European Union

The European Commission referred Poland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Monday (24 September), upping the ante in the dispute with Warsaw over a controversial legislation that would send dozens of Polish Supreme Court judges into early retirement.

The expansion of e-tools in rural areas will enable villages to become more agile, make better use of their resources as well as improve their attractiveness and the quality of life of rural residents, argue MEPs Franc Bogovic and Tibor Szanyi.

The European Commission presented last June its proposals about the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In light of the rising global competition, analysts stress the need for a quicker adoption of new technologies in the sector, warning that otherwise the EU will be left behind.

The leaders of the CDU, CSU and SPD are determined not to let the German government coalition burst over the personality of the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner “Der Tagesspiegel” reports.

The European Commission said in a report on Monday that 14 EU member states were at risk of failing to achieve a 2020 recycling target. EU legislation requires that by 2020 half of all municipal waste is prepared for re-use or recycling. The 14 countries are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

The European Commission on Monday referred Poland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), over Warsaw's controversial legislation to force dozens of Supreme Court judges into early retirement. The widely-anticipated move came after the commission said the law was "incompatible with EU law as it undermines the principle of judicial independence, including the irremovability of judges." Some 27 judges are affected by the rule, including the chief judge.

Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has announced at the conference of the nationalist Fratelli d'Italia in Rome that he plans to spend most of the next months in Europe helping far-right parties to secure a victory in the European elections. Commentators explain why the right-wing populists are gaining support - and ask how this can be countered.

The British Labour Party may change its position on holding a second Brexit referendum: several motions put forward at the Labour Party Conference that kicked off on Sunday call for a new referendum should the government fail to reach a deal in the Brexit negotiations. According to surveys a majority of party members are in favour of a referendum. Should Labour seek a new Brexit vote?

In Russia the gubernatorial elections have had an unexpected outcome: in Primorsky Krai the run-off vote was declared invalid due to electoral fraud, in Khakassia the encumbant threw in the towel after the first round, and in Khabarovsk and Vladimir the incumbents belonging to Putin's United Russia party trailed behind the challengers from the populist LDPR. A positive development?

Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople has tasked two of his envoys with making preparations in Ukraine for the formation of an independent church there. The decision prompted the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church to convene a synod and condemn the step as an "invasion" of their territory. Why the panicked reaction?