European Union

Britain on Tuesday (4 September) said it agreed with France's decision to send its navy to waters in the English Channel where UK and French fishing boats clashed last week over access to scallop-rich waters.

Latvian bank Rietumu has been hit with a fine of €80 million by French judges for having laundered hundreds of millions of euros. EURACTIV France reports in the second part of its Special Report on Latvia.

Catalan leader Quim Torra relaunched a campaign to split his region from Spain on Tuesday (4 September), calling on the central government in Madrid to agree to a referendum on independence and rebuffing a vote that could only offer greater autonomy.

The European Commission is considering amending legislation relating to “supplementary protection certificates” (SPC) in order to support production of medicinal products in the EU.

In next year's European election, many politicians will preach about the need to "reform" the European Union but few will know what they are talking about. Two who do know are Viktor Orban and Emmanuel Macron, writes Andrew Duff.

An openly gay Polish mayor launched what he termed a "pro-democratic" political movement on Tuesday (4 September) aimed at challenging the EU country's governing right-wing party accused by critics and the EU of passing reforms that threaten the rule of law.

France does not want to finance a populist Europe, the country's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has indicated, just as the fight over the EU's new long-term budget begins in earnest. EURACTIV Poland's media partner Gazeta Wyborcza reports.

The European Union could offer new guarantees to Britain to win London's support for a solution aimed at avoiding an Irish border after Brexit, a leading EU lawmaker said.

European states warned the United Nations that more than 800,000 people are cut off from aid and may be starving in northeast Nigeria, contradicting government assertions that a crisis has abated and rebuking the world body for failing to secure access.

China is helping Africa develop, not pile up debt, a top Chinese official said on Tuesday (4 September), as the government pushes back against criticism it is loading the continent with an unsustainable burden during a major summit in Beijing.

The Council adopted its position on the draft EU budget for 2019.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, made a two-days working visit (2-3 September) to Romania where he had talks with the Minister of Defence, Mr. Mihai-Viorel Fifor, the State-Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Mr Mircea Dusa, as well as with the State Secretaries of the Ministries of Economy and Foreign Affairs, Mr Ion Radu and Mr Stefan Tinca. He also had a meeting with the Executive Manager of Romania’s National Defence Industry Association (NDIA), Mr. Viorel Manole.

The main topics raised during these talks included the implementation of the various new EU defence initiatives (PESCO, CARD, EDF), the recently revised EU Capability Development Priorities, Romania’s current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes, the implications of the Agency’s recent Long Term Review (LTR) as well as the EU-NATO relations. “It’s crucial to ensure the various EU defence initiatives are implemented in a coherent and coordinated manner, based on jointly agreed capability development priorities and in full transparency and complementarity with NATO”, Mr Domecq stressed. 

The defence-related priorities and events of the upcoming Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU (first half of 2019) were also discussed. In June 2019, Romania will host the 4th and last conference of the second phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector – Phase II (CF SEDSS II) in Bucharest.  Furthermore, the EDA intends to organize a defence R&T conference in Bucharest in March 2019.  “I very much appreciate Romania’s strong support of the EDA and look forward to working closely with Romania as it prepares to take over the Presidency of the EU Council”, Mr Domecq stated.

Francois de Rugy, the president of the National Assembly, the French lower house, was appointed on Tuesday as minister for environment and energy transition. De Rugy, a former Green party leader who joined president Emmanuel Macron last year, replaces Nicolas Hulot, who resigned last week, prompting a debate on Macron's environmental record.

Next May, EU citizens will directly elect the new European Parliament. Faced with a surge of anti-EU and anti-system sentiments, they need to be reassured that the good old EU is doing things right. But is it doing the right things?

When it comes to increasing investment in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries covered by the Cotonou Agreement, the EU talks a good game. But it is facing stiff competition from China, armed with more cash and fewer concerns about democracy and the rule of law when it comes to investment.

Juliana
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A vehicle which is not formally withdrawn from use and which is capable of being used must be covered by motor vehicle insurance against civil liability even if its owner, who no longer intends to drive it, has chosen to park it on private land

The dominance of the US in NATO is strategically wanted by Washington. Europeans can therefore stay calm in the face of Trump's threats to withdraw from the Alliance and devote themselves to their own priorities instead, Johannes Thimm explains.

No environmental tax has ever been approved at EU level, given the need for unanimity in the Council. But if a plastic tax were successfully passed, would such a measure really help to set the EU on the path to curbing plastic pollution?

A group of Europe's best-known film directors have come out in support of the upcoming EU copyright bill, to be voted on in the September plenary.

The European Commission maintains that the stealth promotion of Martin Selmayr to secretary-general followed all the rules despite findings of maladministration in a report by the EU's watchdog, the European Ombudsman. In a statement, EU budget commissioner Gunther Oettinger said that the commission "does not share all aspects of the underlying report". He also says the Commission "has a different factual assessment" on some aspects of the Ombudsman's findings.