European Union

The European Parliament concluded its final plenary session of its 9th term on 25 April. The European elections will take place on 6 - 9 June.

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a general election for 4 July even though he could have delayed it until January 2025. Sunak said on Wednesday that the British people must decide: 'Who do you trust?' Commentators discuss why the prime minister has decided to hold the election now - despite abysmal poll ratings - and whether the Tories still stand a chance of winning.

The rift had already been obvious for some time, and then on Thursday the AfD was excluded from the Identity and Democracy group in the EU Parliament. Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Matteo Salvini's Lega were the driving forces behind the move, which was reportedly triggered by remarks by the AfD's lead candidate in the EU elections, Maximilian Krah, in which he downplayed the crimes of the SS during World War II. What comes next for Europe's far right?

A mysterious Russian government proposal has caused a stir. Published on an official Russian portal on Tuesday, it has now been deleted but involved a revision of the "geographical coordinates" defining Russia's borders in various areas of the Baltic Sea which - according to the draft - are inaccurate. Commentators are at odds over the seriousness of the incident.

China has been conducting military exercises encircling the island of Taiwan since Thursday. The country has reported dozens of violations of its air defence zone. Yesterday China threatened bloodshed and today a Chinese military spokesman said they were testing the China's ability to seize power over the self-governed island. The press takes a critical view of the latest developments.

EU specific support to oilseeds production and a joint public-private effort in research are key elements to increase the supply of EU-made proteins for animal feed, the bloc's executive recommended in a study published today (24 May).