European Union

Two leading members of Spain's liberal party, Ciudadanos, resigned on Monday - making it more difficult for the party to back socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez in forming a stable new national government following April elections. The split is linked to Ciudadanos' alliances in Madrid and Murcia with the far-right Vox movement as well as Sanchez's acceptance of support from Catalan separatist parties to form the previous government.

Italian authorities have seized almost €84m in a VAT fraud scheme involving the marketing of technological and computer products in the Campania region, according to Eurojust, the European Union Judicial Cooperation Unit. Searches were carried out in six companies in Italy and telephone intercepts were carried out in Slovenia and Estonia - two of the countries in which the bogus companies were located - creating invoices for non-existent transactions.

Bosnia's Serb entity on Monday (24 June) withdrew a bill to set up a reserve police force under pressure from Western peace envoys who said it would be divisive, with memories still fresh of reservists' role in ethnic cleansing during the 1992-95 war.

The European Union called for an "immediate de-escalation" of tensions in the Middle East on Monday (24 June), as the US government announced new "hard-hitting" sanctions on Iran after launching a series of cyber attacks on the country last week.

Hydrogen production from natural gas can be made almost entirely carbon-free using a technique called pyrolysis, say German industry executives who have called on the European Union to support the technology’s development on a commercial scale.

The Swiss government said on Monday (24 June) it was ready to ban stock exchanges in the European Union from trading Swiss shares -- intensifying a row over a stalled partnership treaty.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday (24 June) held talks with Russia's premier Dmitry Medvedev, in a rare high-level visit at a time of frosty ties between Moscow and the West.

Federal Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein won't ask for special favours at an EU summit next Sunday (30 June) aimed at appointing the new President of the European Commission, except when it comes to one thing: Austria's next EU Commissioner. An analysis by Herbert Vytiska for EURACTIV Germany.

Boris Johnson, the favourite to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May, has acknowledged that London would need cooperation from the European Union to cushion potential shocks in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied on Monday (24 June) in the Georgian capital for the fifth consecutive day as the increasingly unpopular ruling party's promise of sweeping reforms failed to appease mass demonstrations.

Greek consumers could end up footing the bill for new coal plants well beyond 2050 under a proposed government scheme, despite recently agreed EU electricity market rules specifically designed to call time on coal subsidies, write Joanna Flisowska and Nikos Mantzaris.

The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly agreed Tuesday (25 June) to allow Russian representatives to return to the body, five years after it was stripped of its voting rights over the annexation of Crimea.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) could provide a platform for a new partnership between the public health sector and the industry, from pharma to alcohol, Clemens Martin Auer, a candidate for the post of WHO Regional Director Europe, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Last week’s Summit did not retain the principle favoured by the Parliament. Before endorsing the final ‘ticket’ proposed, parliamentary groups can make coalition demands: a new top job could help, for healthy media and sound platforms.

A little-known diplomat and a mid-ranking official will represent the EU at the launch of a $50bn US peace plan for the Middle East this week.

Poland has lost a flagship court case over its judicial meddling brought against it by the European Commission, putting its nationalist rulers on the back foot.

"We don't know what they're playing at". "It's impossible to have a debate on this". "We were ready to tear our hair out". Those are just some of the diplomatic reactions to Poland's blocking of a climate deal at last week's Council summit.

Poland's judiciary reform that lowered the retirement age for Supreme Court judges has breached EU law, the EU's top court said in a binding ruling on Monday (24 June), which effectively means Poland will have to scrap the reform or face penalties from Brussels.

Two years after the European Commission took up the issue of so-called 'dual food' standards in solidarity with eastern member states, a study has failed to find any such discrimination.

Commission v Poland (Indépendance de la Cour suprême)
Principles of Community law
The Polish legislation concerning the lowering of the retirement age of judges of the Supreme Court is contrary to EU law