Euractiv.com

The Austrian Presidency of the EU will aim to reach agreement on two flagship pieces of legislation during its six-month stint at the EU helm – including new CO2 emissions standards for new cars and vans for 2030 and a controversial reform of the electricity market.

The US Chamber of Commerce on Monday (2 July) denounced President Donald Trump's handling of global trade disputes, issuing a report that argued tariffs imposed by Washington and retaliation by its partners would boomerang badly on the American economy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives settled a row over migration that threatened to topple her fragile governing coalition late on Monday evening after talks with her rebellious interior minister led him to drop his threat to resign.

Poland’s upper house of parliament approved an amendment to the country's renewable energy law on Friday (29 June) meant to remove obstacles to green energy investment and help Warsaw meet EU targets.

Self-employment is becoming more diversified in Europe and covers an increasing number of activities. But this small revolution raises issues when it comes to social protection. EURACTIV.fr reports.

Thailand has become one of the largest dumpsites for electronic waste from developed countries since China’s January ban on the import of plastic waste. EURACTIV’s partner Le Journal de l’environnement reports.

The attitude that the EU owes something to the candidate countries in the Western Balkans is wrong, as well as the belief that concerns over the growing Russian influence in the region will be enough to bring someone "closer to the EU”, according to the EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Aivo Orav.

The UK government should immediately open talks to secure a Data Adequacy Decision from the European Commission, MPs said in a new report published on Tuesday (2 July).

The European Commission wants future connected vehicles to be able to run both on 5G and Wifi networks, claiming its upcoming legal proposal will remain "technology neutral". But a leading lawmaker warns this will in effect give preference to one technology over another.

The next European Commission should focus on the bloc’s role in the global context of innovation, as China is “decisive” about creating a reliable framework for intellectual property and connecting biotech start-ups and digital companies, EFPIA’s President Stefan Oschmann told EURACTIV.com in an interview.  

The creation of the new ministry for ecological transition in Spain brings fresh air not only at the national level but also at the EU level as Spain can give a push in the fight against climate change, writes Ana Barreira.

The EU has threatened the US with countermeasures worth $294 billion if the Trump administration imposes further tariffs on European cars as a result of the ongoing investigation into whether they pose a possible threat to national security.

Macron’s European dream ran into a wall of national politics at last week's EU summit. A swing to the right of the European agenda appeared to trump the in-depth economic reforms championed by the French president. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The Austrian government (a mix of Christian-democrats and far-right eurosceptics) has taken over the rotating presidency of the Council with a programme focused on tackling immigration. EURACTIV’s partner Euroefe reports.

The Brexit negotiations are following the same pattern of the UK's tortured and contradictory relationship with the EU. That could lead to a 'no deal' Brexit by default rather than design, warn Dr Fabian Zuleeg and Matt Bevington.

The European Commission formally notified Poland on Monday (July 2) that it had initiated infringement proceedings against the country because of the controversial Supreme Court Act, but gave the Polish authorities one month to answer.

High on Kosovo's Kika mountain plateau workers are building the Balkan nation's first wind turbines, in an effort to eliminate the country's massive reliance on coal and end power outages.

Throughout its four years in office, the Juncker Commission has promoted connected and automated cars and encouraged industry groups to invest more in developing the technologies. EURACTIV looks at what it has achieved.

The leader of Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies, the CSU, offered to step down from his ministerial role and party leadership during a fiery closed-door meeting on Sunday ( 1 July). 

A battle between car manufacturers and telecoms operators is heating up as the European Commission prepares to announce legislation later this year that could determine whether automakers will need to rely on Wifi or wireless 5G technology.