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In spite of the very public backlash against the EU Green Deal, several key environmental files continue to pass through the EU's legislative machinery without major controversy.

Four Dutch parties, including Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom, have agreed on a government programme emphasising nationalism and a tougher stance on Europe.

Approaching the first official state visit of a French president to Germany in 24 years, the Franco-German engine is again struggling to design a framework for the EU of the future, but upcoming national elections add unprecedented urgency to their task.

The far-right Identity & Democracy group in the European Parliament kicked out the scandal-plagued German far-right party AfD on Thursday afternoon (23 May), but the German delegation said it might fight the decision.

The UN General Assembly voted Thursday (23 May) to establish an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, despite furious opposition from Bosnian Serbs and Serbia.

“What kind of europe do we want? A Europe that puts patients’ needs at the forefront, or that prioritises the interests of big pharma?” says Greens health expert Tilly Metz

The ongoing tensions in France's overseas territory of New Caledonia weighed heavily in a debate at the French Senate, where Senators strengthened and approved a bill on foreign interference.

Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday (23 May) accused an unnamed EU Commissioner of trying to "blackmail" him over the adoption of a controversial ‘foreign agent’ law.

Politicians have been quick to celebrate France's 5.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 from a year earlier, but environmental NGOs questioned whether the progress can be sustained without additional policy measures.

Food and agriculture stakeholders are asking the European Commission to finalise the details of the EU's deforestation regulation while a group of agriculture ministers seek a postponement, a move opposed by NGOs and ruled out by the Commission for now.

What a difference a few weeks can make. Until recently, this was a standard description of New Caledonia: A French territory comprising dozens of islands in the South Pacific, known for its palm-lined beaches, marine-life-rich lagoon, and a barrier reef that surrounds the main island, Grand Terre, a major scuba-diving destination.

Embracing open digital ecosystems is vital for Europe's future. By focusing on openness, choice and collaboration, the EU can foster innovation and competitiveness. Lynx CEO Stan Larroque and Wire Group CEO Benjamin Schilz argue for bold action in creating a more competitive digital Europe.

Follow the final debate between the European Union's political families in this live blog by the Euractiv newsroom.

The European Commission fined US confectionary giant Mondelez €337.5 million on Thursday (23 May) for engaging in anti-competitive behaviour which inflated food prices and exacerbated the cost of living crisis across the EU.

Two weeks before the EU elections, there are around 75 seats up for grabs that will shape the new balance of power on the left and right of the hemicycle, available for the European Parliament’s political families to cement electoral gains - or mitigate losses. 

There’s one ‘trading area and corridor’ that fulfils many of the prerequisites for a Europe able to stand on its own feet, economically and in terms of geostrategy - the Middle Corridor going all the way from the Balkans to Central Asia, writes Samuel Doveri Vesterbye.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's initiative to tackle polarisation in the agricultural sector is expected to reach its conclusions by September, but sources close to the talks told Euractiv that stakeholders are still not close to defining concrete agreements.

Identity cards, passports, excerpts of criminal records, and work experience documents were among the personal data of European Parliament employees compromised in a data breach, according to an internal email sent on Wednesday and seen by Euractiv.

Ahead of June's EU elections and a new European Commission, France and Germany are looking to set the agenda with a joint paper calling for the adoption of a European Tech Deal and forceful reforms to slash red tape. 

Stresa, Italy, May 23, 2024 (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday urged G7 ministers meeting in Italy to work on "more ambitious options" to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

The ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven world powers are meeting in Stresa, on the shores of northern Italy's Lake Maggiore, to prepare for a summit of G7 heads of state next month in Puglia.

Top of the agenda is a plan to finance crucial aid to Ukraine using the interest generated by the 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of Russian central bank assets frozen by the G7 and Europe.

The European Union took a first step in agreeing a deal this month to seize revenues from frozen Russian assets to arm Ukraine, a windfall that will reach 2.5 to three billion euros ($2.7-$3.3 billion) a year.

In a press conference before the meeting, Yellen welcomed this plan but added: "We must also continue our collective work on more ambitious options, considering all relevant risks and acting together."

She said she wanted "concrete options" to present to G7 leaders, adding: "Failure to take additional action is not an option -- not for Ukraine's future and not for the stability of our own economies and the security of our peoples."

The United States has proposed granting Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion for more than two years, up to $50 billion in loans secured by this interest.

The details of the US plan have not yet been finalised, including who would issue the debt -- the US alone or G7 countries as a whole.

But it will serve as a basis for G7 discussions, according to a Treasury source in Italy, which as G7 president this year is hosting the Stresa talks.

The US proposal is an "interesting way forward" but "any decision must have a solid legal basis", the source said.

Time is of the essence, as the slow speed of European material reaching Kyiv and the near-halt in US aid for months during wrangling in Washington have strained Ukraine's capabilities just as Russia has regained the initiative on the ground.

In addition to the United States and Italy, the G7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan.

- Legal issues -

Yellen had initially advocated a more radical solution -- the confiscation of the Russian assets themselves.

But European countries worried about creating a precedent in international law and the risk of serious legal disputes with Moscow.

Stresa host Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italy's economy minister, has made no secret of the complexity of the issue.

He said Rome would be an "honest mediator" in discussions but said the task was "very delicate".

In April, Moscow sent a thinly veiled warning to Italy in its capacity as G7 chair, taking "temporary" control of the Russian subsidiary of the Italian heating equipment group Ariston in retaliation for what it called "hostile actions" by Washington and its allies.

Experts warn that any further G7 action against Russia could lead to similar reprisals hitting other European companies still operating in the country.

John Kirton, director of the University of Toronto's G7 Research Group, said that tapping just the interest on Russian assets "would considerably reduce the legal problems".

"Legally, it would not be confiscating the 'assets'," he told AFP.

France on Wednesday welcomed the US plan, saying it was hoping the G7 finance ministers would reach a deal this week.

"The Americans have made proposals that fall within the framework of international law, and we are going to work on them openly and constructively," Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

- China overproduction -

Yellen said the Stresa meeting would consider "additional action" against Moscow for its war in Ukraine, including to restrict its access to critical goods that support its military.

She also said the G7 ministers would discuss responses to what she called China's "overcapacity" of key green technologies such as electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels.

The US is concerned that Chinese government support is leading to more production capacity than global markets can absorb, driving cheap exports and stifling growth elsewhere.

"Overcapacity threatens the viability of firms around the world, including in emerging markets," she said.

She added: "It's critical that we and the growing numbers of countries who have identified this as a concern present a clear and united front."