European Union

The Czech senate is Europe's most active national parliamentary body when it comes to the number of EU debates, according to a study by the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies. Hours spent on EU debates ranged from 300 yearly in the Austrian Nationalrat to over 1,000 hours in the Dutch Tweede Kamer or the UK House of Commons. Lithuania and Cyprus spent the least time on EU discussions.

Romania’s governing coalition is pressing on with plans to bring the judiciary under control, despite the massive protests just a few weeks ago. And leaders of the ruling parties got an unexpected helper from Washington.

A bus crash apparently caused by inadequate asphalt has exposed fraud and corruption in Bulgaria's road construction and prompted Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to abruptly sack three ministers on Friday (31 August).

Growing problem of space debris risks putting space off-limits for future generations, says Holger Krag, head of ESA's Space Debris Office.

The Danish government will allocate almost €100m (700 million Danish kroner) to cover costs related to an eventual hard Brexit, finance minister Kristian Jensen told Danish media when presenting the country's 2019 draft budget on Thursday. He did not offer any details about what the money would be used for. "They are to be spent when we know the consequences of the Brexit negotiations", Kristian Jensen said.

US president Donald Trump rejected on Thursday an offer from EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem to reduce all car tariffs to zero if the US did the same as "not good enough". European "consumer habits are to buy their cars, not to buy our cars," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg. The EU is "almost as bad as China, just smaller," he said.

Two Sweden Democrats have been forced out of the party after they purchased racist material online, voiced sympathy for Adolf Hitler and called Anne Frank the: "coolest jew in the shower room". "You cannot be a candidate for the Sweden Democrats if you have these types of views and share these types of materials," Sweden Democrat leader in the costal city of Oskarshamn, Michael Erlandsson, told newspaper Ostra Smaland.

Hungarian foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, summoned Sweden's ambassador in Budapest on Thursday to explain critical comments from two Swedish ministers over Hungary's strong anti-immigration policies. Foreign minister Wallstroem wrote on Twitter that Hungary and Italy want to form an alliance against "the democrats and the left' in Europe", while Swedish migration minister Helene Fritzon recalled that Sweden accepted Hungarian refugees in the 1950s.

Bavarian MEP Manfred Weber has been backed by German chancellor Angela Merkel as "spitzenkandidat" for Europe's centre-right EPP parties in next year's European Parliament elections. German media reports that Merkel's decision was reached after consultations with French EPP leader Joseph Daul in Berlin. If he wins the European elections in May, Weber could replace Jean-Claude Juncker and become the first German heading the European Commission in more than 50 years.

Italy demanded on Thursday (30 August) the EU find other ports to disembark migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, suggesting it would withhold support for the EU naval mission against people-smuggling unless other countries take in survivors.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Thursday (30 August) that Latin America should adopt a "quota system" to better manage the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

Angela Merkel has given her backing to fellow German conservative Manfred Weber's bid to front the centre-right's campaign in next year's European Parliament elections, several German newspapers reported on Thursday (30 August).

President Donald Trump on Thursday (30 August) rejected as "not good enough" a European Union proposal scrapping tariffs on automobiles, a move which threatens to amplify a simmering trans-Atlantic trade dispute.

One important key to lowering electricity prices in the short-term are the grid utility fees. And digital solutions offer the most significant leverage to bring them down, writes Christian Chuboda.

Geert Wilders is back in the headlines, thanks to a controversial Prophet Mohammed cartoon competition, which has caused a furore in Pakistan. But the race for Europe's toughest anti-Muslim politician has several other contestants, writes Shada Islam.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Europe adopts a form of collective defence on Thursday (30 August) as he strengthens calls for EU integration in the face of concerns over the United States' security commitments.

Theresa May completed the final leg of a charm offensive tour of three sub-Saharan countries on Thursday (30 August), with her Kenyan host appearing to snub her leadership rival Boris Johnson.

The EU's anti-migrant smuggler operation, Sophia, could collapse after defence ministers declined Italy's request in Vienna Thursday for a snap decision on rotating EU ports for migrant disembarkations. "If you ask me whether we'll succeed or not [to continue Sophia] ... I wouldn't say," EU foreign relations chief Mogherini said. Italian interior minister Salvini the same day threatened to can the mission "if we get the umpteenth no from Europe".

UN human rights commissioner urged EU leaders to condemn violence that recalled the 1930s, but the local situation in former East Germany does not apply to the whole country.