European Union

The Turkish parliament has brought forward the decision on whether to launch a military offensive in Libya to today, Thursday. Erdoğan says the goal of the mission is to aid the Sarraj government, which is recognised by the UN. The step puts him at loggerheads with Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which support General Haftar and whose troops are marching on Tripoli. What does the escalation portend?

Greece, Cyprus and Israel want to sign an agreement on the construction of the Eastmed gas pipeline today, Thursday. The 2,000-kilometre pipeline is to transport Israeli gas to Italy and Europe via Cyprus, Crete and the Greek mainland. The deal targets not just economic but also political objectives, commentators explain.

The Spanish parliament is expected to elect caretaker head of government Pedro Sánchez as prime minister on 5 January. To secure the votes they need from their coalition partner Unidas Podemos and the abstention of the Basque regionalists and Catalan separatists, the Socialists have presented clearly leftist measures including a rent cap. The press is sceptical about the developments.

Austria's ruling conservatives have agreed to form an unprecedented coalition government with the Greens after months of negotiations - in a deal that could foreshadow similar partnerships in Germany.

After seven years of growth, the eurozone's outlook is deteriorating. There is a risk of a recession if the trade war with Washington worsens, while member states continue to disagree over the completion of the economic and monetary union that would help them cope with a downturn.

French union CGT called on Wednesday for more strikes in France, after president Emmanuel Macron pledged in his New Year's Eve speech to push through the pension-system reform - despite weeks of nationwide strikes by trade unions. Macron said he expected his government to quickly find a compromise with unions, but without backing down on key principles, Reuters reported. Another day of mass protests is set for 9 January.

The mother of a British woman convicted in Cyprus of lying about being raped by 12 Israeli men has supported calls for tourists to boycott the country, BBC reported. The 19-year-old was found guilty of causing public mischief, which prompted the UK to express "serious concern" about the case. The teenager said Cypriot police made her falsely confess to lying about the incident, which the police deny.

The largest low-emissions zone in southern Europe opened in Barcelona on New Year's Day, banning the most-polluting vehicles from entering the entire metropolitan area of the city and some satellite towns, the Guardian reported. Petrol-driven cars bought before 2000 and diesels older than 2006 are banned and face a fine of €100-€500 each time they enter the zone. A moratorium will be in place for the first three months.

Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz struck a coalition deal on Wednesday (1 January) with the Greens to ensure his return to power and bring the left-wing party into government for the first time, three months after Kurz won a parliamentary election.

Brexit and EU enlargement will be priorities during Croatia's six-month presidency of the bloc, Foreign Minister Goran Grlić-Radman said Wednesday (1 January).

The EU is working on a slew of new legislative proposals to make Europe a better place to live. Read on to discover what you can expect in 2020.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

The EU is working on a slew of new legislative proposals to make Europe a better place to live. Read on to discover what you can expect in 2020.

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP