European Union

Daniel Costello, Canadian Ambassador to the EU joins EURACTIV's Brian Maguire to talk over a coffee about the relationship between the the EU and Canada, where it is today and what it could look like in the future.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated criticism of EU anti-trust law, saying that to block the emergence of European champions would pave the way for Chinese domination. The EU ought to change the rules "to be truly competitive" she said in Berlin on Tuesday, after the European Commission blocked a German-French railway merger. Claims China would not use the opportunity to sell more trains in Europe were "rash", Merkel added.

An EU court jurist, Maciej Szpunar, has advised the court to force Facebook to remove offensive content from its pages worldwide, if they are banned by national authorities in a European member state. "This opinion undermines the long-standing principle that one country should not have the right to limit free expression in other countries," Facebook said Tuesday, in an ongoing case brought by an Austrian Green politician.

British Brexit Party MEP Nigel Farage could face European Parliament (EP) sanctions, including fines, after refusing to attend a special hearing on alleged financial irregularities on Wednesday. The EP called him in after media reports he had received hundreds of thousands of pounds from British pro-Brexit businessman Arron Banks but had failed to declare it in his EP disclosure. "What is this but an EU kangaroo court?" Farage said.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker told White House official Jared Kushner in Brussels on Tuesday that any new US peace plan for the Middle East ought to respect the "legitimate aspirations" of both Israelis and Palestinians. Juncker also referred to Kushner as US president Donald Trump's "son-in-law" in a dig at his lack of political experience and Trump's nepotism. Trump last year unilaterally recognised Israel's capital as Jerusalem.

Senior financial advisors to Italy's ruling far-right League party, Claudio Borghi and Alberto Bagnai, have championed the idea of creating a de facto parallel currency to the euro in order to pay down government debt. The new financial instruments would be called "mini-bills of treasury" or "BOTs", the Financial Times newspaper reported. The idea has fuelled concern the League might return to previous policies of exiting the single currency.

The leader of the Danish Social Democrats, Mette Frederiksen, is poised to win national elections on Wednesday and complete a shift of power in all the three Nordic EU countries to having social democrat leaders.

Ukraine's new president and former TV comic Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on his first visit to Brussels on Tuesday that he would keep Ukraine "on its strategic course ... to achieve fully-fledged membership in the EU and Nato." He also said he was "ready to negotiate with Russia" to end Russian aggression in east Ukraine. He spoke amid concern that his political inexperience could see him manipulated by Moscow.

French central bank chief, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, said in Paris Tuesday the EU ought to promote the euro as an alternative to US and Chinese currencies in international transactions to help "protect our businesses against foreign exchange risks or legal disputes abroad". The French banker, who is running to be the next European Central Bank chief, said dollar-dominance was "a clear advantage in the exercise of American power".

The Czech Republic's billionaire prime minister, Andrei Babis, has accused the EU anti-fraud office, Olaf, of trying to "destabilise" his country.

The European Commission on Tuesday (4 June) welcomed Romania's pledge to renounce controversial judicial reforms that had triggered strong criticism and threats of sanctions from Brussels.

The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media network.

World leaders gather on the coast of southern England on Wednesday (5 June) to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history and a feat that helped bring World War Two to an end.

Britain's governing Conservatives on Tuesday (4 June) agreed rules for the contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May as party chief, including measures to eliminate candidates more quickly from a crowded race.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Antti Hartikainen was appointed as new head of mission for the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine). He will take up his duties on 1 July 2019.

Ukraine's strategy of seeking full-fledged NATO membership remains unchanged, new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday (5 June), during his first trip to Brussels.

Denmark's Social Democratic Party is set to triumph in Wednesday's (5 June) general election, as polls suggest a surge in support for Mette Frederiksen's outfit, following a transformation of the party's stance on immigration after the 2015 national ballot.