Euractiv.com

The EU's stand on migration policy is moving towards the demands of the Visegrad group, one of the best functioning groups in the bloc, says Dr Kai-Olaf Lang, adding that in many respects, Germany and V4 are much closer to each other today than Germany and France.

The European Court of Justice will decide on Wednesday (25 July) if the so-called new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) fall under the GM legislation, in a highly anticipated ruling that has divided the relevant stakeholders

Dangers of backsliding can already be identified in the European Commission’s proposal for Cohesion Policy in the next seven-year EU budget, warns the Committee of the Regions’ Catiuscia Marini. But she says the aim is to reach a framework agreement on resources and rules before the current term expires.

The European Union has successfully coordinated a mass effort to fight the wildfires raging in the Arctic Circle, dispatching planes and firefighters in what has been dubbed "solidarity in action".

The case needs to be made for a back-up security order in Europe - guaranteed by Europe, alas without the US, writes Robert Steenland.

As EURACTIV wrote last March, an ‘agent provocateur’ has entered European politics, and his name is Steve Bannon, former senior advisor to President Donald Trump.

The offer by the European Commission to let the College meet on an annual basis with Georgia’s leadership is unique when comparing it to relations between the EU and other third countries, writes Steven Blockmans.

Spain's conservatives shifted to the right on Saturday (21 July), electing a traditionalist as leader as they seek to re-establish a clear political identity less than two months after being removed from government.

EU finance chief Pierre Moscovici fired a barb at US President Donald Trump on Sunday (22 July) as he called on both sides of an ongoing global trade dispute to "act as allies".

Standing in a field of roses in eastern Afghanistan, former poppy grower Mohammad Din Sapai quickly but carefully plucks the delicate petals that will be turned into rose water and oils for sale around the world.

British environmental campaigners have lost their high court challenge against the government over its policy for tackling climate change. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Sunday (22 July) a year-long inquiry into allegations of financial wrongdoing linked to the Panama Papers scandal had cleared him.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar begins a tour of three European capitals to discuss Brexit and other issues on Monday (23 July), amid signs of continuing division between London, Brussels and Dublin on preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit next year.

When it comes to migration and refugees, the Visegrad 4 governments speak with one voice: the EU should abandon any idea of a compulsory mechanism for refugee relocation. EURACTIV's network reports.

German industry groups warned on Sunday (22 July), before European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker meets US President Donald Trump this week, that tariffs the United States has imposed or is threatening to introduce risk harming America itself.

The future of Europe will depend on the attitudes of ordinary citizens. These attitudes will determine what kind of policy agreements are possible in Brussels but also decide on the fundamental question: if the European project should be continued or scrapped altogether, write Jan Jakub Chromiec and Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz.

Like most big ports, Marseille has seen its fair share of crime and smuggling. The latest trend, seen almost everywhere in the bustling Mediterranean city, is the sale of cigarettes smuggled from North Africa. In the endless cat-and-mouse game with the police, smugglers seem to be winning, for now.

European finance leaders called for progress on global rules to tax the digital economy at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bankers in Argentina on Sunday (22 July), putting them at odds with US counterparts.

Michel Barnier downplayed the importance of the UK government’s torturously agreed White Paper on post-Brexit relations on Friday (July 20), insisting that it would not form the basis of Article 50 talks with London.

British politicians will start their summer holidays next Wednesday (25 July) but the two month recess is unlikely to bring any respite for Prime Minister Theresa May.