European Union

EU candidate Serbia is carefully watching this week's European Parliament election as its result may impact Belgrade's progress towards EU membership. Though Brussels is not expected to abandon enlargement, the process is almost certain to slow down, at least this year.

Austria's president Alexander Van der Bellen on Sunday called for a snap general election in September, after the resignation of Freedom Party vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, trapped in a corruption scandal, brought down the ruling coalition. A covert film of Strache in Ibiza before the October 2017 elections was published on Saturday by Der Spiegel and Suddeutsche Zeitung. The news outlets did not reveal the source of the footage.

An EU budget aligned to the goals of the Paris Agreement, the fulfilment of climate neutrality and the swift decarbonisation of the European economy is a win-win situation for both net payers and recipients to the EU budget, argue Markus Trilling and Raphaël Hanoteaux.

Swiss voters approved, in a referendum on Sunday, by a two-thirds majority to tighten gun controls, including stricter controls for semi-automatic weapons, bringing the non-EU member state's rules in line with EU rules introduced after the 2015 Paris attacks. The result means Switzerland remains a member of the passport-free Schengen zone and the Dublin joint system for handling asylum requests. Nearly half of Swiss households own a gun.

UK prime minister Theresa May's fourth attempt to get a Brexit deal through parliament appears doomed, as leaked documents cited by the Daily Telegraph suggested it would be a "retread" of old ideas. Conservative leadership frontrunners Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab have both declined to reveal if they would support it again. May is expected step down if she loses the vote in the first week of June.

Turkey has the right to drill for oil in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has insisted in a letter sent on Friday to the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, EU member states and UN Security Council permanent members. Cypriot officials have said that Nicosia will issue international and European arrest warrants "for all involved" if drilling takes place.

European gas storage sites have much to offer in the energy transition, providing a readily available platform to carry new low-carbon gases like hydrogen. What’s not clear yet is whether those gases can be produced in sufficient quantity to significantly cut carbon emissions.

The removal of a protest banner against League leader and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini during a visit to Campania on 7 May has fuelled a new trend in Italy of people hanging anti-Salvini banners from their windows as the League leader tours the country to rally support. Salerno prosecutors have now opened a probe into alleged election disruption after firefighters were ordered to take down such a protest banner.

US President Donald Trump issued a new threat to Tehran on Sunday (19 May), tweeting that a conflict would be the “official end” of Iran, as Saudi Arabia warned it stood ready to respond with “all strength” and said it was up to Iran to avoid war.

EU member states have decided to set up a new mechanism to monitor China's progress in implementing agreed commitments, with the aim of extending such controls to other bilateral relations, according to documents seen by EURACTIV.

A small group of EU countries is pushing for the European Council to come down hard on climate change at an EU summit in June, EURACTIV.com has learned. But chances are slim that it will be a defining moment for the bloc’s environmental credentials.

Member states clashed on the reform of the directive on alcohol excise duties during a meeting of EU financial ministers last Friday (17 May), as the Romanian Presidency of the EU tried to raise the maximum limit on home distillation, in pursuit of its own national interest.

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

The Swiss voted Sunday (19 May) to toughen their gun laws and bring them in line with EU legislation, heeding warnings that rejecting the change could have threatened relations with the bloc.

EU membership candidate Montenegro is carrying "a heavy legacy, plagued with low standards and weak institutions", but it has already made progress and its EU orientation is "clear and strong", its prime minister told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.

Chatting with voters in a small town in northwest England ahead of this week's European elections, lawyer Sophie Larroque's French accent is hard to miss.

Thousands of people marched in cities across Germany on Sunday (19 May) to protest against nationalist and far-right parties looking to secure more seats in this week's European elections.

Politicians from Europe's mainstream parties called on voters to stand against the far right, after a video sting brought down the leader of Austria's Freedom Party (FPÖ), hurting the momentum of nationalists days before a European parliamentary election.

Europe's far-right is set to rise in the next European Parliament election. This vote will not yet allow the populists to build a majority. But it may become another milestone in their process of changing European politics.

Political tensions soared in France Sunday (19 May) a week ahead of tightly-contested European elections, with the ruling party of President Emmanuel Macron expressing unease over the presence of Donald Trump's controversial ex-strategist Steve Bannon.