European Union

In Romania, the centre-right government of Florin Cîțu (PNL) has been ousted following a no-confidence vote initiated by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and supported by the liberal Union to Save Romania party (USR-Plus), which had been thrown out of the governing coalition, and the right-wing nationalist AUR. Since it is not clear which parties could form a governing majority, commentators fear a long period of uncertainty - in the midst of the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has also been implicated in the offshore transactions scandal. He allegedly acquired a property on the Côte d'Azur via shell companies over ten years ago. The press discusses the potential impact on his image and this weekend's parliamentary elections.

In a drive to broaden health benefits, France announced new aid to guarantee the rights of people with intellectual disabilities as a two-day World Mental Health Summit opened in Paris on Tuesday (5 October).

As energy prices soar across Europe, the chairman of electricity giant Iberdrola warned of short-sighted measures in Spain that are threatening the expansion of renewable electricity needed for the production of green hydrogen.

German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner has urged the European Commission to insist on more consistent sustainability standards when negotiating future free trade agreements with third countries.

In just a few decades, Estonia developed from a Soviet republic to one of the most advanced digital societies in the world. The small Baltic state is setting a precedent for other EU countries to harvest the benefits of digitalisation.

With Angela Merkel stepping down, French elections a few months away, and the drama surrounding the AUKUS announcement, a convergence of events is starting to solidify new contours in the transatlantic security relationship.

Facebook’s service outage on Monday (4 October), combined with a series of revelations about the social network's management, have prompted policymakers to ask for regulation of online platforms with a shared sense of urgency.

Nord Stream 2 v Parliament and Council
Energy
Advocate General Bobek: Nord Stream 2 AG can challenge before the EU Courts the directive extending the scope of the Gas Directive to pipelines connecting the EU with third countries

Parliament v Council (Siège de l’Autorité européenne du travail) and in Joined Cases C-59/18 Italy v Council and
Law governing the institutions
Advocate General Bobek: The Court has no jurisdiction over the decisions of the representatives of the Member States locating the new seats of the European Medicines Agency and of the European Labour Authority

Landespolizeidirektion Steiermark
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
According to Advocate General Saugmandsgaard Øe, a Member State faced with persistent serious threats to public policy or internal security may reintroduce controls at its internal borders for longer than only six months

Instead of attempting an illusory grand deal that will set a new global standard, the transatlantic Trade and Technology Council should focus on solving its internal disputes.

A (Franchissement de frontières en navire de plaisance)
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
A Member State may require its nationals to carry a valid identity card or passport when travelling to another Member State, irrespective of the means of transport used and the itinerary, subject to sanctions.

Sumal
Competition
The victim of an infringement of EU competition law committed by a parent company may seek compensation from that company’s subsidiary for the resulting loss