European Union

On 16 July, Parliament will co-host the first-ever Global State of Human Rights conference to discuss the state of human rights internationally.
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

On 16 July, Parliament will co-host the first-ever Global State of Human Rights conference to discuss the state of human rights internationally.
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

Italy has won the Euro 2020 European football championship with a 3-2 victory against England on penalties. The game was watched by 60,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium. The day after the final Europe's commentators are full of praise for the two teams but criticise a lack of scrutiny regarding the organisation of the tournament in the context of the pandemic.

Volkswagen and BMW have been ordered to pay 875 million euros in fines to the EU for colluding with Daimler to restrict the size of their urea tanks in 2009, thus hindering competition. Urea mixtures improve exhaust gas purification and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Have the companies been let off too lightly, or are they being punished for normal and desirable cooperation?

The Russian Duma has passed a law that reserves the term "shampanskoye" - as all sparkling wine is called in Russian - for Russian products only. All others, including champagne from the French Champagne region, must henceforth be declared as "Igristoye vino" (sparkling wine). Europe's press goggles, jokes and scolds.

In a referendum on Sunday, 86 percent of Slovenian voters retroactively annulled the country's new water management law introduced in March. According to the law, investors and private individuals would have been able to acquire and use land on coastlines, lake shores and riverbanks. So far, such land has remained common property in Slovenia. At 44.5 percent, the turnout was significantly higher than expected.

In Bulgaria's second parliamentary election in three months, the anti-establishment populist ITN party led by TV presenter Slavi Trifonov, which was founded just last year, and the conservative Gerb party of former prime minister Boyko Borisov are neck-and-neck in exit polls. The final results are expected at the end of the week. What is already clear, however, is that voter turnout has dropped from 50 percent in April to less than 40 percent now. Why?