European Union

Despite its rich history, traditions and achievements, Iran still considers itself an underdog, a revolutionary, and an active force that wants to reshape its neighbourhood. It feels the deck is stacked against it as it positions itself as the perennial challenger to unfair forces keeping it down, writes Kacper Rekawek.

Plenary - Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The Basque government have offered to host the refugees rescued by the Aquarius humanitarian ship. "We are willing to welcome the people onboard that ship, that is the commitment of the Basque country," said Inigo Ukrullu, Basque president.

Written by Silvia Kotanidis and Ralf Drachenberg,

Participants in Future of Europe debates in the European Parliament, 2018

Against the background of the many challenges which the European Union has faced in recent years, the European Parliament has taken the lead in launching and hosting a series of high-profile debates on the Future of Europe, intended to run for the whole of 2018. While the Heads of State or Government of countries holding the rotating presidency of the Council – this year, Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria and Sebastian Kurz of Austria – routinely debate with MEPs in plenary, the leaders of other EU Member States are now able to set out publicly their vision for Europe’s future in a dialogue with the only directly elected European institution, during its plenary sittings.

This process is all the more important at a time when the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the next seven years is being discussed: the choices surrounding the MFF and the direction in which the EU decides to develop are intrinsically linked.

So far, at the invitation of its President, Antonio Tajani, the European Parliament has hosted the leaders of six Member States in the context of these ‘Future of Europe’ debates, welcoming the prime ministers of Ireland (Taoiseach), Leo Varadkar; Croatia, Andrej Plenković; and Portugal, António Costa; the President of France, Emmanuel Macron; and the prime ministers of Belgium, Charles Michel; and Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.

This Briefing provides an overview of where the Future of Europe debate stands in a number of key policy areas, such as economic and monetary union (EMU), the EU’s social dimension, migration policy, security and defence, and broader institutional issues. It takes stock of the views expressed by those EU Heads of State or Government who have intervened in the debate so far, on how these areas might develop in the future.

Read this briefing on ‘Future of Europe debates: Parliament hosts Heads of State or Government‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Overview of topics addressed by each Head of State or Government

Spain's new prime minister ordered the authorities on Monday (11 June) to receive a rescue vessel carrying 629 migrants that has remained at sea in the Mediterranean after both the Italian and Maltese governments, the two nearest European territories, refused it permission to disembark. EURACTIV’s partner efe-epa reports.

The “horror” summit finally happened. But contrary to what European Commission top official Martin Selmayr expected two years ago, Donald Trump was enough to throw decades of Western Alliance down the drain.

Donald Trump's isolationism is Europe's "new next opportunity," said Helle Thorning-Schmidt - while calling on EU leaders to find solutions to citizens concerns on migration.

Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who was also the leader of the Social Democrats in her country from 2005 to 2015, made an appearance in Brussels today (11 June) offering her views how the EU should better makes it case globally and improve internally.

On the eve of the second anniversary of the Brexit plebiscite, nothing but nothing is clear on what the UK government’s policy is, still less on what the official opposition’s policy is. All the enthusiasm for Brexit has disappeared from political life in Britain, writes Denis MacShane.

Voters across Europe have lost faith in politics partly because of “unachievable targets” on renewable energy, said German Energy Minister Peter Altmaier, rejecting calls from a group of other EU countries to boost the share of renewables to 33-35% of the bloc’s energy mix by 2030.

Valencia in Spain will open its port to the boat with more than 600 people on board that neither Italy nor Malta want to accept. "It's our duty to help and avoid a humanitarian disaster", Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement on Monday. Earlier in the day, the European Commission has said that taking care of the people on board was a "humanitarian imperative".

EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said the recent changes in government in Spain and Italy were noticeable in the Energy Council, held on Monday. "In the past their positions were less ambitious and now they have supported the more ambitious position taken by the parliament," said the Spaniard. Canete added that this ambition was in relation to the headline targets, but less clear about the details of the regulations.

Economists consider, based on tax havens’ statistics such as Bermuda or Ireland, that 40% of multinational companies' profits avoid taxation. The EU would thus be deprived of a fifth of its income from companies. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The Council adopted its position on the recast ACER regulation.

The European Commission said Monday that ensuring the 600 people stranded in a boat in the Mediterranean "get the care they need" was "a humanitarian imperative." Italy and Malta have each been saying over the weekend that the other country should open its ports to the boat. The commission added that legally the "situation is everything but clear" and that it does not have a mandate over the issue.

Following a difficult year that brought a new CEO at the helm, Uber is serious about listening to its drivers and policymakers, Pierre Dimitri Gore-Coty told EURACTIV. Now the company aims at becoming a multimodal mobility platform, integrating bike sharing services or public transports.

Denuclearisation will be a big subject for discussion between Presidents Trump and Kim Jong-un at the June 12 summit in Singapore. But both leaders have mercurial personalities and vastly different expectations about the outcome, writes Fraser Cameron

Fish are often seen to be at the bottom of the pile when it comes to how we view animals. The general assumption is that fish are not furry and pettable, and therefore, they fall outside citizens’ scope of moral concern, write Reineke Hameleers and Philip Lymbery.

The European Commission chose the Trencin region in Slovakia as a pilot for its new initiative to support the transition away from coal in Europe’s regions. Coal company HBP wants to take advantage of the EU initiative – while keeping coal mining in the region.

With less than a year before the next European elections, EU stakeholders and MEPs expressed the need for the European Union to create more and better job in a bid to tackle EU citizens’ current rejection of EU institutions.