European Union

Chances EU states would agree to open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia in October were "more positive" after EU and Western Balkans foreign ministers met in Helsinki on Friday, Finland's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said. The Western Balkans "is probably the only region today where the accession process towards the European Union has a deep value of peace-building," EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini said.

Reports of a build-up by Chinese security forces and arrests of leading activists in Hong Kong were "extremely worrying", EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini said in Helsinki Friday. The EU and member states would closely monitor "the impact" of events "on EU citizens and on EU economic interests in Hong Kong," she added, after meeting the 28 EU foreign ministers. People had a "right ... to demonstrate peacefully," Mogherini said.

The ECB's possible next chief will appear before the EU parliament, as political life resumes in Brussels. In London, MPs could mount a no-confidence vote against Johnson.

In the digital age, to update and improve the credit system is a common task for all countries.

The European gas lobby and its EU consultancy have been trying to gain access to MEPs by promising to donate to charity, in breach of EU transparency rules.

For most people, summertime means relaxation with a good book in the sun, under the shelter of a flimsy parasol or taking in the clean mountain air. This season’s number one thriller had a distinctly Italian flavour. No matter the...

British leader's parliament shutdown recalls illiberal shifts in Hungary and Poland, in what academics call "democratic degradation" and "autocratic legalism".

Climate change is causing problems for Germany's forests, as large woodland areas are dying. The ministry of agriculture is now planning to unlock millions of euros in aid to help prevent new forests from dying out. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Around 250 people tried to jump over the fence at Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta early on Friday 30 August. Only 153 managed to cross, reported the Spanish authorities. Earlier this year, Spain and Morocco reached an agreement that allows Spanish rescue services to take migrants back to Morocco. In 2018, nearly half of the non-EU citizens who were refused entry into the EU were recorded in Spain.

The ambassador of the EU to Georgia called “unacceptable” on Friday (30 August) the tensions and confrontational language at the “border” between Georgia and its occupied territory of South Ossetia.

Fires that consume the Amazon rainforest are often started by farmers who are attempting to meet the growing demand for soybeans. Now, France wants to convince its European partners of the EU's potential role as a leader on the plant protein market. EURACTIV France reports.

Italy's ex-prime minister Giuseppe Conte has been tasked with forming a government comprising Cinque Stelle and the Democratic Party (PD). Conte had resigned ten days ago in the confrontation with Lega leader Salvini. The press asks whether he can unite the two unequal partners and prevent Salvini's return.

New parliaments will be elected in the East German states of Saxony and Brandenburg on Sunday, followed by Thuringia in October. The AfD looks set for a strong showing in all three states, according to the polls. Commentators focus on living conditions in East Germany 30 years after the Fall of the Wall - and the sense of disappointment that has taken hold there since Germany's reunification.