European Union

President Tusk received the letters of credentials from four new ambassadors to the European Union.

Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/1860 of 16 October 2017 amending Decision (CFSP) 2016/849 concerning restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Mário Centeno started his mandate as Eurogroup President, taking over from Jeroen Dijsselbloem.

In his speech in Sofia, President Donald Tusk welcomed the priorities set for the 6-month Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the European Union.

President Tusk received the letters of credentials from three new ambassadors to the European Union.

Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2282 of 11 December 2017 amending Decision 2010/788/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Council added 16 persons and one entity to the list of those subject to an asset freeze and travel restrictions, in line with UN Security Council resolution 2397.

The two major independence parties in Catalonia have agreed on a regional government to be led by Carles Puigdemont, who was removed from office in October and faces prison if he returns to Spain. His investiture is to take place via video conference. Is this a real solution or will it only add further fuel to the fire?

The Czechs will vote in the first round of the country's presidential election on Friday and Saturday. Leading the polls is incumbent Miloš Zeman - who favours maintaining Andrej Babiš as prime minister although the latter is facing fraud charges. In the event of a runoff vote, however, the former head of the Academy of Sciences Jiří Drahoš also stands a fair chance of winning. Czech and Slovakian journalists describe the mood in the country ahead of the vote.

Islands of plastic in the oceans and a Chinese import ban on waste are forcing Europe to take action. The EU Commission has raised the possibility of a plastic tax to limit the use of the ubiquitous material. Not all commentators agree that this is the right step.

Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has floated the idea of a step-by-step lifting of the EU sanctions on Russia should a UN-monitored ceasefire be established in eastern Ukraine. In the meantime the EU has tightened the reins on Ukraine and is holding back on financial aid for Kiev on the grounds that it hasn't fulfilled the terms. Commentators of the countries in question examine the situation.