Euractiv.com

Angela Merkel’s unexpected announcement about the end of her political career, at least in Germany, was followed by ‘end of era’ reflections about the troubling future facing Europe without the continent’s ‘anchor of stability’. But for your Brief’s author, an altogether different picture came to mind.

The Niederaussem coal plant and mine, operated by RWE, was singled out as Europe’s largest hotspot for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution, according to a groundbreaking analysis of new satellite imagery. London’s polluted air, caused mainly by transport emissions, comes second.

Merz, Kramp-Karrenbauer, Spahn and Laschet – portraits of the four candidates to succeed Angela Merkel as CDU chair. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

The work of Serbia's parliament reflects the general trend of the "capture" of state institutions by the ruling party, while filibustering and avoidance of public debates in parliament have become common practice, notes the latest civil society report on the Balkan country's progress on the rule of law. EURACTIV Serbia reports.

The UK is to roll out a digital services tax (DST) for tech giants from April 2020 in a move that breaks an international stalemate on the subject. The rates, however, differ substantially from the EU’s own DST plans.

The UK’s market-wide capacity mechanism for electricity provides a solution to a supply problem that has yet to emerge, writes Phil Baker. A targeted strategic reserve is likely to be a more cost-reflective alternative, he argues.

Prosecutors said Monday (29 October) they have broken up a scam run by Bulgarian officials which had enabled thousands of foreigners to obtain passports for cash -- and with them visa-free travel across the EU.

European tastes are changing and so must farms, therefore we need to support a transition away from industrial animal farming, writes Alexandra Clark.

The ways in which humans feed, fuel and finance modern societies is pushing the planet’s natural systems to the brink, threatening the very foundation on which the world economy is based, according to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018, published on Tuesday (30 October).

In an effort to break from its austerity-driven past and improve the economy’s competitiveness, the Greek government will soon present its national strategy for the digitisation of the agricultural sector.

From studying toxic microplankton to currents and ocean temperatures, the Euro Hab and Euro-Argo projects are trying to understand the oceans. The British are contributing to this undertaking but Brexit could complicate things. EURACTIV France reports.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio called on Monday (29 October) for unity within his 5-Star Movement after the anti-establishment party was forced to renege on an electoral pledge to halt a major, international gas transport project.

Britain will issue a new 50-pence coin to mark its departure from the European Union next year, the government said on Monday (29 October) in an announcement that was quickly mocked on social media.

As Europe's most powerful leader, Angela Merkel's decision to quit as German chancellor in 2021 spells uncertainty and possibly paralysis for the EU as populists rally, diplomats and analysts warn.

The first post-Brexit budget will hand Britons tax cuts, but the UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, offered a veiled warning that the UK would be poorer if Theresa May’s government failed to strike a Brexit agreement with the EU.

Five weeks before a pivotal UN climate conference (COP24) starts, a group of investors led, by the Church of England Pensions Board and Swedish national pension fund AP7, sent a letter to 55 companies to challenge them on climate lobbying.

Brazil, the largest country of Latin America and the fourth largest democracy, elected a racist, misogynous and homophobic Trump-like politician, sparking fears for the future of the Amazon rainforest, the global climate and the mental state of mankind.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Monday (29 October) she no longer wants to run for CDU chairmanship in December and, after the current legislative term, does not want to stand as a candidate for the chancellorship. EURACTIV Germany reports on 'the end of an era' in the country.

EU Transport Ministers requested on Monday (29 October) more time to decide on ending the twice-yearly clock change, pointing to the preparations needed to avoid chaos in the European transport system.

Germany and Austria elected new parliaments a year ago. Since then, the governing parties in both countries have progressed very differently, as the regional elections in Hesse illustrated once again. EURACTIV Germany reports.