European Union

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can form a majority coalition with as few as two other deputies – provided they're able to renew their agreement.

The Council has approved conclusions on improving cardiovascular health and combating cardiovascular diseases through prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation.

The press briefings ahead of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (Transport and Telecommunications) and the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 9-10 December 2024 will take place on Wednesday 4 December 2024 starting at 17.00.

The Council has adopted a non-binding recommendation that will encourage member states to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols and achieve a tobacco-free generation in Europe by 2040 as set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

Press briefing ahead of the Eurogroup meeting will take place on 5 December 2024 at 15.00. 

Influential Senator Ted Cruz urged U.S. officials to investigate whether European governments have tried to unduly influence the country’s laws around AI.

In a first, its scope will be strictly limited to health.

For the last decade there has been a lot of focus in the EU on additional reporting and anti-abuse measures, which ultimately had lead to a high cost of tax compliance.

France is facing a government crisis: after Prime Minister Michel Barnier bypassed parliament to push through part of the state budget, the left-wing opposition parties and the right-wing populist Rassemblement National (RN) have tabled no-confidence motions. The vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Commentators point the finger in several directions.

A few weeks before the end of his term in office, US President Joe Biden has gone back on his word and pardoned his son Hunter Biden. In a statement on Sunday, the president wrote that his son had been treated unfairly and that the charges against him were politically motivated. Hunter Biden had violated gun control laws and pleaded guilty to tax offences. Europe's press takes a critical view of Biden's decision.

The social democratic PSD has emerged from Romania's parliamentary elections as the strongest party with 22 percent of the vote and could now form a four-way coalition with three other traditional parties. However, three right-wing populist parties together received around 32 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court has approved the result of the first round of the presidential election, meaning that the far-right populist Călin Georgescu can compete in Sunday's runoff vote.