European Union

Scotch Whisky Association
Agriculture and fisheries
In order to decide whether there is an ‘evocation’ prohibited by EU law, the national court must determine whether a consumer thinks directly of the protected geographical indication ‘Scotch Whisky’ when he sees a comparable product bearing the designation ‘Glen’

People seeking refuge from war and poverty could be corralled into "unattractive" detention centres outside the EU if one European clique gets its way.

Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of Oxfam International, tells EUobserver in an interview that the organisation is undergoing profound changes following the sex abuse scandal reported in February. "We've changed a lot and we are continuing to change," she says.

French lawmakers are complaining that the mountain of legislation put forward by president Emmanuel Macron is forcing them into overdrive. Parliament speaker Francois de Rugy, told Europe 1 radio that "in recent weeks we have sat for eighty hours per week. We have sat for the last 17 days consecutively". Fatigue has also hit the prime minister's office, where reportedly 14 secretaries and four advisors left in one year.

US president Donald Trump's economic policy will have a negative impact on the rest of the world, according to a survey of 913 economists across 120 countries by the ifo Institute. US tariffs would have a negative influence, said 78 percent of the economists and would also hit America, said 66 percent. Countries outside the EU and the USA stand to be the biggest losers.

Europe should "Europeanise" its presence on the UN security council with a rotating group of about 10 member states working with veto-power France, and the European Commission, to "speak with one European voice," German chancellor Angela Merkel proposed to fellow EPP parties in Munich on Wednesday preparing next year's European parliament elections. "The world is being reorganised," she said. Germany does not have permanent seat on the UN security council.

Spain's new socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez has appointed 11 women and six men to his cabinet, a higher proportion of woman than anywhere else in Europe. Sanchez explained his cabinet reflected the change in Spain that had emerged on 8 March when an estimated five million women across the country staged a 'feminist strike'. Josep Borrell, a former European Parliament president, will be foreign minister in the new government.

Some 60 percent of Danes do not want to replace their national currency, the kroner, with the euro, with only 26 percent in favour, according to a Norstat poll published on Thursday by Jyllands-Posten and Altinget. The Danes first rejected the euro in a referendum in 2000. The majority of Danes also want to keep opting out from EU defence initiatives (57 percent) and justice and police cooperation (54 percent).

The trade agreement currently being negotiated by the EU and Morcosur will increase poverty and accelerate the demise of European farmers by subjecting them to unfair competition, argue Perrine Fournier and Yannick Jadot.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for "strong multilateralism" in Ottawa Wednesday before the G7 summit, where US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policies are sure to raise hackles.

The UN Security Council condemned yesterday (6 June) "continuous violations of the ceasefire" in Ukraine's east and called for an immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons.

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday unveiled a new pro-EU government with the most women in modern history, with 11 female and six male ministers.

The European Commission put forward a proposal on Wednesday (6 June) to bring all of the EU's existing investment instruments under the banner of a new fund called "InvestEU" which will formally succeed the Juncker Plan.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte comfortably won a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament yesterday (6 June), but divisions inside his coalition put at risk a major gas pipeline project, seen by Brussels as a cornerstone of EU’s energy security.

The European Commission’s proposal for new car CO2 limits left many disappointed. But a spate of new governments in Europe – and shifting positions in Berlin – means those who want higher targets and an electric vehicle mandate have everything to play for.

Despite the fact that Austria’s government, in which the far right is represented, has plans for a tough anti-immigration agenda for its upcoming EU presidency, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he trusts its “European” credentials.

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer will seal a $63-billion merger with US-based Monsanto Thursday, creating an agrichemical juggernaut with lofty ambitions to feed the world but feared by environmentalists.

After being postponed three times, Germany’s government has appointed the long-awaited commission which is to define a roadmap for the country’s coal phase-out. It will have a double mandate: to protect both the climate and jobs.

The European Parliament has adopted an initiative report this week about the conformity of fisheries products that have access to the EU market. The EU is the largest market for fish in the world and it may need to be even more vigilant to keep illegally caught fish from arriving in the EU indirectly, writes Linnéa Engström.

The issue of how the EU's External Investment Plan can help empower women and girls dominated the agenda at the European Development Days on Tuesday (5 June), as some panellists voiced concern that it might be marginalised in the final big picture.