandum to tackle the spread of deepfake content during election campaigns, Research Minister Bogdan Ivan announced on Thursday.

Bulgarian prosecutors have opened an investigation into officials, including new customs chief Petya Bankova and her deputy Lyudmil Marinov, as prosecutors claim to have evidence of smuggling, money laundering and bribery.

Slovaks will choose between pro-EU diplomat Ivan Korčok and Robert Fico's coalition partner Peter Pellegrini in Saturday's presidential election, with one analyst and the opposition warning that while the fate of liberal democracy in Slovakia is at stake, it may also strengthen extremist forces within the EU.

After a resounding success in last year's general election, Sunday's local polls will be the first test of public approval for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new government after four months in power.

The new Portuguese government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro favours Ukraine joining the European Union, Portugal’s new foreign minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday, criticising the previous government’s hesitation.

The Spanish government will launch a major international “offensive” against three regional governments ruled by the Spanish People’s Party and the far-right VOX party for having pushed through legislation honouring the memory of Francisco Franco.

The International Monetary Fund confirmed Thursday (4 April) that its current managing director is the only candidate to lead the international financial institution once her first term expires later this year.

Between an accidental missile launch and the sacking of the head of the Danish armed forces, it has not been a good week for Denmark’s military, but lawmakers are still keen to push ahead with negotiations over multi-billion euro investments in military hardware.

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.

The EU is ready to offer extra support to Cyprus as the Mediterranean island faces a sharp increase in refugees arriving from Lebanon, a spokesperson for the EU executive told reporters on Thursday (4 April).

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.