European Union

The European Commission officially unveiled plans to strengthen the EU’s economic security on Wednesday (24 January), marking the latest attempt by Brussels to counter Chinese influence over strategically sensitive areas of the bloc’s economy.

EUobserver speaks with Raji Sourani, the director and founder of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and a leading human rights lawyer in Gaza — who has twice survived targeted bombings.

Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday (24 January) of deliberately shooting down a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers to a prisoner exchange in what it called a barbaric act of terrorism that had killed a total of 74 people.

Crypto bank Nexo has filed a record $3 billion lawsuit against Bulgaria over the actions of prosecutors and other state institutions against its executives, the company said on Wednesday.

Attacks committed by now-dismantled Basque terrorist group ETA and the actions of Catalan separatist groups cannot be compared, Spanish Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said on Wednesday after the Partido Popular, the main opposition force in parliament, insinuated as much.

The Finnish presidency will be fought between two former foreign ministers, the centre-right Kokoomus’ Alexander Stubb and the Greens’ Pekka Haavisto, with both on 26% and 23%, respectively and far ahead of the other candidates, the latest Europe Elects poll for Euractiv ahead of Sunday’s vote shows.

Five Star Movement’s call to stop aid to Ukraine and press for negotiations seems to have seduced Lega, marking a split from the rest of the governing parties concerning Kyiv in what appears to be a bid to attract voters ahead of upcoming elections.

Polish farmers on tractors took to the streets across the country to protest against the European Green Deal, EU policies that hurt local agriculture and the influx of Ukrainian food, in what deputy agriculture minister Stefan Krajewski said were protests aimed at Brussels – not Warsaw.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday (24 January) his government will propose legislation to liberalise a near-total abortion ban and ease restrictions on the morning-after pill, which, if adopted, would dramatically reverse the previous administration's policies.

Road blockades across the country and growing exasperation from farmers are shaping up to be the first major political test for EU election candidates in France, as they attempt to court the agricultural community.

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s new push towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The EU Commission has proposed a new revision of the directive on European Works Councils, the bodies that represent workers at company level, after 15 years without revision, in order to address a number of shortcomings.

The EU must accept the 'new realities' of military regimes in the Sahel region or risk losing what remains of its influence to Russia and China, experts have warned EU lawmakers.

According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico assured him that Bratislava will continue to support Ukraine's accession to the EU and will not block €50 billion in EU financial aid, despite Fico's previous harsh rhetoric towards Kyiv.

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) approved on Wednesday (24 January) new rules for new genomic techniques (NGTs). The plenary will vote in two weeks, but doubts remain on whether a law can be approved before the elections. 

Despite pressure from some EU countries, the European Commission is still trying to prevent private companies from being excluded by default from the first international treaty on Artificial Intelligence.

EU regulation failed to meaningfully reduce the level of carbon emissions from combustion engine vehicles over the last 12 years, making the uptake of zero-emission vehicles imperative to the bloc’s climate goals, a new audit has found.

Russia’s “hybrid warfare” against Moldova is expected to increase in intensity through 2024, focusing on Moldova’s planned constitutional referendum on joining the EU expected to happen in November.

Despite record sales in 2023, Germany’s political target of 500,000 heat pumps for 2024 looks out of reach amid a drastic drop in natural gas prices and a drawn-out political fight over heat pump mandates.

The European Commission tabled a proposal to strengthen so-called 'economic security' in the bloc. These are the most important elements.