European Union

A German court ruled Thursday (12 July) that deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont may be extradited to Spain, but only for alleged corruption and not on the more serious charge of rebellion.

Orphaned children's faces in Libyan detention camps tell story of urgent "humanitarian crisis", which has been mislabelled as a "migration crisis" by EU leaders.

Following the shock resignations of both Boris Johnson and David Davies over the Prime Minister's Chequers proposals, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has re-affirmed that environmental standards will not "slip lower" than those of the EU post-Brexit. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (12 July) he was able to squeeze an additional $33 to 40 billion for defence from his allies and, as a result, was delighted that NATO had become “much much stronger” in two days.

The UK government published Thursday its contentious white paper on Britain's future relationship with the EU . It proposes a free trade area for goods with "a new facilitated-customs arrangement" to ensure "no tariffs on any goods", as well as a dispute-resolution mechanism. It wants the UK to stay free "to chart its own path in the areas that matter most for its economy," mainly services and digital.

The European Commission cut expected EU growth for this year by 0.2% compared to its forecast less than three months ago, as output was weaker than expected during the first semester and external risks, especially the trade war, are on the rise.

As the European elections and the change of Commission loom next year, the Commission is in a hurry to get its last proposals out and parliamentarians are keen to complete their scrutiny before the campaign trail beckons, writes Christian Verschueren.

Written by Krisztina Binder, graphics: Giulio Sabbati,

© chris / Fotolia

Negotiations on an EU-Japan trade agreement were officially launched in March 2013. Following the political agreement in principle reached in July 2017, a final accord on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was announced in December 2017. On 18 April 2018, the European Commission proposed to the Council of the European Union to sign and conclude the agreement. The Commission expects that the EU-Japan EPA can be signed in July 2018, and aims to have the agreement come into effect before the end of its mandate in 2019, following approval by the Council and the European Parliament.

The EU-Japan EPA will establish a free trade area with a combined market of around 640 million consumers that accounts for roughly a third of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). The 2016 Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (Trade SIA) of the agreement indicated that EU exports to Japan could rise by up to 34 %, and according to a more recent Commission estimate, European companies would save up to €1 billion in customs duties per year as a result of the EU-Japan EPA.

In addition to exploiting the untapped potential of bilateral trade, the agreement is also of strategic importance, conveying a strong message of the parties’ commitment to promoting a free and fair trading system based on rules, and to reject trade protectionism.

Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Japan, of the other part Committee responsible: International Trade (INTA) Rapporteur: Pedro Silva Pereira (S&D, Portugal)

Read the complete briefing on ‘International Agreements in Progress – EU-Japan trade agreement: a driver for closer cooperation beyond trade‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

US president Donald Trump said Nato member states agreed to further increase defence spending after reportedly threatening to pull out of the alliance. "I let them know that I was extremely unhappy," he told journalists on Thursday. Trump had said earlier that he wanted allies to spend 4 percent of GDP on defence. French president Emmanuel Macron later denied that allies agreed to go beyond the current 2-percent target.

European Commissioner for Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen, (CD & V) will end her political career upon completing the current mandate in Brussels, after 28 years of involvement in European politics.

The EU has been slow to react to the collapse of Cambodian democracy - but if it ever chooses to use it, Brussels has substantial influence and leverage over Cambodia.

Beate Zschäpe, the main defendant in the trial of the German neo-Nazi terrorist group the NSU, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in ten murders. The four other accused were given sentences ranging from two and a half to ten years in prison. Commentators observe the advance of a far right movement in Germany and call for the focus on Islamist terror to be revised.

At the start of the Nato summit US President Trump has levelled serious accusations at Germany, saying it is controlled by and hostage to Russia. In the view of some commentators the president is simply voicing an unpleasant truth. Others see his comments as an strategy of humiliation aimed at weakening Europe.