Euractiv.com

With a year to go until the European Parliament elections and the appointment of a new European Commission, the EU is yet again at a crossroads. But unlike Robert Johnson, the EU is unlikely to sell its soul to play a mean guitar, writes Tom Parker.

When one in four children in the EU is growing up at risk of poverty and social exclusion, investing in children is an economic necessity as much as a moral imperative, writes Jana Hainsworth.

Italy's president set the country on a path to fresh elections on Monday (28 May), appointing a former International Monetary Fund official as interim prime minister with the task of planning for snap polls and passing the next budget.

More than 40,000 people signed up to run the Brussels 20km yesterday, on a Sunday that was brimming with a great atmosphere and car-free roads. But such late-spring days could be numbered, thanks to the scorching heat.

EU foreign ministers today (28 May) agreed to "swiftly" adopt new sanctions against Venezuelan officials involved in Nicolas Maduro's re-election, which they said "lacked any credibility".

EU negotiators hope to wrap up talks on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) this week, which will significantly affect the building sector. A new report released on 28 May says buildings have a crucial but often overlooked impact on health and renovation can be beneficial to our quality of life.

Is there life on Mars? Maybe soon. What seems more like Hollywood sci-fi than genuine farming prospect could soon come to fruition, as an Italian project uses EU funding to grow plants in extremely hostile conditions. EURACTIV.it reports.

The US is leading in healthcare innovation, China is catching up at high speed and Europe is just watching the global developments, Roche CEO Severin Schwan warned on Monday (28 May). EURACTIV.com reports from Dublin.

There is growing criticism in France of increased subsidiarity of the future Common Agricultural Policy for the 2021-2027 period, which the Commission seems to favour, EURACTIV.fr reports.

France plans to intensify efforts to find a solution to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.

The European Commission presented its long-awaited marine-litter-busting proposal on single-use plastics on Monday (28 May). The first legislative proposal from the Plastics Strategy aims to help the EU clean up the continent's beaches and waterways.

Connected and automated cars will collect enormous amounts of data. While sharing this data has the potential to optimise the driving experience for all, questions of data privacy naturally arise – not least as GDPR rolls out.

Due to a lack of consensus on the issue of migration, member states cannot come to an agreement  on a mandate to begin negotiations on the future partnership agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. EURACTIV.fr reports

Berlin, the borough of Mitte: A dozen people of mixed ages sit in a room full of computers and play Minecraft. The aim is to learn what the open source game can be used for. The participants are guided by an employee of the WeTeK training centre, who will show them how to use computer games for working with young people. EURACTIV.de reports.

The Kremlin expressed concern on Monday (28 May) over media reports that Poland has requested a permanent US military presence on its soil, saying NATO’s expansion towards Russia’s borders undermined stability in Europe.

Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Belgium, Fuad Isgandarov, talks about the current geopolitical tensions with Iran, recent political changes in Armenia, attacks against his country in  the international media, the human rights situation and future EU relations.

Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters rallied in the capital Tirana on Saturday calling for the resignation of interior minister Fatmir Xhafaj, whose brother has been convicted of drug trafficking.

Ireland voted by a landslide to ditch its strict abortion laws in a landmark referendum that Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said had finally lifted decades of stigma and shame.

At the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), the annual European Week Against Cancer (25 – 31 May) is a crucial milestone in our calendar. It is an opportunity to make heard the voice of the 400 members that we represent as the largest umbrella cancer patients’ association, covering all 28 EU Member States as well as other European countries.

Some 5,000 supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) marched through the streets of Berlin on Sunday (27 May), but they were heavily outnumbered by anti-AfD demonstrations.