European Union

Atomic scientists on Tuesday (23 January) kept their ‘Doomsday Clock’ set as close to midnight as ever before, citing Russia's actions on nuclear weapons amid its invasion of Ukraine, nuclear-armed Israel’s Gaza war and worsening climate change as factors driving the risk of global catastrophe.

Russian missiles hit Ukraine's two largest cities, killing 18 people, injuring more than 130 and damaging homes and infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as Moscow's war approaches its third year.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Germany backing Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's efforts to undo PiS justice reforms, the Spanish government paving the way for the return of self-exiled Puigdemont, and so much more.

Carrying more stock, switching to suppliers nearer to consumers and reducing dependence on China are tactics European and US retailers used to build more resilient supply chains following disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Party of European Socialists (PES) wants the EU to “strengthen” relations with both Washington and Beijing, while it rejects a regulatory “pause” to the Green Deal, a demand of other pro-EU forces such as the centre-right and liberals, an early draft electoral manifesto, seen by Euractiv, states.

The UK will further increase its military presence and support for Romania as an allied state, the new British Ambassador to Bucharest, Giles Portman, said at his first press conference in Bucharest on Tuesday, adding that the Royal Air Force's Typhoons will return to Romania this year for an air policing mission.

With the European Commission's 'strategic dialogue' between policymakers, farmers and agriculture stakeholders due to start on Thursday (25 January), agriculture ministers on Tuesday said the initiative is coming too late.

Many travellers are opting to take a plane rather than train between London and Paris despite climate concerns and the Eurostar rail service connecting the two capitals in just over two hours.

In a rare show of unity, environmental organisations and oil companies have both warned that the EU’s targets for green jet fuels are in danger of being missed as investment into the production of synthetic fuels is so far not materialising.

Belgian finance minister Vincent Van Peteghem has said that developing an 'Industrial Deal' will be one of the key priorities of his country’s EU Council presidency, adding that “cutting red tape” and improving the bloc’s general investment climate are key to arresting the bloc’s industrial decline.

Bosnia will miss the chance to start EU accession talks this year if it does not adopt the laws demanded by the EU within the next six weeks, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković warned during their visit to Sarajevo on Tuesday.

Bulgarian MPs from the ruling majority are preparing a law to free Russian property and give the Bulgarian state control over the huge Russian tourist resort of Kamchia on the Black Sea coast.

Slovakia is potentially sliding towards an Orban-like model, and Berlin intends to put the rule of law on the table at Wednesday’s meeting between Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the deputy head of the German-Slovak parliamentary group in the Bundestag Jorg Nurnberger said in an interview with Euractiv.

German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann stressed the importance of restoring the rule of law during a visit to Warsaw on Tuesday, as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk currently faces backlash in his efforts to overhaul the country’s legal system.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling socialist PSOE party and the Catalan separatist formation JxCat agreed on Tuesday to make some specific terrorist offences part of the future amnesty law, paving the way for the self-exiled former Catalan president Carles Puidgemont to return to Spain.

Anti-European, populist and far-right parties are expected to get a significant number of votes in the June European Parliament elections, according to a report by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) released on Wednesday (24 January).

Turkey's parliament approved Sweden's accession bid to become the 32nd member of  NATO on Tuesday (23 January), leaving Hungary as the only hurdle on the Nordic country's way to full membership.

The EU Parliament is expected to see a rise of the far-right after the upcoming elections, according to a new study — but what would the coalitions look like and what would be the policy implications?

Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional deal to revise rules on preventing and combating human trafficking on Tuesday.
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional deal to revise rules on preventing and combating human trafficking on Tuesday.
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP