European Union

Commission v Italy
Environment and consumers
Italy has failed to fulfil its obligations under the directive on the landfill of waste as regards 44 landfill sites

According to exit polls from the provincial elections, the anti-immigration Forum for Democracy, a Dutch populist party, is set to unravel the centre-right governing coalition led by prime minster Mark Rutte. NOS broadcaster says the Forum for Democracy is set to win ten seats in the 75-seat upper-house senate, while Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy would drop from 38 to 31 seats.

The European Commission on Wednesday doled out a €1.49bn fine against Google over its market dominance in online search adverts and for imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. "This is illegal under EU anti-trust rules," said European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The fine is the third imposed upon the internet giant in two years.

The Italian senate on Wednesday blocked a criminal case against Italy's far-right deputy-prime minister Matteo Salvini. An Italian court in January had ruled that Salvini should be charged for preventing the disembarkation of 177 asylum seekers from the Italian coastguard ship Ubaldo Diciotti in August last year. "I would do it all again. And I won't give up," said Salvini in a letter to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

EU leaders and heads of state on Thursday at their summit in Brussels are set to take a tougher approach in their relations with China. Talks will revolve around trade restrictions, competition, and cyber-security, among other issues. The whole will feed into an upcoming EU-China summit on 9 April.

EU leaders and heads of government at the summit in Brussels on Friday are set to seek a mandate for the European Commission to launch formal trade talks with the United States. Draft summit conclusions, seen by Reuters, note that "the necessary steps should be taken for the rapid implementation of the US-EU Joint Statement of 25 July 2018."

In a compromise decision, Europe's centre-right grouping stops short of expelling Hungary's ruling party - which has been accused of rolling back democracy and the rule of law.

Confidential documents prepared in advance of a two-day EU summit in Brussels have exposed an East-West divide in Europe on climate change, with Germany siding with Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in their refusal to commit to climate neutrality by 2050.

In 1973, the sleepy English village of Ivybridge joyfully welcomed the UK joining what would go on to become the EU, with street parties and even a specially-written anthem. But 46 years later, local people are thinking about new festivities: to celebrate Brexit.

The EU will give Chinese leaders a comprehensive list of demands next month to address the growing “frustration” among Europeans, and to improve bilateral cooperation as it reaches a critical junction, various senior EU officials explained on Wednesday (20 March).

The Arctic region’s co-operation in the battle against global warming by reducing black carbon emissions is being hampered by the United States and Russia, the Finnish foreign ministry said on Wednesday (20 March).

Written by Nicole Scholz,

© Carlos David / Fotolia

Mobile phones are an integral part of everyday life, and it is hard to imagine a world without them. There are nevertheless health concerns, and the debate is ongoing.

There is a vast body of research on the potential risks from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields such as those emitted by mobile phones. Yet scientific opinion remains split over the possibility of a link between mobile phone radiation and health problems. The results of research in this area have been interpreted in a variety of ways, and studies have been criticised for their methodological flaws, lack of statistical significance, and bias.

In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, classified radiofrequency electromagnet fields as possibly carcinogenic (cancer-causing) to humans. The European Union defined basic restrictions for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields in Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC, setting maximum values that should not to be exceeded. Moreover, in view of the scientific uncertainty, the European Environment Agency advises taking a precautionary approach.

Two sets of large-scale experimental studies involving laboratory animals, one from the United States National Toxicology Program and another from the Italian Ramazzini Institute, have recently brought the debate to the fore again. Both found varying levels of evidence of certain tumours in some of the animals tested. The results have nevertheless prompted diverging conclusions.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Mobile phones and health: Where do we stand?‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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Jan Zahradil, EU Commission president Spitzenkandidat for the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, responds to Emmaneul Macron's European vision ahead of the May elections.

The United States could soon freeze preparations for delivering F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, officials told Reuters, in what would be the strongest signal yet by Washington that Ankara cannot have both the advanced aircraft and Russia’s S-400 air defence system.

Italy's Senate voted Wednesday (20 March) to block the trial of far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for allegedly illegally confining migrants rescued at sea by an Italian coastguard ship last year.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will lose his senate majority after upstart anti-EU populists surged in provincial elections just two days after a suspected terror attack in Utrecht.

Breakfast is frequently regarded as the most important meal of the day, and although every meal is important, science has shown that a daily breakfast provides a wide range of health benefits not only on physical, but also on mental health.

The European People's Party (EPP) suspended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's ruling Fidesz party over alleged violations of EU rule-of-law principles on Wednesday (20 March), in a compromise solution that allowed the EPP to keep its 'bad boy' in and bolster party unity ahead of the European elections.

European Council President Donald Tusk dramatically upped the Brexit stakes on Wednesday (20 March), warning that the EU will only grant Theresa May’s Brexit extension request if UK lawmakers back the Withdrawal Agreement next week.