Euobserver.com

EU trade chief said the US will impose tariffs or "other limiting measures" on 1 June, as the EU's offer to start limited trade talks is probably not enough for the protectionist Trump presidency.

The court of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein rejected on Tuesday Spain's demand for the extradition of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. The court said Puigdemont, who was arrested there in March, cannot be charged for rebellion over Catalonia's declaration of independence last year. The court confirmed a first ruling issued in April, and went again the state's prosecutor who demanded the extradition just hours before.

Notorious killers and corruption lynchpins, whether from Russia, Africa, or further afield could have assets seized by the EU if Europe joins new American sanctions.

EU trade ministers on Tuesday (22 May) gave the go-ahead to the EU Commission's plans to split investment and free trade agreements in the future, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in March saying that investment and dispute settlement arrangements cannot be established without member states' consent. This opens the door for future investment deals to be ratified the EU's 38 national and regional parliaments.

EU trade ministers on Tuesday approved the negotiating directives for free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will travel to the two countries in the coming weeks to start formal talks. "These agreements will be negotiated in the greatest transparency," European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker promised, asking member states to "uphold this high level of transparency."

The European Commission has suggested the United States suspend social media giant Facebook from a data-transfer sharing pact with the EU if it breached privacy laws.

In the decade 2007 to 2017, the EU ran a growing trade deficit with China reaching €176bn in 2017, according to new figures from Eurostat. In 2017, 20 percent of EU imports came from China, the largest share of any country, while only 11 percent of EU exports were to China. The EU's largest export market (20 percent) is the US.

A group of 154 German economists warn in a joint article The euro should not lead into the liability union in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that plans to transform the European Stability Mechanism to a permanent European Monetary Fund to weather economic shocks "pose great risks for European citizens". The proposals of French president Macron and EU Commission president Juncker would also deprive the German Bundestag of control, they said.

The Swedish government is preparing to distribute a 20-page pamphlet next week If Crisis or War Comes to all 4.8 million households, informing people on what to do in case of war. The Swedes are advised to stock non-perishable food, water bottles, warm clothing and sleeping bags. The initiative comes as Sweden debates Nato membership and ahead of general elections in September.

Leaders of Italy's far-right League and the 5-Star Movement have proposed a law professor at Florence University, Giuseppe Conte, as the country's new prime minister. Conte is not an MP and is unknown in politics, but has served as a 5-Star Movement adviser. The two parties need to reach an agreement on their prime ministerial candidate with Italy's president Sergio Mattarella before seeking approval from parliament for their coalition government.

Six beneficiaries of a €35m defence research grant were also part of the EU expert group that called for more public money in for the military. 'This raises serious concerns about a conflict of interests,' says campaigner Bram Vranken.

The European Commission wants to triple the amount of money for migration in the next EU budget. Earlier this week, EU agencies, NGOs, and the mayor of Athens gave their views at a European parliament public hearing.

It is very unlikely that the climate target of the Paris agreement can be met without a system that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – we need negative emissions.

The Facebook CEO will brief MEPs on data protection - but only behind closed doors. Meanwhile EU leaders are scratching their heads on how to deal with US president Trump's erratic decisions on trade and the Iran deal.

Most refugee-related services are outsourced to the private sector and NGOs, which are not adequately monitored and evaluated. When governments and EU institutions provide funding for refugee projects, they should scrutinise the NGOs and private players they work with.

Greece and Italy have a duty to better control migration into Europe, said Boyko Borisov, whose country holds the EU presidency.

The EU starts enforcing its general data protection regulation on 25 May - but Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovenia won't be ready. The delay will cause legal uncertainty.

Italy's would-be populist new rulers plan to pile on debt, posing questions for eurozone stability and monetary union.

The EU parliament's budget rapporteur complained the Commission is using numbers with a "desire to confuse". According to parliament estimates, the cohesion fund could suffer as much as a 45 percent cut.

A previously-unseen internal paper by the European Commission warned that a French ban of the bisphenol A chemical was "fully disproportionate". However, there was no consensus on starting an infringement procedure against France.