European Union

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.

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.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

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.

Belgian, Czech, and Polish spies are chasing down MEPs who took Russian money ahead of EU elections, as those linked to one pro-Russia website hire lawyers and cry "slander".

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). 

Thinking of populism and authoritarianism in less absolute terms might be key to dealing with the 'hybrid democracies' and 'soft authoritarians' popping up across Europe.

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.