European Union

Germany's first "traffic light" governing coalition comprising the SPD, the Greens and the FDP has unveiled its coalition agreement, and the future cabinet is also taking shape. The press discusses what Europe's capitals can expect from social democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the liberal FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

The Romanian parliament elected the former defence minister and retired general Nicolae Ciucă as the new prime minister on Thursday. His predecessor Florin Cîțu was removed from office in October. Ciucă heads a three-party coalition of his national liberal PNL, the social democratic PSD and the Hungarian party UDMR. The two major coalition partners, the PNL and the PSD, were bitter opponents until only recently.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which originated in the US, are also ushering in the Christmas season for more and more people in Europe. The press looks at how consumer behaviour affects working conditions, traditions, habits and national economies.

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2021 - EP

The main challenges that the next government has to face and if the measures that are outlined in the coalition agreement are enough to bring Germany back on track to master the digital transformation. 

Germany's next government will introduce compulsory livestock labelling and revise the distribution of EU agricultural subsidies, according to the coalition agreement the three parties agreed to on Wednesday (24 November). EURACTIV Germany reports.

In this event, the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives discussed how to make a successful story for small producers in the international market, while a representative of the country Ministry for Agriculture delivered the country efforts to enhance this phenomenon from a legislative perspective.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Friday that the EU will block travel from southern Africa, due to a new variant of Covid-19 there. "The EU Commission will propose, in close coordination with member states, to activate the emergency brake to stop air travel from the southern African region due to the variant of concern B.1.1.529," she tweeted.