European Union

The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia have floated the idea of a land swap to settle their disputes. The proposal, involving the predominantly Serb northern Kosovo and Preševo Valley in southern Serbia, has been welcomed by some and criticised by others for fear it might create further instability in the Balkans.

Eight EU member states in the UN Security Council have called on Russia and Iran to maintain a previously agreed ceasefire and avoid military escalation in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib to avoid "catastrophic humanitarian consequences for civilians". The statement was signed by the UK, France, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, together with Germany, Belgium and Italy, who recently sat in the Council or will soon be sitting.

Ireland is discussing a special Brexit deal to keep using the UK as a "land bridge" for goods in transit to Dublin without border checks. Carol-Ann O'Keeffe, a senior Irish tax official, explained at a British and Irish Chambers of Commerce conference in Dublin on Thursday that goods from the continent could undergo checks in France, containers could then be sealed and given free passage to Dublin, the Guardian reported.

Swedish voters are consuming much more "junk news" than other Europeans ahead of their elections, a new study says.

Following a town hall debate in Luxembourg on Thursday, French president Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the centre-right EPP bloc, which includes German chancellor Angela Merkel, should "clarify its positions" on nationalist policies. "We have been too slow, too ready to compromise," he said. The European Parliament's EPP party, which includes Hungary's ruling Fidesz, risks an open split in a vote next week on introducing penalties against Hungary.

An EU law that promised greater security, passed in the aftermath of terror attacks in France and Belgium, appears to have been a dud.

Window of opportunity for Kosovo-Serbia deal is wide open, but not for long, the Kosovar president's chief of staff writes for EUobserver as talks resume on Friday.

A group of seven countries – comprising France, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Ireland and the UK – have issued a common position on the reform of Europe’s electricity market, saying “strategic reserves” for electricity should not receive favourable treatment from regulators.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Macedonians on Thursday (6 September) to vote in a referendum to embrace a deal on its name with neighbouring Greece and join the defence alliance.

As recent scandals proved that the new anti-money legislation falls short of monitoring financial flows, the EU is leaning toward stepping up the supervision and enforcement of its rules.

Carmakers and e-mobility advocates continue to be at odds over whether lack of choice of electric vehicles or lack of charging infrastructure is the main thing holding Europe back from embracing a transport revolution. A new study insists that there are chargers-a-plenty already.

The final scope of the European Commission’s proposals on unfair trade practices (UTPs) in the EU food supply chain has divided stakeholders, as it has not been decided yet if large companies should also be included in the legislation, in addition to small and medium firms.

France and the three Benelux countries on Thursday (6 September) launched a plan to offer EU funds to African countries in return for help stemming the flow of migrants to Europe.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Wednesday (5 September) announced a new €2 million programme that will train and educate Afghan women in Kazakhstan.

France must cut its dependence on US components in its weapons systems to minimise Washington's ability to block its arms exports, its defence minister said on Thursday (6 September).

The fight against corruption is one of the key campaign issues for the Latvian parliamentary elections on 6 October. However, the strange cabals, which are likely driven by Russia, are tending to tarnish the entire political class. EURACTIV France reports.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker believes that the EPP membership of Hungary's ruling party, led by Viktor Orbán, "is a problem", according to reports by Italian media.

As debate over the draft ePrivacy Regulation resumes, it transpires that economic research from the ad tech lobby has grossly misled the European Parliament and the Council, writes Dr Johnny Ryan.

This week, the Commission sticks to its Selmayrgate stance, Manfred Weber thinks he’s in with a chance and Theresa May is queen of the dance.

Many cities in Europe have problems because they exceed the current limits for air pollutants. Some of them are even considering banning diesel vehicles in general to batten down the hatches, writes Gerhard Müller.