European Union

To mark the end of the European Year of Youth 2022, a closing event with 700 participants will take place in the Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

The EU Council completed on Monday (5 December) the first revision of the European Media Freedom Act at the technical level, with significant work still to be done on fundamental aspects of the proposal. The meeting of the Audiovisual and...

NEW ISSUE

"Investing in European defence. Today's promises, tomorrow's capabilities?"

The brand-new issue of European Defence Matters - the European Defence Agency's flagship magazine - is here! Read our digital magazine, as both a Webzine with a selection of articles, and the full PDF online.

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine underlining shortfalls in European defence after years of underinvestment, Edition 24 of European Defence Matters explores how EU Member States and industry are responding, and why defence cooperation has never been more important.

Including interviews with EDA Head Josep Borrell, Germany's Minister of Defence Christine Lambrecht and Rheinmetall's Chief Executive Armin Papperger, our European Defence Matters magazine looks at how EU defence spending is rising at a historic pace but could be wasted without European collaboration. We debate whether the next steps in EU defence cooperation reveal a coherent unity of vision that can provide a springboard to success.

Whether it is Germany's 'Zeitenwende', or the Czech EU presidency's progress on new EU defence initiatives, we hear from top officials and experts, look at the EU's annual defence review, and the Permanent Structured Cooperation five years on, as well as focusing on the latest EDA projects in drone safety.

In an exclusive interview for European Defence Matters, the head of the European Peace Facility talks about how the instrument has broken taboos and strengthened EU unity. We also look at how Ukraine's diplomatic operation is faring under the strain of war, and talk to three European companies innovating with help from the European Defence Fund.

Check out too our EU defence history timeline.

Enjoy the read!

Robin Emmott, editor-in-chief

The European Commission's new packaging law has drawn criticism from stakeholders, who warn against a shift of focus from recycling to reusing materials. While the new proposal is watered down, concerns remain.

While the European Union openly criticises China for abusing its the mostly Muslim Uyghur population, the EU turns a blind eye to the way India treats its own Muslim minority — because it wants India as a strategic ally.

This EURACTIV-GIGAEurope Digital Debate examined the role that digital technologies can play in global efforts to address food security issues and make agriculture more sustainable. Addressed questions  included: - What are the current attitudes and adoption rates of precision agriculture tools of Europe’s farms? - What environmental challenges do farmers face and what is the role precision agriculture can play in tackling these? - What is industry doing to address farmers’ concerns around privacy and data ownership? - What sort of regulatory assurances can policymakers provide if farmers invest in precision farming tools?

Vladimir Putin himself is somewhat suspicious of Serbia's leader, as are most who deal with the opaque Aleksandar Vucic. The Russian president has preferred to keep his Serbian counterpart compliant, via a tight rein of annually-reviewed gas pricing.

On the eve of a key EU-Western Balkans summit, the European Commission on Monday (5 December) presented an ‘action plan’ to tackle the rise in migrants entering the EU via the region. The European Commission’s plan includes 5 pillars, which...

In this webinar we will look into how European satellite technology is used to effectively and strategically support and monitor Europe’s green transition. Experts in the field will discuss what the needs in the future are likely to be – and who will deliver the technologies we will need.

The price cap of 60 dollars (57 euros) per barrel for Russian oil decided by the EU and G7 countries applies as of today. The aim is to prevent Russia from being able to cushion the impact of a simultaneous embargo on seaborne oil imports to the EU and to prevent oil prices from exploding. Can the measures have the desired effect?

French President Emmanuel Macron has once again caused controversy with comments on Russia's war against Ukraine. In an interview with the French TV station TF1 on Saturday, he said, among other things, that Russia still fears that Nato could come right up to its doors, and that the West should consider how to address Moscow's need for security guarantees. Commentators are unenthusiastic.

According to Iranian state media, which cite the country's attorney general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Iranian morality police is being disbanded. The morality police are blamed for the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests in Iran. Commentators doubt that this will appease the protesters, who have long since been calling for the Ayatollahs' regime to be overthrown.