European Union

The controversial film Kler premiered in Polish cinemas on the weekend. It portrays child abuse in the Catholic Church and the entanglement between the Church and politics. According to reports in the media some towns want to ban the film from being shown in their cinemas and the ruling PiS has harshly criticised it. What has provoked the outcry, and is it justified?

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed a post-Brexit clampdown on EU migrants, saying London will treat EU citizens the same as those from non-EU countries, while also seeking to reduce the influx of low-skilled migrants.

The European Commission has given up plans to ramp up Europe's 40% emissions reduction goal for 2030 to 45%, according to German media. But the EU executive insists that a formal increase was never on the table.

After last week's European election campaign kickoff in France, Macron's "En Marche" aims to drum its electorate against populism in Germany, too. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Aleksandar Vucic, Vladimir Putin, and Hashim Thaci are blackmailing the EU for political and personal gain. With the US going against Germany, prospects of a happy outcome look dim.

Aleksandar Vucic, Vladimir Putin, and Hashim Thaci are blackmailing the EU for political and personal gain. With the US going against Germany, prospects of a happy outcome are dim.

Economy and finance ministers agreed on Tuesday to allow EU member states to reduce the rates of value added tax (VAT) on digital books, newspapers, and periodicals, to bring VAT rates in line with their physical equivalent. The measure was proposed almost two years ago by the European Commission. The bill required unanimity but was blocked by the Czech Republic as bargaining chip over another issue.

Since 2014, the Romania-Bulgaria Interreg programme has helped to boost the economy on both sides of the border by promoting cross-border trade and boosting cooperation in tourism, agriculture and industry. EURACTIV spoke to a business representative of companies operating in the area.

The European Parliament is not obliged to adopt the EU's annual budget in Strasbourg, but can also do that in Brussels, the EU's Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday. France, supported by Luxembourg, had called for annulment of the adoption of the 2017 budget, which happened in Brussels in 2016, and not in the French city Strasbourg. MEPs are required by treaty to meet in Strasbourg twelve times a year.

France v Parliament
Law governing the institutions
The European Parliament may exercise some of its budgetary powers in Brussels, instead of Strasbourg, if that is required for the proper functioning of the budgetary procedure

Ministerio Fiscal
DFON
Criminal offences that are not particularly serious may justify access to personal data retained by providers of electronic communications services provided that that access does not constitute a serious infringement of privacy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showed a more conciliatory tone on a hugely sensitive visit to Germany but both sides still have daunting task ahead to rebuild relations and trust battered by a succession of disputes.

Months before European Parliament elections, the EU cannot afford to let the falsehoods spread by Hungary's rulers to go without response.

Iceland's financial crisis in 2008 was partly prompted by UK prime minister Gordon Brown and chancellor Alistair Darling, according to a new study by a professor at the University of Iceland, Hannes Holmsteinn Gissurarson. He concludes that decisions by the British government during the crisis were "politically motivated" and meant to divert attention from the rescue of big Scottish banks and show Scottish voters the risks of independence.

German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron are the world's most popular leaders, according to a PEW study among 26,000 people in 25 countries. Overall confidence in Merkel (52 percent) and Macron (46 percent) were highest in the northern European nations surveyed with less stellar ratings in eastern and southern Europe, while European attitudes toward US president Donald Trump were strikingly negative, it concluded.

Following more than six hours of negotiations, leaders of Germany's ruling coalition have agreed to limit emissions from diesel cars, with details of the plan to be announced later on Tuesday. A central point in the talks was whether the industry would be paying the full bill for retro-fitting of old cars, or if consumers would also have to contribute.

Four Central European countries announced Monday (1 October) a plan to build a high-speed rail link between Budapest and Warsaw, said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter  Szijjártó. The planned two-track line would allow train travel at 250 kilometres (miles) per hour,...

Around 180,000 protesters marched in Barcelona on Monday to mark the anniversary of Catalonia's independence vote. A majority of voters backed independence in the referendum on 1 October 2017. When its separatist government then declared independence on 27 October Spain's constitutional court deemed the referendum illegal, and Madrid imposed direct rule. Leaders of the independence movement are still in jail and its leader, Carles Puigdemont, in exile.