Euractiv.com

European Union leaders will push for a Brexit deal next month but warned Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday (20 September) that if she will not give ground on trade and the Irish border by November they are ready to cope with Britain crashing out.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed outrage Thursday (21 September) after being ordered to undergo psychiatric tests for tweeting pictures of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group.

Spirulina, an ancient algae with many nutritional qualities is still not widely grown in Europe, which is, however, a major consumer of this “super food”. In the Nantes region, a market gardening group has ventured into greenhouse farming with the support of European funds. EURACTIV France reports.

Decarbonising Europe’s economy means replacing fossil fuels by renewables wherever possible. And that implies getting much more renewable electricity into heating and transport, writes Giles Dickson.

EU leaders poured cold water on Theresa May's Brexit plans at an informal summit in Salzburg on Thursday (20 September) but they remained divided over migration, with French president Emmanuel Macron launching a broadside at the EU's ‘troublesome’ member states.

‘A device of demagogues and dictators’ was the verdict of Clement Attlee, Britain’s great post-war Prime Minister on referendums. He wasn’t wrong. They are also a ruse for spineless politicians to pass the buck on tough decisions to their electorates.

The biggest lesson of all for Europe to learn from Brexit is the importance of mobilising young Europeans to vote, writes Roger Casale.

Malta's prime minister on Thursday (20 September) signalled unexpected support from EU leaders for a second referendum on Brexit in Britain, boosting a growing campaign for a new poll despite the British government's trenchant opposition.

Lawmakers must take the chance to strengthen the EU's investment in treatments for poverty related diseases and make the EU a hub for research excellence, writes José Inácio Faria MEP.

The expected benefits of electrified and shared vehicles are real and quantified. Yet, they are not guaranteed. There is another, darker, pathway that we could inadvertently slip into, called the “Hell Scenario” of autonomous mobility.  

Facebook came in for heavy criticism on Thursday (20 September), as EU justice chief Věra Jourová shone a light on her own Facebook experience as well as the issue of the tech giant's non-compliance with EU consumer rules.

Hervé Grimaud, the Chairman of EucoLight, the European Association of Lighting WEEE Compliance schemes, invites stakeholders to a Workshop on Online Sales of Non-Compliant Products.

Russian oil producer Surgutneftegaz is pushing buyers to agree to pay for oil in euros instead of dollars if the need arises, apparently as insurance against possible tougher US sanctions, traders who deal with the firm told Reuters.

Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Finland…. The EU's Budget Commissioner Günter Oettinger did not hesitate to point the finger at countries reluctant to increase their contributions to the EU's next seven-year budget during a speech on Wednesday (19 September).

First Vice President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday (19 September) was expected to ask the College of Commissioners to refer the Polish Supreme Court law to the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice.

The United States has supplanted Brazil as the European Union’s top supplier of soybeans since a deal in July with President Donald Trump to avert a trade war, according to EU data seen by Reuters on Thursday (20 September).

Hungary's foreign minister lashed out at what he called "biased, pro-migration" UN human rights experts on Wednesday (19 September), accusing them of spreading lies about his country and saying Budapest had the right to keep out illegal migrants.

Three former allies of the leader of Romania’s ruling Social Democrats called on him to resign on Wednesday, saying his criminal convictions have become the party’s largest vulnerability ahead of elections in 2019 and 2020.

Europe must stop selling new petrol, diesel and conventional hybrid cars by 2028 in order to stand a better chance of honouring the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious target, according to a new study.

The Bishops of Latin America are concerned that the EU is more prompt in negotiating new trade deals than ensuring the respect of basic human rights, when violated by companies who have their headquarters in Europe, writes Cardinal Pedro Barreto.