European Union

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP party lost control of the capital Ankara for the first time in municipal elections on Sunday, with the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas reportedly winning a clear victory. Results in Istanbul were too tight to call a winner without a recount. Nationally, Erdogan's AKP-led alliance, however, won more than 51 percent of the vote.

German chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Dublin on Thursday, while Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar will be in Paris on Tuesday to meet French president Emmanuel Macron. Both meetings are expected to focus on what the EU should do about the Irish border if the UK does not ratify the withdrawal treaty, or whether a further delay of Brexit could be accepted without holding European Parliament elections in the UK.

The European Parliament's two largest parties are set to lose, for the first time, their joint control of the assembly after May's elections, the European Parliament's latest poll predicted. The centre-right EPP alliance would remain the largest party, winning 188 seats, and the centre-left S&D group would remain second with 142 seats. That is however not enough support to control the 705-member parliament without involving a third party.

The UK government appeared deeply split over the weekend on whether to move towards a softer, delayed Brexit, or leaving the EU without a deal on 12 April - a position supported by 11 ministers who threatened to otherwise resign. Mass resignations could potentially force an election, after Tuesday's cabinet meeting. Meanwhile on Monday MPs hold another set of votes on Brexit options in order to agree a way forward.

Hungary's government dismantled rule of law institutions and democratic guarantees in broad daylight. This could have been perfectly addressed by Weber's European People's Party years ago - but it dithered.

The post of president of the European Parliament can be (almost) whatever the person elected makes out of it. Some stick to their ceremonial duties - while others have used the presidency for more Machiavellian power games.

Weekly schedule of President Donald Tusk 1-7 April 2019

The EU is modernising and reinforcing its consumer protection laws. Member states' ambassadors meeting in the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee today approved a deal reached between the Romanian presidency and the European Parliament on a draft directive which amends four existing EU directives protecting consumers' interests.

The EU introduces a new regulation imposing enhanced safety standards for car manufacturers in a bid to significantly reduce the number of road casualties and injuries. Member states' ambassadors meeting in the Council's Permanent Representatives Committee today approved the provisional deal reached between the Romanian presidency and the European Parliament on a draft regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users.

The Council extended the mandate of EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia for six months.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for defenders of media freedom in accession countries.

Twitter Hashtag #EUandME

© Terminator3d / Fotolia

Do you think you should be able to express your opinions without being censored? Do you care about who controls the media in our democracies? If you do, the EU institutions share your views. Freedom of speech is a core value of the European Union. Where the EU can act, it puts programmes to support media freedom in place.

One such programme is the annual Media Pluralism Monitor that surveys risks to media freedom and pluralism across the EU. Conducted by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, it systematically, objectively and scientifically examines all factors that pose a risk to media freedom. These reports are freely accessible for use by citizens, scientists and policy-makers.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), funded by the European Parliament, launched a programme devoted to fighting media freedom violations and helping journalists under threat. It supports investigative reporters, with grants and workshops on a safe digital working environment. The Mapping Media Freedom programme, conducted by ECPMF, and managed by the Index on Censorship and European Federation of Journalists, maps media freedom threats across Europe and tackles them through awareness campaigns, policy recommendations and training.

Viewers can get more than just a national perspective through independent news production, covering EU affairs from a pan-European point of view. An EU programme supports the European Data News Hub and the European Data Journalism Network, which serve as a data and information hub, providing accurate data-driven news.

Further information

• Website of the Media Pluralism Monitor at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, http://cmpf.eui.eu/media-pluralism-monitor/
• European Commission’s website on media freedom projects, https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/media-freedom-projects
• Mapping Media Freedom programme, https://mappingmediafreedom.org/#/

No-deal Brexit has become more likely than ever before, and EU leaders will start preparations for it as the drama continues in London. Negotiations also continue over the candidates for the EU's new top prosecutor.

Slovakia goes to the polls on Saturday (30 March) to elect a new president. A chance encounter between a Roma woman and a supporter of the ultra-right Our Slovakia party offers a case study in how bridges can be built.

Donald Tusk, the EU Council president, has called for an emergency Brexit summit on April 10, in the wake of the British parliament rejecting prime minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement for the third time on Friday. Tusk tweeted his decision within minutes of the result. The summit will be 48 hours before the UK is now technically due to leave the EU.

British MPs voted to reject Theresa May's Brexit deal for the third time on Friday. It was defeated by 344 votes to 286 - a majority of 58. That is the third time the bill has been defeated in the House of Commons. May called the implications of the vote "grave". The UK is now technically due to leave the EU on 12 April without a deal.

Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© anyaberkut / Fotolia

Innovation in the economy is a priority for the European Union, vital to its competitiveness in the global economy, and for growth and jobs. The EU is implementing a number of policies and programmes that support innovation to increase investment in research and development, and to better convert research into improved goods and services. Yet, according to many analysts, despite the roll-out of numerous pro-innovation initiatives, the EU is still lagging behind the United States and China both on innovation and in relation to the related digitalisation process.

This note offers links to recent commentaries, studies and reports from major international think tanks on innovation in the EU and related issues. More papers on innovation, notably on the digital economy, can be found in a previous item in this series published in July 2018

Impulses for European democracy and initiatives for the digital future: Annual report
Bertelsmann Stiftung, March 2019

Standing up for competition: Market concentration, regulation, and Europe’s quest for a new industrial policy
European Centre for International Political Economy, March 2019

Innovation en santé: Soignons nos talents
Institut Montaigne, March 2019

En route pour la sino-mondialisation
Institut des relations internationales et stratégiques, March 2019

Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, governance and policy challenges
Centre for European Policy Studies, February 2019

AI tool builders and their users: What should we expect from the tools and who is responsible when they fail?
German Marshall Fund, February 2019

Contribution to growth: The European Digital Single Market
Bruegel, February 2019

Construire la souveraineté numérique de l’Europe
Confrontations Europe, February 2019

European innovation partnerships: How successful have they been in promoting innovation in the EU?
Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, January 2019

Science, technology and innovation diplomacy: A way forward for Europe
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, January 2019

Innovate Europe: Competing for global innovation leadership
World Economic Forum, January 2019

Big data analytics need standards to thrive: What standards are and why they matter
Centre for International Governance Innovation, January 2019

How will Artificial Intelligence change the character of war?
Beyond the Horizon, January 2019

Keeping up with innovation: Designing a European sandbox for fintech
Centre for European Policy Studies, January 2019

Vertical restraints and e-commerce
Bruegel, January 2019

How Europe could yet take the lead in the global electric-vehicle development race
Bruegel, January 2019

Four internets: The geopolitics of digital governance
Centre for International Governance Innovation, December 2018

Eco-innovation: drivers, barriers and effects: A European perspective
Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, December 2018

Transformation numérique de l’industrie: L’enjeu franco-allemand
Institut français des relations internationales, December 2018

Ethics and artificial intelligence
Bruegel, December 2018

Digital Europe: Next steps, – European agenda for the Digital-9+
Lisbon Council, November 2018

In pursuit of autonomy: AI and national strategies
Observer Institute Foundation, November 2018

Harnessing digital tools to revitalize European democracy
Carnegie Europe, November 2018

China’s embrace of AI: Enthusiasm and challenges
European Council on Foreign Relations, November 2018

The next steps for the digital single market: From where do we start?
European Centre for International Political Economy, October 2018

Wie future skills die Personalarbeit verändern
Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, October 2018

Online platforms, economic integration and Europe’s rent-seeking society: Why online platforms deliver on what EU governments fail to achieve
European Centre for International Political Economy, October 2018

Responsible, safe and secure AI
Lisbon Council, October 2018

Cyber finance challenges demand a unified response
Centre for European Policy Studies, October 2018

Delivering the goods: E-commerce logistics transformation
World Economic Forum, October 2018

Do data policy restrictions impact the productivity performance of firms and industries?
European Centre for International Political Economy, October 2018

The European answer to the digital revolution: How to ensure Europe’s competitive advantage?
Notre Europe, September 2018

Building a forward-looking EU policy strategy on blockchain
College of Europe, September 2018

The future of work: Robots cooking free lunches?
Wilfired Martens Centre, September 2018

Artificial intelligence and political science
OCP Policy Center, September 2018

Europe’s payments revolution
Centre for European Policy Studies, September 2018

Skills, entrepreneurship and new business models: Ways to rejuvenate the German industrial model
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, August 2018

The impact of artificial intelligence on employment
Bruegel, July 2018

Artificial intelligence: A game-changer for the world of work
European Trade Union Institute, June 2018

Online platforms and how to regulate them: An EU overview
Jacques Delors Institute, Berlin, Bertelsmann Stiftung, June 2018

Artificial Intelligence and international affairs: Disruption anticipated
Chatham House, June 2018

‘TECHNOPOLY’ and what to do about it: Reform, redress and regulation
ResPublica, June 2018

Read this briefing on ‘Innovation in Europe‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

The EU commission has set out conditions for the UK's future trade talks in the event Britain crashes out of the bloc with no deal - including solving the Irish border issue. An emergency summit on 10 April is possible.

The Ukrainians will elect a new president on Sunday. Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is leading the polls, ahead of current president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. A second round of voting seems likely. Commentators explain the role of the war with Russia in the election and what people see in Zelensky.