European Union

By opening Turkey's border, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to push Europe into supporting him in Ankara's negotiations with Russia's Vladimir Putin for a deal on Syria's Idlib.

The EU's unprecedented climate law will be unveiled on Wednesday, making its 2050 climate-neutrality goal irreversible, but proposal has been criticised for postponing action on the 'climate emergency'.

Greece is now "Europe's shield" said the European Commission, as it shores up border patrols on the Turkish border. But when it comes to Greece suspending asylum claims, the same institution was unable to comment.

In some parts of the world people are used to unpredictability. Europeans are not. Brexit has made them aware of the importance to stay together, especially in an increasingly-hostile environemnt with powers like Russia, Turkey, China and the US.

Critics misread the public mood when they claim that migration restrictions are a sign of creeping authoritarianism. More restrictive court judgements would result in broader support for common migration policies across the EU.

In a worst-case scenario, some 20 percent of the UK workforce would be off work with the coronavirus, the British government warned on Tuesday. That would mean enforced absence from work and self-quarantining, while shops, offices and schools were closed, the government action plan stated. As of Tuesday, there were 51 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

Several MEPs asked EU Parliament president David Sassoli why climate activist Greta Thunberg's event can go ahead on Wednesday when all other visitors are banned due to fears over the coronavirus. Centre-right EPP MEP Nuno Melo asked in an email: "I would like to request to hear the considered reasons for the exception granted to the citizen Greta Thunberg." Around 130 events have been cancelled due to the lockdown.

The EU Commission is evaluating the compatibility of German ex-commissioner Guenther Oettinger's possible job at the Hungarian Science Policy Council with EU rules, an EU official said. Oettinger formally told the commission on 26 February, after being appointed to by Hungarian PM Viktor Orban on 5 February. Ex-commissioners have to notify the executive within "a minimum of two months". The commission then checks and authorises the role.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg said she is "honoured" to be on the Hungarian state media watch list after Politico said that staff there need permission to report on her. "Lists like these should never exist. But since they do, I guess it's an honour to be on them... This shows the importance of democracy. Freedom of the press is non-negotiable," she tweeted. Thunberg will be in Brussels on Wednesday.

The EU has launched a €5.1m package designed to promote media freedom and pluralism in Europe, the Commission announced on Monday. The announcement comes ahead of the presentation of the Commission's Democracy Action Plan, which will attempt to safeguard elections from malicious interference online.

Important precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus on the premises of the European Parliament were announced by President Sassoli on Monday (2 March).

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Important precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus on the premises of the European Parliament were announced by President Sassoli on Monday (2 March).

Source : © European Union, 2020 - EP

Junqueras i Vies v Parliament
Law governing the institutions
The Vice-President of the General Court of the European Union dismisses the application of Mr Junqueras i Vies for interim measures

With migrants trapped in no-man’s-land at the Turkey-Greece border, there are probably few tougher jobs in Europe these days than being a Greek border guard. With the world’s eyes upon them, whatever course of action the guards take, even if...

The ‘Group of 7’ wealthy countries committed on Tuesday (3 March) to adopt stimulus packages to address the fallout of the coronavirus, but decided not to take coordinated action at this stage.

The leaders of the European Commission, Parliament and Council visited Greece on Tuesday (3 March) and sent a strong message to Ankara, saying Europe will not bow to the migration pressure at its external borders.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s president and executive board gave further strong backing on Tuesday (3 March) to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, with no talk of a postponement or move due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The EU Green Deal discussion is focused on 2030 and 2050, but it overlooks some important deadlines that are looming large, writes Emmanuel Desplechin.

For many, the dramatic events at the Greek-Turkish border resemble the 2015 refugee crisis, when more than a million refugees, mostly from Syria, crossed into Europe across the Mediterranean or overland. But is this really so? EURACTIV takes a closer...

Written by Monika Kiss,

© European Union, 2020

Demography matters. The economy and the labour market, but also social protection, intergenerational fairness and healthcare, the environment, food and nutrition are all driven by demography. The population of EU countries has grown substantially – by around a quarter since 1960 – and currently it stands at almost 450 million. The numbers are now beginning to stagnate however and are expected to decline from around the middle of the century. With the world population having risen still more substantially and growth continuing, the EU represents a shrinking proportion of the global population. The EU population is also ageing dramatically, as life expectancy increases and fertility rates fall below past levels. This has serious implications across a range of areas including the economy, healthcare and pensions. Free movement within the EU and migration from third countries also play an important role in shaping demography in individual Member States and regions. The ‘in-focus’ section of this year’s edition of the demographic outlook examines food and nutrition-related demographic challenges. It shows that, even if improving food quality and healthier eating habits lead to higher life expectancy, the EU still has to tackle the harmful consequences and prevent the causes of diet-related chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This paper is the third in a series produced by EPRS on the demographic outlook for the European Union.

Read the complete study on ‘Demographic outlook for the European Union 2020‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.