European Union

The Court of Justice adopts new rules on whether or not to allow appeals to proceed in cases which have already been considered twice

Following last week’s revelations of Nathalie Loiseau's connections to the far right, the French president’s top candidate for the European elections is now defending herself from accusations of trivialising homophobia in a comic cartoon on Europe she co-signed. EURACTIV’s partner Ouest-France reports.

Since the start of this year, a new packaging law that aims to reduce disposable plastics has been in force in Germany. But so far, the share of disposable plastics has actually seen an increase in the beverages sector and German associations criticise the lack of binding regulations. EURACTIV Germany reports.

There is growing speculation surrounding the German Chancellor’s departure. In other news: The issue of carbon tax is also being hotly debated. EURACTIV’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

The Ministerial meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the Eastern Partnership will take place on 13 May 2019 in the Europa building in Brussels.

On April 29, the Council prolonged sanctions related to the situation in Myanmar/Burma.

For the first time since the Franco dictatorship a far-right party will be represented in the Spanish parliament: the newcomer party Vox, which campaigns for a strong centralised state and the "defence of Spanishness", secured around ten percent of the vote. The People's Party (PP), on the other hand, saw its number of seats halved. What are the causes of the turbulence in Spain's conservative camp?

Switzerland has joined China's controversial New Silk Road infrastructure initiative. On a state visit President Ueli Maurer was welcomed by Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the two leaders signed a declaration of intent. Switzerland's decision leaves a bitter aftertaste in commentators' mouths.

Slovakia's Supreme Court has refused to issue a ban on the far-right party L'SNS (People's Party Our Slovakia) led by Marian Kotleba, which is already represented in parliament. Explaining its decision on Monday, the court said there was insufficient evidence that the activities of the party violate basic democratic principles. The Slovakian media is disappointed by the ruling.

After Russia announced that it was offering fast-tracked Russian passports to the inhabitants of Donbass and then extended the offer to all Ukrainians, Ukraine's president designate Voldymyr Zelensky has countered by offering Russians Ukrainian citizenship. Commentators explain the real reasons for this seeming generosity.